# Mole Hunting 101



## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Alright since everyone has their panties in a snitch over Vicky's use of the word "working" for her obedience/agility/rally dogs, here's one for ya. I have a terrier/corgi cross that I've been rather lazy about finding a home for. Throughout her life she's been an avid varmit dog--mostly possums. So someone calls regarding looking for a small dog that can locate moles on one of the property that he works on. During the off time, he'd like one that could function as a house dog and companion. I thought that would be a job for Mikha but I wasn't sure she would dig for anything. We never had moles. He happened to mention he had a dead one in the freezer. He had a lot of good training ideas. So today, he came over with his dead mole. Actually they are kinda cute.

Mikha didn't think much of a cold frozen varmit but would track it and find it for hot dog treats. At some point I guess it thawed a little and she picked it up. Then she dropped and rolled on it. Then it became valuable and forget the hot dogs. I had the guy toss it in some tall grass that was taller than she is and off she went tunneling through the grass. We could tell she found it and then she just started digging. I'm not sure if she was trying to bury it or what. Now she's hooked. Once she sees one that is live and moving she'll probably go primal like she did over the possums. I gotta do some research on possible diseases in moles. Mikha and the guy really hit it off especially after she figured out he was the source of the cool, albeit dead, toy. I'm gonna fool around with burying it to see if she will hunt for it underground. Any tips? She didn't seem to really pick up the scent of it in the zip lock bag.

I was floored when he said that there are companies trapping moles and getting paid $125 per mole. 

Boy, in the name of dog training, the things I get myself into. Last week I was leash breaking a duck. Now I have a dead mole in my freezer.

T


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## Melissa Leistikow (Jan 5, 2012)

I don't have any training tips, but I don't think that mix of dog will have any problems finding and digging up moles on it's own. We have a 2 year old cattle dog/jack russell mix that is always bringing us moles. I have seen him sniff them out, but sometimes I think he hears them and that is how he finds them because I will catch him focusing on the ground without sniffing before he digs.


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## Edward Weiss (Sep 19, 2011)

Damn gonna have to start hiring this boy out!


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## Edward Weiss (Sep 19, 2011)

Put those silly traps away...I'll show you how a terrier does it ...a big terrier that is!










Voila ... now where is my $125, for you a $100 will work


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

A couple of my terriers were natural mole catchers. the most successful ones were the dogs that "stalked" the moles while the moles were actively digging. 
My last JRT in particular was excellent at it. When he was standing still in the yard you knew he was hunting moles. He could stand like Roy Roger's horse Trigger for what seemed like hours. Front feet off the ground and squatted down almost on his butt. When the moles moved he would leap like a fox after a mouse in the snow and would "punch" the moles. That would stun them then he would dig them out. When they were heavy in the field behind the house 3-4 a day wasn't uncommon. We rarely had them in the yard and then it wasn't for long.
I had a few others that tried hard but just dug holes all over the yard with little success. 
It always seemed to be more of a natural thing then something that could be taught.


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## Terrasita Cuffie (Jun 8, 2008)

Oh, it won't really be taught with Mikha. Her grandmother used to hold her head to the ground and then away she would go. We never had moles in the city--just possums and Mikha sure killed her share of those. I wanted to see if I could put a word on it and set her into hunt mode. Once she decided it was a varmit, nature took over from there. I wanted to see if she would be interested in a mole or was it just possums that sent her over he primal edge. 

T


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## Melissa Thom (Jun 21, 2011)

The golf course I worked at paid $25 (or a free round) a head for any mole dug out of the course. I heard it went up after the trap ban to include a round and a six pack. 

The one good thing that the elder cocker spaniel is amazing at is being a mole killing machine. The really hard part is helping the dog make the connection about searching below ground. It's similar to dogs who can figure out how to fish with any kind of talent. 

My suggestion would be to live trap some moles, build yourself a prey box. Let her hunt out and throttle that box making it ever more difficult to find and eventually start burying the sucker.


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