Black and White Issues

Avoid the Gray Areas and Rat Terriers will be a healthier breed for it

We have compiled a page for Rat Terriers that have affirmed health issues.

We are a true believer that you should breed only the healthiest and should never breed any that are even questionable.

Questionable are those that are CARRIERS as these can produce more carriers that most likely will at one point or another be bred

to another carrier thus producing AFFECTED offspring for future unsuspecting buyers/owners. 

There are no gray area's by our way of thinking.

Be true to the breed and breed only Normal Unaffected lines for the sake of the future of ALL Rat Terriers.

PLL - Primary Luxating Lens disease of the eye.  Genetic eye disease leading to blindness -  100% avoidable

CDA - Alopecia - Hair Loss - Thin coats

** ? ** LCP - Legg Calves Perthes - Lameness - ? Genetic - Test available

** ? ** MPS VII - Sly Disease - Hernia, Cornea Clouding, body deformities - Genetic - Test available

BAER - Hearing Test - Test available

PLEASE do your homework and consider the consequences of purchasing and/or breeding KNOWN issues.
PLEASE think seriously about your decision of buying dogs from carriers or affected dogs - think about who gets stuck

with the Vet bill and the heartache.

Everybody is going to have their own reasons for breeding known affected and/or carriers but

bottom line is that these dogs WILL CONTINUE to add issues to the Rat Terrier breed as long as they continue to reproduce.

In my opinion, there is no good reason for breeding carriers as there are plenty of Rat Terriers in the world

 that are Clear of the Disease thus "no reason" that I can see to breed ones that are not in the best interest of the breed to do so.

We highly advise anybody looking to purchase a puppy to buy from a breeder who guarantees their puppies "FOR LIFE".
Those who truly are breeding for the benefit of the breed will gladly and without regret guarantee their puppies "FOR LIFE".

We advise anybody that has dogs from any known carrier or affected lines to have their dogs checked for diseases that are

known to be part of the lines if they have not already been checked and documentation provided.

We also recommend that you test for any diseases that are recommended for the Rat Terrier breed.

This page is not meant to harass, embarrass or degrade any breeder or owner but for the purpose of
informing concerned enthusiast of the Rat Terrier breed of dogs that have known issues so they can
use the information in a positive way in relation to the wonderful world of Rat Terriers.

I have received several derogatory comments from a few breeders who are upset that I have made this information

more readily available to Rat Terrier enthusiast and for those I wish to re-state that I have not posted this information
to harass, embarrass or degrade you but to make it more readily known that there are issues in the Rat Terrier breed
and that I feel it is important that Rat Terrier enthusiast be aware of as many issues as possible.

In my opinion, Breeders already have MANY issues to deal with so why in heavens name would we want to

create another

by breeding dogs that we know have known issues. 

Keep in mind that there is no shame in having a dog tested and found to be a carrier or affected.

Your decisions of what to do from that point forward can only be decided by you.

Be advised that LCP is not on the list at OFA for being a test as known for at Risk for the Rat Terrier breed.

BAER - Hearing Affected Information

If your going to put it on your website then make sure you know the FACTS!

You know who you are!

I try very hard to keep updated on new discoveries in the genetic world and work very closely with some very astute

and high profiled geneticists.  There is no reason but laziness to put things on websites that is nothing but conjuncture, outdated

and even worst PROVEN wrong some years ago.  Not only do these folks use an outdated and proven wrong article

that has been modified by just about every person that ever posted it on their website but most of them still have outdated

information on the brindle gene as well.

What I already KNEW is published below

Excerpts from:

Deafness and the Merle Gene
George M. Strain, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Results from classical genetic studies in the last century identified at least ten genetic loci that determine coat color and pattern, represented by the letters A, B, C, D, E, G, M, P, S, and T.2 Two of these genes, S (piebald) and M (merle), have been linked to the appearance of congenital hereditary deafness...
Many of the breeds that carry merle also carry piebald. Whether it linked to S, M, or other causes, congenital deafness has been identified in nearly 90 breeds, nearly all of which carry piebald, merle, or both....

