# What breed for a bit of ratting/stable dog.



## Molly'sMama (11 February 2015)

Asking on behalf of a friend. She wants a dog that can kill a few rats at the yard from time to time,  but only at the stables ie not going out on farms and killing 100s of rats at a time. [She doesn't want a cat, sorry, so can't persuade her.] Would a Jack Russell be her best bet for this ? or what? there's a litter near here of working JRTs x yorkshire terriers, do you think they would be decent working dogs or better to go with someone more traditional? 
 thanks


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## Clodagh (11 February 2015)

JRT x yorkie!? Well, yorkies can actually be quite game little dogs so they would probably be fine. I would never want any terrier but something like a fox terrier at least could neverf fit down a hole.
My m-in-law has borders and they quite like ratting, but our now dead one was frightenend of them.


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## Molly'sMama (11 February 2015)

yeah I'm not much help as our JRT is USELESS. just.. sniffs about then runs back inside. they seem to be all or nothing is my experience


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## Thriller (11 February 2015)

A good working patterdale.


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## zoelouisem (11 February 2015)

Both my jrt have been useless my current one would run away. My old girl was what I'd call a terrier mongrel was amazing ratter, rabbiter and squirrels of anything fluffy that moved she was so quick at it and never got bitten. A lot of my friends have jrt and terrier mixes and the mixes seem to be far better and tough as old boots so suited to yard life. My jrt has to have 2 coats on the yard when its cold!!


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## CAYLA (11 February 2015)

This made me laugh as we have a little jrt x chi in the rescue and he goes mad for the rats that come in to eat the bird food, he is a little beast. Most terriers will do the job but if you want to be sure then I agree a patterdale will be game. Go to a rescue and take a squeaky toy mouse or rat and test some out lol.


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## Dobiegirl (12 February 2015)

Lancashire Heelers,Manchester Terriers, Dobermanns lol well mine do anyway, if going for a JR make sure it has working parents.


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## silv (12 February 2015)

I had a smashing wee Border Terrier who was a fab ratter.


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## Smitty (12 February 2015)

At my livery yard on an arable farm, there was a border belonging to the YO and so wandering around the whole time, a jack x collie who was fiesty and looked like she wanted to but never seemed to and my dog that was given to me as a patterdale x jack, who never took much notice either.  The farmer just used to put rat poison down!


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## paulineh (12 February 2015)

My Springer Spaniel was an amazing ratter. He was as fast as any terrier. Even now at 13 he will catch them in the feed room.


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## NellRosk (12 February 2015)

My JRT x pug is a killing machine! Didn't expect her to be so terrier-like, only being half. Our old border terrier was a fantastic ratter too.


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## Bellasophia (12 February 2015)

Any high prey dog will do a good job...I've had 3 standard poodles..My first was high prey drive...she killed rats and was very cat aggressive...the last two,by request ,were low prey drive amd  sooooo much easier to live with.
there are several puppy tests you can carry out to assess temperament..
see how they react to a squeaky toy, a thrown toy will be followed and likely shaken to death, trail a rag and see who locks on...


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## Alec Swan (12 February 2015)

CAYLA said:



			&#8230;&#8230;.. then I agree a patterdale will be game. &#8230;&#8230;.. lol.
		
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You'll get no argument from here! 

OP,  have you read the thread entitled 'Patterdale- Lesson&#8230;.'?  Read,  Mark,  Learn and inwardly digest,  someone once said!!  Should your friend discard the advice,  and should they end up with a Patterdale,  then they will have a dog which will take their heart,  and their sanity too!  They're fun though,  for all that!

Alec.


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## Molasses (12 February 2015)

Alec Swan said:



			You'll get no argument from here! 

OP,  have you read the thread entitled 'Patterdale- Lesson.'?  Read,  Mark,  Learn and inwardly digest,  someone once said!!  Should your friend discard the advice,  and should they end up with a Patterdale,  then they will have a dog which will take their heart,  and their sanity too!  They're fun though,  for all that!

Alec.
		
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Truly
As a patterdale's servant nothing livings is permitted at the stables, so if you don't want rats you wont have them, you also won't have squirrels, pigeons, pheasants, mice, voles.....nothing living. Just a patterdale-wasteland. 

