Do dogs keep rats and mice away?

We don’t often think about this very much, but your dog would find a rat or mouse to be just as much fun to catch as your cat would. Just as a dog would chase after a ball or even your cat, the canine loves the hunt and chase of these rodents. Think about it for a moment.



If you have squirrels or other small animals that are around your property it is very likely that your dog has attempted to chase after them at some point. This is especially true if you have a larger size dog that would find a rabbit or a squirrel to be a fun adventure to chase after and even catch. Dogs love the hunt idea, and so other animals make for the perfect companion in their game.

But what effect does this have on the rat or mouse? Do dogs keep rats and mice away from your home? That is a very good question.

The most honest and upfront answer about it is most likely no. The rat or mouse comes to your home because it is looking for a place to find food and shelter. Most often these rodents live within the walls of your home or in the foundation. They also can be found within the attic area. If you think about it, your dog has very minimal, if any access to these areas. This means that the rat or mouse can live in relative safety within these areas of your home.

The real challenge for it occurs when it attempts to come out to access food. This is when your dog has the best chance of attempting to scare, or even kill the rat or mouse. Your dog, when noticing this little rodent, will likely find it to be an appetizing victim of its need to chase after and catch these animals. Often, your dog will very likely eat these animals without any question whatsoever. Your canine loves meat, and a mouse or rat makes for a very satisfying meal.

While not directly scaring away the rat or mouse, the one area where the dog could have great success is by making it so that this rodent will find it too dangerous to go out to search for food. When this occurs, it will eventually find it necessary to go somewhere else to search for a different place that can provide it with the nutrition that it desires. This is how your canine can have an effect in scaring away these rodents. If they find it too dangerous to go out to search for crumbs or other food sources that you have left out, then they will need to find somewhere else to go. Read more: Rat Control, Get Rats Out of the Attic, Rat Trapping, Rats in the Ceiling, Rat Feces.