The Ratonero Valenciano, also known as the Gos Rater Valencià (
English
English usually refers to:
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* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
for: Valencian rat hunting dog), is a breed of
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
that originates in Spain. Recognised by the
Real Sociedad Canina de España
is the Spanish kennel club. It was founded in Madrid as the on 27 June 1911, and became a legal entity on 12 July 1911; on 1 December 1911 it received the royal patronage of Alfonso XIII, and the word 'Real' was added before the name.
It has ...
in 2004, it has had recent success with a member of the breed winning the Spanish National Dog Show in 2011. It is a traditionally
docked breed. In 2022, the
FCI finally recognised the breed, naming it rather "Terrier" than "Ratter".
[Gos Rater Valencià](_blank)
Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
History
The breed originates from
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
in Spain, where it has traditionally been used to catch rats and other rodents.
The breed is thought to have existed since the sixteenth century.
There are several theories around the breed's origin, including either that stock from British
Fox Terrier
Fox Terriers are two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of United Kingdo ...
s may have been introduced to native dogs, or that it is simply that breeding dogs for similar purposes have led to similar results.
[
The breed is recognized by the ]Real Sociedad Canina de España
is the Spanish kennel club. It was founded in Madrid as the on 27 June 1911, and became a legal entity on 12 July 1911; on 1 December 1911 it received the royal patronage of Alfonso XIII, and the word 'Real' was added before the name.
It has ...
, the national kennel club for Spain, since 2004.Fédération Cynologique Internationale
The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country).
History
The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...
, and places the breed within Group 3:Terriers, and the subgroup, Section 1:Large and medium-sized terriers.[
]
Description
According to the breed standard, the coat should be short, no longer than in length. The most common markings are tricolor
A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...
, with the colors dominating the white portion of the coat.[ Other markings include black and tan, brown and white, and brown and tan.][ The standard ]conformation show
A dog show is an animal show; it is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a '' breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs ...
size for these dogs are for males at the withers
Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...
, and for females. The ideal size is listed as and respectively. Both sexes weight ranges are the same, ideally .[
The breed standard describes them as tailless dogs, and states that any tail should be cropped either "without respecting any vertebra or just the first".][
]
Temperament
The dogs continue to be used in hunting, specifically for rabbits.[
]
See also
* Dogs portal
* List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties and dog type, types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds ...
*
References
External links
Spanish National Breed Club
Real Sociedad Canina de España Breed Standard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gos Rater Valencia
Dog breeds originating in the Valencian Community
Terriers
FCI breeds