Today Lucy brought us three mice. One right after the other. The first time we distracted her with some doggie treats to get her to drop the mouse. But as soon as we got her inside {and away from the mouse} she started whining. Like we had just taken away her new bff. She wanted to play with her new friend.
Then this afternoon while I was pulling weeds in the pumpkin patch, she found another one. Again, I traded doggie treats for the dead mouse and brought her inside.
And then it happened a third time.
Now what?
How Do I get my dog to stop killing mice and playing with them? Is this normal? And more importantly, do mice have rabies? Does anyone know?
~Mavis
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Valerie says
From what I’ve read, it’s extremely rare for mice to have rabies. One of my dogs goes after mice in the yard all the time. While it’s extremely upsetting for me…and the mice, my vet told me not to worry about it. That she’s just doing what she’s meant to do. She’s been mousing for seven years and she’s never had any health problems.
Erin says
As upsetting as it may be, she IS doing her job. And she providing you with free pest control…….
Denise says
To ease your mind you could contact your county ‘s vector control to see if rabies is in the mouse population where you live. I am no animal behaviorist but maybe by giving her a treat you may be inadvertently reinforcing the behavior that you don’t want. Maybe taking the mouse and then crating her or ignoring her would be better. Because I am no expert and in essence thinking out loud I would consult a dog trainer.
tia says
hmmmm….”every time i bring her a mouse, she gives me a treat–hot diggety! off to find more mice….” 🙂
Nichole says
I’m with Tia, positive reinforcement with the dog treats for the mouse exchange. Be careful what you reward.
Miriam says
You should train your dog to drop things without a reward. If you keep giving her treats for mice she will expect to get a treat every time and want to hunt more mice. I am not saying to ignore it, but you can take it away without a reward.
Heather says
We had a dog that killed mice and other small rodents for 9 years. One of our neighbors hated her for this. Unfortunately this dog died last summer. We lost a good friend and this year my garden is under attack as are a few of our trees. The neighbor who did not like the rodent killing dog, now wants the dog back and is thinking about getting a cat!
crlzmmr says
Lucy has her rabies shots, Yes?
I wouldn’t worry about her, as long as you keep her shots current.
If you are worried about yourself…I don’t know about mice,
but what really scares me
are the stories of farmers getting licked (accidently) by a cow
and then catching rabies from some open scratch on their hand.
Sure cows have big brown eyes and look harmless,
but I will do my cow viewing from a distance.
Mavis says
Rabies shot yes! 🙂
Rajena says
I find this very intriguing. I grew up on a farm and at one point we had 200 head of cows. I think it would be very hard to be accidentally licked by a cow. I have been kicked, squished, put in a snowdrift, and chased (calving season) and the only time something happened to me accidently was when I was leading a steer around and he stepped on my foot. I also had a steer once that used to love licking my forehead and hair. I found it quite hilarious except when he licked my cheek, that hurt due to his rough tongue. We also, when I was little, bottle fed calves and we were always letting them suck on our fingers. I have never heard a story of anyone getting rabies from being licked by a cow but I do know that people who were never raised around cows and see a cute calf and let them suck on their fingers have a good chance of getting an infection. Cows are my favorite animal and I love learning new things about them….off to do a google search.
Oh and Mavis I second what crlzmmr says about being up to date with Lucy’s shots and it is very normal behavior. We have had several dogs do the same thing.
Eileen Carr says
I have no idea how to stop this behavior, I’d like to know. Many years ago we had a female hound, Koda, that brought me a young possum (dead). Koda left it by the back door, untouched. It was clear that the possum was mine. The rest of that possum pack was hers. (I’ll leave that part out.) A friend told me that Koda was giving me a gift for providing her with food and a home. My cat, Sam, does it also…only he has moved into bringing me treasures that are alive. Last week Sam brought me two lizards and a mouse (all on separate days), and of course he brings them into the dining room or my bedroom where he lays nearby to make sure I receive his gift. As soon as I find Sam and his gift, he gets up and goes about his day showing no further interest in what he has brought me, and I go about mine…catching the critter and releasing it back outside somewhere.
Kenzi says
That is true! My cat used to do that and, as hard as it was, i started petting her every time she brought me a dead rodent (as a behavior reinforcement), but then leave the rodent there and walk away trying not to freak out, for the cat (according to a pet behaviorist) this meant i wasn’t interested in eating it, so she stopped to bring me those presents, the bad news? she ate them all!
Jesse says
Are you not concerned at all that she found that many mice so quickly?!
How many mice are in your yard!!!
I think she is protecting the chickens. Good for her. And also, ew. I think Monkey Boy and HH should be in charge of mouse disposal.
Madam Chow says
These mice would be going after your garden, chicken feed, etc. Lucy is an awesome dog! From what my vet told me, rabies is not the main concern, but they may have other diseases. Nevertheless, you vaccinated Lucy, so that’s good.
Laura says
It is possible, since fur bearing mammals can get rabies. But, it isn’t likely. More likely would be the raccoons. If you see one of those wandering around the garden in the daylight hours, keep Lucy in!
Chicken coops draw mice. In fact, I have seen chickens pounce on mice themselves and tear them apart, eating them! Chickens are NOT vegetarians!
As for Lucy? She is half Beagle! They are hunting dogs!
m @ random musings says
eww! call me a city girl, but this definitely makes me not want to get chickens =/ (but the fresh tasty eggs, oh…)
Erin @Quixotic Magpie says
My dog does this too, its gross. I asked my vet about it and he said that we might have to check for worms more frequently. Ew. As long as your dog is up to date on it’s rabies shot, rabies should not be an issue. Just worms.
Tanya says
My beagle is a hunter through and through. When we lived in Indiana she would wait patiently on the edge of the hay field when the Amish came to cut it waiting for the mice to run out and then she would run around crazy catching them, killing them, and throwing them up in the air waiting for the next live one to run out of the field to repeat. I would don dish gloves and go out with a plastic grocery sack collecting them all so she could not eat them. She would catch and play with approx 8 or 9 each time. This was a yearly event that I do not miss too much 🙂 My vet assured me as long as I kept her rabies shots current she was safe.
darlene says
Now that’s a good dog! Go Lucy! Good girl!
darlene says
Oh ya, and my sister’s pug killed a RAT. Not a mouse, an actual RAT! So, I say both sides of her breeding make her a force to be reckoned with in mousedom!
Mari says
Chickens do not attract mice…… but if food is left on the ground, they can bring rats in wintertime.
My wee dog (mum was a Sydney silkie, (known for rat and rabbit hunting) and dad was a handsome stranger) also catches mice. Mice like dry places to live in and in our last home near the river, we were mice central as soon as the harvesting was done. Between the cat and the dog we always had mice and Maddy was requested to visit neighbours to do the deed there too. She used to start with a live mouse then ‘de squeak’ them. She never ate them but gave up when they were a soggy mess.
Like Maddy, Lucy is just doing what she is good at. I agree with a another reply that I would be concerned why you have so many mice particularly in the middle of summer. I would watch her to see where she is getting them all. But she may have stumbled on a family and be getting rid of them. Its better she is doing this than having them take up residence in your greenhouse, garage, potting shed or house.
Rachael says
Go Lucy! She’s doing what she’s been bread to do. Plus, as others said, those mice would be destroying your garden, eating seeds, and bothering the chickens. Mice and rice carry the fleas that carry stuff like Black Death (think 1500s killed 1/3 of Europe… antibiotics is all you need to deal with that, though, luckily). I’d keep on praising her and giving her treats for the gifts she brings. She’s doing what comes natural.
Sally says
Yes, Lucy is doing her job and it sounds like she is doing it well. I think its all good, but sorry she dug up your dearly departed hen.
Crystal says
Just like any wild mammal, mice can carry rabies. However, it isn’t very likely. You might check with your local Fish and Wildlife office about rabies and distemper outbreaks if you are concerned. Also, make sure that Lucy is up to date on the important shots- especially distemper and rabies. Rabies vaccine should be given as soon as a dog has adult canines, or is six months old, repeated a year from the first vaccine, then maintained every three years (or whatever is required by law in your area).
Random person Named Melissa says
Smaller breeds of dogs were origionally breed for hunting down smaller animals like rats and foxes. As long as she’s had her shots and you don’t let her play with the mice when you find her with them I don’t think you’ll have a problem. Of coarse I’m not a professional or anything of that nature. It would probably be for the best to just ask the vet next time you go to get her a check up.
Kathy says
Dogs killing mice? Yes, but first playing with it to hear it squeak. Throwing the mice up in the air? Yes. Rolling on the dead mice? Yes. Bringing the mice to the back door for praise and adoration? Yes. All normal!
Athena says
I don’t think you are reinforcing her mouse catching by giving her a treat. I was taught to train my dog the command drop this way, put a treat up to her nose and say drop, when she does you say yes and give her the treat. You could get in some good dog training with these mice!
She is part beagle so she will go after rodents and small animals like that. My parent’s beagle once spent an ENTIRE afternoon digging in the dirt after a ground squirrel. Of course he never did get it, there were holes and tunnels all over, but he would not give up and we finally had to pull him away. Beagles are bred to hunt these small animals.
