COMPARISON OF AKC AND UKC RAT TERRIER BREED STANDARDS
BY DARICE RAGAN & KEN JONES
T he Rat Terrier breed was first recognized by the United Kennel Club in 1999. The American Kennel Club recognized the Rat Terrier breed in 2013. Between AKC and UKC, there are a few differences in the written breed standards. Sev- eral AKC judges also judge in UKC. For these reasons, it’s important for all AKC judges to understand why they are seeing differences in Rat Terriers that compete in both AKC and UKC conformation shows. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AKC (AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB) AND UKC (UNITED KENNEL CLUB) RAT TERRIER BREED STANDARDS? We have compared both Breed Standards to one another and targeted individual parts of each standard; compared them against each other as a learning tool for UKC and AKC judges, breeders, and the general public. The information provided below is only “in part” and neither Breed Standard appears in its entirety. BODY AND GENERAL APPEARANCE UKC: Suggests some body areas of growth should not be “judged” under 12 months of age. For example, dog height and ear set. The 10:9 ratio is to be judged. UKC stresses that the loin should be “moderately short.” AKC: Sets a dog’s final height at six (6) months old. A Disqualification (DQ) relating to height, length of ears, etc., should not be finalized, penalized or judged before twelve (12) months of age. Dogs can change a lot between 6 and 12 months old. AKC states, “The short loin has a slight muscular arch blending into the gently rounded croup.” Comparison: UKC and AKC agree on “A small to medium compact hunting dog.” Both standards state the dog should only be “slightly” longer than tall. HEAD Both the UKC and AKC Standards agree that the head shall be a blunt wedge shape when viewed from the front or from the side. UKC: The head is proportionate to the size of the body. When viewed from the side, the skull and muzzle are of equal length and joined by a moderate stop. Viewed from the front and the side, the Rat Terrier’s head forms a blunt wedge shape. Fault: Abrupt Stop. The skull is broad and slightly domed. It tapers slightly toward the muzzle. The jaws are powerful with well-muscled cheeks. Serious Fault: Apple Head. AKC: The Head resembles a smooth, blunt wedge from a front or profile view. When seen from the front, the head widens gradually towards the base of the ears in an unbroken line and is well-filled-up under the eyes. Comparison: The UKC Standard appears to be more concerned with head shape, noting an apple head as a serious fault and an abrupt stop as a fault. AKC lists the stop as “moderate but distinct.” UKC states that skull and muzzle should be equal in length, while AKC sug- gests that muzzle is to be “just slightly shorter in length than the skull.”
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