Dogs and squirrels

[Janeway]

My dad's dog does a great job hunting any and every squirrel that dares to break the perimeter in to our yard. My husband and kids are worked up and upset, but from what I understand, this is a dog's job. I think it is just a part of life and instinct. Can I hear the take of everyone else? My husband was a bit disgusted when I said this was just the way life is. In fact, all the kids are disgusted with me.

[Pawz4me]

It depends on the breed/mix of the dog. My Shih Tzu couldn't possibly care less about squirrels. He has no prey drive or desire to hunt in his genes. Our other dog, who is some sort of Lhasa Apso or terrier(ish) type mix will go after them occasionally. Our previous dog was a Brittany, a bird dog. He cared not one whit about squirrels but would point anything that did anything that even somewhat resembled flying. I watched him point a grasshopper once; I guess the jumping was close enough to flying to suit his criteria. If your dad's dog has some terrier or hound in his/her mix then there's the genetic hard wiring for going after small prey.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Pawz4me

[cintinative]

Add me to the roster for team Janeway.

My dog has not yet caught a squirrel, but he has caught several chipmunks and moles. 

Honestly with those chittering noises and crazy fluffy tails, can you blame the dog for thinking they are big fun to chase? 

ETA: commenting on Paws4me's comment, my dog does have a pretty strong prey drive. He chases rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, etc. and has caught moles and voles. He's a GSD mix.

Edited May 8, 2021 by cintinative

[Tanaqui]

It's a dog eat squirrel world out there, after all.

But if it really bothers the rest of your family then they should embark on a training regimen to stop her from doing it.

[Loowit]

We don't get a lot of squirrels in our neighborhood, but we do get bunnies, cats, and birds.  Our dog (Australian Shepherd/Alaskan Malamute mix)  chases them off when they get in his yard, although to be honest I think he is more likely trying to play with the bunny.  I think for many dog breeds it is an instinct to protect their yard from invaders.

[PeterPan]

Could you set up a safe feeder on a pole for the squirrels, so they'll have a place to run to? I agree dogs have varying prey drive. So maybe just create safe places for the squirrels if you want them to have a chance.

[Katy]

Yes, depending on the breed. Totally normal for some.

[SKL]

My German Shepherd pup tries to chase bunnies and occasionally deer, but as he's normally on a leash even in our yard, he hasn't been able to catch any yet.

I don't blame the pup and doubt it can be trained out of him.  Eventually, when he's mature enough to be off leash in the yard, he will probably go after critters.  I only hope the critters are faster than he is.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Great job hunting as in chasing them?  Or catching them?  As others have said, some breeds have a greater prey drive than others.  But in our case, the squirrels love taunting my dogs and the dogs love chasing them but it's never ended in tragedy for the squirrels. 

[Sdel]

I’m with you.  Honestly, if I let her, my Labrador is a better mouser than my cats.....and she doesn’t leave messy bits when she gets them.  Her walks in the field are more hunts than a walk because she immediately starts rooting around for the voles and rabbits.

[Carrie12345]

My aunt had a golden retriever that took out groundhogs constantly. The real disturbing part was that he’d hide them.

My tiny dog has no real interest in squirrels or birds. He wants to be allowed to hunt deer and bark at the flag at the end of our driveway when the wind blows it. (But he lives an on-leash life for his protection.)

[Pawz4me]

31 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Great job hunting as in chasing them?  Or catching them?  As others have said, some breeds have a greater prey drive than others.  But in our case, the squirrels love taunting my dogs and the dogs love chasing them but it's never ended in tragedy for the squirrels. 

I'm wondering about that, too. I'm thinking to catch a squirrel -- that's either a very fast dog or a very slow (elderly, injured/ill?) squirrel.

[Innisfree]

30 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Great job hunting as in chasing them?  Or catching them?  As others have said, some breeds have a greater prey drive than others.  But in our case, the squirrels love taunting my dogs and the dogs love chasing them but it's never ended in tragedy for the squirrels. 

This.

Our dogs have pretty much always had fenced yards with big trees and squirrels. Most have had at least some hound ancestry. All have chased squirrels (and bunnies. And moles! Ever watch a dog cock his ear at the ground before pouncing and digging furiously?). Only rarely has one actually succeeded in catching anything, though.

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, Innisfree said:

This.

