Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the Rat Terriers that will surely surprise a lot of people!
Although it is believed by many that Rat Terriers are inspired from a Terrier-like canine that was created in the United Kingdom, it is heavily speculated that the modern-day Rat Terriers that we know and love today were not only perfected but also developed with the help of several breeds in the United States of America.
As it is clear from their name, these pooches were heavily used to hunt down rats and other small rodents and they were so good at their job, they were eventually named after their occupation. Some even suggest that former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt was the one who first nicknamed these canines as Rat Terriers (which later became their official name) as he also had one of these dogs as his pet. His Rat Terriers was named Skip and Roosevelt was known to go on various hunting expeditions with his Rat Terrier Skip by his side.
Based on their size, Rat Terriers are divided into three types: Toy, Miniature and Standard. Toy Rat Terriers are the smallest with an average height of less than 10 inches and weight under 4.5 Kilograms. Both the Miniature and Standard Rat Terriers mostly have an average weight in the range of 4.5-11.5 Kilograms but it is the height that truly differentiates both these types. The Miniature Rat Terriers have an average height of 10-13 inches while the Standard ones are 13-18 inches tall.
As the Rat Terriers were excellent ratters, they were heavily used by almost every U.S. farmer in the 1910s. It was believed that almost every farm in America had one Rat Terrier to protect it from rats and other rodents. And, because of this, these pooches gradually became one of the closest companions to most of the American farmers of that time.
In the hopes for creating an excellent pest hunter, farmers started cross-breeding between several different canine breeds and the result of this breeding program was the creation of a new breed called Rat Terrier. Various canine breeds that were used to develop the Rat Terriers were the Smooth Fox Terriers, the Manchester Terriers, the now-extinct Old English White Terriers, the Beagles, and the Bull Terriers.
Once the Rat Terriers came into existence, farmers noted that their hunting abilities were hindered by their slow speeds. So, to make the Rat Terriers faster and improve their overall hunting potential, these canines were bred with Italian Greyhounds and Whippets. And, as a result of this breeding, the Rat Terriers gradually became more effective hunters/ratters.
The Rat Terriers were mainly used by every farmer to eliminate the rodents and rats from their farms. But in the 1950s, they found an alternative and they started using poison to kill all the rodents. And, because of this the need for the Terriers reduced and gradually their numbers began to decrease. It is only in the 1990s, that this breed was able to make a comeback and once again became a decently popular breed all over the world.
The Rat Terriers have been very recently recognized by the American Kennel Club. They were officially registered as a distinct breed in the year 2013 by the AKC.
These canines have an immensely easy-going personality. They remain highly agreeable and responsive during the training sessions and are always excited to learn new things like commands and tricks from their owners. They are fairly quick learners and they have a decent retention power as well. It is quite a fun and joyful experience for an owner to train a Rat Terrier canine and this is one of the many reasons why these pooches are such a great option as a pet for the novice or first-time owners.
A highly talented American Artist, Laurie Anderson is such a huge admirer of the Rat Terriers that she made a full-fledged documentary in 2015 called “Heart of a Dog†about her pet Rat Terrier who she named Lolabelle. There are several other celebrities who have owned a Rat Terrier during their lifetime. This includes people like William Faulkner (Writer), Shirley MacLaine (Film Actress), Carrie Underwood (Singer and Songwriter), John Sandford (Novelist) et cetera.
In 1996, when thousands of rats were wreaking havoc on a farm shed, a single Rat Terrier was given the task of handling this massive problem and he didn’t disappoint. In only about 7 hours, he was able to clear out more than 2500 rats from the barn. And that is why these pooches undeniably deserve the title of /name Rat Terriers.
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