What Is The Ideal Weight For A Rat Terrier? Average Healthy Weight

Weight is an essential factor that determines the health level of a doggo. So it’s imperative that you keep your furry friend within the proper weight limit. But before you do that, you should have the knowledge about this ideal weight, shouldn’t you? Let’s find out the average healthy weight of a Rat Terrier.

So, what is the ideal Rat Terrier weight? A fully grown Rat Terrier should have an average weight of 6.5 kg to 15 kg. If he even adds one more kilogram than this, it could badly affect his bone structure.

Let’s get started!

What Is The Ideal Weight For A Rat Terrier? Average Healthy Weight

Despite his breed and age, staying inside the ideal weight area is vital for any dog. But, you should understand that this healthy weight differs from dog breed to breed depending on its age.

Further, this weight plays a significant role for small species like Rat Terriers. Why? Let us explain. 

Ratties are naturally small in size and have a fragile-looking bone structure. Their legs, which hold their body’s whole weight, are thin compared to other dog breeds.

And there’s a maximum limit of weight that these legs could hold up. If that limit were passed even by a mere kilogram, it would affect those legs day by day. 

Rat Terriers reach their grown-up state at around ten months to one year. Until this age, they will continue to grow up putting on weight.

Even though the ideal weight is changing, you should be smart enough to bring your Rat Terrier weight up to that level. 

Let’s check how this weight changes according to the growth of your Rattie. 

• Newborn

A newborn puppy will weigh mere several ounces at birth. Since then, these pups will continue to grow.

From birth until they are a couple of weeks old, these newborns are considered to be in the neonatal phase. 

They will not open their eyes or ears until they are three weeks old but will put weight around 150g per week. 

• Four Months To Nine Months Old

When the puppy reaches four months, he should be between four to 5 kilograms. 

The ideal Rat Terrier’s weight is between seven to ten kilograms between four to nine months. During this time, your furry friend will reach puberty.

He’ll be full of energy and show emotions such as fear, stubbornness, and disobedience. 

• Fully Grown And Adult Ages

As I mentioned before, your Rattie is officially a full-grown dog when he’s around ten to twelve months old. By then, he should weigh 7 kilograms to 12 kilograms. 

These are the primary growth phases in a dog. And as he grows, this weight should increase accordingly.

Another thing that I should mention is your pet will be an adult dog at 18 months of age. At this age, his height and weight will stabilize at one point. He’ll stand tall at 15 to 18 inches with a weight of 12 to 15 kilos. 

What I mentioned above are the minimum and maximum limits of weights of a Rattie at several age levels. It’s up to you, as the dog parent, to maintain an average weight between those limits. 

Are Rat Terriers Skinny? Why?

Naturally, this breed has a lean body. So often, you might think that your pet is underweight. But he’ll be fine as long as he stays between the ideal Rat Terrier weight limits. 

The best way to quickly check that is to look down on your Rattie while he’s standing. There, you should see his ribs narrowing down to his hips. Those bones must not be well pronounced but slightly seeable. 

Another way is to run your hands on either side of your friend’s body. Your fingers must feel his ribcage faintly. If you could feel them just underneath his skin, your doggo would have a healthy weight. 

This Terrier breed indeed has a naturally lean body structure. Yet if he has a high metabolism or is not neutered (he’ll have a high testosterone level), your furry friend is likely to be underweight. 

The best way to turn up his growth is to add some omega-3 fatty acids to his diet. 

What Is The Average Weight Of A Female Rat Terrier?

A female Rattie is usually smaller than a male dog. She’ll be around sixteen to seventeen inches, putting her two to three inches behind the male. 

So, typically, the female’s weight should be less than that of a male. A full-grown girl should have a Rat Terrier weight of eight to ten kilograms when fully grown.

She will have a more tiny body, whereas the boy will have a doubled weight as the female. 

Females tend to mature faster than their partners. It allows them to reach puberty and grow to adult size earlier than the male doggo.

So girls will stop growing at a younger age whereas the boys will continue to develop.

What Is The Average Weight Of A Male Rat Terrier?

As I mentioned above, the male dog of this breed is more significant than its female. That’s unsurprising because this is prevalent among all animal species, including us humans. 

As discussed above, female dogs reach adulthood faster than males while their male counterparts keep growing. So, the same theory applies to our Ratties as well. 

So what’s the ideal male Rat Terrier weight? 

A boy Rattie will eventually grow up to be around no more than 19 inches in height. That is about a few inches taller than his partner. Therefore to match this height, his weight should increase too.

Hence, a male dog’s ideal Rat Terrier weight will be around 12 kilograms to 15 kilograms when he’s fully grown.

How To Maintain The Ideal Weight?

If you ever notice that your pet is underweight or obese (overweight), you need to take serious action quickly, especially if you have a Rat Terrier. Why? 

Because they have much skinnier legs, their limbs could only hold up a little weight. Let’s see how you could bring your friend back to a healthy weight. 

• If Your Pet Is Underweight

First, consult your veterinarian and ensure he’s not with any illnesses. If not, gradually increase the number of calories your pet takes daily.

You could increase the number of meals per day and add more fatty acids such as omega-3 to his daily diet. You could also use the help of a high-calorie supplement. 

It’s better to take the doctor’s advice before choosing the right brand. 

• If He’s Overweight 

Simple. Don’t overfeed him. Please give him a proper amount of food and treats every day, and get him to exercise a bit more.

If you can, consider taking the advice of a pet trainer for better results.

Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts.