Rodents and staffy

Im due to collect a staffy pup in 3weeks and am wondering will the fact that there is rats around my garden cause her any danger. I live in the country so thats why i have rats not from rubbish or anything.

You'll just have to be very careful I guess, don't leave your pup unattended in the garden.

Ya i dont plan on leaving her anyway, alot of dogs getting stolen and staffies are top of there list.

Yes it's scary times

If she was to catch and kill a rat would it harm her?

Yes possibly because they carry diseases that dogs can catch.

Ya tought that, my neighbour has hunting dogs and he often gives them rats to get the taste. Not something i agree with but each to there own.

Rats will avoid her, as soon as she claims her territory you may not see any at all. I work with farmers and they all have ratting dogs.

If she isn't ever left on her own it'll be fine

Hi Hargar and welcome to you and your pup-to-be.

Tbh, if you have a big rat problem, I'd try to get rid of them before the pup comes. Your local council (Pest Control Officer) may be able to help - traps (like big mouse-traps) would be the best, or poison (Warfarin) but please try to establish where the rat-runs are and emphasise to the PCO that you will shortly be getting a baby puppy and that any traps or poison MUST be placed outside your own property for that reason.

Rats can transmit Weil's disease through their urine - I don't honestly know without research whether that can infect dogs but it can infect humans if the wee gets on something that subsequently gets into a human's mouth.

I think that at least to begin with your pup is more likely to want to play with a rat rather than kill it, but the rat won't know that and if it's an adult rat and is cornered it may well bite (and they don't let go, as I know from personal experience!)

I don't know what the implications are if a dog managed to actually kill a rat but I've never heard of a Jack Russell (ratters par excellence) come to any harm from killing a rat.

Yeah that's a good point Mat, at my mums old house next door had rats nesting under their decking, very occasionally they would venture into the back of mums garden but luckily they never had any problems, no doubt the scent of their dogs put them off!

There is more danger of your dog eating the rats and the rats being poisoned prior to that. You probably won't ever see one once she gets out to the garden though, rats seem to send out a STAY AWAY signal to every rat in the world when there is danger.

Sazzle wrote:Yeah that's a good point Mat, at my mums old house next door had rats nesting under their decking, very occasionally they would venture into the back of mums garden but luckily they never had any problems, no doubt the scent of their dogs put them off!

Dog's have been used for years for ratting. They are very clever vermin which avoid probems rather than face them so as soon as the scent is there they'll most likely move on

As for getting rid of the rats with poison, PLEASE do not do this, it is the most vile death for the rat and it is very likely to contaminate other wildlife such as badgers, cats, foxes or other dogs. I would never use poison for anything.

Yes, total agreement with Hayley. Poison is def not the way to deal with it

agree with Matt, and staffs were once used in rat pits so they know how to dispatch them very quick if they catch them. you'll more than likely find the rats move out once they realise there is a new predator on the block.

I used to keep and breed rats and know they are super intelligent, they wont stay where there is a risk. I once had a female open the cage and move all her babies into the sofa as a male had got loose the night before and spooked her through the bars...that was fun to sort out just before going to work.

Ok guys thanks for the advice, will do my best to sort d rats before lola gets here.

Nathan wrote:agree with Matt, and staffs were once used in rat pits so they know how to dispatch them very quick if they catch them. you'll more than likely find the rats move out once they realise there is a new predator on the block.

I used to keep and breed rats and know they are super intelligent, they wont stay where there is a risk. I once had a female open the cage and move all her babies into the sofa as a male had got loose the night before and spooked her through the bars...that was fun to sort out just before going to work.

N'awwww

Ratties are so cute.

MatLogan wrote:Yes, total agreement with Hayley. Poison is def not the way to deal with it

absolutley and they get immune to it anyway. the problem with rats is they nibble everything. if a farmer had a pallet of corn a rat would nibble each and every bag instead of feeding on just one (which is why they are a pain in the *) and its they same with poison bait. you may get one or two but others will just get immune to it and happily munch it all with no ill effect. the problem then is if an owl or some other animal higher up the food chain eats a rat after a feed on poison..you get the picture!

Hargar wrote:Ok guys thanks for the advice, will do my best to sort d rats before lola gets here.

I really don't think there is too much need. As said, by the time she will be big enough to go out alone they will have left the area. They are bold, but not stupid. They will not come out and attack her when you are there, so as long as you don't let her nose into holes or under logs live and let live i say!

Yes I do understand the anti-Warfarin argument and that it probably isn't the pleasantest way to go, but sometimes rats just need to be controlled. If a dog kills a rat who has previously consumed Warfarin I personally wouldn't have thought that the dog would be in danger unless it actually ate the rat, and I've never heard of a dog actually eating a rat - although I stand to be corrected.

Unfortunately I haven't found that the aroma of a dog has deterred rats from entering my garden.

Same as Hayley here, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Just when she's very young keep an extra close eye on her, but that is the same for any pup.

They'll be long gone in no time.

Lynda wrote:Yes I do understand the anti-Warfarin argument and that it probably isn't the pleasantest way to go, but sometimes rats just need to be controlled. If a dog kills a rat who has previously consumed Warfarin I personally wouldn't have thought that the dog would be in danger unless it actually ate the rat, and I've never heard of a dog actually eating a rat - although I stand to be corrected.

Unfortunately I haven't found that the aroma of a dog has deterred rats from entering my garden.

But cats foxes and badgers and other rats most definitely will eat them, there is also the danger of the neighbours dogs finding the poison. Sorry, i am no against control of rats, but im just very against poison.

Point taken Hayley - I didn't think it through sufficiently.

Having grown up on large farms I can understand the issue of rats (and of mice, which we often get plagues of here) and your concern for the safety of your new little one. Being a working farm, we always had many dogs around. We found that the rats and mice would rarely come near where the dogs were and never had one of the dogs manage to catch a rat.

As said above, there are many reasons not to poison, and we chose to never do so being conscious both of the dogs getting hold of the poison as well as other wildlife eating the poisoned carcass of the rat.

In my opinion, and if it was me in the same situation, I would work on seeing how things went once the pup moves in .. keeping a close eye on it to begin with and taking any further action if needed after that.