Data on the appearance of the Valencian rater, the appearance of the breed, characteristic behavior and health, care: walking, diet. Education, interesting facts. Puppy cost. Valencian raters are unrivaled rat-catchers. What jumps, lightness and resourcefulness they have! And also, fearlessness, endurance and perseverance. Where can you do without them in such work? Dogs are proud and independent, very agile and cheerful. They are the most uncommunicative dogs, but wonderfully suitable for the role of a domestic, city pet. They do not take up a lot of space and, as a rule, first give birth to one well, and then … Walking with this dog around the city, you will always feel like the center of public attention.
Data on the appearance of the Valencian rater breed
The Valencian Rater or Valencian Rater is one of the most unsociable dogs on the planet. These are rat-catchers with a capital letter. Now their name sounds like the pen of ratanero valencia. Once upon a time, a very long time ago, the word "ratanero" meant - bad or something like that. Do you think this is a bad dog? No, these are wonderful dogs, but their job is dirty - to catch rats. The progenitors of raters cannot be attributed to any particular species. We can only say that they were united by the excellent quality of catching rats and mice, which the then ports, taverns, stables, tanneries simply swarmed with.
For selection, selection was preferably carried out among canines that had white hair with slight black marks and red tan marks. That is, the body is white and the head is black. At that time, they practically did not know completely black individuals. Why exactly this color? It was believed that the white back should be clearly visible at night when the dog is hunting rats. But the even head, on the contrary, should not be visible to the rodent when the rater climbs into his hole.
The second name for Valencian raters is tavern rat catchers. Because it was in such places that many pests existed. In public taverns, there was something for the rodents to profit from, since scraps were thrown under the tables and no one bothered with sanitation. Raters were engaged in clearing the establishments of rats and mice.
In the Middle Ages, these small dogs were wildly popular in southern Spain. The Holy Inquisition made its contribution to the formation of the breed and its popularity. The thing is that in 1216, a monk Dominic, a native of Castile, established a monastic brotherhood, which later began to be called the Order of the Dominicans. In 1232, the Pope gave the monks of the order the right to conduct divine judgment, making them inquisitors.
The symbol of the Dominican order was a dog with a torch in its teeth. And also, the Dominicans were called - the dogs of the Lord. They had to tear heresy with their "teeth" and illuminate the world with the light of knowledge. Naturally, like any "dogs" of cats, they did not favor. The monks considered them the messengers of hell and burned them at the stake. As you know, a holy place is never empty. Someone had to fight against toothy pests. That is why the Valencian raters appeared in the South of Spain.
When the current official name of the breed was chosen, it became the topic of much controversy. Some people suggested keeping the medieval name - Castilian tavern rat catcher or rat poison. According to the classification proposed in 1996 by Professor Delgado Delmejo and his colleagues, Valencian raters can be classified as hunting terriers and ranked as hunters of foxes, rats and badgers.
There were a great many rats in medieval Europe, and it was necessary to fight them both on land and on water. According to the description, approximately the same dog was on the ship Santa Maria. This ship was the flagship of the squadron sent by King Ferdinand II of Spain to the west, in search of the shortest route to India. This flotilla was commanded by none other than Christopher Columbus. On October 13, 1492, looking forward to the ship, Santa Maria saw the land. It was an island, San Salvador, which later became part of the Bahamas archipelago - the first land of the new American continent.
Christopher Columbus ordered to lower the boat and disembark. Several sailors were with the commander. Unnoticed by everyone, a small dog slipped aboard the boat. They did not immediately notice her, and then, of course, they did not drive her away. When there were a few meters to the ground, the dog jumped out of the boat and swam. When they say that the foot of the first European set foot on American soil, then you can correct it by saying not a leg, but a paw. And, in all likelihood, it was the paw of the rater.
As a breed, the Valenvian raters were finally formed by the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. It was then, on the territory of Spain, there were a lot of such dogs. According to the international classification, raters are terriers, dogs that hunt foxes, badgers and rats. Numerous British ships entered the south of Spain. They wore fox terriers, Yorkshire terriers and so on. That is, their fighters against the "gray brotherhood". Black raters are very similar to German pinschers. Apparently, here it was not without the infusion and the blood of German dogs. After such a mixture, such wonderful Valencian raters turned out.
