Do Rat Terriers Bite?

All dogs have the potential to bite if put into the right situation.

Injuries: Any dog will bite when in pain from an injury and great caution should be taken when attempting to handle an injured dog. Even your life-long pal might bite you if he is injured. It might be shock or fear of further harm - it is simply a defensive reaction.

Fear Biting: Fearfulness that leads to biting may be the result of poor confidence due to lack of socialization, poor training or even an inherited trait. Most Rat Terriers do exhibit caution when approached by strangers or strange objects and they are quite suspicious of sudden moves but this caution is a natural instinct of survival and should not result in biting. A Rat Terrier will be curious and investigate these same strangers and objects with confidence and caution until he can dismiss any possible threat. This process just takes seconds in a well adjusted Rat Terrier.

Nipping: Another form of biting is nipping usually when kids are running or a person is walking away. This is can be a very serious problem - It is a Rat Terriers way of testing his place in the pack. Such nipping may be a sign of overly aggressive Rattie behavior or simply poor training. Puppies will go through a natural stage of nipping and they have to be trained that this is not acceptable behavior.

Hormones: It is quite common for an intact male Rat Terrier to not get along with other males when there is a female in heat particularly if he is a dominant personality. New mother's may be protective of their young pups and might react with sudden movements or threatening gestures.

The Pack: Rat Terriers have a strong inherited social hierarchy referred to as a pack and leadership is often fought over. These fights are generally noisy displays unless a dog has not been socialized with other canines. If this is the case then fights can become serious because he won't know how to respond to another dogs aggressive display and may over react.

Alpha or Beta? Alpha behavior is a technical term for an inherited behavior to become pack leader. Beta behavior refers to those dogs that tend to follow a leader. All but a few Rat Terriers will try to climb to the rank of leader and a few will pursue leadership at any cost - these are the alpha dogs. Alpha Rat Terriers may make very good pets but require extra care in training and socialization. A knowledgeable breeder will be able to pick out puppies which tend to display alpha behavior and place them in appropriate homes. Pack behavior may seem unfair at times but it is an absolutely normal and necessary function to keep peace and order in a multi-dog environment.