Oh they are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. It is amazing to watch my big girls muscle a rat around, they keep their vulnerable heads well back out of the way, and use a heavy coil of solid muscle to maneuver the rat to where they want it, then strike.
If a rat comes at them too quickly, they are not above throwing a coil on top of it and smashing it down against the floor to subdue it, then striking while the rat is dazed.
Gale