Jack Russell and Rats

Question
I live in the city and have a fenced in back yard. My Jack (7yrs old) finally caught a Rat today as he has been desperately trying to do so for years. I know that this is normal for them, but after the fact I had a hard time getting it out of his mouth. He was not taking politely to me trying to get his trophy out of his mouth and he seemed like he was going to eat it. After getting it out of his mouth and inside while I was aggravated whit the situation,  I praise him for doing what he thinks is his job. Is there anything wrong with that? Also, my big question is, would he have eaten this rat had I not intervened?

Answer
Scott -

Please excuse my chuckle at this story. My Jack is active in earthdog events where he goes down tunnels after rats that are in protective cages at the end.  My Connor has caught birds midair and gulped them down before I even got there to try to take it away, and in the fall when the mice want to come into the house, he spends days on end under the kitchen sink making sure none come up through where the drain goes.

Yes, your dog was acting completely within his instincts and yes, he most likely would have eaten it given half a chance.  The trick is timing any praise because you need to wait until after he gives it up - since the good part is the combination of catching it and giving it up...

I would even recommend treating with something extra special - something smelly and very high value to your dog... and LOTS of it - what the trainer I work with calls "having a party" - sounding excited & happy, and doling out small bits of treat for 30 seconds or more...

They have been bred for centuries to do exactly what he did, and they have maintained a very high prey drive - it's part of the breed and there's no getting around it.

-Beth