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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.