Interest is growing in the Decker line of Rat Terriers.  They were bred and developed by Milton Decker for the specific purpose of hunting various quarry.  The Deckers have been used to hunt squirrels, deer, upland birds, coons, wild hogs, rabbits, and retrieve ducks.  They are full of desire and most will readily take to whatever quarry you introduce them to.

 Dean Dickison of Salinas California, has been hunting wild hogs with his Rat Terriers for ten years.  Dean has extensive experience with the Deckers and has bred, raised, and trained many different Rat Terriers to hunt hogs.  He averages 120 hogs each year.  Dean has purchased Decker Rat Terriers from both Milton Decker and Rosalie Rinear of Fire Mountain Kennels.  He has used some non Decker lines in his program as well.  Dean breeds his dogs for hunting ability first and foremost.  If a dog doesn’t possess the proper hunting drives, Dean will not use it in his program.  By adhering to this standard of hunting excellence, Dean has developed some exceptional dogs.

 The dogs are started on hogs between six and ten months old.  They are very anxious when they start out and will go after anything.  They must be broken off of every type of game except what you are hunting.  “The dogs must be pointed in the right direction to be successful”, states Dean.

 The Rat Terriers hunt along side Louisiana Catahoulas, American Bulldogs, American Pit Bull Terriers, and various curs.  Hog dogs must work together and are taught to tolerate other dogs at an early age.  Different type dogs are needed on a hunt.  Some dogs find and trail the hog.  Others will bay or bark at the hog to keep it in one spot.  And then there are catch dogs which physically hold the hog so that it doesn’t get away.  A hunt will generally consist of a pair of Rat Terriers and a Catahoula to trail and bay the hog;  and a pair of Bulldogs to catch and hold the hog until the hunters arrive.

 Rat Terriers use all their senses in the pursuit of hogs.  They will bounce through the woods, stopping and listening for noises.  Once something is detected, they will run at top speed in that direction.  The Rats are silent tracking and usually give a 150 yard chase before baying the hog.

 Dean likes the Rat Terriers for many reasons.  “They are aggressive, but smart.”  The Rat Terriers in general, won’t get cut up as badly as some other, more aggressive terriers.  Dean also says that the Terriers are easier to break from running “off game” than many other breeds.  However, some can still be a little hard to break from squirrels and rabbits.  Many have learned to walk in a horseshoe pattern around cattle in order to not disturb them.

 The Decker’s high level of intelligence is evident in their technique on hogs.  They will bay the hog until the bigger “catch dogs” arrive on the scene.  At that point, the Rat Terriers will gladly take hold of the hog along with the bulldogs.  This trait is very important as some of the bigger hogs can reach 300lbs. or more and could kill an overly aggressive dog quickly.

The Deckers will sometimes take matters into their own hands and jump in to “worry” or even catch a hog.  Dean has seen hogs running full speed across open fields with Rat Terriers attached to their ears and/or tail.  Dean tells of one particular hog hunt where the Catahoulas and bulldogs were standing back watching the action as the Rat Terriers were spinning the hog and baying him.

Dean’s Rat Terriers have also been known to save the lives of the bulldogs.  On one hunting trip when the bulldog was coming up to a big hog, the hog turned and grabbed the dog.  Wild hog’s are dangerous animals with razor sharp teeth.  They have great jaw pressure and can injure a dog seriously.  Dean’s female Rat Terrier Suzie, jumped on the hogs back and starting biting the hog.  The wild hog let go of the bulldog and concentrated on the much smaller Rat Terrier that was on it’s back.  The hog spun around and was shot and killed by Dean’s son, who was just arriving on the scene.

 Dean says that the Deckers small size gives them a great advantage over larger dogs in thick brush.  They can keep up with hogs that would normally get away.  He prefers a dog in the 25-35lb range.  Rat Terriers that are smaller than that have a bit of a hard time keeping up on a chase of 300 yards or more.  Dean emphatically stated to me in our conversations, “Pound for pound, I’ve never seen a dog with this much grit.”  He said he has seen dogs fly past him 10ft. in the air after being thrown from the hog.  Upon hitting the ground, they simply get up and charge back towards the action.  Even though the Rat Terriers are tenacious during the hunt, Dean says they always ride in the cab of the truck on the way back home.

The Decker Rat Terrier Book has over 80 color pictures.
It includes the history, standard, hunting, and future of the Decker Rat Terrier.

Friends----We had to share this letter from one more Rat Terrier lover.  Many testimonials like this, over the years, have added greatly to our joys of raising these magnificent little dogs.  Although we haven't raised any puppies for nearly fifteen years, we still love to see and hear about what others are doing.  Eli Brown of Kentucky, has just come out with a book on Deckers Rat Terriers.  We are extremely honored by his very well illustrated book.  Milton G. Decker

Below is the letter Mr Decker received and wanted to share with all Rat Terrier lovers:

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