Our dogs have pretty much always had fenced yards with big trees and squirrels. Most have had at least some hound ancestry. All have chased squirrels (and bunnies. And moles! Ever watch a dog cock his ear at the ground before pouncing and digging furiously?). Only rarely has one actually succeeded in catching anything, though.

Yes! Our former beagle did that. She would have made a fabulous mole/vole detection dog. DH groaned (or cursed) every time he saw it. 😉 

[Innisfree]

3 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Yes! Our former beagle did that. She would have made a fabulous mole/vole detection dog. DH groaned (or cursed) every time he saw it. 😉 

There's a reason I've given up gardening in the back yard. 😄

[ktgrok]

My dog nearly got one the other day. She was a hair away. 

I've found a few dead ones, not sure if they died of natural causes or dog causes, no marks I could tell, but they were very dead. 

It's totally normal for dogs to hunt squirrels, but less typical they are good enough to actually catch them, lol. 

Terriers in particular are known for this. 

[cintinative]

6 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Yes! Our former beagle did that. She would have made a fabulous mole/vole detection dog. DH groaned (or cursed) every time he saw it. 😉 

Our dog can definitely hear them in the ground.  Unfortunately, he is not terribly accurate in his hole digging.  😃 It's funny to watch him dig, sniff really, really deeply, and then move slightly over, dig some more, sniff again, etc.  People always say they are jealous that we have a dog that takes out moles (and chipmunks--they are destructive here) but I joke that he is not terribly accurate.

 

[Pawz4me]

Just now, Innisfree said:

There's a reason I've given up gardening in the back yard. 😄

He was much more upset about the moles/voles than about the digging! He knew he could solve the digging by getting rid of the pesky little varmints, but . . they're challenging.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We had a cat that was an excellent moler.  Neighbors would ask (partly seriously?) to borrow her to catch moles.  It's not like she did it on command, though! 

She also had a wild rabbit "friend" for a few years.  They would sit side by side out in the yard together.  Until one day our cat ate him.  In true homeschooler fashion the kids and I had a rabbit anatomy lesson from the remains. . .    (Fortunately our current cat respects our domestic pet rabbits.) 

[MercyA]

If your dog is actually killing the squirrels, I'd be upset, too. There's no reason for him to be allowed to do it. It's not like he needs to eat them. He's just doing it for fun. I'm sure it's absolutely terrifying (and very painful) for the squirrels. 

I like Peter Pan's suggestion of providing the squirrels with some safe places to climb in the yard. 

You can try correcting the dog when he gives chase, but unless someone is with him all of the time outside, it may be a hard lesson for him to learn.

Here's hoping the dog and squirrels are actually just playing a game of tag, and not having a contest to the death. 

[MercyA]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

She also had a wild rabbit "friend" for a few years.  They would sit side by side out in the yard together.  Until one day our cat ate him.  

Wow, what a betrayal. 😞 I love cats dearly, but they can be jerks. 

[Bambam]

Every dog we've ever had chased squirrels. On the very rare occasion did they catch and kill one. Dogs are prey animals and this is a part of their nature, IMHO. An overpopulation of any type of animal causes problems. If family is against dog chasing squirrels, you could try to train them not to, but after enough squirrels die, wouldn't the squirrels avoid the area? 

My sister's rottweilers regularly catch rabbits and eat them (or parts of them). Sad, but that's life. You generally can't make it to them in time to stop it. Last time they ate the babies that the unwise mother had in a burrow between two trees in the middle of their fenced yard that regularly contained two rottweilers. Sad but it happens. 
 

[Janeway]

2 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Could you set up a safe feeder on a pole for the squirrels, so they'll have a place to run to? I agree dogs have varying prey drive. So maybe just create safe places for the squirrels if you want them to have a chance.

The squirrels have already chewed up part of our house. The only thing I can do is bring an an exterminator to get rid of the squirrels.

[crazyforlatin]

No squirrels in our residential area but when my husky is in the nearby park, she loses her mind and her dignity. She has yet to be successful both in catching and attempting to climb trees. I was once dragged down the hill with her because I forgot about the squirrels.

[Innisfree]

21 minutes ago, Janeway said:

The squirrels have already chewed up part of our house. The only thing I can do is bring an an exterminator to get rid of the squirrels.

Maybe the dog chasing the squirrels is not a bad thing.

