Rat Terriers - Breeders
Rat Terriers - Breeders - OriginsRat Terriers can be said to have started their history in Great Britain. Yet, the true motherland of the breed is America. The Rat Terrier is one of America's native breeds due the efforts of breeders who tried to improve the quality of dogs brought by settlers to the New World.
Rat Terriers - Breeders - Original FunctionsInteresting enough, Britain has produced the majority of terrier breeds due to a centuries long tradition, hunting. This favorite sport and consequently a great demand for good hunting dogs allowed breeders to experiment in producing dogs for various purposes. Long-legged terriers were good in hunting game around a farm or an estate. They kept up with horses and were suited for hunting the otter.Short-legged terriers were virtually indispensable in foxhunting. These courageous dogs followed a fox and cornered it in its den allowing no room for escape. These earth dogs are considered the ancestors of the modern Rat Terrier. Emigrants from Great Britain, basically miners and farmers, could not help but bring small terriers with them. They valued the dogs highly for their skill to destroy rodents. If not for terriers, their fields could be severely harmed and the level of diseases transformed by rodents could increase greatly. Rat Terriers - Breeders - Improving the BreedAmerican farmers bred Rat Terriers using blood of the Manchester Terrier, the Fox Terrier, the Beagle, and the Italian Greyhound. Each breed contributed to terrier qualities influencing the dog's color pattern, body build, and improving hunting abilities. The new breed was named the Rat Terrier for its outstanding skills to get rid of rats. The record of killing 2501 rats in seven hours belongs to a Rat Terrier.Theodore Roosevelt was known to be the owner of a few Rat Terries. According to some people, his dogs helped to get rid of rats filling the White House. Later the President appeared on the cover of "Life Magazine" with his Rat Terriers, which provided for greater breed success.
Rat Terriers - Breeders - Ups and DownsBy the beginning of the 20th century, the breed had become one of the most frequently seen dogs on farms. The fact that the breed adapted easily to various climates and was a low-maintenance dog, explains its popularity. However, the 1950s brought about some changes in the ways of controlling vermin population. New techniques were introduced to replace natural ratters, thus diminishing Rat Terrier demand.The next few decades influenced the Rat Terrier in a peculiar way. Their breeding lines started to be linked closely with the lines of Toy Fox Terriers. Since not all dogs met the official Toy Fox Terrier standard, breeders began to introduce their dogs into Rat Terrier breeding programs. The appearance of Rat Terrier hybrids was encouraged by the UKC (now the UKCI) through registration of mixes. It interfered with the Rat Terrier breed and caused a great diversity in color and size. Rat Terriers - Breeders - Official StandardIn 1994, the first Rat Terrier standard emerged. It was coined by the Rat Terrier Club of America on the basis of extensive research held prior to setting the ideal picture of the breed. The club disapproves of UKC practices to register Rat Terrier hybrids and aims at AKC breed recognition. Breeding dogs according to the sole standard has had fruitful effects. Rat Terriers are now growing in popularity and are of the most favorable breeds.
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