# My Dog Got a Squirrel at the Park



## MicahCarrick (Jan 25, 2009)

I have a black lab/border collie mix that loves to chase squirrels. I've got her to resist chasing them (sort of) when we're sitting on the porch or walking through the neighborhood, however, I let her go nuts (no pun intended) when we're at the off leash dog parks.

Today she got one. I didn't see it happen, but she was proudly returning to me with a squirrel in her mouth. I told her to drop it, threw it away with a snow shovel I had in my car (I guess it may have still been alive--but it wasn't moving), and we came home. I wasn't quite sure how to react to this behavior. First, I allow her to chase them and second, I know it's instinct. I just didn't think she was very likely to get one. So I basically acted like it was no big deal. I didn't reinforce her positively or negatively. But I imagine it may have been traumatic if there were little kids around or something.

She is fine with cats (we have a kitten... once it's in the pack, she's fine) and doesn't chase cats, birds, small dogs, or anything else. Just squirrels (okay, and maybe bees too). So I don't think she has a problematic behavior. But, I thought I'd run it by you all and see what you thoughts are.

Is allowing and/or encouraging her to chase squirrels when at the park "bad"? What should I do if she gets another squirrel? I know rabies would be a concern and that's why I threw it away, but if it were alive, would I have to kill it? Does this happen to you guys?

Thanks.


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## StarfishSaving (Nov 7, 2008)

Squirrels are a vector species for rabies, true, and also leptospirosis. I actually know a dog that lives in a squirrel-infested area and died from lepto- she didn't kill or eat one, she just picked it up from the environment.

If your dog isn't vaccinated for lepto, you might want to have that done from now on. The disease isn't prominent in all areas so your vet might tell you not to worry about it, but you'll have to do some research.

If you have reason to think that an animal might be infected with rabies, you should call animal control, Game Commission or a CDC office to receive instructions on what to do with it. If it's not dead, but is seriously injured or you are worried about disease, killing it is probably the best thing to do, and you might need to send the body somewhere for testing if rabies is a concern.

I generally try to keep my dogs from ever harming or catching small animals. I don't want them to get bitten or injured, pick up an illness, get really messy, and I don't want to have to put something out of its misery because they caught it and injured it but didn't kill it. My border collie/golden mix is very interested in chipmunks, but through training she's learned that she can chase them or even dig up their burrows but isn't allowed to touch them. Instead, she is satisfied by treeing them.


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## Furby (Dec 17, 2009)

Good doggie!

LOL....... mine find them irresistable also. I find about one dead one a year. I do discourage it. Yet the darn things sit on the fence and taunt them by tossing pine nuts at them by the bushel! 

I am not sure one could ever stop squirrel attacks out of sight. The fleas are what worry me. The darn things here are full of fleas! So far so good, no flea issues.


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## Marsh Muppet (Nov 29, 2008)

The dog killed a squirrel, brought it to you, and dropped it on command. Say: "Good dog!" She's proud of herself, and you should be too. Train her so that you can call her back from a chase, and don't worry about it. It is fairly unusual for a dog to catch a squirrel. They usually stay close enough from a tree that they can run up the trunk before a dog can get close.


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## digits mama (Jun 13, 2007)

Yup! What a good dog!


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## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

You got Zero all excited. He will now spend his time trying to catch a squirrel now that he knows it's possible.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Wow. Wally might want to hire your dog out.

He tries to get them. Usually comes up "just" short and is looking at me and whining like I can do anything about it.

Does he think I can fly or something? Or can just command the squirrel to come back and get caught?


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

Allie eats wild squirrels, rabbits and what ever else she happens to catch in the yard. I'm not going to prevent her from enjoying our backyard. I just make sure she is fully vaccinated and her monthly heartworm pill deworms her. If you don't want your dog to chase them and possibly kill them, then don't let her. Either use a long line or work on training a recall around squirrels. Now that she has actually caught one though its going to be difficult to call her off them.

During the summer Allie barely even eats any dog food.


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