Relatively few studies of the merle gene have been published, most coming from studies of a breeding colony of merle dachshunds kept at a university in Hanover, Germany.  From these limited studies of an inbred population in one breed, subsequent authors have, unfortunately, extrapolated the reported findings to apply to all merle-carrying breeds. Current work in our and other laboratories and the experiences of many breeders have shown that the actions of merle have usually been over-stated.  Hearing was tested using the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER), determining the threshold to click stimuli under sedation. Any threshold above 20 dB was considered to be abnormal, not because that is an accepted standard, but because one of their non-merle dogs had a 20 dB hearing threshold. Only one dog – a double merle male – was totally deaf in both ears (threshold > 90 dB) and none of the dogs were totally deaf in only one ear (unilaterally deaf). Looked at this way, true bilateral deafness occurred in 9.1% (1/11) of the double merles and 0% of the single merles.
... the hearing loss reported in these dachshunds that can be attributed to a genetic cause is much lower than stated in the published English abstract of this German publication.

Breeding two merle dogs is not recommended.
Homozygous Dominant MM (Double Merle) is defective, often with deafness and perhaps blindness (including the possibility of small improperly formed eyes (Willis, 1989 p.229)). Sensory, neurological and immune system defects can occur in dogs from merle to merle breedings. The eye’s appearance may be distorted, lack of the reflective substance (tapetum lucidum) that lines the back of the dogs eye, night blindness and other visual problems can occur. Deafness or hearing loss has also been noted. White in excess or dilution in a dog of any color can result in hearing problems. Deafness in double merles appears to result from the absence of melanocytes in the ear. The hearing apparatus fails to develop properly if melanocytes are absent from part of the lining of part of the apparatus of the inner ear (Strain, 1996).

Double merle twice dilutes dark coat colors, and double merle have almost white coats with patches of faint color. Blue merles, Chocolate merles, and Sable Merles are heterozygous (Mm). However, they do not have these defects like the double merle (MM) even though they have a copy of the M allele.
Merle to Non-merle is the "safe" breeding, it does not produce double merle (MM) individuals.

From the man himself, who is so often misquoted by those who TRY to deceive others:

