Dogs love to hunt for ground squirrels. Below, is one of our squirrel hunters from the ranch. Actually, Pepper is more of squirrel chaser and not much of a catcher. We rarely have squirrels at the ranch, so Pepper doesn't get much practice. Here she is sitting on her buddy, Brutus, in the duck blind. (Don't tell Mike, but his great duck hunting dog is really a cuddly lap dog - even in the duck blind.)
Dogs really can help with ground squirrel control. Jack Russell Terriers, Rat Terriers or pretty much any dog that is feisty enough will make an excellent squirrel hunter. It takes a tremendous amount of energy and patience to get those digging rodents. Unfortunately, when a large property is ridden with hundreds of holes, the task becomes pretty much impossible for a dog. Of course, it doesn't mean that the dog won't love trying!
When our dogs go up on the hill, they are on high alert for ground squirrels. Sometimes they get lucky and a neighboring squirrel makes the mistake of running under the fence. Then the games begin! The dogs race after the squirrel and he has to struggle to find a hole. We've used our ranch as the original testing ground for the Burrow Blocker, so it's tough to find a hole to hide in. The ground squirrels have much better luck escaping the dogs by running back under the fence.
A few years back, I first wrote about Ground Squirrel Hunters. Check out that blog and be sure to see our Great Pyrenees, Jake, and his prized catch.
One thing that's peculiar about those rascally ground squirrels is that they seem to have a sense of humor. I get calls from people all of the time telling me about how the ground squirrels stare at them and taunt them. Some people start to take it personally. The squirrels drive them crazy, devour their crops, make their property unsafe, and there seems to be no solution. I can relate. Last summer, at the base of our entrance sign to our ranch, ground squirrels dug a massive and messy looking burrow. Dirt was all over they place. It was like they were announcing an impending attack on our ranch and thumbing their noses at our Burrow Blocker machine. No worries, the Burrow Blocker prevailed and our pastures are safe from their dangerous burrows.
This week, I talked with a wonderful woman near Placerville whose dachshunds keep the ground squirrels out of her front yard. There are too many acres for adorable little wiener dogs to protect all of her pastures and arenas from the squirrels. Maybe if she had a herd of wiener dogs they could manage it. Wouldn't that be sight?!! I know dogs run in packs, but I think calling them a pack of wieners is confusing.
Has your dog ever chased a squirrel? I'd love to hear about your wild squirrel stories and your dog's adventures.
Lisa
ReplyDeleteI almost choked on my coffee when I saw the photo of the white poodle. Hair is cut exactly like my boy down to the way the tail hair hangs and stout build exactly like my over size mini.. Where did you get him/her?
Lisa
ReplyDeleteI almost choked on my coffee when I saw the photo of the white poodle. Hair is cut exactly like my boy down to the way the tail hair hangs and stout build exactly like my over size mini.. Where did you get him/her?
Sorry! I just discovered your reply. That's not quite a poodle, Daisy is a Labradoodle from Brentwood, California. She's 10 years old.
DeleteSquirrel Dogs! Not only they're so cute, they're pretty active too. It must be a work requirement for them to be very athletic and fit because they won't catch any squirrels if they're on the slow side. Another interesting article about squirrel dogs can be found here: http://dogsaholic.com/breeds/info/squirrel-hunting-dogs.html and I'd say that link and this article are truly helpful ones!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, they have to be active to catch those squirrels. I checked out that website. Were those tree squirrels with the boy and the rat terriers?
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My dog is some kind of lab mix. He is a very large dog. He will be a year old at the end of November. He is already a lot to handle. He loves to hunt ground squirels apparently because he has brought 3 to my door. The first time it kind of freaked me out because I did not know what was hanging out of his mouth, and then he wanted to bring it in the house.... :0 The second time, he actually did bring one in the house, and I almost died. The 3rd time was just this morning, and he almost got it in the house but he laid it down outside for a treat... I guess this is a good thing that he does, although I would prefer him take it somewhere else. I had no idea he like to catch ground squirrels, maybe I can train him to take them somewhere other than out front door lol.
ReplyDeleteIt’s fascinating to read about how dogs can be such effective squirrel hunters! My own experiences align with the idea that dogs, especially those with high energy, can make a big difference in controlling ground squirrels. For more strategies and tips on how to keep squirrels off your fence, click here to explore some great solutions. The story about Pepper and Brutus was especially delightful. It’s clear that while dogs may not always catch every squirrel, their enthusiasm is unmatched!
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