Until 1996, the Valencian rater in his homeland, in Spain, was not officially recognized as a breed. The first entry in the local studbook was made in 1998, and at the same time these small dogs began to be considered the national Spanish breed. Now, there are already quite a lot of Valencian raters in Spain, but at the very beginning of the eighties of the last century, there were only a few of them.
The technological explosion and progress then reduced the number of the breed, the rat catchers were no longer needed. Humanity pays too dearly for the development of civilization. Unique species of canines are disappearing, but people are still trying to revive and preserve them. It is wonderful that the Spaniards keep their national breeds. After all, this is their story and without these wonderful dogs it will not be complete.
Description of the parameters of the appearance of the Valencian rater
The dog has a small size, compact, dry, muscular body and short hair. The height at the withers in males is from 36 cm to 44 cm and in bitches from 31 cm to 39 cm. The weight of males is 7-10 kg and bitches is 6-8 kg.
- Head small, elongated. The skull is enlarged in the forehead. The brows are developed harmoniously.
- Muzzle strong, slightly widened, tapering towards the nose, but not sharp. Stop, not manifested. The lips are tightly pulled. The flews are picked up. The jaws are powerful and should be scissor-shaped.
- Nose - developed, black.
- Eyes raters are located just above the muzzle. They are rounded oval, black or light brown.
- Ears - placed high, at the level of the occiput, triangular, erect.
- Neck - medium, high, strong, dry, beautifully curved.
- Frame - square, strong, muscular, compact. The chest is oval, of excellent depth and width. Ribs not prominent. The back is straight, short, well muscled. The loin is strong. The croup is strong, muscular, and short. The bottom line is tightened.
- Tail - located high. They prefer to cut it short.
Extremities:
- Front - long, stable, straight bones and prominent muscles. The set is neither narrow nor wide. The hind ones are parallel to each other, slightly set back when viewed from the side, with a strong bone structure.
- Paws - small forms, collected in a lump.
- Coat Valencian rater short. The guard hair is smooth and moderately coarse to the touch. It grows densely and adheres tightly to the skin. No undercoat.
- Color - two types. There are white individuals with black spots in the head area and along the rump, and bright red tan marks (above the eyes, on the muzzle, on the inner side of the ears). There are pure black dogs with bright reddish markings above the eyes, on the muzzle, limbs, on the lower abdomen and in the tail area.
The characteristic behavior of the Valencian rater
Raters are direct dogs. For all their unsociability, pets love to play with children. And the children are very happy to communicate with these dogs. If you are interested in the Valencian rater, then you must understand - this is a dog of the same owner. Yes, of course, she will love other family members as well, but she will fully focus on only one person.
These dogs are fearless little defenders. They will bravely rush to protect every member of the family in which they live. Well, if rats or mice are in your house, Valencian raters will overfill them with the speed of a cat. That is why, you can not have small animals in the house of hamsters, guinea pigs. The hunter's instinct will sooner or later break out. Thanks to its compact size and dedicated nature, the Valencian rater can be taken with you wherever you go.
Valencian rater health
Like most small dogs, raters are in excellent health. Their average life expectancy is about fourteen, sixteen years, but there are also breed individuals that have lived much longer. They did not have any genetic diseases. They can be mostly purchased. That is, injuries as a result of falls, fights with other dogs.
In these cases, everything will be on the owner's conscience. For example, if you bought a rater puppy and you have slippery laminate flooring in your house. Then the dog will be unstable when walking. Because of this, the growth of the bones of the forelimbs may develop incorrectly in the dog, which is manifested in the so-called markup. It won't do much harm, but your Valencian rater will no longer be able to participate in exhibitions. Make sure that the puppy does not jump from high sofas and other heights. On the street, always keep your pet on a leash so that he does not get involved in a competitive fight for a hot bitch.
Always remember that timely vaccination will protect your animal from many diseases. The same vaccine will strengthen immunity. Even if your Valencian rater comes into contact with animals that carry ringworm, he will not catch it.
