My dog needs to kill somethin
 

I have chickens so I have feed so I have rats. We rescued a sweet mutt from the pound 9 months ago. He's a terrier mix so it's in his blood and the smell of rat is driving him crazy. He can't quite catch them in the confines of the chicken run. Too many nooks and crannies for rats to dash into but he'll sit in there for hours. I remember making a live mouse trap with a coffee can and a mouse trap back in the cub scouts so I made a couple of these using paint cans, rat traps and heavy wire mesh. I know I can buy a Have-a-hart trap but it's more fun to make my own. When we catch one I'll let it loose on my big lawn and Cooper wil get his kill fix. Hope there's no rat huggers in this crowd
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A landscaping job I had while I was in high school included lifting up the irrigation pipe to dump out the gophers so the owner's terrier wouldn't kill himself running back and forth all day trying to get them out.
It was amazingly effective at dispatching the rodents. Snap, snap, ragdoll shake, rinse and repeat.

i take mice, chipmunks and many a lizard from my cat constantly being in a rural area. the lizards don't concern me much, but the opportunity for fleas and other diseases the mice may be carrying does. i stomp the mice after i take them, lizard and chippies get released. she has all he shots, but i figure why chance it?

the chipmunks concern me less than the mice for disease, and they are dam cute so i don't want her killing them. she plays with whatever she catches on a specific spot on the lawn so i can tell when she has something. id be even more concerned about rats that may be in a chicken coop due to the droppings. rats will bite too as the fight for their life.

seems like there is more downside to up.

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To big to swallow whole. Only his favorite dog treat offered up a foot away got him to drop it, and go for thereat. I got to throw it in the trash can the day before it was picked up. Our female dachshund got one but disposed of it the all natural way for us.

When he goes on ALERT around the storage building or the koi pond area I know to bait the traps. With technology, thumbs & peanut butter I am slightly ahead of the dogs in the rodent count. Kill em all, death and destruction shall reign down upon the Rodentia of all manner. OK, we don't have beavers and other larger Rodentia, mostly mice and a few rats.

That defeats the purpose of a ratter. They enjoy the job.

You're right. It's about me not him. He thoroughly enjoys the hunt even with no results. He's fine, I'm the one whining to see him seal the deal.

Grab some beers and cheer him on while the chase is on. Maybe he just needs some more motivation. "you can do it!"

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The natural born killer himself.
My wife named him Cooper, I call him Pooper

We will need video of the rat race.

My guy was born to hunt squirrels. And we have lots. It is a struggle.