About Rat Terriers

PLAYFUL, CURIOUS, LOVABLE

Just a few words to describe this intelligent breed known as the Rat Terrier.  Rat Terriers are original to America, bred for the purpose that their name implies.  From 1920 – 1940, these little dogs were very common on every farm.  They excelled at keeping the farm free of pests, made great hunting companions and entertained the children in the family.  As the farms became more commercialized, the breed popularity declined.  But thankfully in recent times, the Rat Terrier has made a come back as their value as a companion dog as well as a working dog has become recognized.

They are very loyal to their families, easily trained and are content to curl up on the couch with their people or jump into active play.  The Rattie can be somewhat stubborn on occasion but are very sensitive to their people, which makes them easy to work with.  They enjoy lots of mental stimulation and exercise. This makes them great in agility and obedience competitions or as hiking or hunting companions.   Their social skills and calm nature makes them great therapy or service dogs.

Rat Terriers come in 4 sizes  – toy, miniature, standard and Decker.  CaliRats Terriers specialize in toys (up to 10 pounds) and miniatures (over 10 and up to 17 pounds).  Standards are between 18 – 27 pounds and Deckers are 28 pounds with an upper limit of around 40 pounds.  They are a long-lived breed, averaging 16-19 year with good breeding.  Rat Terriers are a colorful bunch as their colors and coat patterns vary widely.

Due to the fact the Rat Terrier breed was developed with several out breedings during its development, the breed tends to be healthy and generally free of problems.  However it is recommended that breeding dogs be screened for the genetic marker prcd-PRA and Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) , both causing a serious eye disease.

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