Valencian rater care criteria, content
- Wool short and therefore not problematic to care for. Brush it once every week. When a dog sheds, you need to quickly help her get rid of dead hairs. And the pet will be more comfortable and there will be less cleaning in your apartment. Naturally, it is better to carry out these manipulations on a walk every day, until the end of the change of coat. This is done using rubber or natural bristle aids. "Bathhouse" for dogs is arranged no more than four times, every month, or if your pet has presented you with a surprise by rolling in the mud. It is better to select shampoos that are gentle and dilute with water before the procedure, so as not to strongly degrease the skin of the animal. After soaping, the dog is thoroughly rinsed. A wet dog should be blotted with a towel and left to dry in a warm room.
- Teeth Keep the rater clean. From puppyhood, the dog should know what it is and allow you to clean it up. Eating dry food or chewing hard bones from a zoological store, but not natural ones, helps very well for the prevention of dental plaque. Animal bones are very dangerous to health. They clog the intestines. And chicken bones have sharp edges when broken and can easily cut the gastrointestinal tract of dogs. Through the carelessness, ignorance or stupidity of the owners, more than one dog died.
- Ears check promptly and clean if necessary. If the auricles are clean, there is no need to manipulate again. On the contrary, you can only make it worse. When cleaning, use a wax softener purchased from a veterinary pharmacy.
- Eyes - do not require special attention. But, it is necessary to inspect them systematically. If dust gets on the mucous membranes of the eyes, wipe them off with a product that relieves irritation. When anything more serious occurs, take your dog to the veterinary clinic to see an ophthalmologist.
- Claws - cut constantly. As soon as the stratum corneum grows back, it interferes with the dog's movement, fingers may be deformed. Claws are removed using special tools. If your pet walks a lot on a hard surface, then he will wear off the extra stratum corneum himself and you will only have to remove the claws on the dewclaws.
- Feeding active pets should include the full spectrum of substances for their complete saturation, but not oversaturation. So that you do not rack your brains over the composition of food, its preparation, dosage, selection of vitamins and microelements, it would be best to purchase a professional, ready-made food. For the correct intake of food, it will be enough to study the reverse side of the package and know the weight of your dog. You should know that for each specific brand of feed there is a special cup on which the norms in grams are marked. You don't need to weigh anything, just add the pellets up to a certain mark. If your rater spends a lot of energy walking or exercising, give him a little more than his normal daily allowance for concentrate.
- Walking - these small but mobile dogs are not as short as you might think. Valencian raters have to spend the energy given to them by nature somewhere. If your pet does not move and walk enough, then everything that he did not receive will be reimbursed at home in full. And then don't complain about damaged shoes, furniture upholstery, table and chair legs. You will be to blame. Once you have acquired a pet, be so kind as to know its needs and take care of it.
Valencian rater training
They are intelligent dogs, but their training requires affection and patience. Start all lessons gradually, but from the first days of the puppy's appearance in your home. Do not punish an incorrectly executed command with force. Rather will stop trusting you. He will not understand what you want from him and will be afraid of you. The dog can begin to bite at the slightest danger and will become aggressively fearful. Bringing back the dog's trust will be difficult. Show your dissatisfaction with your voice or ignoring the rater. Always praise your dog as soon as he does the right thing.
Interesting facts about the Valencian rater dog
There are a great many similar rat-catchers in the countries of Central and Latin America. There are raters in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela. By the way, in Spain, every self-respecting province has its own raters. The Canary Islands are no exception. Only there, these dogs are called ratanero palmero - rat catchers from the island of La Palma. Many ships, when leaving for America, stopped in the Canary Islands. There were rat-catchers on the ships, some of them remained on the islands, and such wonderful individuals turned out. They have two distinctive features. They are born with a short, short tail and an irregular bite, when the lower jaw is pushed forward - undershot.
Valencian raters dock their tails. As a rule, they are pruned at the age of several days. This operation is simple and the breeders carry it out at home. But, in Valencia, cutting the tails of dogs is prohibited, and in neighboring Murcia it is allowed. Breeders take their puppies, travel a hundred kilometers to Murcia, cut the tails of the dogs there and come back. These are the legal conflicts.
Valencian rater purchase and price
This breed is not widespread. You can buy raters preferably in nurseries in Spain. The cost of a puppy is $ 800-1200. You can check the exact price with the breeder.
More about the Valencian rater in the following video:
