Rat Terriers [Archive]

View Full Version : Rat Terriers

Matt Yette

08-18-2005, 09:44 AM

Does anyone here have a Rat Terrier? Any advice about them? I've been doing MUCH better with Mugsy (9 mos) in all areas - my stress levels have went wayyy down and I'm learning to be a much better daddy. Anyway, with Mugsy the MinPin being such a sociable dog, I thought about getting him a playmate for the hours I'm gone during the day ~7-530. (Landlady walks him @ 230 so he's not alone all the time). I saw a female Rat Terrier (4.5 mos) at a pet shop, brought Mugsy in, and they got along great! The little voice inside my head is really pulling me back on this one...but it might enrich Mug's life so much..so I'm undecided! I don't even know if it's a question about the dog - I'm pretty certain from what I've read (and seen last night @ the store w/ mugsy), that the Rat Terrier is very similar to the Min Pin in attitude and personality, and that they'd get along great.

I don't know!?!? :)

Luciann

08-18-2005, 08:54 PM

Matt,

i don't know much about rat terriers, a friend had one and she was a good social little dog but she did bark quite a bit...but that might just have been sadie.

but if they seem to get along really well you might get one, since i know my two love having each other to play with even if at times that they seem jealous of each other getting attention...

RubysMom

08-19-2005, 12:00 AM

Jill Ramsey

08-19-2005, 06:17 AM

I don't think I'd want to buy a puppy from a pet shop.

Matt Yette

08-19-2005, 07:24 AM

Matt -
I dont know much about Rat terriers, but if you have to crate your 9 month MinPin for 10.5 hours a day (with the exception of a landlady walk) are you really sure its time to be getting a second dog? Are you planning to have both of them spend so much of their lives in a crate?

The overall goal being to be able to have them both out in the kitchen during the day, not crated. Obviously it wouldn't happen overnight as I'd have to train the little one first...

heathea

08-19-2005, 09:14 AM

I know you seem to like this dog, but you should really reconsider purchasing a dog at a pet store, it just perpetuates the unfortunate cycle. There are plenty of rat terriers and even min pins up for adoption. You can look at petfinder.com, they are a very helpful site.

Take care!
-Heather

Chris Smith

08-19-2005, 11:33 AM

I don't know anything about rat terriors or Min Pins for that matter. But I have read your posts in the past and it sounds like you have struggled many times with Mugsy in regards to house training, noise making, destruction, and recall. All normal dog things that we all deal with when we have young, untrained dogs. And we know you work long hours every day (up to 10.5 hours) weekdays and have been gone up to 7 hours on weekends. This is leaving Mugsy alone for a huge amount of time since it seems like you don't have much help or support in taking care of him. And this is far too long to crate a dog as others have said. Dogs are very social and do not do well when left alone for long periods of time even if they are not in a crate.

A dog playmate for him could help him out a lot during the long days when you are gone so regularly and hopefully allow them both to be out of crates all day. Mugsy is probably lonely and bored and understimulated (physically and mentally). But you have to remember that another young, untrained dog will give you the same problems that you have had with Mugsy - housetraining, recall, chewing, etc. And you really need to spend time with each dog alone at times. Both in training them and in giving them attention and exercise. Although they would hopefully play with each other while you are gone, they are still like little kids that need individual time and attention from their parents. And there would be two wanting that when you get home after being gone for so long and on the weekends.

You might look into daily doggie day care for Mugsy or a daily dog walker that come each day by around noon and takes Mugsy out to walk and play for at least an hour. Or see if there are other people in your area that have a dog that is also alone and needs a day time playmate where they can hang out together while you are away.

It sounds like Mugsy is already not getting enough time and attention with people and dogs. Can you really supply that for two young dogs? Keep in mind what taking on another 4.5 month old dog can really mean to your lifestyle.

p.s. if you really are ready to get another one, I would never support buying a pet from a pet store/puppy mill. Please look to adopt an abandoned or shelter dog. You can get pure breds from there too.

Renee

08-19-2005, 01:50 PM

Please do not buy a puppy from a pet shop. These dogs usually come from puppy mills. People who run puppy mills don't breed for temperment and health....they certainly don't socialize their dogs either! It's all about profit. It's really a sick business practice.

Maybe this is something I should have posted about before. If anyone wants to have a discussion about puppy mills, I'd be more than happy to add my 2 cents....

Here are some links on puppy mills and pet stores.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our _pets/get_the_facts_on_pup py_mills/

http://www.prisonersofgreed .org/

Rat Terriers are a high drive dog. They need tons of exercise and were bred for tenacity. I've know quite a few rat terriers and they can put most dogs I know to shame in the exercise arena on any given day. Rat terriers (and terriers in general) are not for the inexperienced owner. Having more than one dog can more than double the work. Especially since Mugsy is only 9 months old and you are still working on many things with him.

Sheryl

08-19-2005, 03:11 PM

Here are some of my 'favourite' websites that describe and show what many puppy mills are all about. Some of the photos break my heart and make me cry.

http://www.puppymillrescue. com/

http://www.caps-web.org/

http://www.nopuppymillscana da.ca/

http://www.stoppuppymills.o rg/

Matt Yette

08-19-2005, 06:01 PM

What if this pet store tells me they get dogs from breeders and you get a cert w/ the actual breeder's name & address? Is that still a puppy mill?

Sheryl

08-19-2005, 06:53 PM

Then I would check out the breeder with the local club (there must be a rat terrier club in your state that you can likely locate through the internet), or national club, or AKC (or CKC.... sorry I can't recall where you live). If they are a reputable breeder, they will be listed with the Club.