[Jann in TX]

Most of the GSD's we've had have LOVED chasing squirrels... our current one has never paid attention to them.

Once one of our GSD's caught one-- he was so surprised he did not know what to do-- so he just licked it from top to bottom and let it go!   This was the same dog who loved to hunt for mice under the bird feeder each night (midnight snack!).

 

[Janeway]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm wondering about that, too. I'm thinking to catch a squirrel -- that's either a very fast dog or a very slow (elderly, injured/ill?) squirrel.

Lol...very fast dog!! I will see about posting a picture.

[Janeway]

This picture is from the last time he caught a squirrel. He looks so happy!

[ktgrok]

32 minutes ago, Janeway said:

This picture is from the last time he caught a squirrel. He looks so happy!

Well, yeah, that's a terrier. They were bred with one purpose - kill rodents. Squirrels are rodents. Terriers are amazing ratter, and squirrels are just rats with nicer tails. 

 

[ktgrok]

To be fair, the stupid squirrels could just NOT run around in a yard with known dogs. I've seen them just torment the dogs, staying just out of reach, chattering, etc. 

And they can be a true nuisance animal. They chew up wires and roofing, nest in attics, etc just like rats. 

[Carrie12345]

3 hours ago, Bambam said:

My sister's rottweilers regularly catch rabbits and eat them (or parts of them). Sad, but that's life. You generally can't make it to them in time to stop it. Last time they ate the babies that the unwise mother had in a burrow between two trees in the middle of their fenced yard that regularly contained two rottweilers. Sad but it happens.

Back in the day, my Rottie mix found a nest (in a REALLY stupid spot, Momma Bunny!). Momma Bunny scared the bejezus out of that boy.  He jumped so high in the air, and then took off.  It was the first and only time he went near rabbits!

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Janeway said:

This picture is from the last time he caught a squirrel. He looks so happy!

Cute!

But . . . terrier. Hunting little critters is what his lineage has been bred for since forever. He’s doing his thing. 

[alisoncooks]

He's super cute. Our outside cat (a neighborhood cat that we feed and cuddle) catches and kills the occasional squirrel. It's upsetting to stumble upon, but she does actually eat them. The squirrels keep coming in our yard, though, so it's free game. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Janeway said:

This picture is from the last time he caught a squirrel. He looks so happy!

I was expecting a much bigger dog! That's impressive!

[Terabith]

We had a sheltie when I was growing up who once caught a squirrel and was so startled, he tossed it.  

I also had a cat growing up who was constantly bringing home squirrel tails.  I have no idea if he caught and killed the squirrels or just snagged the tails.  

Obama appears to be very nearsighted and is truly terrible at hunting.  Thank goodness!

[Faith-manor]

Our cocker spaniel is a natural born hunter. My understanding of terrier is that they naturally go after pests/rodents so I think you dog is doing this instinctively.

[The Governess]

Our Italian greyhound has a serious prey drive. She wasn’t even a year old yet when she killed a rabbit in our backyard, brought it into the house, and left it on the couch for us. 🤢

Since then she has caught another rabbit and a squirrel. Poor squirrel tried to squeeze through a hole in the fence but didn’t fit. It was rather traumatic. 😓 

 

[cjzimmer1]

Your kids would probably hate me but one of the benefits to me of getting a dog is to rid the yard of all the mice, moles, rabbits and squirrels.  Mine is still a puppy and thus far hasn't caught a squirrel but I'd be rewarding him left and right if he killed any.  Currently he spends hours a day patrolling our rock wall where the smaller critters live.  He's killed several already, I dearly hopes he continues.  I'm with you that's what dogs do.

[eeyore]

Oh geez.  I'm having flashbacks to when DH thought it was cute to let our dogs run after the rabbit...thought they wouldn't catch it...like the cliche - chasing rabbits...until they caught it.  And everyone was sorry. 

[rebcoola]

Some dogs just have a high prey drive.   Our male Bouvier growing up was basically a perfect dog.  Show dog manners raised in the middle of a daycare with kids all over him etc. He never chased or bothered any animal while on leash or if they were brought in the house.   But any animal that entered the yard had a very high likelihood of death, seriously cats, squirrels and birds.  Yes he caught squirrels and birds,  bouviers are very smart and have a unique way of jumping.

