Prague Ratter

Small ratting dogs are recorded in Bohemian sources going back many centuries, and Czech tradition connects them with the courts of Prague, where they were kept both as ratters and as fashionable companions and were sometimes sent abroad as diplomatic gifts. Whatever the exact line of descent, the type is old and firmly local to the Czech lands.

By the nineteenth century the little Bohemian ratter had all but disappeared, pushed aside by the imported English Toy Terrier and the Miniature Pinscher, which it superficially resembles. Serious reconstruction began only in the 1980s, when Czech breeders led by Jan Findejs and Otakar Karlik gathered the few surviving dogs of the old type and worked to re-establish a consistent population.

The breed was recognised nationally in the Czech Republic and later gained international standing, with the Federation Cynologique Internationale granting provisional recognition in 2019 and placing it in Group 9 alongside the other companion and toy dogs. Numbers remain modest outside central Europe, and most breeding stock still traces back to Czech and Slovak kennels.

The Prague Ratter is square in outline, light-boned and graceful, standing roughly eight to nine inches at the shoulder and weighing about three and a half to six pounds. The head is pear-shaped with a clear stop, the eyes are round and dark, and the erect triangular ears are set high and are large in proportion to the skull. Movement is quick and springy rather than dainty.

Two coat varieties are accepted. The smooth coat is short, close and glossy; the long-haired variety carries feathering on the ears, the backs of the legs and the tail. The classic and still most common colour is black and tan, but brown and tan, blue and tan, lilac, fawn, red and merle patterns also occur. Tan markings should be clearly defined over the eyes, on the cheeks, chest and legs.

These are bright, lively little dogs that attach very strongly to one or two people and like to stay physically close to them, often riding along in a bag or curled on a lap. Away from home they can be cautious at first, and a well-socialised Prague Ratter will observe a stranger for a while before deciding to say hello.

One of the breed's most appreciated qualities is that it is not, by toy-dog standards, a barker. It will announce someone at the door and then usually let the matter drop, which makes it an easier neighbour in a block of flats than many small breeds. The old ratting instinct is still there, though, and most will chase anything small that moves.

Prague Ratters are sensitive and take sharp handling badly. They are also brave beyond their size and have no idea how small they are, which means they will square up to a large dog if allowed. Careful supervision around bigger dogs and around young children is a practical necessity, not an optional extra.

The breed's original work was pest control in cellars, stables and kitchens, a job it did quickly and quietly. That role has gone, but the underlying alertness makes the modern Prague Ratter an effective little doorbell, and its size makes it one of the easiest breeds to take on public transport, into cafes or on holiday.

Its intelligence and biddability mean it can do well in small-dog agility, rally and trick training, and some work as therapy visitors in settings where a large dog would be too much. Anything that engages the nose and the brain suits it, provided the physical demands stay gentle enough for a dog of this build.