Beth Pladson

08-19-2005, 07:06 PM

I'd give them a call, look them up on the internet, and go visit them, if possible. I may be ignorant of this kind of thing, but isn't it kind of unusual for a (reputable) breeder to sell pups to a pet store?

Renee

08-19-2005, 08:20 PM

Matt said "What if this pet store tells me they get dogs from breeders and you get a cert w/ the actual breeder's name & address? Is that still a puppy mill?"

Yes, that can still be a puppy mill and most likely is....

Renee

08-19-2005, 10:09 PM

Also, no responsible breeder sends their pups off to a pet store....thats simply ridiculous and certainly is a huge red flag....

Sheryl

08-19-2005, 10:58 PM

I know that in Canada, any dog who is called a 'purebred' by whomever is selling it, it actually required to have a CKC pedegree. Otherwise if it is not registered it is not allowed to be called purebred. I also do not know of any reputable breeders who would sell to a pet store.

TimberWolf

08-20-2005, 12:30 AM

one more thing about pet stores. Even if they did get their puppies from a breeder or someone that just bred their dog with another of the same breed just to make a quick buck, you wouldn't know who the parents are and what their backgrounds are. The things you need to know about the parents are any health concerns? how pure are they? and personality flaws? Were they inbred? Where did they come from? From the breeder you'd need to know why they are breeding the dogs? have they been doing this for a while? are they licensed or certified for breeding these dogs (some states require it)? Are these show dogs that they are breeding? Do they kill the ones that aren't in perfect show quality? Do they vaccinate their puppies? Are the dogs vet approved? All these things you need to know and a pet store is not going to be able to produce any of the answers to these questions.

A shelter is a good option because those are pets in need of a good home. By introducing Mugsy to a shelter dog and seeing if they get along is mostly what you need to know. Most shelter dogs are just so happy to have a new home they are more than willing to be good companions but they do come with baggage. Some baggage is good and some may be hard to...unpack. It may be work but whether you choose a dog from a shelter or a breeder, you are in for a long training period. One consideration you may do is call a breeder and ask if they have any puppies/dogs that they cannot sell as show dogs. Sometimes they are willing to adopt those out or sell for a low cost.

You may need to be concerned with if Mugsy will share his space with a new dog or visa versa. Mugsy might regress a little and some of his bad habits are going to return forcing you to start over with his +R training. You will also have to train the new puppy and that may take some time because having a second dog in the house can be distracting. On the good side, Mugsy may be less anxious and bored while you are gone but you will need to have someone help out with the playtime, training, puppy care, and walks while you are out since you work all day. Mugsy may not tear up his things as much with a playmate but that too may not be something Mugsy changes for a while depending on whether he regresses or is no longer bored. Sometimes having a new puppy in the house can create more stress for dogs that are already living there.

So keep all this in mind and don't create a perfect picture of family bliss when taking in a new dog. Sometimes things work out very well, but if you are still having troubles with your current dog, you might want to reconsider getting a new one at this time until more of those problems with Mugsy are worked out.

Daniela Jantzen

08-22-2005, 04:19 AM

Matt,

we have a lot of rat terriers at our day care. And all I can say to you is:
if you do not have the time to exercise them properly (and you don't, no matter what you think and how you put it), don't get one.
And especially not one from a pet mill unless you have plenty of money for future vet and therapy bills......

If you think about getting a second dog at all while Mugsy is still not fully grown and set, you might want to consider getting an older dog which is well socialised, used to be home alone for a few hours, calm and laid back. Kind of a big brother or sister for Mugsy. It will NOT help a sensitive, insecure little MinPin who is still trying to figure out what is going on in life if you provde him with a companion who has even less a clue!
Contact local rescue organisations. There are a lot of great dogs out there who might be a good companion for your little one. And then don't just get one you might like, although the bond between you and this dog sure does play a big role. But please, let Mugsy decide who he wants to spend his future days home alone with, after all, you won't be there, will you.......?

Danny

Mickelle Weber

08-22-2005, 09:33 PM

funny, i think we are really alike! we were thinking of getting a rat terrier also...we have decided against it for now because of just how expensive cleo has been so far, but i thought I would pass along a forum that I have been going to that is for rat terriers it is www.ratlover.com on that site there is also a rescue group(if you decide to go with a rescue) glad to hear that your life has settled down a bit with mugsy!
Good Luck
Mickelle and Cleo

Matt Yette

08-23-2005, 11:27 AM

Thanks for all your replies, gang.

Ultimately I've decided that a new pup is sooo not what I need. It'd be months before him/her and Mugsy could be left alone together anyway, so it'd be a far cry from a quick fix.

I looked into a shelter in Massachusetts that has a 1-2 year old Male Min Pin...seems to be in good health - owner was elderly so she had to give him up. However, Mugsy is making such progress and is so well behaved lately, especially considering that he just turned 9 months and is dead in the heart of adolescence (I think we popped out of it early, though)...I'm bonding to him so much lately, I don't want to mess that up. Quite frankly, I'd feel bad for Mugsy if he had to see me love another dog and take away his hug time with his daddy.

So, I don't think I'm going for another dog at this time. Maybe down the road, but Mugs keeps proving himself to be increasing his behavior so maybe if it happens it'll be out of desire and not need to fix something...

Sheryl

08-23-2005, 01:24 PM

Good thinking Matt, I think that getting a dog to 'fix' something may not be the best reason. You will know down the road when the timing is right, to get another companion and not a quick fix. It's great that you took the time to weigh all the options and think about it rather than make a fast decision. I wish everyone would do that when they are considering a pet!

Matt Yette

08-23-2005, 02:27 PM