Rat Terrier Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy a Rat Terrier?

Start with what the breed is. The American Kennel Club standard says the Rat Terrier “was originally bred for ratting and farm work”, as “a multipurpose companion dog that is capable of hunting rodents and vermin above and below ground, and to course small game.” The United Kennel Club standard says it has “sometimes been described as having a dual personality”: a “fearless, tenacious hunter with seemingly unlimited energy” that is also “an exceptionally friendly companion” at home.

Then add the Australian catch: there is no Dogs Australia route, so the usual advice for a purebred puppy (buy from a Dogs Australia registered breeder with certified pedigree papers) cannot apply. An adult from rescue lets you see the dog's energy, its chase drive and how it is with cats and small pets before you commit. If you buy a puppy, ask for the parents' health results and meet both parents.

Reference only, not quotes. The RSPCA NSW fee was read on 13 November 2026. Rescues set their own fees and change them, so check with them.

Does Dogs Australia recognise the Rat Terrier?

No. We read the Dogs Australia breed listing on 13 November 2026: the Rat Terrier is not in any group, and we found no Dogs Australia standard for it. It is not an FCI breed either, so it is not on Dogs Australia's register of FCI breeds. On our reading of Dogs Australia's registration regulations, its members cannot register Rat Terrier litters while the breed is off the listing: reg 10.1.2 recognises a new imported breed only when conditions are met, including that “Dogs Australia holds the appropriate Breed Standard”. The regulations do not say this in so many words, so ask your state Dogs Australia body if it matters to you. Dogs Australia says “All other registries such as the MDBA, ABR, Australian Canine registry, ICBS etc are NOT affiliated with Dogs Australia and CANNOT issue Certified Pedigrees.”

What that means for you in practice:

• Registration. Any papers a seller offers come from another registry, or from overseas. Check which one and what it actually records.
• Health testing. No Australian breed club or Dogs Australia standard sets a test list for the breed, and Dogs Australia's breeding rules apply to litters it registers. You have to ask for each test yourself (see below).
• A route exists, but it is not in place. Dogs Australia's registration regulations (reg 10.1.2) set out how a breed recognised by a recognised overseas body can be recognised here, including imported dogs being re-registered and Dogs Australia holding the breed standard. The Rat Terrier is not on the listing today.

Overseas, the United Kennel Club says it recognised the Rat Terrier on 1 January 1999, and the American Kennel Club calls it “AKC's 178th breed” and places it in its Terrier Group.

What is a Rat Terrier like?

A compact, hard-muscled working terrier. The AKC standard describes “a sturdy, compact, small-to-medium sized parti-colored dog giving the appearance of elegance and fitness, denoting speed, power and balance”, and says the dog “should not be rangy nor fine boned and toyish, and never bulky or coarse.”

Source: AKC Official Standard of the Rat Terrier (approved 11 November 2009, effective 1 July 2010), read 13 November 2026. Metric figures are our conversions.

The drive is the part people underestimate. The UKC standard says Rat Terriers are “still used as ratters and squirrel hunters” in the American South, where they are sometimes called “Feists”, and asks that they be shown “in hard, muscular condition.” Plan for daily walks, games and training, secure fencing, and care around pet rodents and birds. The dog exercise calculator is a useful starting point.

What about the tail?

Both US standards still allow a docked tail. That does not apply here. The RSPCA Knowledgebase says “Tail docking has been illegal in Australia since 2004” and “You should never buy a puppy with a docked tail.” The AKC standard also accepts a natural bobtail, so a short tail is not always a docked one; if a puppy's tail looks short, ask the breeder for the vet record and ask your own vet. The same RSPCA page adds that inherited short or stumpy tails are “undesirable from an animal health and welfare perspective” because they can be linked to spinal problems.

Which health checks should a Rat Terrier breeder show you?

There is no Australian list to lean on, so use the US one. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), working with the breed's parent club, lists these basic health screening tests for Rat Terrier breeding stock:

Source: OFA CHIC, Rat Terrier, read 13 November 2026. The OFA says its list “is not all encompassing.” This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

The UKC standard also disqualifies a dog that is deaf in one or both ears, so a hearing test is worth asking about. If you adopt a Rat Terrier whose history is unknown, a vet check of the knees, eyes and hearing in the first weeks is sensible.