George M. Strain, PhD "Recent issues of Top Notch Toys have printed dialog about the merle gene,... . One particular article (1) cited research of mine (2) with an incorrect interpretation that I wish to correct. In addition, I would like to provide unbiased up-to-date information on the merle gene that may inform and clarify the debate on this issue. I have been performing research on hearing and deafness since the late 1980's, and am identified as a leading authority on deafness in dogs, so I am well positioned to provide this information. I should point out that publications and writings of mine from past years discussing the merle gene no longer represent my opinion, as recent research has led me to change my position. The above cited article contained the statement that According to Dr. George Strain merle and piebald dogs with blue eyes are 50% more likely to be deaf.@ The research from which this was drawn only applied to the piebald gene and only applied to the Dalmatian breed, where blue eyes and deafness are a wide-spread problem (30% of US Dalmatians are deaf in one or both ears). My research did not apply to dogs with merle, and I am unaware of any study examining this issue using adequate numbers of dogs and dogs from breeds other than Dachshund, where the published studies have limitations (see below). Two pigment genes are associated with deafness in dogs: piebald (s) and merle (M). Piebald, which is present in Dalmatians, bull terriers, cocker spaniels, Jack Russell terriers, Chihuahuas and others (RAT TERRIERS), is a recessive gene. There are three recessive alleles for piebald: Irish spotting (si), piebald (sp), and extreme white piebald (sw); dogs that have uniform color without white carry the dominant allele (S). The piebald gene produces areas of white by suppressing pigmentation cells (melanocytes). Merle, which is present in Shetland sheepdogs, Australian shepherds, Dachshunds, Great Danes and others, is a dominant gene. Merle produces a color pattern where patches of color are diluted or absent (white); animals homozygous with the recessive allele (mm) have solid color. Dogs with piebald must be homozygous to have areas of white, while merles can be either heterozygous (mM) or homozygous (MM). There is no evidence to suggest that dogs carrying both the piebald and merle genes have an increased likelihood of deafness. Much of the literature on merle in the past focused on problems seen in homozygous merles and in breeds where the merle gene can produce dramatic effects B in some cases including deafness, blindness and microphthalmia, and sterility. Even heterozygous dogs in these breeds can have less serious visual and auditory deficits. This indeed happens with some breeds, but unfortunately many people have taken this truth and extrapolated it to apply to all breeds carrying the merle gene, which is not true. For example, dogs in the Catahoula breed can be homozygous merle without any of these health defects, and heterozygotes do not seem to be affected. Until recently it was not possible to even distinguish between mM and MM merles in some breeds. Since not all breeds carrying the merle gene experience the deleterious effects, it is incautious to proclaim that the presence of this pattern in a breed will be injurious to the breed without first investigating whether deaf or blind dogs result from breeding heterozygous merles. Are there any known deaf or blind merle chihuahuas? If so, are they heterozygous or homozygous? In many breeds carrying merle, breeders know not to breed homozygous merles, and visual and auditory deficits do not seem to be a problem in the heterozygotes. Studies have examined auditory function (3) and visual function (4) in heterozygous and homozygous dappled (merle) Dachshunds, as described in several writings by Dr. Malcolm Willis. These studies, from geographically and numerically restricted populations, found hearing loss and deafness and visual abnormalities, but only examined small numbers of dogs B 38 in the first study and 18 in the second. Dappled Dachshunds, when carefully bred to avoid MM, do not appear to have deafness or blindness in the general population, so one must be careful to not raise alarms at the presence of merle in a breed until experience shows that a true problem exists. A large leap in understanding merle occurred when Clark and Murphy of Texas A&M University identified and sequenced the canine gene for merle in 2006 (5). The gene, named SILV, (also known as Silver in mice) plays a role in pigmentation in skin, eye, and ear. Dogs with the merle phenotype have a short piece of DNA inserted into this gene B a DNA modification known as a short interspersed element (SINE). This work was performed with Shetland sheepdogs, then confirmed in merles from eleven other breeds, including chihuahua. The sequence of the SINE was the same in all breeds, suggesting that all breeds in the study shared a common ancestor. The merle SINE insertion has three components: a head, a body and a tail; the latter contains a long string of repeated adenine nucleotides (polyA). For a dog to show the merle phenotype, it must have both the SINE insertion and a polyA tail that is of sufficient length (90-100 adenine repeats). Some merle-merle breedings produce homozygous merles called cryptic because they don=t show the merle phenotype, and when bred they do not produce any merle offspring. It turns out that the polyA tail in cryptic merles has been truncated to 65 or fewer adenine repeats. So, the merle gene phenotype can revert to the non-merle in one generation. In the same way, it is theoretically possible for the polyA tail length to increase from genetic processing error, spontaneously producing a merle (5,6). The likelihood of this possibility is unknown but probably low. It has been suggested that merle appeared in the Chihuahua breed from a cross to another breed, such as the Dachshund. Others have suggested that the gene has been present for many generations, but that the pigmentation pattern was incorrectly described, such as blue and tan or black and silver. A single event of the first possibility might still make it hard to explain all of the merle Chihuahuas now in existence. Regardless of the source of merle in the breed, to my knowledge there is no data at this time to suggest that merle Chihuahuas are prone to visual or auditory problems. I would encourage the breed organization investigate the prevalence of visual and auditory disorders in merle Chihuahuas prior to making decisions affecting the breed standard."

*************************************************************************************

For those of you who do not understand technical or long-drawn out articles ...

Here are the facts!!!!!!!!

By BAER STANDARDS 0% of single merles and only 1 of 11 double merle actually had hearing problems.

SHAME on those of you who try to deceive others.

Fact is that SINGLE Merles have not been shown to have any more hearing issues than the traditional piebald.

 

Please do not believe everything you read on gossip boards as most of these kind of folks spend more time gossiping than

 they do on researching or keeping documentation on their own dogs to know what the facts are within the genetic

world and their own bloodlines.  If you'll notice it's the same ones over and over that down others dogs, talk about

other breeders and are often times on more than one gossip board.

They will have their own group of followers and seldom are these

groups, good for the breed they are trying to control.  They will down others, slander and even libel themselves
in their crusade to be the "ONE" and are quick to accuse others of doing exactly what they are doing.

If you have even the remotest love for the Rat Terrier breed then you should consider your choice of acquaintances
very carefully as it speaks 'loads' about your own character.  Should you feel the need to join in on the gossip

boards and participate in their unlawful crusades then you can expect to receive the same reputation and retribution.

If you can't be a respected leader in the Rat Terrier world then at the very least be a bystander.  A bystander is

one that, at least, does no harm to the breed or those breeding.  A bystander does not insult, slander, libel themselves,

nor do they feel the need to post hateful snide comments, rant about others or invade others personal affairs. 

