# Anyone have this problem?



## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Not sure if this is a problem or not but after 11 years my sweet Mia has become a relentless, vicious mole hunter. Her whole life she has stood by watching my yorkie hunt and kill at least 100 moles. She finally decided to take a shot at it herself and she is having the time of her life! She is awesome at sniffing out where they are at and then dives in and digs like a maniac, tearing the grass and ground with her teeth. Unlike Barn Hunt, the moles do meet a timeless end. She shakes them ferociously and carries them proudly but unfortunately tries to bring them in the house. We have finally gotten her to drop them. We live in a heavily wooded area and have lots of moles. I believe it is safe since moles do not carry diseases and we do not use any lawn chemicals or fertilizers. I have had offers from neighbors for my dogs to take care of their mole problems, however they all use lawn chemicals so will not allow that. Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has a digging Havanese! I did not think they were a breed that digs. The main negative is the dirty feet and face...but have to keep her very short anyway so I can find ticks. We live in a tick infested area and Ehrlichiosis is epidemic. Per my vet who is also a chiropractor digging is one of the best exercises for a dog. For the first time in my life, I am grateful to have moles so that Mia can have so much fun.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Go get em Mia! Willow will chase critter but I haven't seen her dig for moles. My corgi did however.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Jackie from Concrete said:


> Go get em Mia! Willow will chase critter but I haven't seen her dig for moles. My corgi did however.


The funniest thing is that my yorkie (master mole killer who was bred to hunt vermin) now follows Mia all over the yard because she is better at finding them than him!!!! He is so jealous when she gets a mole too!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

She probably has a better nose, but I expect she learned the hunting skill from the Yorkie. None of ours do anything like that, but I'm sure most would if they knew it was possible.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

This is not a problem we have, thankfully! But if we did, it would require some kind of intervention!
I have to ask what that cute puppy has in her mouth? Is that a mole?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Tom King said:


> She probably has a better nose, but I expect she learned the hunting skill from the Yorkie. None of ours do anything like that, but I'm sure most would if they knew it was possible.


Thanks Tom. I do think she has the better nose and I hate to say it but a better brain too!!! My yorkie is pure adrenaline when he gets the slightest whiff of a mole, all brawn and no brain! Mia is the brains behind the operation and I think he knows it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Tere said:


> This is not a problem we have, thankfully! But if we did, it would require some kind of intervention!
> I have to ask what that cute puppy has in her mouth? Is that a mole?


Yes that is a mole that my sweet Mia is proudly displaying. It is hard to intervene when she is having the time of her life! Needless to say...we do not have the best looking yard in the neighborhood. I think the dogs do more damage to the yard getting the moles than the moles do to it! My husband said to let her go...Mia is so sweet...she could never kill a mole! Obviously he was wrong as in the past two weeks she has killed two of them and found two others that my yorkie killed!


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

OMG! I've never seen a mole. My little Hav would be cut off immediately from engaging in such activities. Ok, well, he is not allowed out in my (fenced) yard due to a BIG Diamond Back Rattlesnake that has taken up residence in a hole in my neighbors' yard which is very close to my tiny yard.


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

refocus your hav's attention to indoor squeaky toys!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

LOL!!! This is Hysterical. We have moles and Patti, too, has tried to dig them up. I never in this world thought she might actually find one. She does like to dig. Good to know digging is good exercise but I'd rather her not do it. We've, also, had friends offer to pay for Patti to come to their house and dig up the moles. Those things are hard to get rid of.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

gelbergirl said:


> refocus your hav's attention to indoor squeaky toys!


That is a good idea but the flood gates are open now and squeaky toys are no longer enough to satisfy her. I believe those cute squeaky toys are supposed to simulate the squeaking that live prey make when they are being chased! I believe what she loves most about mole hunting is the nose work involved. She is amazing to watch. I am going to try to involve her in more nose work activities. We cannot solely depend on moles for this because at the rate she is going the entire mole population in our yard will be annihilated in a few weeks!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> LOL!!! This is Hysterical. We have moles and Patti, too, has tried to dig them up. I never in this world thought she might actually find one. She does like to dig. Good to know digging is good exercise but I'd rather her not do it. We've, also, had friends offer to pay for Patti to come to their house and dig up the moles. Those things are hard to get rid of.