Miriam says
What part of giving her a positive food reinforcement to drop a mouse specifically is NOT rewarding the behavior? This is the same reason you do NOT pet an animal for comfort. It reenforces the state of mind and behavior and treats them like a human instead of an animal. Instead, you wait until they are calm to give them affection.
You should teach your dog to drop anything at any time if you, the human, wants it and if you have to start with treats for a small amount of time, good for beginning to teach the dog you like the behavior, but relying on it every time makes them want to do the activity more.
Also, breeds are bred to do certain things. It will be extremely difficult for you to tell your dog to stop following its instincts from years of breeding. However, you may be able to train her to put the mice in a certain area, making them easy to clean up. Most dogs want to please their human and some take more persistence in training than others.
stacy says
Good dog Lucy! She is doing her job. Last year both my cats passed on due to old age (16 and 18) and it took about a month before the area roof rats and mice decided to start feasting on my garden. Every morning I would wake up to bites out a tomato, ALL the grapes, berries eaten…and so on. Then we got Dot…the best cat in the world. :). Problem solved. She does her job. Without Lucy the mouse population would grow very fast.
Bobbie says
Mice can have rabies, but as long as lucy is vaccinated you have nothing to worry about. 🙂 Our dog likes to kill gardener snakes and bring them to us as “presents.” Just praise her and get rid of it when she’s not looking!
Margery says
She is doing her job, we had a dog that brought us more mice then the cats did. In fact when we moved into our home that had been empty for a year , rats had settled into the front bushes he cleaned them up in no time. But we learned not to walk front with out looking first.
Andrea says
Yep like everybody else said, she is doing her job. You don’t need to worry about rabies with the mice and it will be hard to get her to stop the behavior. Just be thankful it is nothing bigger or nastier. Growing up our dog would kill and play with skunks when they came close to the house. Yuck!
Crystal says
No problem with treating her! When it seems as if she will drop the mouse a little more easier in anticipation of the treat, that is when you may want to give treats on an inconsistent basis. So she is not always rewarded but is not able to guess when she will be rewarded and when not.
Samantha M. says
Not sure about the whole Rabies question as I’m from Australia but I’d suggest what you have to really watch out for is if she is catching the mice because they are slowed down because they have been poisoned, usually with those domestic rat and mice baits. If the mice have eaten a poisoned bait and then your dog eats the mice they can get very sick, nastily painfully sick and die. I have seen one dog suffering with the symptoms that got rushed to the vets and know of another one that died of it. Oh and just because you don’t use the baits don’t be too complacent, mice that have eaten baits will go long distances looking for water (this is what makes baits so popular the mice go away to die) so it could be your neighbors down the streets mice in both of the cases I mentioned neither person used the baits in their houses. It us usually only a problem if they eat the mice or in the case of terrier shake them apart as they are want to do, but with small dogs it doesn’t take much to cause problems. I say this as the owner of a Rat Terrier that loves nothing more than hunting for rats and mice and will stalk them for hours if I let him, it is worth knowing the symptoms of poisoning and keeping an eye out for it just in case the worst happens. Sorry if I sound like a fear monger, I just worry because most people don’t realize secondary poisoning can be a problem.
Amanda says
I would say as long as she’s up-to-date on her vaccines and her preventative (heartworm/parasitic worms in particular), don’t worry too much. She is doing what is in her nature to do, and probably brings you the “prizes” to show you that she’s doing her job. Our outside dogs LOVE to catch mice/snakes/etc. and bring them right up to the doorstep to show them off. My little inside guy also likes to ROLL on them if he finds them…blech! Claiming it as his. Gross.
Still, we make it a point to praise them before disposing of the critters because they’re doing “their job,” even though it totally grosses us out. And, really, we haven’t had critters in the house, dog food, bags of soil, garden, etc., so apparently they do it well!
Nataliya says
We live of a farm and have two dogs, a Jack Russel and a German Shepherd. They both kill and often EAT the animals, including mice, groundhogs, baby deer, birds, squirrels, frogs and so on. There is not much you can do about it. They are dogs, dogs hunt… Just mention to your vet during your next visit that your dog hunts to make sure the vet is aware and keeps Lucy up to date on all the vaccines…
Bryan says
Just remember in many other states its illegal to let your pet roam free. Just for people who don’t live in your state or city etc. 🙂
Bill Dungan says
Mavis,
Let Lucy kill all the mice she can. Mice are food attractions for snakes…….get it? Also, when I was stationed at Vandenberg AFB in the early 1980s, I learned that the mice in the Central California area carried the fleas that carried the Bubonic Plague. I don’t know if those fleas live as far north as you are, but you could check. Contact your local state health department and ask them about that and plan from there.