A follower is sure to find themselves in a heap of trouble as they are as guilty as their chosen leader if not guiltier

as without followers, those who have the physiological desire to make themselves feel Superior will fade away. 

ALWAYS keep in mind that often times, the information on the gossip boards
is not true or even accurate as their agenda is not to provide accurate, knowledgeable information

to their readers but to provoke their readers into thinking ill of others.
 

There are no established and published test results on merle hearing issues.

There are on PLL, Hips, LCP, Patella's and others.
I don't think you have to be a rocket-scientist to do the math!

My Dad once said

 "Those that don't have enough sense to use their brain  have "2" holes to blow wind through!"

REGISTRY DEBATES

What registry should you use?  The debate will never end as everybody feels they have the right answer.

You'll find those that are adamant that if you don't use the registry they think you should that your one of those

big bad puppy breeder people!  Ignorance, often times just has to be overlooked.  Some people get really
wound up over this debate.  I personally find the debate a waste of my time because intelligent people, soon learn,

that is a personal choice and a losing battle to tell somebody else which registry to you.

 

Only you can decide which registry is the right one for you.  Your decision should be based on several factors,

the facts weighed carefully and be one that you feel comfortable with. 

 

Many registries, such as UKC, UKCI, CKC and now it seems even AKC allow hardship, foundation or single registration

which may or may not be in the best interest of the breed depending on how you look at it.

 

Let's follow a dog that was put up for sale on a national advertisement

website - The owner had health issues and put the dog up for sale.  She would sell it with papers or give it away

without papers.  Another breeder saw the ad and wanted the dog and papers to go with it as well but didn't want

to pay for the dog so they contacted the breeder and got the information on the dog such as Sire, Dam and so forth.

They then conspired with another lady to go get the dog for free and turn it over to them whereas they, as it seems,

single registered it through UKC thus getting papers on a dog through deceptive practices.  The lady has since

died leaving these breeders with the feeling they got off scott-free.  Nothing could be further from the truth as

this story continues to circulate within the Rat Terrier Community.

 

Then you have registries that will document a pedigree on a dog without any concrete proof that the pedigree

is the one that goes with the dog.  Your hard-earned pedigrees can be put on dogs that have no relation

to yours at all.  Just think a pedigree taken from the world-wide web could be put on anybody's dog.

 

The individual Registries Breed Standard for the breed you are involved in will also play a part

in which registry you choose.  Many disallow certain colors, patterns and body styles that are

a part of the breed but have allowed themselves to be swayed into making faults and/or disqualifications

of these things in their breed standard.   To support a registry that for all intense purposes has excluded

your dogs doesn't make a lot of sense - now does it?  Registries that are known to change their breed

standards with the change of regiment in the Breed Club is also one that should be carefully examined as

to whether or not it is the right Registry for you.  Your dogs may be breed standard today and not tomorrow.

Breeders can be cruel and the worst of them, love nothing better than to critique your dogs based on what

they perceive to be the current breed standard especially when it suits their agenda.

Let's follow another situation whereas UKCI was registering Merle Rat Terriers back in the 80's.  These dogs

were registered, issued papers and the register's money taken to register the dogs then poof overnight the breeder

is notified by UKCI that they have pulled the dogs papers as they will no longer be registering Merle patterned Rat Terriers.

In actuality the registry was only trying to please the ones with the loudest objection to the merle pattern as UKCI kept

registering the dogs but was telling everybody they were registering them as hybrids.  Few were aware of what was going on.

UKCI still today registers Merles, though many claim they do not.

Then you have the registries that deemed it necessary to disallow brindles unless the brindle was on the head only.

Somebody forgot to inform the brindle gene however that it was only allowed on the head!  Apparently those
making the rules are not knowledgeable in genetics as well so that is another point that you should look
in to when choosing a registry.

There are many good, friendly and legitimate registries available to dog breeders and pet owners alike today.

You have many choices depending on what your looking for.

If your just looking to register a dog and have no interest in the political side, their breed standards or how they conduct

business then any registry will do for you.  Most registries operate on the basis of issuing papers based on the

information submitted to them by the breeder or registrar and issue that paper based on a series of endless numbers

and letters.  Don't limit yourself to what OTHERS think but find one that fits YOU.

