Standard

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
: The Czech Republic.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE LAST VALID STANDARD: 12. 10. 1980.
USE: Companion dog.
FCI CLASSIFICATION – After his international recognition:
Group 9 – Companions and Toys
Section: 12 Ratters
No working trial .

SHORT HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Historically, this breed has been known since the remote past of the Czech
state. Because of its small size, fast movement and highly developed sense of smell it was used for killingrats (which gave it the name „Krysařík“ =Ratter). This quality it possesses was gained during its long historical development. This small active dog was often seen at aristocratic feasts of Czech kings at the Prague castle. It adorned courts of Bohemian aristocracy and as a present from the Bohemian kings it became a possession of other European rulers and later of the ordinary citizens.
Searching of the historical sources brought the results proving that this breed really comes
from Bohemia and its origins can be traced to the early history of ournation. In 1980 its regeneration successfully started. Pražský krysařík is again a favourite pet, lives in our families and the people in the countries ofthe world have started being interested in it, which is a very pleasing fact.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

A small smooth-haired dog, nearly quadratic compact body structure.
Despite its little height very active, alert, lively. Dogs looks masculine and bitches feminine.
TEMPERAMENT AND QUALITIES:
Gentle, curious and tender. Fast, with good movement and steady. By nature not trustful to strangers but very friendly and warm-hearted to its family. It suits to every family which can appreciate its nature nobility and character .

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS

  • Height withers to body length: 1 : 1,05 – bitches could be longer
  • Depth of chest represents 45 – 50% of the height withers
  • Skull width to skull length 1 : 1 to 1,03
  • Length of foreface represents 1/3 – ½ of the head length

We have to understand these measurements and propor
tions as ideal but it is the general appearance that is always important..

HEAD

Head is pear-shaped.

Skull is round, not parallel with nose, occiput is
prominent. Eyes are setwide apart. Skin on skull has no folds and is coated with short and fine hair.
Stop is distinct.

Foreface

Nose area:is fully pigmented, its colour fits the colour of the coat.

Lips:Lips are close-fitting, firm and are closed in corners. Lip edges are
fully pigmented. The colour fits the colour of the coat.

Jaws/teeth:Both jaws are firm and converge to muzzle. Teeth have regular
scissor bite. It is preferable if no teeth are missing. .

Eyes:Eyes are dark, the colour fits the basic colour of the coat. They are of
medium size, round, noticeably bulging and set wide apart. Lids are tight-fitting, well pigmented.
Ears:Ears are set at the back of the head, triangular,firm, naturally erected.
If they are slightly hanging downwards, it is tolerated but not preferable.
They are not carried vertically but in a gentle angle to the sides

Neck:
Neck is without folds, gracefully curved and sufficiently long, at the right angle to body and head.

BODY

Upperline:Straight and firm.

Withers:Flat. .

Back:Short, straight, firm.

Loins:Short, relating firmly to back, gradually terminating in tail. .

Croup:Gently inclined, sufficiently long.

Chest:Not too deep, oval in cross-section. Chest depth forms 45 – 50% of
height at withers.

Underline and abdomen:Abdomen is slightly drawn-in, between abdomen
and loins clearly merging into drawn-in flank.

Tail:Tail is set at the level of back, docked. If not docked, then it can reach
the hock joint at maximum. Strong, gets narrower to the top. The tail is straight or from the half slightly upright. In movement it is carried higher, it can be curled above the back in a semicircle.

LEGS

FOREQUARTERS

In general: From the front view straight, parallel, dog should not stand very
widely.

Shoulder blades: Muscular, held closely to the chest. Angle with shoulders
is not too obtuse.

Elbows: Set close, straight. Turned neither outside nor inside. .

Forearm: adequately strong, straight.

Pastern: From the front view as a fluent continuing of forearm. From the side view slightly bent, solid.

Forefeet:Round, firm, with well arched toes, which fit together tightly.Claws are dark.

HINDQUARTERS

General: muscles well developed, from the side view Stiflejoint well bent
and hock well agulated. From the back view dog should stand solidly,parallely and not too widely.

MOVEMENT:

Both forequarters and hindquarters produce steady,flowing, parallel, light movement. Pads must not drag along. Hindfeet stepfully into forequarters traces. .

SKIN

Skin is tough, strong, firm and fits tight to body. Pigment fits with the colour of the coat.

COAT

5TYPE OF COAT::

  • Short, glossy, fitting close to body, thick, without bald places.Head is usually coated with thinner and shorter coat than the body.
  • Medium long, flags on ears, quarters, tail and slightly open on the chest.

COLOUR OF THE COAT:

Black and tan, brown and tan and other lighter variants to yellow recessive
colour included merle and red. Tan is red, deep, most desired is dark red well marked. It is found above eyes, on cheeks, on chest and on the paster of the forefeet. Then on the feet, inside the hindquarters and under the root of the tail.. On the forechest it forms two similar separated triangles.Colours different from black and tan differ in the basic colour of the coat,nose, eye and markings. Deeper pigmentation is pref
erable.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

Ideal height is 20 – 23 cm..

Ideal weight is cca 2,60 kg..

FAULTS

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and
the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. Possibilities of wrong in fluence on health and behaviour are a part of the standard, too:

  • narrow or insufficiently arched skull
  • asymmetrical bite
  • slightly arched back and loins, softer back
  • paws slightly curving outwards or inwards
  • more yellow spots on head, abdomen, yellow thread, not separated triangles on the chest
  • pigmentation of the upper lip does not match the basic colour of the coat
  • big white spot on the chest (more than 1cm2), seldom white spots on toes
  • black thread in the red coat colour
  • permanently curled tail or tail closely fits to one side, low-set tail
  • longer body with shorter legs
  • nose not pigmented

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

  • fontanelle
  • apple shaped head, it means that foreface does not make 1/3 of the length of the head
  • blue or predatory eye
  • overlap or overbite
  • ear closely fits the head
  • heavily arched back and loins
  • bald spots on any part of the body
  • more than 4 teeth missing (except P1 and M3), 2 or more incisors missing
  • missing tan marks on the head if has tan marks on the body
  • large white mark on the chest, more than 2 cm2 and white markings anywhere on body or legs
  • large black thread scumbling the basic red and tan colour- extreme timidity
  • aggressivity
  • withers height under 18cm

Note: Male animals must have both testicles apparently regular, fully
descended into the scrotum.

(materials taken from the club Prague Ratter)