Breed # Rat Terrier The Rat Terrier is a terrier breed from United States of America (USA), standing 10–18 in at the withers, weighing 10–25 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–18 yrs. ![A photograph of the Rat Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/rat-terrier.webp) Breed group Terrier Origin United States of America (USA) Height 10–18 in Weight 10–25 lb Lifespan 12–18 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Rat Terrier is taller than 15% of the measured breeds, heavier than 13%, one of 31 in the Terrier group. Compare the Rat Terrier with another breed ## Living with the Rat Terrier Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Rat Terrier’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 5 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 3 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 4 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 5 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 4 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Rat Terrier on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/rat-terrier/)[Rat Terrier on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/rat-terrier) ## Breeds that look like the Rat Terrier A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Rat Terrier. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/teddy-roosevelt-terrier.webp)Teddy Roosevelt Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/teddy-roosevelt-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/fox-terrier-smooth.webp)Fox Terrier (Smooth)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/fox-terrier-smooth/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/boston-terrier.webp)Boston Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/boston-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/brazilian-terrier.webp)Brazilian Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/brazilian-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/danish-swedish-farmdog.webp)Danish–Swedish Farmdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/danish-swedish-farmdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/mcnab-shepherd.webp)McNab Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/mcnab-shepherd/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Rat Terrier10–18 in 2. Teddy Roosevelt Terrier8–15 in 3. Fox Terrier (Smooth)14–16 in 4. Boston Terrier9–15 in 5. Brazilian Terrier14–16 in 6. Danish–Swedish Farmdog13–15 in 7. McNab Shepherd18–25 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Rat Terrier10–25 lb 2. Teddy Roosevelt Terrier10–25 lb 3. Fox Terrier (Smooth)15–20 lb 4. Boston Terrier6–25 lb 5. Brazilian Terrier15–22 lb 6. Danish–Swedish Farmdog15–25 lb 7. McNab Shepherd35–65 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Rat Terrier12–18 yrs 2. Teddy Roosevelt Terrier14–16 yrs 3. Fox Terrier (Smooth)12–15 yrs 4. Boston Terrier11–13 yrs 5. Brazilian Terrier12–14 yrs 6. Danish–Swedish Farmdog11–13 yrs 7. McNab Shepherd13–15 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Rat Terrier on the breed map Read about the Rat Terrier on Wikipedia