Drop a Little About Your Pet

Posts Tagged ‘House Pets’

If you have decided to own a Rat Terrier you need to start from day one on training. First you will need a crate or cage. This will become their place of safe refuge and their bed. You will need a dog bed to fit the cage you purchase. You will need a water and feed bowl and a retractable leash along with a choke collar. I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds. The choke collar can only cause harm if you do not release the pressure. It is designed to get your dogs attention once you have it then release the pressure.

Place the cage where you will be able to hear your puppy when it cries. At first you will have to let the puppy out every two hours to relieve itself. You may even have to do it every hour with some puppies. Never allow your puppy to have access to it’s water or feed except on a schedule. This will also be about every two hours at first. They must learn what their routine is. Do not think it is cruel even it’s own mother kept it on a routine schedule. Slowly you will lengthen the schedule to three hours this can be accomplished usually after about a month from day one. Each month you can increase by one hour if the puppy is responding well and not soiling it’s bed. If it is you may have to increase by a half hour increments instead of an hour. Your puppy will let you know if you are paying attention exactly how long it can hold it’s bowels. When you take your puppy out at first always use your leash even if your yard is fenced. Why? Because you are teaching it more than just when it is potty time. You are teaching it to respond to you and your commands. With Rat Terriers you will find that it does not take them long to realize that they must pay attention to you. In fact you notice they will constantly look to you for guidance and direction. Talk to your puppy as you would a child. For instance when it is time to go potty say let’s go potty. When they actually do potty praise them for having done so. Talking to them teaches them to listen to you and what you are saying. It may sound silly but they actually learn what certain words mean. Like bedtime when it’s time to go to bed tell them it’s bed time don’t just put them in the bed. When it’s time to eat do the same every time you do you are teaching them to respond to certain words that you say to them. You may say things in a whole sentence but they will cue in on certain words like eat, food, bed time, potty, etc., etc.

Most Rat Terriers will be fully trained in less than three months if you follow the schedule. If not it may take longer you must be consistent. I have had people I know tell me that they were totally amazed at how quick their puppy caught on to training. One lady I gave a puppy to said the dog trained her more than she trained it. Rat Terriers are very smart and eager to please as you will see if you ever own one. My dogs always let me know if I forget or fail to take them out when it is time to go out. They actually know what time it is better than we do. I never knew or met anyone that owned a Rat Terrier that said they were difficult to train in fact they always brag about how quick their little guys catch on to new things. Rat Terriers love to please you and anything you show them they seem to home in on it as if they know that you want them to learn something new.

With other breeds you won’t find this to be true. For most other breeds it takes repeated repetition before they actually begin to catch on to what you are trying to teach them. However with Rat Terriers it is if they are reading your mind and actually understand that you want them to learn something new and they just do it willingly without constant repetition. I know some will say I’m biased but I promise you I am not. If you ever own one and you find yours to be different than what I have written about here please let me know because maybe someone sold you something other than a Rat Terrier. Now there are Rat Terrier owners who are biased and they will tell you that they have a right to be. Why? Well most of them I have met will tell you straight out that once you have owned the perfect pet nothing else even compares. So then that being said why then are there not more Rat Terrier owners? Well I don’t really know how to answer that. I guess it is because Rat Terrier owners are very possessive about their little guys and it is and can be very difficult to get one from them. Unless they know you very well and they like you a whole lot chances are you can not get one from them. Some won’t even breed their guys until they are well aged and they only do it then just to get another one. Don’t even think about asking them to breed your dog to theirs unless you have a real close relationship with them it just won’t happen. However there are Rat Terrier Breeders who do sell puppies but I would not recommend one that is if you want a really good one. I’m not sure how these people breed their dogs but, the individual you can bet is very selective about who’s dog they will breed to and that is why these little guys have maintained their heritage for as long as they have their owners are very picky about their choice of mates.