Can a dog ever be as effective as a cat in hunting mice or rats?

[MouserDog]

I've heard that some breeds (Jack Russells are one that I've seen mentioned) can be effective at hunting rodents. I am curious, do some dogs just have naturally good instincts for hunting rodents, or do they need to be trained to do it? Has anyone on MN had a dog that has caught a mouse or rat in or around their home?

I’ve got Norfolk Terriers. Latest puppy caught and killed a baby rat when he was 12 weeks old. A previous female killed rats, mice and even moles. I’ve never had cats so can’t compare. However my terriers notify me to the presence of vermin in the garden even from inside the house with doors and windows closed. ( Had an issue with an HMO next door)

I’ve seen two terriers on either end of a guinea pig … it was quite traumatic to watch, and listen to. Some dog breeds are just hard-wired to hunt rodents.

Our dog is a brilliant ratter and mouser. The cats bring in mice and just let them go. The dog will catch the mice and they’ll be dead within 60 seconds. He’s very effective.

My ex-street dog rescue is an amazing killer of rats! Until recently we lived rurally and I’ve seen her pounce and shake them to death in mere seconds, it’s quite shocking but sort of impressive. Her DNA test says she’s one-third poodle and two-thirds mongrel so somewhere in there is an impressive ratter. The rest of the time she’s fluffy, cute, funny and adorable!

My Jack Russell is a fabulous ratter. She'd have anything that moves if I didn't watch her. Her record was 13 rats in under half an hour in a pigeon shed.
She thinks she can catch flying birds too which is hilarious to watch when she's trying to jump up and get them out of the sky!

previously my parents had a jack Russell that was an excellent ratter. We had farmers in the family, so although he wasn't trained to do it, when we were at the farm it was hard to stop him. My current dog has had hold of a couple in my garden, but she's a teacup chihuahua and the bloody things were nearly as big as her !

I recall being horrified as a child when my friends Corgi found a rat nest in the barn and gobbled them all up in seconds. She lived on a farm and she was a ratting machine.

Dogs are the best ratters. Cats can be hit and miss.
Look for breeds with a history of being used for ratting or small prey hunting most terriers for example, dachshunds, and poodles.
My staffordshire bull terriers go after any mice in the flat.

My JRT/Italian Greyhound cross and my Samoyed hunt rats and mice together in and around the local parks when we take them for walks. The big guy can dig them out too, so they're somewhat effective if there's a rodent home in a tunnel.

So I tend to end up with a very muddy white fluffy dog at the moment. Thankfully he doesn't mind showers.

I have Podencos - Spanish sight hounds bred for rabbit hunting. Their prey drive is off the charts. I have four of them, and cats too - you would think rats, mice etc would be shaking in their little rodenty shoes. Unfortunately their habit of barking insanely while trying to catch whatever it is, ruins the effect, lol. And pods, like greyhounds, are insanely lazy most of the time, as are all of my cats, so the small wildlife population in my area is actually pretty safe!

I think some dogs are better and more efficient at catching rodents than cats.

I used to work at a stables and one lad had a Patterdale Terrier that was a machine at catching rats. It was a really quick kill as well.

Cats are good at hunting but faff about a lot and play with their pray a lot of the time.

Cats kill mice steadily over time, if they are being fed too they are unlikely to eradicate every mouse from an area because as a natural food source they would rely on there being enough to keep the supply going. Most domestic cats won't catch a rat as rats are too large and aggressive when cornered.

(Certain types of) dogs kill rats because they have been specifically bred by humans to do so, so they have a strong prey drive for anything small and furry. If they have the instinct and encouragement, they will kill for as long as there is a rat to be found.

In this video one of the ratting men explains that they don't train the dogs, it's all instinct.

My Jack Russell is the same. She locates the hiding spots easily but then will stand there barking as if ordering them to come out 😆

I have a springer spaniel cross who is an excellent mouse catcher, however, he then tries to swallow them and I have to prise his jaw open to retrieve them 🤢 Slight improvement on a cat I used to have who would bring them in live and let them loose in the house!

My mother had a Bedlington and BedlingtonxPatterdales, they were definitely killers with a huge prey drive.

We have a cat that brings mice in and a jack russe/chihuahua cross who has been known to pounce on the nice and squash them.

Our late dog was a patterdale x and he had an enormous prey drive , lovely with people though .

Tracking no problem but not all dogs have prey drive. My border collie could sniff out mice no problem but despite catching them never hurt them.

My uncle had a JRT that was an insane ratter - would go in the barn and kill 4/5 rats in one session- but the prey drive does vary, as it does in cats - we had one cat that would actively go out to hunt rodents and another that couldnt have been less bothered. If you want an active hunter you probably need to look at a litter from a farm cat or similar.

I had a builder who brought his Jack Russell round when he was doing some work outside. A rat shot out, the dog went crazy chasing it and trying to dig under the fence where it had disappeared. The builder said he'd never seen him do that ever before.

I've had staffies and they couldn't give two hoots!

My poodle Jack Russell cross is an excellent rat and mouse catcher with an insane prey drive. It’s much more humane too as he snaps their necks instantly if they come into the house
Hes great with humans!

SOME terriers can be great ratters. My old boy was sired by a dog with a sound reputation for ratting at their stables. We had pet cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and free range chickens and ducks, and my dog was gentle, respectful and absolutely safe around all of them.

SOME cats love to hunt, some don’t. One of mine catches lots of voles, occasional mice, baby rabbits, rarely birds, never rats. The other likes to watch the birds, but if a mouse is in the house she’ll just watch that too. I’ve always had cats, over six decades, and never had a cat that would catch a rat.

A tiny mouse came in through the gas vent and kept popping out from behind the fridge trying to eat (mini Schnauzer) DDog’s kibble.
I closed them in the kitchen overnight and next day there was no sign of it.
The dog had indigestion the next day, though!

Rats can grow v.large. He’s interested in smelling their holes but not actually hunting them.

Yeah I agree it’s rare but this one we had she was an insane hunter. Rabbits, rats, the lot and the bigger the better ( not birds though- only mammals). She didn’t really come from “hunting stock” and she was otherwise a very cuddly and affectionate family pet ( ie didn’t act feral other than you couldn’t keep her in at night) but I’ve never known a cat with a prey drive like that. It is very random- friend has 2 sibling cats and one is a very efficient ratter and one is useless.