Good luck.
sheri says
Yes, it’s normal behavior. Most Dogs and cats are hunters. They are showing their appreciation by bringing the (unwanted) gift to you. My outdoor cats take care of the rodent problem our city has and while I appreciate their due diligence, I do not like finding the remains (dead or alive).
Edwin says
From WikiAnsweres: Mice potentially can carry rabies, but it is extremely rare and there has not been a documented case in the US. (Small rodents are believe not to spread the disease because they seldom survive being bitten by an animal that is carrying it, as they are a food source and get eaten.) Ground hogs seem to be the only rodent with the ability to carry it regularly and account for some 80% or more of the cases found in rodents.
Gwenn says
Killing mice and other rodents is normal for many breeds. My husky/shepherd LOVED to kill mice (and a few rats that were living in my neighbor’s woodpile) and voles and ground squirrels and bunnies and woodchucks…the list goes on. She was even pretty good at hunting when she lost most of her vision (canine diabetes)…we miss her for lots of reasons including the little beasties that eat my garden. We now have a puppy (6 months old) and a 16 month old that are just learning the tricks of hunting. I hope by next year my garden will be safe from the beasties. Lucy ROCKS for earning her keep and helping keep the mouse population in check.
Rebecca says
Totally normal. My dogs, a Lab mix and a St Bernard will steal them from the cats at times. Just be sure rabies is current, watch for worms and use flea control and you should be fine. You might check with neighbors and make sure they don’t use poisons. There isn’t anything unnatural about dogs or cats catching rodents. Your kids (and you) will be sad if she finds a baby bunny, so do watch for those. They are easy prey.
Sarah says
You are so lucky!! Our Rottweiler watched a mouse scurry in our back door that was left ajar, across the kitchen and behind the fridge. My parent’s cat is such an awesome mouser that they have to check her mouth every time they let her in the house – she once released a live one in their living room! So check Lucy whenever she comes inside.
Lynette says
I don’t see mouse ears, is it a vole?
Michelle Wright says
Hi Mavis:
Good news, Washington state does not have rabies. The vets still require rabies shots to pets to keep it that way!
Lissa says
This isn’t true. Every state in the US has rabies. In Washington state, the species that carries rabies endemically (essentially it is just a percentage of their population persistently) is the bat population. Occasionally another animal will come down with rabies in WA after eating/exposure to an infected bat (dog, horse, person, etc) but rabies doesn’t exist persistently in those species. So Lucy and her mouse-hunting should be fine in regards to rabies. However, a previous poster’s concerns about Lucy’s exposure to mice that have eaten poison are quite valid. Make sure to promptly take away any mice she has and find out if your neighbors have poison out, cautioning them that Lucy is killing mice. Mice/rat poisons act in two ways depending on the product: either a neurotoxin which causes brain swelling (so if Lucy started acting wobbly, having seizures, or weird mentally) or as an anticoagulant which causes the blood to stop clotting and they bleed out internally (signs are bruising, weakness, trouble breathing, black stool, bloody vomit). In our ER hospital we just saw a 60lb shepherd for severe rat bait toxicity (neighbors put it out in candy bars (exactly WHAT they were trying to kill, not sure!). She came to our clinic experiencing severe hemorrhaging in her chest and with a brain bleed. $5-6,000 and 4 days later she luckily pulled through but she may have permanent brain damage and/or seizure problems.
melissa says
my dogs hunted mice. HOWEVER, my neighbor had put out rat poison. I lived in fear of the dogs eating the mice that ate the poison – that is a long, nasty, painful, horrible death. I’d check with your neighbors to make sure no one is using rodent bait / poison. If they are, this could be deadly for Lucy.
Good luck.
Kristina Z says
We live on a nut farm, and we would call Lucy a “good doggie”. Be glad she doesn’t like to roll in stinky dead things. My parents’ dog (also a farm dog) likes to make sure she always has something dead and smelly dabbed behind her ears like perfume.
Bryan says
The most dangerous things out there with even vaccinations are PARASITES and other viruses. So my opinion would be to never let your dog roam free to catch any type of wild animal. We treat our dogs as family as we are very fortunate to own 2 fairly large homes that our Corgi and Beagle can roam freely and even run flat out it they wanted to. So we hardly let them out their basically house dogs.
Me my wife and 2 of my 3 daughters are MD’s and their are just too many threats outdoors for our “children” Heck our secured back yards are bigger than dog parks but not infested with who knows what and not filthy etc. And they prefer the indoors anyway as we live it the southwest they love the AC, they are well trained they have their own toilets their Japanese squat toilets that we trained them to use. So its no problem for us. They always get weekly baths so very clean. They even sleep on the bed with either my youngest daughter or with us just depends on their mood. Tho they have their own little beds as well haha their just a bit spoiled I guess. Yes guilty as charged hehe.