[ktgrok]

10 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Your kids would probably hate me but one of the benefits to me of getting a dog is to rid the yard of all the mice, moles, rabbits and squirrels.  Mine is still a puppy and thus far hasn't caught a squirrel but I'd be rewarding him left and right if he killed any.  Currently he spends hours a day patrolling our rock wall where the smaller critters live.  He's killed several already, I dearly hopes he continues.  I'm with you that's what dogs do.

Seriously. If my dogs would actually DO SOMETHING about the rats in my yard, instead of just sniffing curiously when one is LIVING IN MY GRILL I'd be tossing them steaks. I'm only half joking when I say we need to rent a terrier. (darned things are getting into the garage, too.)

Edited May 9, 2021 by ktgrok

[Faith-manor]

38 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Seriously. If my dogs would actually DO SOMETHING about the rats in my yard, instead of just sniffing curiously when one is LIVING IN MY GRILL I'd be tossing them steaks. I'm only half joking when I say we need to rent a terrier. (darned things are getting into the garage, too.)

Agreed. I really wish Lewis was fast enough to get the mole tearing up our yard, but he is getting too old.

 

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Agreed. I really wish Lewis was fast enough to get the mole tearing up our yard, but he is getting too old.

 

Mine do seem to have kept the moles out of the backyard - or rather the moles are too scared to risk it. I think they smell dog pee and stay away? But they have no issue tearing up the front yard, where there are no dogs. 

[Janeway]

13 hours ago, lovelearnandlive said:

Our Italian greyhound has a serious prey drive. She wasn’t even a year old yet when she killed a rabbit in our backyard, brought it into the house, and left it on the couch for us. 🤢

Since then she has caught another rabbit and a squirrel. Poor squirrel tried to squeeze through a hole in the fence but didn’t fit. It was rather traumatic. 😓 

 

The first one I saw Dad's dog catch...a squirrel was on the other side of the fence. A toddler walking by got excited and tried to grab the squirrel which resulted in it running through the hole at the bottom of the fence. Dad's dog was right on the otherside and right away, we could hear squealing from the squirrel being caught. I felt awful! And when I ran around to the other side, who stands less than a foot tall, took off running in circles around the yard with the squirrel. We got the squirrel away and called animal services. Animal services said it was a juvenile, but it survived. Later, I found the hole in the siding where it connects to the roof and an exterminator told us it was squirrels so I had it repaired and sealed off, but have resolved to let Dad's dog catch all the squirrels he wishes. 

[ktgrok]

Seriously, if you live near me, I have some rats for that dog to catch....

Sigh. off to clear out more of the garage. And pressure wash the grill...again. Gosh darned rodents! The truly are "vermin" and a dog that keeps them away is a good dog, as far as I'm concerned. But tha tis colored by having to clean rat poop out of my grill every single time I want to use it. Using a cover just seems to make it more attractive to the darned things. Even if I scrub out the drip tray (and I always run the grill on hot for 5 minutes, then scrub it) after using, they come. They sometimes even bring their own food - acorns! I find acorn bits and rat poop in the bottom. 

If I didn't already have 3 useless dogs, I'd get me a terrier today. 

[cjzimmer1]

5 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Seriously. If my dogs would actually DO SOMETHING about the rats in my yard, instead of just sniffing curiously when one is LIVING IN MY GRILL I'd be tossing them steaks. I'm only half joking when I say we need to rent a terrier. (darned things are getting into the garage, too.)

Mine is chihuahua/terrier mix but honestly he looks/acts like 100% rat terrier.  He was running around this morning with another small critter and even his toys get the death shake.

2 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Seriously, if you live near me, I have some rats for that dog to catch....

Sigh. off to clear out more of the garage. And pressure wash the grill...again. Gosh darned rodents! The truly are "vermin" and a dog that keeps them away is a good dog, as far as I'm concerned. But tha tis colored by having to clean rat poop out of my grill every single time I want to use it. Using a cover just seems to make it more attractive to the darned things. Even if I scrub out the drip tray (and I always run the grill on hot for 5 minutes, then scrub it) after using, they come. They sometimes even bring their own food - acorns! I find acorn bits and rat poop in the bottom. 

If I didn't already have 3 useless dogs, I'd get me a terrier today. 

If you already have 3 useless dogs, than all the more reason to get a terrier today because then you have one useful dog to balance out the others.