Quite a few varieties of shepherd dogs are known - German, Scottish (collie), Romanian, Caucasian, Central Asian, South Russian and others. However, the ability to catch rats and mice depends not only on the type of breed.
Among the breeds of dogs most capable of catching rats, dachshunds, pinschers and terriers are usually mentioned, which belong to the so-called burrowing dogs. In addition to rats, for example, Jagd or Scottish terriers, or their Irish counterparts, are also able to hunt raccoons, foxes, badgers - all forest dwellers hiding in holes. It is known that their docked tail is often used by hunters to pull the dog out of its burrow. In the past, bull terriers were also recognized rat hunters, in the UK there were even special competitions, for example, in the UK. However, shepherd dogs may well catch rats.
If future owners plan to choose a dog specially designed for catching rats, it is better to opt for other breeds - the working functions of shepherd dogs are somewhat different.
Types of shepherd dogs and their distinctive qualities
The German Shepherd is currently recognized as the most versatile - a wide range of its working qualities, learning ability and peaceful disposition made it a leader among working breeds, according to a number of experts. The tendency to catch rats is individual, its presence depends on the conditions in which the dog grew up (urban or rural), temperament and age. However, there are cases when a dog raised in a city was brought to rural conditions, where it successfully caught both rats and mice. Genetics plays an important role - if the puppy's parents could catch rats, the offspring can inherit this quality.
At the same time, representatives of the Caucasian, South Russian and Central Asian shepherd dogs are less prone to catching rats, although, of course, there are exceptions. Since dogs of these breeds have a coarser type of constitution and massive size, they are intended to protect territory and property from larger opponents, that is, in the process of breeding them, more often not dexterity, but strength was cultivated so that dogs could resist, for example, wolves.
Why should a shepherd dog catch rats
According to a number of experts, unlike burrowing dogs, for whom catching rats can be a matter of life, for shepherd dogs it is only an episodic activity, or even entertainment. Having succumbed to the instinct of a hunter, a German or Australian shepherd can catch rats from time to time, but she is far from dachshunds and their enthusiasm, not to mention bull terriers.
The leaders in hunting rats are some terrier breeds (Irish, Scottish and a number of hunting species), as well as dachshunds.
When trying to teach your dog to hunt rats, don't do it too early. An immature puppy, especially during the period of changing teeth, still does not have enough strength and dexterity to defeat a rodent, and even more so several. In addition to the fact that a young dog can be seriously injured (it is known when rats gnawed the soft tissues of the puppies' muzzle, nose, ears, etc.), there is a risk of psychological trauma. Faced with a rat in an unequal battle, a young dog can experience severe stress, which in the future will have an extremely negative impact on its overall working qualities.
