History
The Rat Terrier is a breed with origins from the Bull Terrier, Fox Terrier, and English White Terrier. Because of its function as a hunter and farm dog, in the 1910s breeders added new strains to the breed to improve their ability to catch pests.
Later in the 1920s, big Fox Terriers were also introduced to Rat Terrier programs to enable Rat Terriers breed small offspring. It was said that President Roosevelt coined the breeds named after his own Rat Terrier solved the vermin problem in the white house.
Although Rat Terriers were common farm dogs from the 1910s to 1940s, their popularity on the farms lessened when farmers started using pesticides instead. They later became more popular as family dogs.