That said in at least 2 out of 5 times my collie gets the mice/rats first, so there's no telling really, sometimes a dog is just a good ratter and breed doesn't matter at all. It's all about the warrior inside the dog ;-)


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## springtime1331 (12 February 2015)

We have a patterdale. Never again. He is too lazy to earn his keep ratting, not scared but just can't be bothered. His preferred quarry include household soft furnishings, pillows and soft blankets which are ratted and humped. Did I mention I wouldn't have another one?


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## meandmyself (12 February 2015)

Critters don't last long in my house- I have a JR, two yorkies, and a pom/JR. They will all hunt down a mouse and kill it if the cats don't get to it first!


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## PucciNPoni (13 February 2015)

JRTs are usually pretty good at vermin control, and Yorkie were originally bred for killing rats in clothing factories.  So I could imagine that cross would be a good ratter.


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## PucciNPoni (13 February 2015)

meandmyself said:



			Critters don't last long in my house- I have a JR, two yorkies, and a pom/JR. They will all hunt down a mouse and kill it if the cats don't get to it first!
		
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LOL, I can just imagine your house must be like a rat no-go zone!

My minpins were pretty good mouse killers - never saw rats but when the office building next to ours was converted to flats there was a lot of jack hammering and such and we started getting mice.  My old blind toothless minpin bitch and her sidekick used to get them all, but my border terrier was terrified!

I'm willing to bet my poodle bitch would be fab. 

I also think bitches are better ratters than dogs.


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## twiggy2 (13 February 2015)

all my dogs have been good ratters and mousers, my lurcher is the best by far though


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## ester (13 February 2015)

PucciNPoni said:



			LOL, I can just imagine your house must be like a rat no-go zone!

My minpins were pretty good mouse killers - never saw rats but when the office building next to ours was converted to flats there was a lot of jack hammering and such and we started getting mice.  My old blind toothless minpin bitch and her sidekick used to get them all, but my border terrier was terrified!

I'm willing to bet my poodle bitch would be fab. 

I also think bitches are better ratters than dogs.
		
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 Ive always tended to think the same with cats on that too. Op I think it might depend whether she wants to do anything else with the dog?


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## ljohnsonsj (13 February 2015)

I have a JRT x yorkie and he rats. He's a handful but very trainable at the same time. Lives in harmony with the cat but goes mad for anything that squeaks. All his toys are ripped up and squekerless? In the hour or so he has them!


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## Jive Master (13 February 2015)

I have a Border Terrier x Jack Russell. He is the best Ratter I've had, took out a rat half the size of him & her litter of about 10..!!  I also have a pure JRT but he is useless..!!


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## Alec Swan (13 February 2015)

Not that I've had THAT many ratting dogs,  but the best ever,  by a long way,  was a pure bred Whippet.  He was mustard,  and meant it,  and I once worked for old Jack Bloom the trainer,  and he had a GSP which was equally skilled.  He was hopeless as a gun dog mind! 

Then there was my mate Dave's mongrel 'thing' called Bear,  and when he wasn't trying to hump the leg of the unwary,  he too lived for rats!  Bear was indeed a 'thing',  a living legend!  He was rather like an excessively tall JRT,  he was predominately white with black patches,  and he was broken-coated.  He had a rather appealing face,  but that was the extent of his charm.  He stank,  and his lavatorial habits were anything but funny.  Whilst we'd be having lunch outside whilst working,  he'd lie down and attend to his ablutions by removing the various bits of debris which had attached themselves to the end of his cock.  I suspect that in the process,  it either occasionally hurt,  or he enjoyed it,  or both,  and he'd sometimes leap in the air with frantic attempts at air humping,  or should we have an uninitiated visitor,  he'd make a grab for their leg.  Bear's only redeeming feature was his ability at ratting,  perhaps another,  he was value for money in the humour stakes! 

Alec.


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## EquiEquestrian556 (13 February 2015)

Dobiegirl said:



			Dobermanns
		
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Not ours, she would just try to play with one if she saw one! She's a real sweetheart, would never hurt a fly!


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## planete (14 February 2015)

Our JRTx whippet was brilliant at ratting, catching them by the back of the skull, and the current dachshund x JRT (not our doing!) is equally keen but not quite so skilful and gets bitten occasionally.  The lurchers are happy to either stand back or help field them in his direction!  They are not short of prey drive with other beasts but seem to think it safer to let the little one do his job as he would probably turn on them if they interfered.


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