The major negatives of mole hunting are destruction of the yard and keeping her cleaned up. She is such a joy to watch...I just don't have the heart to stop her. There are some benefits too in addition to great exercise and mole eradication. It is great nose work, mentally challenging, helps keep the nails filed, and when they start ripping and tearing the yard with their teeth...it helps keep the teeth clean! Moles are a huge problem here. People put out traps and poison. A dog killing them is quick and much more humane in my opinion. Also gives the dog a purpose. Historically, dogs were used as verminators!!!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Tere said:


> OMG! I've never seen a mole. My little Hav would be cut off immediately from engaging in such activities. Ok, well, he is not allowed out in my (fenced) yard due to a BIG Diamond Back Rattlesnake that has taken up residence in a hole in my neighbors' yard which is very close to my tiny yard.


Is it possible to call animal control to get rid of the snake? That sounds horrid.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> The major negatives of mole hunting are destruction of the yard and keeping her cleaned up. She is such a joy to watch...I just don't have the heart to stop her. There are some benefits too in addition to great exercise and mole eradication. It is great nose work, mentally challenging, helps keep the nails filed, and when they start ripping and tearing the yard with their teeth...it helps keep the teeth clean! Moles are a huge problem here. People put out traps and poison. A dog killing them is quick and much more humane in my opinion. Also gives the dog a purpose. Historically, dogs were used as verminators!!!


A women after my own heart: Good at Justification. 0 I've gone to a shorter hair cut, making it easier for Patti to play in the wet grass, rain and catching moles. We live on 11 acres and recently fenced the backyard when we got our Havanese, Patti, is 1.5 years old. The moles seem to be more prominent in the front yard, at this time.

The moles have been bad for a long while. They're after white grubs, earthworms, beetles and assorted larvae. Patti is good at finding all these things to roll-on. I read moles will eat dog food and small birds!!!! We treat our yard for grubs to try and discourage the Armadillos, who are busy right now in the lower section and leaving the grub worms to the Moles.

We, also, treat our yard two to three times a year for fleas and ticks. We have a lot of trees on the property but not around the house, treating the yard definitely helps with both ticks and fleas.

Moles are super Ugly. Didn't think anything was uglier than the Armadillos. My husband shoots the Armadillos. Photos attached:


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

I hate the Armadillos! One of my Bichons cornered one in my yard years ago. I ordered the dog inside and I chased the critter with the long pool net. I hit it repeatedly. It has never returned! I probably looked worse than in the armadillo in my nightgown with the pool stick and scared it away permanently.
As for the snake, my neighbor hired a "wildlife"capture company who attempted to trap it for 2 months. Never got it. But she saw it twice in the same pit this weekend and so did I. Same place they tried to trap it months ago. Not sure how yet but we are going to get rid of it. They are pretty common around here especially with all this stupid rain!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> Not sure if this is a problem or not but after 11 years my sweet Mia has become a relentless, vicious mole hunter. Her whole life she has stood by watching my yorkie hunt and kill at least 100 moles. She finally decided to take a shot at it herself and she is having the time of her life! She is awesome at sniffing out where they are at and then dives in and digs like a maniac, tearing the grass and ground with her teeth. Unlike Barn Hunt, the moles do meet a timeless end. She shakes them ferociously and carries them proudly but unfortunately tries to bring them in the house. We have finally gotten her to drop them. We live in a heavily wooded area and have lots of moles. I believe it is safe since moles do not carry diseases and we do not use any lawn chemicals or fertilizers. I have had offers from neighbors for my dogs to take care of their mole problems, however they all use lawn chemicals so will not allow that. Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has a digging Havanese! I did not think they were a breed that digs. The main negative is the dirty feet and face...but have to keep her very short anyway so I can find ticks. We live in a tick infested area and Ehrlichiosis is epidemic. Per my vet who is also a chiropractor digging is one of the best exercises for a dog. For the first time in my life, I am grateful to have moles so that Mia can have so much fun.


How did you attach this photo to get it appear in your feed? Hummmm!


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Tere said:


> OMG! I've never seen a mole. My little Hav would be cut off immediately from engaging in such activities. Ok, well, he is not allowed out in my (fenced) yard due to a BIG *Diamond Back Rattlesnake t*hat has taken up residence in a hole in my neighbors' yard which is very close to my tiny yard.


