Hi everyone! I used to be on DT a LOT but then graduate school consumed me and I haven't been on much for a few years now. We've added a new dog to our household and I want to introduce him.

This is Dempsey (aka Doodle or the Dood). He is AKC/UKC Ch Bur-way Unscripted CA. He's a 4.5 year old Rat Terrier and he retired from show life last year to become part of our family and do sports with me.

We're currently training in obedience because, believe it or not, he is a terrier with a natural aptitude for obedience. Yes, really! We love him to bits and he is a delight to live with.

(Side note: if you've never met or spent time around Rat Terriers, I highly recommend you do if given the chance. They are incredible little jokesters, super sweet, and highly intelligent. Very fun dogs.)

Doodle says Hi!

Hi, Dempsey! Nice to see you here on DT.

One of these days, I might get another Standard Rattie. Lucky was a nice little dog.

Welcome back to DT with your new RT Dempsey.
"Doodle" is a perfect nickname for your new little buddy!

Thanks again for providing DT members with some closure when you updated us with the demise of your Dobes Tali and Fiona in 2018.
There is a super sweet Husky named Fiona, on my block, that watches us go by on dog walks daily from her front door. She never barks or howls.
Do you have another Dobe- seems to be one in a picture with Doodle?


Obedience, okay, no Barn Hunt?

Several coworkers of mine that had RT's. They said they would be walking along, outside at the property when the RT would suddenly dive down, burrow into the ground and rout out a mole!


This Severn Valley Ratters HD video from 2014 always impressed me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCsYg82fBeo

Howdie Doodie!!

What are you doing being obedient? You're a terrier, for Pete's sake! Show a little self respect.


I like the picture of him basking in front of the window.

No, we don't have a Dobe right now. That lovely red girl is Tali. We brought Doodle home on June 10, 2018 and Tali died on August 19, 2018; so they got to be buddies for a couple of months.

I do plan to enter him in Barn Hunt trials but, until last week, my work schedule has directly conflicted with entering any trials of any thing.

But training is easier to fit in when I can, and he doesn't need training for barn hunt. The boy comes by it naturally! haha He's already on squirrel #6 and rabbit #3 for 2019 and that's in spite of us holding him back when we open the door so critters can escape out of the yard and up the trees before we set him loose.

So...for barn hunt, I literally just need to enter him in an instinct test and start trialing him. No practice necessary. hahaha

It was the same for his CA title. He's got drive coming out his ears. I'm basically his manager for stuff like that. I just enter him and make sure he shows up on time and sober, and the boy lights it up!

Right?! He does like to "improve" on things though, so that should help him maintain some terrier street cred. Like, right now, I'm working with him on NOT spring boarding off my thighs before he fronts on recall. He's definitely terrier creative!

What a cutie! Welcome Dempsey!

Hello Dempsey and welcome you are a handsome boy

Hi Dempsy,

You're a very handsome boy--which size is he--toy? or standard--I can't tell from the picture. We have a standard rat terrier who comes into our clinic and I liked him so much I added him to my list of "other" breeds to consider since I think I'm too old and fragile to raise another Dobe boy. Right now the very old Toad and I have enough people and Dobes to satisfy both of us.

They'll kill squirrels--now theres a dog after my own heart. My only Dobe who was more clever than the rotten squirrels (he didn't bark at them and used to periodically pick one off the back fence).

When Rumor was alive no squirrels came and stole tomatoes from me...

dobebug

Hey dobebug!!

He is a standard and is considered a fairly big boy at 16" and 27-lbs.

Standards can be up to 18" but most are about 14", and the mini's tend to be under 12" although they're allowed to be up to 13". For instance, one of his breeders other dogs won the breed at AKC National this year and he's 14" and 22-lbs. I'd say that's a much more common size for a Standard, and the girls are generally even smaller.

If you like a dog who will keep the squirrels at bay, I'd say the Rattie is a breed for you! He will hunt all day and night, all weather, if he spots something. And, at least in his lines, its 100% instinct. He's also quick about it but doesn't try to eat his kill. He just wants them dead and he doesn't mess around about it. I'm also surprised to say that he's so fast and efficient, he has never came back to me with a scratch on him from a squirrel. They're dead pretty much as soon as hits them and it still blows me away to watch him run them down on the flat. He is FAST.

He can also jump above my SO's head from a stand, and my SO is 6'4". He has even plucked a squirrel off the side of a tree with that move! I kind of felt bad for it - it clearly thought it was out of his reach.

But he's also really chill in the house. He has a solid off-switch and isn't anxious or neurotic, ever. He's a very happy, engaging, but relaxed dude with drive aplenty. He really has exceeded my expectations and I'm in love with him.

Something that surprised me about the breed is that they're fairly aloof. He takes little interest in anyone besides his people. He's super cuddly and playful with us but he minds his own business, without being told to, no matter where we go or what we do.

I've met many people who own Dobes and Ratties, or who used to have Dobes and converted to Ratties. There's a lot of cross-over interest between the breeds. We have another Dobe currently in the works but, at this point, we plan to always have at least one Rattie, too, now. They're super cool smaller dogs.

Speaking of Dobes and Ratties, Tali thought he was the coolest little guy. She used to help him hunt squirrels. She was losing mobility at the end but she'd hang out with him in the yard and alert him to squirrels that he had his back turned on and she would cheer him on jogging behind him as he ran them down. It was pretty comical.

Love him! He seems like a fun little guy.

He is soooo cute! Rat terriers are a breed I'm considering for my older age as well.... Just not sure if they would be too hyper or not. I really do like them and know a few people who do agility with them.

From what I understand, there are individuals who are hyper. But the breed standard is a moderate energy dog and I haven't met a Rattie yet that is as active as a typical Dobe. (He's lower energy than both my girls were.)

Ratties also don't have much stamina (unless they're hunting), so they tend to be active in bursts. Similar to a Whippet (which is in the Rattie make-up). For instance, Dempsey is content to lay around 85% of the day napping, window watching, and quietly chewing toys, punctuated by 2-3 high activity play sessions in the yard and/or house (like chasing toys or tug - he LOVES ball-on-a-rope because it combines the two).

That's it. He can take or leave short walks but if a walk is longer than 20 minutes, he's sacked the rest of the day! hahaha

I'm actually currently working on building his stamina so we can go for longer hikes. My fiance and I enjoy day hiking and backpacking. Dempsey can handle a couple of hours of a moderately paced hike so far (and that wipes him out through the following day), but I'd like to get him to being able to do full day hikes. He will probably never be a days long backpacking dog though and we're fine with that.

I also train with him 1-3 times per day and that can easily substitute for 1 or 2 high activity play sessions. We're working on precision heeling and I've found that two ~10 minutes sessions per day on heeling work, plus 1-2 play sessions, sacks him.


The one exception to everything I've said is this: SQUIRRELS
No amount of prior activity will keep him from hunting squirrels. To stop that, you have to sternly tell him to settle, and then he'll lay quietly, vibrating in place until released.

"Vibrating in place" LOL

Great description!

Thanks for the additional information--a standard RT is definitely on my too old for another Doberman puppy list.

dobebug

Well, Hello there!

My backyard bred Rat Terrier doesn't look near that good! So, that is what a RT is supposed to look like?

Good looking dog.

Poor Lily Belle has only got the sweetness on her resume!

Dempsey looks super comfy all contorted over the back of the couch.

Cracks me up!