What is a Rat Terrier?

At the dog park we were asked the difference between a Fox Terrier and a Rat Terrier. Good question. So I looked up both breeds on Wikipedia. While they didn't compare the Rat Terrier to a Fox Terrier there was a personality description that describes Jake to a "T."

Temperament

Although often mistaken for a Jack Russell Terrier, the Rat Terrier has a different profile and a very different temperament. Rat Terriers are finer of bone and have a more refined head. They always have a short single coat—never wire coated. Rat Terriers tend to be less aggressive than Jack Russells; while they have a definite terrier personality they also have an "off switch" and love lounging on the sofa in a lap as much as tearing about the yard. Rat Terriers are normally cheerful dogs but they tend to be more sensitive than Jack Russells to changes in their environment, owner's moods, or to unexpected noises, people, and activities.