This Spring we had our house painted and when the painters moved our grill to paint, they found a big rattlesnake skin under it, that had been shed. This was next to our bedroom window. :surprise: A long time ago my husband found a baby rattlesnake, mistakenly thinking it was a garden snake. He put it in an aquarium for the grandkids. Fortunately, before they picked it up I had a second thought and decided they should leave it alone. The older grandson about six said, *Yai Ya, look it's tail is shaking, I think it's a rattle snake.* Sure enough it was and baby rattlesnakes are more poisonous that the big ones. They don't know when to stop the venom when they bite. Good Luck!!! I hate snakes of any kind.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> How did you attach this photo to get it appear in your feed? Hummmm!


Ha...I actually was hacking around trying to figure out how to do it so not exactly sure. But I think I went to Advanced and then clicked on the picture icon and it allowed me to upload a picture from my iPad. Others may know better but I am pretty sure this is what I did.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

OMG!!! It would be scary to see one of those in my dogs mouth! 😱 We had a major gopher problem in the backyard for many years. There were mounds of dirt everywhere. It was a mess! My two liked to sniff the holes, but didn't dig. I saw flowers pulled down right before my eyes. We tried everything possible to get rid of them for years. Finally after three new lawns we had artificial turf installed and it solved the problem.
We also have rats due to it being wooded. Our neighborhood website is warning people not to use rat poison. The coyotes eat the rats that have been poisoned. Some coyotes around here have terrible mange due to eating the poisoned rats. The mange eventually kills them. Hopefully no one is trying to get rid of the moles by poisoning them.
Mikki... that rattlesnake story is really funny! We have them here so that is always a concern. When I was a teenager my Dad was gardening in the backyard on the hill. He picked up a large rattlesnake with a rake and covered it with a plastic garbage can. I remember it rattling. I was so scared because the neighbors dog had been bitten. He called the SPCA and they sent someone out right away. The guy was scared too and shot through the garbage can a few times and took everything away. That wouldn't happen today. I understand from others now the snake must be relocated. 😬


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

although moles are generally not rabies concern , it's what they have on them that is dangerous. I do not let Molly near any wildlife.

https://kywildliferemovalpros.com/species/moles/diseases-moles-carry/

https://www.crittercontrol.com/services/moles/do-moles-carry-disease


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I relocate poisonous snakes, and Rat Snakes in the hen house too. They get relocated into some Vulture's digestive system. We have 163 acres, and only claim about 13 of that for our personal use. They're welcome to stay in the other 150, but are not welcome on the part around the house.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Heather's said:


> . *I understand from others now the snake must be relocated.*
> 
> Ha!!! Ha!!! LOL!!! Relocated to the grave yard. :surprise: Who would tell? Who made up that rule?
> 
> Very Funny! Tom. Yes we claim about four acres and they can have the rest.


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## Vshort (Aug 20, 2018)

The mole topic is of interest to me as we have mole tunnels in our yard and it’s such a nuisance! My 1 year old Havanese has never smelled out a mole or tried to dig for one but I supposed the damage to the yard (and dirty pup!) would offset the damage the moles are doing!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Vshort said:


> The mole topic is of interest to me as we have mole tunnels in our yard and it's such a nuisance! My 1 year old Havanese has never smelled out a mole or tried to dig for one but I supposed the damage to the yard (and dirty pup!) would offset the damage the moles are doing!


Yes the damage the dogs do is much worse than the moles! Maybe you will luck out and she will not dig. Mia did not start digging until she turned 11! But she has watched my yorkie dig all those years. Unfortunately she is now obsessed with digging...


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## [email protected] (Jun 10, 2019)

I say, “Good girl Mia!!!” Moles have completely destroyed my meadow. It looks like a bad case of acne. I wish my Hav would dig them up and bring them to me!!


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## adalah (Feb 6, 2019)

Interesting, I shall be following this


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

I have a friend who has a large Golden. He loves to dig up moles ... Now this guy knows how to dig and those are giant holes. One needs to haul in a truck load of dirt to fill those babies in. >


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> I have a friend who has a large Golden. He loves to dig up moles ... Now this guy knows how to dig and those are giant holes. One needs to haul in a truck load of dirt to fill those babies in. >


Mia has become obsessed with digging for moles. I honestly think a small dog can dig just as big a hole as a Golden...it just takes a little bit longer! Between Mia and my yorkie, the yard looks like Swiss cheese.:crying:


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Shama likes to chase the rabbits that have dug a hole under the gate of our fence. I used to always give them a head start before letting Shama chase them, but then I realized they are so much faster than she is. She'll never catch one! She also likes to run after squirrels, but they're up high on the fence and in the trees. I'm glad I've never seen her with a mole in her mouth!


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