So, technically he’s my husband’s dog - he got him from a rescue a few years before I met him - but I just adore him. He’s a great barn dog, great on the trails with me, and is even great with our 7 month old:
Here he is with one of his “babies”
He’s even good with my pet rabbit: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32230154&l=b05d18196f&id=1119655844
Any other Rat Terrier fans out there?
Hi
I have had my rat for 8 yrs. First let me say I love him…he is sweet and smart… but i would never ever have another. There is not a fence that he cant go over ,under or through. Non stop barking and the most clever dog I have ever met. That said he is sooo cute
We have a cocker who THINKS she’s a rat terrier - had an ER vet trip Sunday night when she rooted out and mauled a big ole snake by the pond that we thought might be poisonous - she yelped like she’d been bitten.
She also has a vendetta against turtles. This part of her personality I could do without…
i have toy fox terriers…very similar in look and temperment…rat terriers are a tad larger…
i LOVE LOVE LOVE them…aftr having JRTs for 20+ yrs…just as cute and smart, but not nearly as obsessive and snappy…VERY good with kids, dogs, familiar cats, not strange cats…they stick close to home, no need for fencing, although i just put some up to keep them out of the barn…very loveable, low maintanence…pop in the kitchn sink to bathe…
I inherited a rat terrier type (provenance unclear) when my parents divorced – neither one of them wanted the dog, so I took him. He is not much trouble – sleeps a lot, doesn’t bark, is basically deaf and somewhat blind, is good in the house. That said, he is not good with my toddler so they stay on opposite sides of baby gates, and is a very sulky dog. He gets his feelings hurt and mopes around the house. I have never seen such a thing…if he gets into trouble, he won’t have anything to do with us for a week or so. On the positive side, he goes to the barn with me and is great with horses.
The dog doesn’t really even like me – he was strongly bonded to my mom and misses her. When she visits, he is on her like glue. I can’t convince her to take him back, though I know he’d be happier with her.
It looks like I am stuck with the dog, so we try to make the best of each other. He is sulking this week – I just had a tumor removed from his leg, poor fellow. I am sulking a bit too, having just spent $1k on surgery for a dog that holds it against me. Hard to explain to him that it was for his own good.
I have a rat terrier.
I could not see your facebook pictures, so can’t comment on them.
Mine is not a barker at all, probably barks maybe three times a year and with reason, something is going on and it is not a real bark, more a gruff “something is wrong, come see”.
She is great around the horses, never bothers them and they ignore her too:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/Robintoo/MoonandIzzy-1.jpg
Mine was supposed to be my next agility dog, but has had a torn ligament in a hock since she came here as a 11 week old puppy, that our vet, that is an orthopedic specialist, didn’t want to touch.
So, she is ok, just not quite right, so no jumping.
She is a great companion, loves everyone, especially kids, although she is a bit shy also, is 5 1/2 years old now.
At her size of 11", she is portable, so can go with me much anywhere, goes in the tractor and four wheeler and is always around, watching what goes on.
She is a mouser and rabbiter, but calls back very well.
She is the right dog for me now and, since I am hard of hearing, nice to have around to alert to any going on around here.
I agree, rat terriers, toy terriers and such crossed between little bitty dog and terrier are not for everyone, just as poodles or beagles are not.
Some breeds are novice and careless and mayhem friendly, some are not quite so forgiving of any but the right environment and care for their idiosyncrasies.
In the early 1900’s, practically all farms had some rat terriers running around, they were very handy to have around for rodent patrol and entertainment.
Without so many farms any more and not so wise to let dogs run around without supervision, rat terriers have made an uneasy move to pet and companions.
It will take some breeding to get them where most become purely pets without a job and be happy with that life, not find some other entertainment like destroying things or barking non stop.
I have one. Rosie is 3 this year and a mostly white tri-colored female. She’s is beautiful and looks like Toy Fox Terrier. Very refined and elegant; weighs about 9lbs. Hardly ever barks. Great in the car. Sweet with my little girl. Cute as pie. Only thing she does bad is tear up paper if you leave her out when gone and occasionally comes inside to poop. :o
Cute Raty Bluey! I fixed the links, so you should be able to view them now. 
