Difference Between Rat Terrier Vs Fox Terrier: Easy Guide

Although the Rat terrier and the Fox terrier are alike in many ways, there are a few differences in their temperament, history, and personality. Rat Terrier vs Fox Terrier both the pure breeds are highly intelligent, tolerant of other pets and incredibly child friendly.

A Brief Summary of Rat Terrier Vs Fox Terrier:

If we make a comparison of the toy fox terrier vs rat terrier. We will find that the Rat terrier that originated in the United States is very affectionate and does not like being alone. Also very willing to please whereas the Fox terrier, originally bred in the United Kingdom is also very loving.

But sometimes also be stubborn and makes more noise than the Rat terrier. The delightfully energetic Fox terrier is a very loyal breed and can sometimes become overly territorial. They come in a beautiful variety of colours like black, brown, white, black and tan and also sometimes red.

The Rat terrier, famously named for being a “ratter” and taking care of vermin is highly intelligent. They pick up the habits and behaviour traits of their family members including the bad ones too. Rat terriers are slightly taller and stand between 19 and 22 inches. Also, they are substantially heavier than the Fox terriers at a weight of almost 40 lbs. Here you can also read about Walter Dog.

Some Quirky Facts About Fox Terriers:

• There are two types of fox terriers that are smooth hair and wire-hair fox terriers.
• The fox terriers have won 18 Best in Show awards at Westminster, 14 of the wins going to wire hair fox terriers.
• Charles Darwin who was history’s most famous naturalist owned a fox terrier.

Fun Facts About Rat Terriers:

• Famous among farmers for taking care of pests like rats and rabbits.
• Create using a mixture of almost 7 breeds like Manchester terrier, whippet, greyhound, and beagle.
• In the Shirley Temple movie “The Little Colonel” which was made in the 1930s.

Now, for first-time dog owners looking into buying or adopting a terrier, there are a few diseases that you need to keep a lookout for while learning how to care for your dog. The Fox terrier suffers from a few diseases like misaligned tendons or floating kneecaps. Also, the lens of the eyes of a Fox terrier can dislocate causing a problem called lens luxation. Other than this, the Fox terriers also suffer from genetic deafness or even bladder cancer.

Rat Terrier Vs Fox Terrier Health Difference:

The rat terriers also have a slew of diseases that you need to keep an eye out for if you intend to adopt one. They suffer from bad joints and hips dysplasia and they sometimes have larger teeth that don’t fit into their mouth well leaving them very vulnerable to dental problems.

Epilepsy and heart diseases are also major diseases that plague Rat terriers. Terriers as a breed are also prone to suffer from congenital diseases that can be eliminated by proper breeding which is why choosing the right breeder who knows what to look out for and eliminate while they breed their puppies.

Thus, if you do a comparison of the Rat terrier Vs Fox terrier, you will find that both breeds are very similar but yet they have different personalities and temperaments overall the rat terrier is believed to be easier to train than the fox terrier which is a more willful breed. Thus, for new or first-time dog owners the rat terrier would be a more favourable fit. However, it all depends on which puppy catches your eye or more importantly your heart so choose wisely and choose responsibly.

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