Pražský Krysařík

The Prague Ratter — Pražský Krysařík — is one of the smallest dog breeds in the world, a Czech ratting companion with a long courtly history.

History

It appears in Bohemian records from the Middle Ages, kept at the Czech royal court and used to kill rats in kitchens and cellars. The breed declined almost to extinction and was rebuilt from the 1980s, and Czech breeders distinguish it from the Miniature Pinscher it is often mistaken for.

Temperament

The breed is known for being lively, alert and closely attached to its people, bolder than its size suggests and often reserved with strangers.

Care and training

Exercise needs are modest but real; it is a terrier-minded dog and needs occupation. A very small, thin-coated dog feels the cold. Training benefits from consistency and from not indulging the size.

Health

Known tendencies include patellar luxation and the dental crowding common in very small breeds. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.