Our Weimaraners, we’ve had over the years, all chased squirrels. The female we had was patient and stalked them, even if it took 30 minutes...and she caught a lot of squirrels. The male Weims we’ve had all think they can just run after them and catch them, and of course they hardly ever catch a squirrel. One time the female didn’t grab the squirrel quite right and it fought back, the dog had a bite and a pretty scratched up face.
I called the vet, just wondering about infection. My vet said due to a squirrel’s diet, they are very low on causing infection from a bite, or scratch, due to their diet. I hadn’t thought of the reason they don’t usually get rabies until you presented it. I learn something new every day :)
My dog,a springer spaniel caught a squirrel,stood and looked at me with the squirrel in it’s mouth, and then very,very rapidly,shook his head back and forth twice and the squirrel’s neck was broken.
He then placed it on the ground and the squirrel didn’t have a mark on him.
.
“of course they hardly ever catch a squirrel”
Yeah, I have seen squirrels get away from full speed divebombing hawks, so most land-based predators don’t stand much of a chance chasing them. Between their reflexes, their random evasive maneuvers, and their jumping/climbing ability, you’d really have to catch them off guard in order to get one.
“My vet said due to a squirrel’s diet, they are very low on causing infection from a bite, or scratch, due to their diet.”
Makes sense to me. They are technically omnivores, but the only meat I have ever seen them eat (that wasn’t human garbage) are caterpillars. They LOVE to munch on caterpillars, they even prefer those over nuts.