Most feists have an extreme drive to chase rabbits, along with squirrels and other rodents. This contrasts with terriers or Dachshunds, earth dogs that go to ground to kill or drive out the prey, usually rodents, rabbits, foxes, or badgers.
Individual dogs can hunt in more than one way, but in general, feists work above ground to chase small prey, especially squirrels. They are identified more by the way they hunt and their size than by their appearance. As feists are bred for hunting, not as show dogs, little to no consistency is seen in appearance (breed type), and they may be purebred, crossbred, or mixed-breed dogs. The tail can be natural, bobtail, or docked. The ears are set high on the head and are button, erect, or short hang. Some of these dogs have been crossed with Greyhounds, Whippets or Italian Greyhounds (for speed), and Beagles or other hounds (for hunting ability)-extending the family to include a larger variety of purpose than the original ratter, or Rat Terrier.įeists are small to medium-sized dogs 10 to 18 in (25 to 46 cm) tall, and weigh 15 to 30 lb (6.8 to 14 kg), short-coated dogs with long legs. These dogs were used as ratters, and gambling on their prowess in killing rats was a favorite hobby of their owners. These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, and the now-extinct English White Terrier. Treeing Feist, Treeing Terrier, Ratting Terrier, Rat TerrierĪ feist is a small hunting dog, descended from the terriers brought over to the United States by British miners and other immigrants.
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