I’m wondering if a terrier would be a useful animal, most of all for killing voles (especially in the garden, maybe between crops) but also for killing mice and maybe other animals (possums, squirrels…) I’m assuming I couldn’t let a terrier loose all the time or it would do too much damage digging things up, but I’m wondering if it could still be pretty useful if I took it on loosely supervised “hunting” sessions every day or however often. I have a Collie cross that kills moles occasionally, but I imagine there are terriers or other similar dogs that would be much better and more efficient at killing voles. Anyone have any experience with such dogs?
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This is the kind of thing dachsunds were bred for. The smaller terriers might not do too much damage, and they sure can harass the heck out of squirrels! Of course, a ferret would be the classical answer, but I have no idea how you make sure they come home.
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My parents have two Jack Russells. They do a great job as long as they are outside. Unfortunately, my mom thinks they are children and lets them in the house when she gets home. The most terrorizing dog they ever had for rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, possums, vultures (yeah, I know crazy), deer (not cool), hogs, venomous snakes, armadillos, chipmunks, chickens and basically anything non-human was a pit bull TERRIER. Problem is, no livestock of course.
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I had a terrier/english pointer that hated rodents. She could get her front legs about seven feet in the air with a good jump, and would use that to climb trees chasing squirrels. She absolutely despised any rodent that lived underground, relentlessly pursuing them no matter how much digging was required. She was much more destructive than the rodents, and I miss her terribly.
Here’s a dachsund in action. Dachshund Hunting & Killing - YouTube
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Ferrets sound interesting, too. I might have to read up on ferrets. If I remember correctly my county sends out periodic reminders about requirements for vaccinating dogs, cats, and ferrets for rabies, so apparently there are people that keep them.
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My parents had a medium sized dog that was dumped by their church. Kind of a " benji" looking dog, he would work all day to dig a chipmunk out of a wood pile. He was a killer on rats and squirrels too, really a good dog
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I agree with BambooMan, Jack Russells are good for getting rid of critters like that. I have horses and a lot of the horse barns I go to have had Jack Russells as barn dogs. They get all the small rodents like that.
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Rat terriers ,wire haired terriers and jack Russell’s are all great rodent dogs
Several small hyper dogs cover a lot more ground than one big one ( usually sleeping )
Unfortunately jack Russell’s are coyote bait here.Coyotes killed my last two. They were fearless , but that was their doom.
Got 2 airdales , now , they can whoop the coyotes , and keep the squerils ,and about every thing else fearing for their life.
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I have a couple of dogs that cooperate to hunt lizards, mice, a rat, rabbits, and even a snake. One will paw through the woodpile or bushes while the other waits on the other side. Between them they caught a big rat, about a dozen mice, a rabbit, and a small snake this year. And lots of lizards. The border collie/boxer mix has a very strong prey drive, she likes to chase just about anything she can see. They do not dig too much, so probably would not be too good with voles.
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Queensland Healers are a good choice on properties of an acre or more. They need some training when young – such as walking around the perimeter of the property every day for several months, and also that you are the alpha dog. They are bright dogs and like to please. But if you ignore them – expect lots of mischief.
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Ever seen Jreed and is horde? He is a rat catcher for hire.
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Hillbilly . . . Maggie, one of our JRs, got into it with a water moccasin, once. I grabbed her and ran for the Benadryl - then ran to the vet with her. She was there for a week - her head swelled twice its size. No one thought she would make it. But, they were able to get some anti-venom in her . . . and the tuff little bugger chased snakes and moles for 8 more years. Miss her, still.
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I know what you mean . . . on both counts. Try to think of it as ‘deep aeration’.
The humorous side of this destruction was seeing dirt flying in all directions and only a little furiously wagging tail showing above the hole!
And afterwards . . . I swear these dogs are ‘wash-n-wear’. She would just give some shakes . . . and she’d be all clean again. Well, except maybe for her paws.
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Squirrels.
My husband has an acquaintance who is an ‘Animal Rehabilitater’. This woman nurses any thing - and then rehomes them. So, she asked if she could put some baby squirrels on our property. He said yes. BIG mistake.
We never saw squirrels, here, before. Maybe it is too wet . . . being surrounded on 3 sides by swampland.
Needless to say - I warned him that they would make our lives miserable.
I have bird feeders. Had to replace them all with the kind that provide ‘squirrel protection’. And my blueberries will be sampled, I’m sure.
We never get a single pecan . . . but haven’t for years. Probably raccoons and possum. ?
Anyway . . . I am considering getting some of those Hav-A-Hart traps and ‘taking the squirrels on a permanent vacation’, before they breed and cause complete havoc. I don’t have the heart to shoot them - after Rob’s friend put so much time and effort into saving their lives.
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i have a border collie/ aussie mix. she’s a pistol! I’m anxious to see her at work come spring. she’s 9 months and mischievous is her middle name! very smart and comic relief! she tries to herd everything she can , including my other dogs and the cat!
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I use barn cats for that purpose. They are always bringing up moles and other things they catch. They will sit by a hole for hours waiting for the mole to pop up.
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