Now keep in mind that registries issue papers.  They don't, for the most part, take on the responsibility of getting you

the papers, if you fail to deal with a respectful breeder unless of course they are willing to issue hardship papers

based on the assumption that you yourself are a respectful person and have given them the correct information.

Most of us already know many registries have been duped by accepting many people at their word.

I can honestly say, I don't know of a BAD registry.  There are some that I choose not to deal with but

that is my personal choice based on the fact that their policies, breed standards or methods of registration

are not ones that work for me.  They obviously work well for others as there are many registries alive and well

today and thriving.

 

There are way too many registries for me to ever list but I'll list a few and I encourage you to look into

them and see if one would work better for you than your current registry.

Listed in Alphabetical Order

History and Size of the Rat Terrier

By:  Nancy Anderson

Copyright 2011

 

A debate of black and white issues could never be complete without the age long debate of correct size.

This is another topic that those die-hard 'gotta be my way' types will sing to the roof tops about.

Me, personally, I don't think it really matters what size any Rat Terrier is as long as it is being bred responsibly with

it's health and welfare being the top priority. 

Many will continue to believe that the 'total development' of the Rat Terrier occurred prior to the 1970's but nothing could

be further from the truth.  If you are going to tell the history of the breed then it has to be from start to finish or at

least to where we are today.  I don't believe that leaving out the 'facts' will change the outcome but only cause

those to be discredited in the eyes of their peers that refuse to educate themselves and tell the whole story as it is

and not how they want it to be.  Many of those relating untrue stories were not even a part of the Rat Terrier

development but feel the need to tell it as they want it to be and not how it actually was.

I have been raising Rat Terriers since 1984.  I was there during the allowed and accepted crossing of

different breeds until 1998 when UKCI allowed crossing with several different breeds to increase

the gene pool of the declining Rat Terrier breed.   I was there when Merle and Brindle was considered a

purebred and accepted Rat Terrier and sadly I was there when a group decided that they knew what was best

for the Rat Terrier breed and swayed  UKCI to their way of thinking and made the merle and brindle pattern

a disqualification.  Disqualifying them in the breed standard did not make them any less of a PUREBRED

Rat Terrier - it only exempted them from the standard and made the breeders of the Merle and Brindle

Rat Terrier look elsewhere to register their beloved and purebred Rat Terriers.  Keep in mind that UKCI did stop

registering them for a very short period of time but at some point decided to register them as a 'hybrid'.  It's anybody's

guess as to why they decided to register them as a hybrid and yet those today registering with UKCI are under the impression

that their beloved Merle and/or brindle Rat Terriers are considered purebred Rat Terriers by the registry when in reality

their dogs are being registered as hybrids and not purebreds per UKCI.

Prior breeders of the breed knew

that color and pattern along with size weren't the issue but form, health and working ability.  Sadly with the influx of these

new type breeders who wanted to control the breed to their way of thinking and make it into less of a working

dog and more of a show dog we have Rat Terrier with less instinct, more emphasis on looks than to health,

genetic issues and less camaraderie amongst breeders.  These new breeders took it upon themselves to

draw battle lines and they have worked overtime to discredit any breeders they do not feel is breeding according

to the way they demand is the way to do so.  They have their minds set on a Rat Terrier only being able to be

the color, pattern, size and type that THEY prefer and refuse to open their minds to the true history and

purpose of the Rat Terrier breed as a whole.  These new type breeders even feel the need to post untruths on

their websites to appear to make them more knowledgeable.  They post outdated material that has proven by

science to no longer be the case and they post untruths about the history and breed itself as they refuse to accept

the history and breed as it progressed through the years.  You can usually recognize one of these types by their

use of derogatory terms that they use to refer to others who do not bow to their will.  They generally post information

obtained from lay-man sources, outdated material that has proven to be incorrect and they love to reference

personal websites that back their way of thinking that are nothing but personal opinions that match their own.

I can only tell you the story as it developed from 1984 and my research that relates to the Rat Terrier prior to 1984.

 

Prior to UKCI's acceptance the Rat Terrier was being developed all over England, Great Britain and the United States into the breed that it is today.  The development of the Rat Terrier does not start and end in a few years but continued until 1998 when UKCI

closed the stud books to the dogs that were currently registered at that time. 

It's origin starts in England in the 1820's where they were crossing the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Black/Tan Manchester Terrier along with other breeds like the now extinct White Terrier in the hopes of achieving a superior varmint dog.  Few breeders at that time

cared about color and/or pattern.  Their objective was to produce a superior working dog for hunting and ridding the farms of Rats.

