Teddy Roosevelt Terrier

Breed history

The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, like the Rat Terrier, was historically called a Feist or simply a terrier mix, with the short-legged version known as a "bench-legged feist." Because these dogs worked on farms and hunted, Rat Terriers were often crossed with other breeds. One early cross was with the Beagle, which likely strengthened the short-legged trait, since the Bench-legged Beagle was a common hunting dog. For a long time, long-legged and short-legged puppies appeared together in the same litters, and all were simply called Rat Terriers.

In the mid-1990s, people began actively separating the two types, though some mixing still happens today. When the Rat Terrier Club of America split them, the short-legged type was named after Theodore Roosevelt, even though he never owned Rat Terriers or helped develop the breed. The dog most often credited as a foundation for Rat Terriers was a black-and-tan mixed-breed feist owned by the Roosevelt family. In a letter to his children, Roosevelt wrote about a dog named Skip and another named Scamp, described as a Fox Terrier, who killed rats in the White House. A third dog, Jack, a Manchester Terrier, is also sometimes mistaken for a Rat Terrier.

Appearance

The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is a small to medium hunting dog, built low to the ground with a muscular, active frame. Its body is ideally ten parts long for every seven parts tall. The head is broad, slightly rounded on top, and wedge-shaped, in balance with the body. V-shaped ears sit on the outer edges of the skull and can stand up or fold over in a button style.

A docked tail is preferred, but a natural bob or a tail carried in an upward curve is also fine. The coat comes in solid white, other solid colors with markings, or white with colored patches. This breed is judged as a working terrier, so any exaggeration or fault is penalized based on how much it hinders the dog’s ability to work. Honorable scars from fieldwork are not penalized.

Disqualifications include cryptorchidism, viciousness or extreme shyness, deafness, hanging ears, cropped ears, hairlessness, any hint of a kinked or curled tail, and merle coloring.

Common characteristics

Bred for versatility like the Rat Terrier, the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier combines hunting drive, robust health, a steady temperament, and appealing looks. Its prey instinct is stronger than average, leading it to chase squirrels, rats, stray cats, and other creatures it views as quarry. It digs enthusiastically, following mole tunnels and leaving behind a network of holes and trenches. As a watch dog, it is excellent, often displaying protective and territorial behavior.

Devoted to its family, this dog craves affection and human contact, trailing its owner like a constant shadow through daily routines. Highly intelligent and loyal, it is straightforward to train.

Full of energy and playful spirit, it provides daily amusement with its antics, yet is equally happy curling up in a lap when it is time to relax. Adaptable to many lifestyles, it excels in conformation rings, agility trials, or as a companion on a farm or in a home. Its compact size also makes it a good fit for apartment living.

Health problems

Like their Rat Terrier relatives, Teddy Roosevelt Terriers can occasionally face allergies, misaligned bites, hip or elbow dysplasia, and kneecap issues. A congenital eye condition called ectopia lentis also occurs in the breed, though it is not widely documented. According to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, this condition appears in small numbers within the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier population, but it is more common in the Rat Terrier and other terrier breeds.

Did You Know?

• President Roosevelt's dog Scamp was described as a Fox Terrier and was the only dog mentioned in his letters as hunting rats in the White House.
• The first standard for the breed was developed by the now-defunct Teddy Roosevelt Terrier Club of America in 1996.
• In 1999, both the Rat Terrier and Teddy Roosevelt Terrier were accepted as separate breeds by the United Kennel Club.