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HISTORY/DEVELOPMENT OF THE DECKER  RAT TERRIER

     It all began with the love of a dog named Henry. You see, this Rat Terrier, to Milton Decker an avid hunting enthusiast, possessed qualities that are seen only once in a lifetime. Henry was a 32 pound male with button ears and exhibited tremendous working and hunting qualities. He was quite intelligent with a wonderful disposition and a superb all round family dog.

     Being so taken with this dog, and wanting to preserve what they had found, Milton embarked on a journey about the year 1970. He traveled from Oregon to as far away as Texas, Kansas and Mississippi;  searching for the largest  Rat Terriers he could locate for breeding stock to recreate his ideal of the perfect dog. By breeding the Henry dog to the Rat Terrier stock that he had obtained the Decker strain was on its way to development.
Because there was a need for larger dogs at the time, this made way for breeding and retaining the large size. He succeeded in doing this along with fixing in an erect ear set. And so the name Decker "Giant" came into existence.
Decker's Henry 32lbs
 

     The dogs that he produced from these lines lived up to all his expectations.   Here was a utility dog that was an excellent all round hunter. Vermin, squirrel, bird and upland quail were commonly hunted and they would also retrieve from the water when necessary.  These dogs were capable of baying up wild pig and would tree just about anything.  They were also skilled in hunting big game like deer, cougar and bear. Some were even used on Jaguar in Central America before they hit the endangered species list. Bow hunters loved them because they were such great scent trailers. The dog would stay within 300 feet of the hunter and have been known to even turn the hunt back.

     Natural instinct without any training makes them valuable to the farmer. They will efficiently and quickly rid a farm of mice with a quick shake, a toss over their shoulder and proceed onward. When presented with many mice to kill at once, what couldn't be put in his mouth to kill was pinned down with his paws until he could get to them.
     The Rat Terrier has proven invaluable in states where new laws have prohibited the use of poison baits or traps. They help to control pocket gophers and feral pigs on 
ranches that are plagued with them.
    Their ability is not limited to hunting. His quiet demeanor also makes him an excellent apartment dog. He rates par excellent being unequaled in the sport of 
Schutzund.
Milton Decker with Deckers Towser 35lbs 
and Deckers Stella 28lbs