Thus NOBODY can give you the full history, breeds involved or detailed development of the breed as written document does not

exist.  We can only tell the story from recent developments and personal experiences.

American Breeders however refined the Rat Terrier into the breed that it is today with crossing England's version of the Rat Terrier to Toy Foxes, Miniature Pinschers, Chihuahuas, Italian Greyhounds and Beagles.   In recent years the Whippet, Dachshund and

Corgi have also been added to the story as to being part of the Rat Terrier breed history.  I personally am not aware of any

of these as being accepted crosses with the Rat Terrier from 1984 to today but anything is possible and apparently somebody at

some time either found a link to these breeds or deduced in one way or another that they were.   With the inclusion of all of these

breeds we now have a breed history of Smooth Fox Terrier, Black/Tan Manchester Terrier, White Terrier, Toy Fox,

Miniature Pinscher, Chihuahua, Italian Greyhound and Beagle and possibly the Whippet, Dachshund and Corgi.  A very much

varied gene pool that gives us the current day Rat Terrier.  Keep in mind, that depending upon the location, setting and

desire of the individual breeder these are breeds that are associated with the Rat Terrier breed and in no way means that every

Rat Terrier has all of these individual breeds in their own make-up. 

UKCI (Universal Kennel Club International) was the first registry to recognize the Rat Terrier as a purebred and accept them as a recognized Purebred breed in 1936.

The Rat Terrier is a well known farm dog as far back as anybody can remember but their numbers started dwindling in the 1950's when modernization of farms turned more to chemical/poison varmint control thus the need for less varmint type dogs.  A few breeders still had small packs of these wonderful dogs but the gene pool was declining to very small numbers.  In an attempt to revitalize the dog and it's numbers the crossing of these dogs with the Toy Fox, Miniature Pinscher, Chihuahua, I.G. and  Beagle breeds was acceptable practice from the '70's until January 1, 1998 when UKCI officially stopped registering any dog as a Rat Terrier that was a known cross thus closing the UKCI Rat Terrier stud books to known crosses.  I want to make it clear that they no longer allowed known crosses to be

registered as Rat Terriers from that point forward but till this day they still allow hardship registration of dogs that have the appearance of the Rat Terrier so it's anybody's guess as to what breeds are now part of the Rat Terrier breed.  Those who state otherwise are truly

lacking in knowledge about the Rat Terrier. 

The introduction of the Toy Fox, Miniature Pinscher, Chihuahua and Manchester Terrier into the bloodlines gave the smaller size that many desired for a smaller dog needed for hunting of small prey. The Rat Terrier is a tenacious squirrel dog and some say can do the job of finding, killing, retrieving and bringing home the kill all by themselves.  The Toy Fox as listed in AKC is to be 3.5 to 7 pounds.  The Chihuahua breed standard calls for them to be up to 6 pounds.  The Miniature Pinscher breed standard has stated 8 to 10 pounds

at one time and the consensus for the Italian Greyhound is 7 to 15 pounds.  The Manchester Terrier has a breed standard of

the Toy being up to 12 pounds and the Standard being 12 to 22 pounds.  The introduction of these breeds EASILY shows where

the Toy variety has come from and is a vital part of the history and make up of the Rat Terrier as a whole.   Those trying to exclude

history to justify their own version of the story are only doing a discredit to the breed. 

The introduction of the Chihuahua and Italian Greyhound gave the breed the multitude of colors that it enjoys today including the merle pattern.
The introduction of the beagle was done to hone hunting instincts but served little other purpose.  The Beagle may have been responsible for the shorter legs that we know see in the Class B, bench-legged, short legged or Teddy Roosevelt Terriers. 

If the Whippet is a part of the make-up of the breed then it would of been an early part of the history.  The Whippet is thought to of been developed from the crossing of a small Greyhound to a terrier type dog which possibly could of been the ancestors of the Rat Terrier.  This would make the Rat Terrier part of the Whippet gene pool and not the other way around - simply 'kissing cousins'.  Many want to credit the Rose ears to that of the Whippet but genetics lead us to believe that it came from the Beagle whereas the dogs inherited erect ears from other ancestors but the rounded shape of the Beagle.  The Corgi and Dachshund, if part of the breed, could of also contributed to the Rose ears especially the Corgi since one breed of Corgi are known for their Rose ears. 

