Squirrels are friendly little animals belonging to the family of Sciuridae. There are many different squirrel species, including tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. They are active animal that likes to play around, and when bored, they look for other animals to play with. So, do squirrels tease dogs?
Yes. Squirrels tease dogs. However, to squirrels, it is no bother. They are looking around for another animal to play with out of boredom. To them, playing is throwing things, hiding food, and chasing after the dog to annoy them. Often they will crawl back and forth on trees and ground to irritate dogs.
The dogs and squirrels are frenemies. Squirrels like to play, and dogs hate being chased and getting teased. Read the complete article to know all the reasons behind the behavior of squirrels.
Why Do Squirrels Tease Dogs?
Squirrels enjoy teasing dogs for fun because it helps them with loneliness and makes them less bored. They especially like to annoy big dogs. Because big dogs take revenge which makes the game more fun for squirrels, the dog is like a giant toy.
They will run after dogs to chase and corner them. It is an exciting game for squirrels to run around and scare a large animal.
After it manages to corner the dog, they produce sounds and throw things at the poor animal. When a dog does not give attention to an annoying squirrel, playtime ends with squirrel-like attention and a sacred animal.
When a dog plays near the tree, the squirrel residing in it can be alarmed and annoy the dog because the squirrel might think its territory is in danger. Therefore, it will tease the dog to protect it, so the dog does not come near again.
Big dogs are fun to annoy, but sometimes they might scare the little squirrel. It will climb the tree and throw things at the enemy for attention. It is the strategy of passing boredom and scaring the giant animal.
Will Squirrels Play With Dogs?
Squirrels are friendly animals. They are always looking for a friend to play with and like to spend some time playing with big dogs.
But it is the opposite for dogs. They do not like the squirrels and get annoyed when squirrels throw things or follow them around. Then it becomes a chasing and cornering game, making dogs tired and fun for squirrels.
Squirrels have curious, fun-loving, and exploring nature, while dogs are calm and obeying. Therefore, it is unlikely for both animals to become friends.
As squirrels live on trees and are annoying, and dogs are quite the opposite, so there is no way a game will be initiated by a dog ever. It is always squirrels chasing after dogs for fun.
Typically, the squirrel will haul things, create sounds or run after the dog to get his attention. When a squirrel gets the dog’s attention, it will climb on trees and run around, making it impossible for a dog to catch it.
Do Squirrels Hurt Dogs?
Squirrel likes to mess around with the dog. Scarring a large dog is fun for small squirrels. The sharp wit of squirrels always makes the game in its favor and fun.
A squirrel runs after dogs, corner them, and can attack them. House pets like cats and dogs are trained, especially dogs in a calm environment who are friendly. But squirrels reside in nature, and they are wild.
Next time, if your dog comes home injured, do not remove squirrels from the list of culprits. Squirrels might look cute, but they are aggressive and will only become friends when there is food.
Dogs can consider small squirrels a delicious treat and run around to chase them, but these yummy meals are hard to catch. Sometimes it scares away the squirrels, and other times it will fight with the dog. It can look like a fight between a squirrel and a dog, the latter will be the winner, but squirrels are fast and have strong claws.
Why Do Dogs Go Crazy When They See Squirrels?
Squirrels frustrate dogs. They will go crazy as soon as it spots a squirrel. The dog will run after it to hunt. Dogs have a hunting nature, as they come from a similar family as wolves, so squirrel is food to hunt and eat.
But it is slightly complicated to catch a squirrel alive. Squirrels might not be sizeable compared to dogs, but they are an intelligent and fast runner that can easily climb on trees.
The smell of squirrels is enough to make the dog crazy. They hate that smell. Some dogs will run away, and others will go around chasing the little animal to eat. Plus, this all is a game for squirrels. It enjoys a giant dog chasing after it, and some adult squirrels can even corner a few dogs.
It is necessary to stop your dog from running after a squirrel because it might seem thrilling, but with time it becomes habitual, and the game never ends. Squirrels have sharp memory; they will keep coming back to have fun with your dog whenever it is boring.
Do Squirrels Hate Dogs?
Squirrels probably do not hate dogs; it is the opposite. The dog is a toy for squirrels to play with whenever they have nothing fun to do. Squirrels will tease dogs by hauling things, creating noise, or following it. Dogs hate the smell and the sight of a squirrel.
Whenever a dog sees a squirrel, it will run after it to catch and eat it. Catching a squirrel for a dog is quite impossible. A dog running after a squirrel is a game for it. The squirrel will annoy the dog till it becomes frustrating. This chasing game is thrilling for squirrels and annoying for dogs.
Dogs hate squirrels to the point that it wants to catch, kill and feast on them. But, oblivious to this fact, squirrels will continue their game until either one is tired.
Why Dogs Chase Squirrels?
Dogs have sharp smell senses. You can say at least a thousand times better than the humans. They remember things and creatures through smell. The smell of squirrels is on the hate list of dogs.
It absolutely despises the scent coming from a squirrel and its territory. As soon as the dog smells the squirrel, it will go crazy. The worst is that dogs can recall the animal by smelling it.
Apart from their smell, dogs are actually predators of squirrels. They like to hunt and feast on squirrels which is somewhat complicated because squirrels are sharp and know how to protect themselves.
In some cases, squirrels have caused injury to the dogs. To them, it is all playtime, and has more fun when a dog is annoyed and frustrated.
It is better to train your dog with a leash. Hide the snacks in the yard for practice ignoring squirrels. You cannot control dogs’ hunting nature, but you can manage to control it with little training.
Why Do Squirrels Bark At Dogs?
Research by Corinne. A. Diggins states that the squirrels have different call types in accordance with each situation. The calls can be distinguished according to their length and frequency.
Each calling conveys the behavior of the squirrel. The researcher has further classified these calling into types: alarm, agonistic, discomfort, affiliative, mating, and newborn calls.
Typically, squirrels bark at dogs when they are alarmed or annoyed with it. A squirrel usually has fun with the dog, but it still considers the dog’s presence in its territory alarming.
Because to them, it feels like this new creature is taking over their place. Therefore, it will call to alarm the other squirrels and will bark at dogs to scare it away.
The barking sound of the squirrel is quite famous. It might sound similar to a dog bark, but squirrel barking is high-pitched and long. When a squirrel bark, it is considered a threat because they feel intimidated by the presence of another creature in its region. The squirrel barking is for sending signals to other animals to stay off the area.
Conclusion
Squirrels are cute, friendly little animals. However, your dog might not agree to this because they hate the presence of a squirrel. While squirrels like to play around and have fun, dogs like to hunt and eat on them.
Squirrels tease dogs to play around and have fun, especially when a dog runs after them. The chase games of squirrel and dog are thrilling and tiring. The dog is a giant animal compared to squirrels, but squirrels are sharp and know how to run away from dogs.
They will climb the tree and haul things on the dog to annoy them. But when a dog enters the squirrel territory, it feels alarmed and will bark.
