The breeds · terrier
AKC Terrier · UKC Terrier
Rat Terrier.
UKC: a muscular, active, small-to-medium hunting terrier, evaluated as a working terrier; many are still used as ratters and squirrel hunters, particularly in the South, where they are sometimes known as Feists. AKC: originally bred for ratting and farm work; a multipurpose companion capable of hunting rodents and vermin above and below ground and coursing small game. Showsight (Ragan): bred primarily for protection against vermin on the farm or ranch, and not as an earth dog; a hard-working farm-hand able to rid an infested barn of vermin..
Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.
The lines
Within one breed the line can matter more than the breed. Where the lines differ, the page says which one a value belongs to.
Miniature variety, 10 to 13 in (AKC); not exceeding 13 in (UKC). Shown separately in both registries.
Standard variety, over 13 in up to 18 in (AKC and UKC). Shown separately in both registries.
The body
What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.
Height at the shoulder
Center left blank: no ideal printed. The UKC prints no minimum for the Miniature. Shown by variety for conformation in both registries.
Center left blank: no ideal printed.
Weight
Neither standard prints a weight, and no source gives the two size varieties separate weights, so one whole-breed row. AKC breed-page band and Wikipedia agree. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Coat
Shedding
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Heat tolerance
Derived from the coat description (short dense smooth = 4 on the ruled scale). No measured data.
The dog at home
What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.
Exercise need
Single editorial source; no Royal Kennel Club band, so no exercise_need_min.
Energy
AKC scores are the AKC's own 1-5 bands, not a measurement. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Grooming load
AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.
Grooming
Single editorial source plus the AKC band; no Royal Kennel Club page, so no grooming_load number.
The work
What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.
Role
Primary game
The UKC history says gambling on rat-killing prowess was a favorite pastime of the early owners. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Also used on
Rabbits are named by Showsight only. The UKC history says whippets and Italian greyhounds were crossed in for speed and beagles for hunting ability. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).
Search pattern
Single editorial source for the search style. No source reached states voice on the line (silent, chop or bawl) or pack versus single work. The UKC and AKC standards agree on above-and-below-ground work. The Showsight passage reads "not as an earth dog" against the AKC "below ground"; both stand.
Water work
Single editorial source; no registry statement.
How common the problems are
Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.
Hip dysplasia
OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated.
Elbow dysplasia
OFA submissions skew to breeding stock; true population rate is likely higher. OFA all-data is undated.
More
akc bands
Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.
What to ask a breeder for
The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
- USPatellar luxation, cardiac exam, pancreatic (as listed), hip evaluation, Legg-Calve-PerthesCHIC recommendation as reported by Wikipedia · Wikipedia, Rat Terrier
How to read this page
Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.
Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 6 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.
- Also called
- American Rat Terrier, Ratting Terrier
Every breed, read the same way.
The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.
All published breedsYour rat terrier, on the record.
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