The Corgi, if part of the breed, would of introduced (*depending on which breed of Corgi) Rose ears, offspring with no piebald genetics thus the occurrence of  SOLID offspring with no markings, MERLE and heavier body types of 25 to 38 pounds.  They would of also introduced the more fur that we do see on some Rat Terrier lines today. 

The Dachshund, if part of the breed, would of introduced shorter legs, a variety of hair coats, genetics from under 12 pounds to those of 16 to 32 pounds.  They could of introduced the MERLE gene, the rounded tipped ears and more drive. 

It only takes watching this vivacious little dog in it's determined attempt to retrieve it's prey to see that it's hunting instincts are very much intact today in the breeders stock who have worked diligently to keep them true to the breed and have not narrowly focused on looks over ability or a ribbon over what is in the best interest of the breed.  A rat stands little if any chance against a determined Rat Terrier of any size.

This little dog may have started out being developed as a small type hunting dog but it has evolved into a dog of many purposes. It is as at home in somebody's bed as it is in the woods. It is as happy in somebody's lap as it is in the back yard. It's heart may be small in comparison to larger breeds but NO dog can be any more loyal.

The Rat Terrier made a huge come-back and gained the publics eye in the 1990's and with the popularity came the "WILL OF OTHERS" to change things to their own liking.  Breed standards that had served the Rat Terrier breed well for over 50 years started being scrutinized, argued over and changed.  One change was in the acceptable patterns.  Merle and Brindle became an overnight disqualification in some registries.  Colors and Patterns were hashed over from one end of the United States to the other and eventually the "POWERS THAT BE" got their way and most breed standards across the nation were changed to their will.  2 registries stand out for their courage and knowledge in not allowing a few to change the standard for us all and those 2 are ACR - American Canine Registry and APRI - American Pet Registry Inc.  who stood their ground and refused to eliminate things in the breed standard that was certain to once again reduce the Rat Terriers numbers and gene pool and without doubt would be unfair to the breeders who were already registering with them.

The UKCI adopted the National Rat Terrier Association's (NRTA) standard of the Rat Terrier and that is the standard that all UKCI registered Rat Terriers should be judged by.
The ACR adopted the Rat Terrier Club International standard of the Rat Terrier and that is the standard that all ACR registered Rat Terriers should be judged by.
Keep in mind here though that several registries now accept the Rat Terrier as a recognized breed for registration and each Registry carries their own set of standards according to their breed clubs standards.

Registries that are most prevalent in promoting the Rat Terrier as a purebred are ACR (American Canine Registry), UKCI (Universal Kennel Club), APRI (America's Pet Registry Inc.) and UKC (United Kennel Club).
Other registries do register the Rat Terrier as a breed but their registration policies are less stringent than the ones above therefore making me question the true purebred status of such puppies/dogs.
There was rumor in 2001 that AKC (American Kennel Club) was to accept Rat Terriers for foundation stock into their registry. This would be a happy/sad occasion for the Rat Terrier as a breed. It would mean that one of the largest registries in the world has finally accepted the Rat Terrier as a breed probably due to it's increasing large number of breeders and pups being produced but it could also mean the loss of health of our beloved Rat Terrier. Show Breeders have a tendency to continually breed back to related dogs which can give them a superior show dog but can also give them less vigor, more health problems and will surely start to change the looks of the dog that we so love as it is now.   The rumor was indeed true and AKC now does FSS Foundation Status Registration of the Rat Terrier.  Once the database has been built to a sufficient number they will be recognized as a full AKC breed.  As predicted large

numbers of show dogs are already experiencing genetic issues. 

While the RTCA tries to make it seem that they were the official breed standard producers of an accepted breed standard that could be nothing further from the truth as UKCI did and does to this day have a recognized breed standard long before RTCA was even a dream.

Many try to accredit UKC (*UNITED) as being the first registry of Rat Terriers and again this is nothing but untruth.  UKCI (*UNIVERSAL) was the first REGISTRY to recognize and REGISTER the Rat Terrier.  A registry is nothing but a company who DOCUMENTS and ISSUES paperwork and that is EXACTLY what UKCI has been doing with the Rat Terriers since 1936 which is a far cry longer than UKC's acceptance and documentation of the breed in 1999.