Dog breed · United States
The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is a small to medium-sized American hunting terrier. It is lower-set, with shorter legs, and is more muscular with heavier bone density than the related American Rat Terrier. Much diversity exists in the history of the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier breed, and it shares a common early history with the American Rat Terrier, Fox Paulistinha, and Tenterfield Terrier. The Rat Terrier's background is said to stem from the terriers or other dogs that were brought over by early English and other working-class immigrants. Since the breed was a farm, hunting, and utility dog, little to no planned breeding was used other than breeding dogs with agreeable traits to each other to produce the desired work ethic in the dog. The Feist (dog), Bull Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Whippet, Italian Greyhound, the now extinct English White Terrier, Turnspit Dog, and Wry-legged Terrier all share in the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier's ancestry. These early ratting terriers were then most likely bred to the Beagle or Beagle crossbred dogs (for increased scenting ability) and other dogs. Maximizing the influences from these various breeds provides the modern Teddy Roosevelt Terrier with a keen sense of awareness and prey drive, an acute sense of smell, and a very high intellect. Although they tend to be aloof with strangers, they are devoted companion dogs with a strong desire to please and be near their owners at all times.
The current UKC standard calls for a Tedd
Appearance: The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is a low-set, muscular, active, small- to medium-sized hunting terrier. The preferred ratio of length of body (prosternum to point of buttocks) to height (withers to ground) is 10:7. The head is broad, slightly domed, wedge-shaped, and proportionate to the size of the body. Ears are V-shaped, set at the outside edges of the skull, and may be erect or button. A docked tail is preferred, but a natural bob tail or a natural tail carried in an upward curve is also acceptable. The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier occurs in solid white, other solid colors with markings, and white with a variety of colored patches.
The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier should be evaluated as a working terrier, and exaggerations, or faults, should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work. Honorable scars resulting from field work are not to be penalized.
Disqualifications: Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid; viciousness or extreme shyness; unilateral or bilateral deafness; hanging ears; cropped ears; hairlessness; any suggestion of kink or curl in tail; merle.
Health Problems: Less common problems may include allergies, bite problems (malocclusions), hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and subluxating patella, as these are problems that appear in the related Rat Terrier.
Ectopia lentis, a congenital condition, also affects this breed. Although not currently well-documented in the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, it is seen in small numbers and populations according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, but is still seen in higher numbers in the Rat Terrier and other terrier breeds.
