# My dog is scared of my rats.



## Shisket

My dog whines and hides behind my legs whenever we bring the rats nearby. Is there anyway I can train her to make them better acquainted?


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## Rattielover965

It's not safe to let the rats and dog near each other


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## Shisket

Ok, thx.


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## Nomstuff

My dogs were also scared of my rats. 

This is probably good, dogs and rats don't really get on.


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## sammyterror

My dog is a 110lb horse and he gets along with mine just fine (even my cats like them). So it is possible. If you have a small dog, I have a suggestion.

Make a play pen area if you don't already have one.
Sit in the middle with pooch while holding him steady to watch for snapping.
Then just let the rats roam freely around.
-Keep doing this until (more and more over time) until he can freely roam with them. 
A DOG IS A DOG AND YOU ALWAYS RISK SNAPPING!

This will give both pooch and rat time to get acquainted. The fear could be linked to them being something new, so this might be worth a try.


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## Shisket

She is actually a 65 pound, red doberman/rhodesian ridgeback mix. Would that change anything?


sammyterror said:


> My dog is a 110lb horse and he gets along with mine just fine (even my cats like them). So it is possible. If you have a small dog, I have a suggestion.
> 
> Make a play pen area if you don't already have one.
> Sit in the middle with pooch while holding him steady to watch for snapping.
> Then just let the rats roam freely around.
> -Keep doing this until (more and more over time) until he can freely roam with them.
> A DOG IS A DOG AND YOU ALWAYS RISK SNAPPING!
> 
> This will give both pooch and rat time to get acquainted. The fear could be linked to them being something new, so this might be worth a try.


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## sammyterror

The size is is mainly for control. My boy can some times get carried away with how hyper he can get, and I have never used this method with him. But I have done with with my smaller dog which is around 20lbs give or take and has a problem with them but likes to watch them so this is how i let him watch them when they are roaming (also in the kennel if he is being a jerk) He is a jack Russel terrier mixed with weenier and is known for being a little aggressive at times so I am most cautious with him. My bog dog is blue pit/husky mix and does fine

So if you have good control over your dog, you can try this.


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## Okeedoke22

While I agree it's not safe for rats to be left with dogs I do think introducing them is important. It's better for you to know what to expect just in case they ever meet by accident. Especially having dog sit outside cage and rats come to sniff. Dogs should be taught through positive reinforcement. So when the dog is high strung do not give him any treats or attention. When he sits and is calm you should give him treats and praise. The best thing would actually be for the dog to lay by the cage and not even pay attention to rats. Praise that for sure. My dog licks my rats through cage. I have their cage in my bedroom and my dog sleeps with us every night. So they have to meet basically. Every other room my cat has access to but my bedroom is the dogs so my cat doesn't come in. My bedroom has a door with a lock so I can keep kids out. I will say my rats are not afraid of the dog at all. I don't trust my dog with them only because he can step on them or just play too rough. They are definitely not afraid of the dog because when I open cage to pet them and talk to them. They will come right to him and sniff and then try to climb on him. Not sure if your dog is trained but it's important for him to know sit, lay and stay as well as leave it. If he knows those commands it will be safer. A scared dog can be dangerous for the rats so be extra careful. Good luck


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## sammyterror

When it comes to my cats and rats interacting, I guess I got very lucky because my cats would much rather just watch them in the cage like it is t.v than mess with them. I do still keep an eye on them because instinct is instinct and that can not be changed. Over the winter a few door mice have made claim to the house, so my cats have full roam of the house at all times, and 95% of the time they ignore the rats. Out of all the animals I have, I only have a hard time with one. And even he leaves them alone most of time. My theory is that they seem to understand that these rats are not a threat and are an addition to our fur family.


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## Okeedoke22

sammyterror said:


> When it comes to my cats and rats interacting, I guess I got very lucky because my cats would much rather just watch them in the cage like it is t.v than mess with them. I do still keep an eye on them because instinct is instinct and that can not be changed. Over the winter a few door mice have made claim to the house, so my cats have full roam of the house at all times, and 95% of the time they ignore the rats. Out of all the animals I have, I only have a hard time with one. And even he leaves them alone most of time. My theory is that they seem to understand that these rats are not a threat and are an addition to our fur family.


Yes I think they know they are part of the family and not a threat. My cat is a hunter so I would never trust him but I do want him to smell them on me and see them with me so he hopefully associates them with me.


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## sammyterror

*I mentioned my pooch loving my babies (not sure if it in this post)*

My dog is obsessed with all of the rats and just wants to love them. He normally does great with them, but sometimes gets excited and almost forgets that they are tiny compared to his size. ( i have added a photo of him from a couple months ago, he is full grown now. )

This is him after he realizes that I am cleaning the cage or have the babies out. It is so cute to watch. He is so gentle when he licks the babies that sometimes he misses them and licks at the air in front of them.


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## ray

My dog is scared of my rats too. She's a 50lb staff mix and when they're out she is not happy with me. She usually just sits on the bed (they're typically on the floor) but sometimes she gets on the floor and stands in a corner and stares at me like "why have you done this to me" lol. 
One time though one of my rats got on the bed while I was cleaning the cage (my gf was supposed to be watching them but she got distracted) and the dog sniffed her (not anything unusual we've let the dog sniff all of them with no troubles) but this time my rat bit her!!! She was fine, it bled bc it was her nose but it wasn't too bad but obviously it freaked her out. Now she has to leave the room when they're out, poor thing. She didn't react aggressively when it happened though she was just surprised (and hurt).


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## Blur Of Fuzz

Whenever dogs come to visit my family, they are terrified of the rats, too. Don't know why, though.


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## Steffy

That's really interesting that dogs seem generally scared of rats - it's almost like elephants and mice!


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## infraredhawk

Unfortunately, both of my dogs have exceptionally high prey instincts, so the presence of the rats upsets them  I never let the rats out with the dogs in the room, and if I'm holding a rat, the dogs will watch me like a hawk. I've let them sniff the rats before and they know not to try and snatch the animal out of my hands, but if one of my little boys ever got loose around a dog, well, that would be the end. That's why I invested in the DCN - so the rats can get up high away from the dogs (if they happen to be in the same room) and it's a sturdy built cage so I'm not worried about the dogs being able to force their way in.


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## Aissia

It is something normal because I also read some articles on the internet that confirm this fact. In general, dogs are very interesting animals and in my opinion, to have a dog in the house is an extremely wonderful thing. I bought one a year ago and got used to it so much that I can't imagine my life without it. A month ago he started to get sick and I was very scared because I didn't know what he had and I thought I would lose him. I went to the vet and he told me to buy him a dog dental water additive and I ordered it from 🥇10 Best Water Additive for Dogs Teeth to Buy in (January 2021) - Buyer’s Guide and it helped. I am very happy to see him healthy and happy.


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## a1phanine

They also find them interesting but at big risk of bouncing up and down and accidentally seriously hurting one so yes keep apart


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