History Of The Rat Terrier

It all began in England about the year 1820...At this time they were termed "Fyce" because of their spirited nature when going after prey, in America it is pronounced "Feist"...The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word as " a small dog of mixed ancestry, mongrel"...They were a cross between a Manchester Terrier and Smooth Fox Terrier and proved to be one of the best mixtures in the sport of rat baiting...The Rat actually holds the record for killing 2,501 rats in a seven hour span in an infested barn...

These dogs were first brought to the USA in the 1890's...President Theodore Roosevelt kept rat terriers as house pets due to their keenness, intelligence and perfect self groomed appearance...He often hunted with the breed and was so taken with the dog's ability to rat, he coined the name Rat Terrier, which the breed is so named today...Before this time they were commonly called Fox Terrier and some people still refer to them by this name today...

The most solid attribute of the Rat Terrier is an undying will to please their master and a need to be near him...Their intelligence is far supreme to most breeds, holds extremely keen senses and loyalty that transcends them as a family dog...The three qualities that are essential to the Rat Terrier breed are: