Rat Terrier History

The Rat Terrier is an American breed originating during the 19th and 20th centuries from a variety of breeds. The original crosses are believed to have involved White English Terriers, Fox Terriers, Manchester Terriers, and Bull Terriers. During the 1910s and 1920s, American farmers are thought to have added Beagles to increase prey and pack drive as well as Whippets and Italian Greyhounds to increase speed.

When the United Kennel Club (UKC) recognized the Toy Fox Terrier as a breed in 1936, members of the breed that did not fit the standard were often bred into Rat Terrier lines. The Toy Fox Terrier's stud file was not closed until 1960 however and crossings between English Toy Terriers and Chihuahuas occurred, and the results of these crosses, in the form of culls, are believed to have eventually made their way into the Rat Terrier gene pool. During the 1950s the Rat Terrier started to become very scarce and was only maintained by a few breeders. Through the efforts of breeders in the 1970s and 1980s, their numbers began to climb, and today the Rat Terriers is a somewhat common, if perhaps little known breed.

While the Universal Kennel Club International (UKCI) became the first registry to register the Rat Terrier, they did allow crossings with other breeds such as the Fox Terrier and Manchester Terrier in a hybrid-breeding program until January 1, 2000. The first association to register Rat Terriers without any crossings to other breeds being allowed was the United Kennel Club (UKC) when it recognized the breed on January 1, 1999. At the time of this writing, efforts are being made to have the Rat Terrier recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).