I had a “Rattie” for 12 years. Got her as 9 month old pup. I must say that I always called it a “Love/hate” relationship. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely adored her and she was a great farm dog. Good with kids and cats-so/so with other dogs as long as there was no food or toys. But—she had her hard headed terrier moments that would just drive me crazy! You could be talking on the phone and she would sneak(and I mean tip-toe literally) into the garbage. I watched her once take a step and look around and then take another step and look around just to see if I would catch her-that being said it showed how smart she was. Loved playing ball and probably would have been good at “flyball”. Would I have another-hmmmm-I don’t know.
i have 2 AHT’s American Hairless Terrier-( Basically a hairless Rat terrier) they are the best dogs ever. used to have JRT’s and these dogs are like Decaf JRT. so much easier and less dog aggression. i will def stick with this breed. I make their clothes for winter and they even have t-shirt fabric jammies for when it’s cooler.
here are my 2 Chinese Crested Powder puffs, and my 2 AHT’s. the only pup that came from a breeder is the black and white puff, the others are all rescues we found on petfinder
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/BatHealer/dogfamilyphoto.jpg
My good friend has a 1/4 rat terrier 3/4 blue heeler who works cattle on their their ranch. Great working dog - very, very smart. You can see a lot of rat terrier in him. I happened to catch a short story about a ranch in western Colorado where the main cattle working dog was half rat terrier, too. I noticed it because of my friends dog.
He’s very pretty, too.
[QUOTE=Nezzy;5786841]
i have 2 AHT’s American Hairless Terrier-( Basically a hairless Rat terrier) they are the best dogs ever. used to have JRT’s and these dogs are like Decaf JRT. so much easier and less dog aggression. i will def stick with this breed. I make their clothes for winter and they even have t-shirt fabric jammies for when it’s cooler.
here are my 2 Chinese Crested Powder puffs, and my 2 AHT’s. the only pup that came from a breeder is the black and white puff, the others are all rescues we found on petfinder
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/BatHealer/dogfamilyphoto.jpg[/QUOTE]
Ok, that has has to be the coolest dog picture ever - I an cracking up!!! How cute!!
[QUOTE=Freebird!;5786966]
Ok, that has has to be the coolest dog picture ever - I an cracking up!!! How cute!![/QUOTE]
That is true, neat picture.
I also could see your rat terrier, neat one.
Mine was the runt of the litter, she was supposed to be larger, as the larger ones make better farm dogs, but it was not to be.
She is a good pickup dog:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/Robintoo/Scan167August302009.jpg
Mine had good, solid herding instincts, was as a puppy trying to round up cattle.
We were feeding and breaking ice in the winter and she was bringing them in to feed, had a correct outrun, but she is so small, she would not have had a chance to stay with any stock running, so I nixed that right off and she has not looked at them since.
I can’t imagine what traits a heeler/terrier cross would inherit.:eek:
[QUOTE=Freebird!;5786966]
Ok, that has has to be the coolest dog picture ever - I an cracking up!!! How cute!![/QUOTE]
Thanks. i got lucky when i asked them to line up.
Bluet - Spur has that same
pose!
Ratties
I am accompanied around the farm by a vortex tornado of 6 ratties. They make me smile and swear every day. You should see them call shotgun on the 4 wheeler for moving hay. There was a huge rescue in my area a few years ago involving 127 of these dogs…a few came from there, others from various pounds. Kind of like lays, can’t have just one. Love them to death.
My grandparents have a Rat Terrier. He’s 18 and still going strong. His vet swears that if hadn’t seen him as a puppy, he would never believe the dog is that old!
Love that pic, Nezzy! Your Chinese Cresteds are gorgeous.
Here is mine, being lorded over by the cat: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1573270&l=67cf7f9b6f&id=1293847780
I don’t have one now, (I have a yorkie, a silky and a jack russell in the terrier group right now) but at one point I had 4. Vixie, the dog of my soul (had to put her to sleep May 15 2008 for degenerative disc disease), Taz, who was helped across the bridge due to old age in October 2008, Zipper, who was bitten by a pyr in February 2010 and died in my arms (That experience just about killed me too…), and Buddy, who lept to join his ‘rat pack’ in November of last year due to renal failure. All 4 of them went on in my arms, and each of them took a huge section of my heart with them. To this day, I can see them, hear them and feel them snuggling - and I can still cry over their loss.
I don’t have one right now because I simply couldn’t face the comparison between a ‘new’ rattie and one of the originals. but I still adore the breed, and maybe, one day, I’ll be able to face having another.
omg, i love all the photos!
bluey - she’s adorable and clearly brilliant judging from the look on her face.
i showed the photo with the crested to my co-workers - everyone loves it!
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