09/11/2026
What goes into making a good vermin hunting dog?
1. Breeding. Any dog could catch and kill a rodent, but most won't. By starting with a breed developed for that purpose, and then choosing a temperament tested puppy who shows interest in rodents very young, you're making the job exponentially easier. Are there excellent ratters from other breeds? Yes, but they're more like a needle in a haystack.
2. Exposure. You want to start your ratter with rats young. Our dogs start with their first exposure at ten months to either a mouse or a juvenile rat. Just because they have good breeding doesn't mean they automatically know what to do. Give them plenty of opportunities to interact with rodents, to watch older and more experienced dogs if you can, and start small so they don't become scared of rodents.
You also want to make sure they're exposed in their first few months of life to anything they might run into on the job. This could be heavy farm equipment, other animals, children, power doors, or a million other things.
3. Encouragement. Your dog will likely NOT KILL the first few rodents it sees - it hasn't learned how yet. Encouraging any appropriate hunting behavior so your dog knows that it is okay and good to follow the instincts. They figure it out fast. Be prepared to have an older dog, or even yourself, step in to finish the job for the first few though while your newbie learns the art of the kill.
4. Training. Some dogs need to be taught to look in holes, under shelves, around tractors. Dogs need to be taught that the chickens aren't rodents to kill. They need to learn to avoid stepping on the plants in the garden. They need to learn to work with their human handler to ask for things like a tarp being lifted or a truck moved. Being a good hunter involves a lot more education than just how to kill a rat.
5. Time. All of this takes practice - nothing happens overnight! Time also lends itself to better skills, longer attention spans, more stamina, and maturity. A one year old dog does not have the same skills as a two year old. Give your dog plenty of time to learn, grow, and keep on practicing with lots of praise.
Go get 'em!
