We use the neck snapper types. There's just no place around here to catch and release live rats and we don't want to play Sweeny Todd either
. We have four small dogs, but they stay indoors at night, so after they're in for the night (and luckily, they never go out during the night), my husband goes out and sets 3 or 4 traps around the yard. We've been using cherry tomatoes for bait and the rats like it -- we've gotten a rat every night for the last few nights. Then we put BIG signs on the back door and on the coffee maker in the kitchen to remind us that the traps are out there. In the morning we go out before we let the dogs out back and remove the traps. If a rat gets caught, we just throw the trap away with the rat still in it
. The traps are cheap - we get them at the dollar store.
Lyn