How much is a Rat Terrier puppy from a registered breeder?

There is no figure we can quote. Our breed price surveys use only the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites, and since Dogs Australia does not register the Rat Terrier, there are no member breeders of it to survey and no breed club guide price. Prices on classified and listing sites are left out, because we cannot check who is selling or when the price was set.

If you still decide to buy, get the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' heart, hip, knee and lens luxation results, a vet check, vaccination and microchip, desexing terms, and whether the seller will take the dog back. The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

What about a Rat Terrier from rescue?

Our Rat Terrier breed page shows the Rat Terriers and Rat Terrier crosses listed by the rescues, shelters and council pounds we aggregate. Numbers change daily, so check the live listings: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. Small terrier crosses that suit the same home are on the small dog pages for each city.

Ask the rescue how the dog is with cats, small pets, other dogs and children, how much exercise it has needed in foster care, whether it digs or barks when left alone, and what is known about its knees, eyes and hearing.

What does a rescue dog cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees on RSPCA NSW's undated fee page when we read it on the date shown; fees change and other rescues set their own, so check with the rescue. RSPCA NSW says its fees help ensure pets are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked. Read our guide to adopting a dog in Australia.

How do Rat Terrier puppy scams work?

The Queensland Government's puppy farm page lists low prices for popular or pedigree breeds, being asked for payment before you have met the puppy, a breeder who cannot give a valid breeder identification number (BIN), and a seller who only communicates by email or text. Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites for popular breeds, that a very cheap pet is likely a scam, and warns against paying in unusual ways. Watch for these in Rat Terrier ads:

• “Dogs Australia registered Rat Terrier”. On our reading of Dogs Australia's rules, that should not be possible while the breed is not on its listing. Check any claim with Dogs Australia yourself.
• Docked puppies. Illegal here since 2004, says the RSPCA. Walk away and report it to your state or territory RSPCA.
• “Rare” brindle, merle or solid-coloured Rat Terriers. Both the AKC and UKC standards disqualify brindle and merle, and the AKC standard says a Rat Terrier is never a solid colour without white. These dogs may be crosses.
• No health results. A seller who cannot show the parents' heart, hip, knee and lens luxation results has not done the basics the OFA lists.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

Is a Rat Terrier restricted anywhere in Australia?

No state or territory restricted or prohibited breed list names the Rat Terrier, but a council officer can still assess an individual dog. The breeds named in state law are the American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and Perro de Presa Canario; the ACT has no restricted breeds, and the Northern Territory has no territory-wide list, so check with your council. Our Staffy vs pit bull guide sets out the state-by-state law.

Is there a registered alternative?

If what you want is a small, smooth-coated, busy terrier with Dogs Australia papers, look at the Fox Terrier, the Tenterfield Terrier and the Jack Russell Terrier, all on the Dogs Australia listing. The American Hairless Terrier is also on the listing; the AKC says it “is a naturally occurring offshoot of the Rat Terrier.”

If you do buy a Rat Terrier, check these before you pay:

1. Which registry, if any. Ask, then check that registry yourself. It will not be Dogs Australia.
2. The parents' health results for heart, hips, knees and the lens luxation DNA test, on paper.
3. A natural tail. Never a docked puppy.
4. The state breeder number your state requires, checked on the official register.
5. Both parents met in person, with their manner towards people and other dogs seen.
6. A written contract covering health, desexing and whether the seller will take the dog back.

Is a Rat Terrier the right dog for you?

It suits an active home that enjoys training and can manage a terrier's urge to chase and dig. The standards describe a devoted, easily trained, generally dog-friendly companion, but also a tenacious hunter with a lot of energy. Homes with pet rodents or birds, or with no time for daily exercise, should think hard.

Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check.

Find a Rat Terrier near you

Rat Terriers listed by rescues, by city:

• Rat Terriers for adoption in Sydney
• Rat Terriers for adoption in Melbourne
• Rat Terriers for adoption in Brisbane
• Rat Terriers for adoption in Perth
• Rat Terriers for adoption in Adelaide

Small dogs and terrier crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Small dogs for adoption in Sydney
• Small dogs for adoption in Melbourne
• Small dogs for adoption in Brisbane
• Small dogs for adoption in Perth
• Small dogs for adoption in Adelaide