Rat Terrier puppies

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Rat Terrier puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Patellar luxation, graded by a veterinary orthopaedic exam
• Hip dysplasia, screened by a hip evaluation of breeding stock
• Legg Calve Perthes disease, a malformation of the hip joint in young dogs
• Primary lens luxation (PLL), detectable by DNA test
• Heart disease, screened by a cardiac exam

From Rat Terrier breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/rat-terrier/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Rat Terrier puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Rat Terrier.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 4.5 to 11.3 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other small breeds

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