meet the... Rat Terrier

Head

• General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The skull may have flat planes or be just slightly arched. In profile and from above, the head forms a distinct wedge shape, tapering from the broad skull to the narrower muzzle. The skull is broad, as wide (measured across the top in front of the ears) as long (from stop to occiput). The occiput is not prominent. Temporal and cheek muscles may be smooth to well-developed. Apple and domed skulls are incorrect. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Keen, lively, watchful, and interested.
• Stop: The stop is moderate and distinct but not definite or abrupt, being less than a right angle.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel or just slightly convergent.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is strongly developed, full, and somewhat broad. The muzzle tapers only slightly from the base to the tip of the nose. The upper and lower jaws have good bone substance, are equal in length, appear strong and well-developed, and never appear snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored according to the coat in nonstandard color varieties. The nostrils are well-opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks may be smoothly muscled to well-developed. They are not chiseled or coarse.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond shape, and medium to dark brown color in black-nosed dogs. Eyes may be green to amber in nonstandard colors. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
• Ears: Small to medium in size, V-shaped, and set high and wide at the corners of the skull. The outer base of the ear is aligned with the outer corner of the eye. Ears may be firmly erect, tipped, rose, button, or asymmetrical combinations of these types. The ears are never long, overly large, or hound-like.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, solid, and of good substance. The body is never racy or refined. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for a proud head carriage and is strongly muscled with an arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows or just slightly below in bench-leg types. The forechest is just slightly prominent in the profile.
• Topline: Straight and level from withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, flat, level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Gently sloped.
• Underline: A slight tuck-up is present. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, often straight out or in a curve that is level with the topline or higher but never tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are medium to long in length and may be straight or may form a slight curve, “saber,” “hook,” or “sickle” type. Docked tails should be cut between the 2nd and 3rd vertebrae or longer and are never removed completely. However, the dog’s tail length is irrelevant, and a dog should not be penalized for tail length.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to the distance from the elbows to the ground in standard and miniature varieties. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be just greater than the distance from the elbows to the ground in the Bench-leg variety.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Sheen, short, dense, smooth coat.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Black, liver, chocolate, brown, blue, grey, all with or without tan points, saddle, creeping tan, light tan to mahogany, apricot, lemon, sable, fawns, pearl. All with white markings may include ticking, specking, or roan. All white.

Movement

The Rat Terrier’s movement is quick, energetic, efficient, and effortless. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Rat Terrier is one of the most popular Terrier breeds due to their compact size, energy, alertness, and devotion to their family. Because not much gets past them, they make for a formidable watchdog. Rat Terriers are also useful to have around the property since their rat-hunting instincts (and squirrel and other small animals) are very strong in this breed. They require little to no training to do what they were originally bred to do. However, they require training to curb that natural hunting instinct if one plans to keep other small animals around. However, unlike terriers, they are well-known for being exceptionally tolerable and even friendly toward other dogs and cats if introduced and socialized early. In fact, they should not be sparred when being judged for conformation. These dogs bond strongly with their families and are devoted and loyal. However, reservation toward strangers in adult dogs is not to be faulted. Submissiveness should not be mistaken for fearfulness nor faulted. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.