choosing a terrier

Question
I live in a first-floor apartment, have 2 children who love animals and have noticed that rats come into my garden from time to time.
I work full time, so I need a dog that will keep the rats away, will be able to be alone in the mornings, learn fast and love children.  We go to the beach a lot in the summer, and will take the dog with us.
Thanks

Answer
Hmm.. this is a hard question. Terriors werent really meant to be animals to heard away intruders. The other thing is that terriors come in all types of personalities  so being able to find one that is willing to chase away a rat as opposed to running away from one is hard. You would have to train your dog. You can find a local training center that will help develop a training program ideal to what you are looking for. As far as terriors go.... boston terriors have a lot of spunk and are strong for thier size. they would be more apt to wanted to chase around rats, but are alos very loveable and sweet dogs. they kind of look like mini-boxers. Hope this helped!


Miss Petxpert