What breed of dog is great at killing rats??

[rovergirl]

Thanks so much everyone! My husband is incredibly allergic to cats and he has asthma, so cats are out of the question. I have trained dogs before, a black lab/german shephard and a rat terrier. I actually found it easier to work with the terrier! We will continue our search with all your suggestions in mind!!!

Becky

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
I use a bucket as well. I place a half full bucket next to the wall, no can for a mouse to step on. I believe mice have no depth perception when looking down into the water but must smell the water and leap in. Works well.

The original post mentions rats removing the bait, keep replacing it, the poison is not immediate. Soon you'll find or smell dead rats.

 

[BlackBart]

I know somebody who uses the Rat Zapper and are really happy with the results.
No poison bait packs, as they have linked rat bait to the death of some Owls recently. No looking for a dead poisoned rat.
Quick and humane.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

You might also want to look into a good farm collie, English Shepherd or even an Australian Shepherd.

I had an Aussie as a rescue and she would dig and dig till she got the vermin. I also have an English Shepherd/Husky and he is great at controling predators and rodents. He is also in training as a Mobility dog. A good all around farm collie type dog should be able to guard, hunt and herd. Just be prepared to give them or the terriers plenty of mental and physical exercise.

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi hencackle, we have a Coton de Tulear too. She doesn't bother with the chickens, rats or squirrels. But our Bichon mix goes after rats, squirrels and rabbits. Fortunately or unfortunately he doesn't catch anything. We have had a red tailed hawk in our yard over the past few weeks. I believe he's caught a rabbit and the other day I saw him fly off with a huge rat!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank god he hasn't gotten one of our hens yet!

Edited to add, the hens are fairly savvy when it comes to hawks as they've no roo to help protect them. I do worry about them all the time though!!!

Question to all… aren't you a little afraid of what your dogs might catch from catching the rats? Our Bichon might actually get one if I let him stay at it.

Quote:

 

[Caincando1]

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But even the best ratter will never keep up with sizable population of rats. I own and hunt earth dogs (terrier) and they love to kill rats. The problem is rats are smart and live in very secure places. They live in walls, under floor and deep in the ground. The terriers just can’t get to them 95% of the time. They don’t hunt like cats where they patiently wait for the rats to come out a night. A bunch of barn cats is really the only thing that will keep up with a population of rats. The best rat dogs will never compare to the rat killing numbers of a cat.

 

[eggboy]

There are non-shedding cats that would probably work for you.... they are probably expensive though.

 

[Minniechickmama]

We had an old short-haired mutt dog when I was a little kid. Her name was Queenie. She was right there the day my dad and brothers and other relatives came out to dig out the old heap where the old chicken coop stood on the property. It was a rat city. Queenie killed 99 rats before the day was through, one right after the other. Gross, I know, but what an awesome doggie she was. Trust me, our family was SO happy to be rid of that whole mess. Poor girl got cancer real bad and we had to put her down. So, a mutt could do it. However, terriers are really bred for that, however, also are notorious chicken killers, like someone already mentioned. So, you would need lots of training.
I personally love the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers and they don't shed.