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| The Jack Russell Terrier; A breed I'm passionate about. | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 13 2007, 12:56 PM (421 Views) | |
| JRM | Jul 13 2007, 12:56 PM Post #1 |
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Where to start with the Jack Russell Terrier? Apologies if this turns ultimately into an essay. Its a breed I'm passionate about, and I hope that shows through. I'm drawing on info I put in my Puppy Pack, info from the FCI Breed Standard and through throughly researched history of the breed as I know it. As has been stated in the post relating to the Parson Russell Terrier, the name 'Jack Russell' is often attributed to any small terrier-type dog with a dash of white...or even just any small terrier of indeterminate breed. But, rest assured, it is a true breed, however not every 'Jack Russell' you meet is necessarily a Jack Russell Terrier. What folks might not know is that the Jack Russell *IS* a kennel club breed, and it is recognised by almost every national kennel club around the world, apart from, I'm embarrassed (and a little enraged) to say the kennel club in the country of its origin. Fans of the Jack russell terrier have the Australian Kennel Club to thank for this recognistion, and they worked tireslessly through the late 90's (and since the early 70's!) to develop the breed and to agree a breed standard with the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) - the governing body for the majority of national kennel clubs and breed registries around the world. The breed standard was finally accepted in 2000, and the Jack Russell Terrier was offically recognised and accepted as an FCI breed, and as such incorporated as such into kennel club registries around the world. The Jack Russell Terrier shares its early history with the Parson Russell Terrier. You can read the post relating to that breed for the history, and I won't increase the length of this essay by repeating it. But at some point in the history the two breeds split, and became two seperate entities. How and when the breeds split is open to interpretation and several theories abound. One claims that after the Parson died quite a lot of his stock wasdispersed, and several dogs came into the hands of one Arthur Heineman. Arthur is believed to have wanted a gamier terrier and started a few outcrossings to try to achieve this. He wanted a smaller dog to work underground, but he needed a smaller dog with the heart of a lion that would be able to look after itself underground when squaring up to a fox, badger or whatever that day's quarry. It is thought that some variation of bull terrier was used to bring in this gameness, and that smaller white terrier types were possibly used to bring the size down. Another theory involves Parson Russell's kennel maid, who was alleged to be doing some breeding of her own on the side to supplement her income. She wanted smaller, more manageable dogs, and like Heineman it is thought she wanted more game dogs to compensate for their smaller stature. With the Parson still continuing his own breeding plans, it is thought his kennel maid was using using some of his highly sought after dogs to sire litters to her own dogs, the pups of which were sold as terriers being of the Reverend John Russell's breeding stock, making good use of her coveted position as his kennel maid to sell the pups on his reputation. There are several more theories, but I fear I would bore you all with my anal research. Suffice to say, at some point in the history of the Parson Russell Terrier, a second type of terrier was developed, and thus one recognised breed of dog became two distinct and seperate types of working terrier. So, you think you want to own a Jack Russell Terrier? Now for some basic info on life with the breed. The Jack Russell is a happy, bold, energetic dog; they are extremely loyal, intelligent, and assertive. Their greatest attribute is their working ability, closely followed by their excellent qualities as a companion. Unlike some modern breeds, Jack Russells have one type, hunting. Hunting ability is bred into them. It is their nature. The unique personality of this feisty terrier is rapidly gaining popularity, but they are not a dog for everyone, especially first time dog owners. While adaptable to a variety of environments, they are first and foremost bred to hunt. Are Jack Russell Terriers really as energetic as they seem? Jack Russell Terriers are very energetic dogs, with a big need for regular exercise. They are working dogs, and need to have a job, whether it be keeping your garden free of rodents (digging is normal and common, since they are bred to dig after quarry), chasing a ball, or going for a run or long walk with it's owner. Sitting on the couch peacefully all day is not in a Jack Russell's agenda. They require more of a time commitment than some breeds. Because they are small, they seem ideal for living in a flat. Will a Jack Russell be happy in a flat situation? Given the exercise requirements of the Jack Russell, a home with a large, fenced yard or garden is more appropriate. They do not take well to inactive, sedentary lifestyles. However, if you are at home during the day or are able to provide regular exercise, it may work. They need a 5-6 foot high fence, since they are known to jump, climb, and even dig under fences. Will a Jack Russell Terrier cohabitate with my cat/small pet/young child/horse? Cats and other small pets (rodents) will usually not work with a Jack Russell because these dogs are first and foremost hunting dogs. They see the cat or hamster/rat/guinea pig as prey (quarry). This is not true for all Jack Russells, and if brought into the household as a pup, most could be trained to live with a cat. Many Jack Russell owners are horse people. Jack Russells are not herding dogs, so the horse isn't generally of interest to them. Children under the age of six can be a problem, unless the child is taught how to properly handle the terrier. Having the natural assertive terrier characteristics, however, the Jack Russell will not put up with even unintended abusive behaviour from a child. This should be carefully considered, particularly with children under six. Are Jack Russell Terriers dog aggressive? They can be aggressive with other dogs (not just other terriers), and in certain cases, more than two terriers shouldn't be kept together unattended. It is very important that prospective Jack Russell owners understand this sometimes harsh part of the terrier's nature. Do a Google for 'same-sex agression' in dogs and please apply it to the Jack Russell Terrier. Can I train the hunting instinct out of my Jack Russell? To be blunt, perhaps you should consider a different breed if you don't wish to have a hunting dog. Jack Russell Terriers can be difficult to deal with because they are true hunting dogs. They should be kept on a lead when in rural/country areas, because if they take off after a squirrel or other quarry, they will not hesitate to dig and go underground. Terriers have been known to stay underground with their quarry for days, with no food or water. Health Information Hereditary defects do occur in the breed. Some occur because they are late onset, others because the genetic nature is recessive or polygenic which means the parents may be perfectly normal upon examination and yet produce affected litters. According to the Canine Eye Registration Foundation in America, some JRTs are afflicted with lens luxation. This is a displacement of the lens from its normal site behind the pupil and may result in elevated intraocular pressure (glaucoma) causing vision impairment or blindness. Lens luxation not associated with trauma or inflammation is presumed to be inherited. Legg-Perthes Disease also affects this breed, as it does many small breeds. It is very similar to hip dysplasia, however, instead of the acetabulum being shallow, necrosis is of the femoral head. This disease may be a simple autosomal recessive or polygenic (more than one gene involved) and results in painful hips. While those are the two most common diseases, the breed can also be afflicted with epilepsy, skin conditions (including allergies), and genetic deafness. The latter is associated with white coats: Dalmatians and some other white dogs have the same problem. A BAER test is necessary to rule out the condition. One may know that a dog can hear, but only the BAER test can prove whether the hearing is in both or only one ear. The familiar 'terrier hop' can often be attributed to Legg-Perthes Disease, but don't rule out a Luxating Patella...also a very common problem with this breed. Official Breed Standard I have put link to the FCI breed standard at the bottom of the post, so I won't repeat it here word for word, but a summary of some of the points. The Jack Russell terrier is recognised as being between 10" to 12" at the top of the shoulder. Where the Parson would be recognised as a 'square' terrier, i.e as tall as he is long, the Jack Russell terrier would be slightyl longer in body than he is tall. Colourwise, ideally the Jack Russell Terrier would be either white and black, white and tan, or white, tan and black. White is *always* the predominant colour, and the Jack Russell should be at least 51% white. This differs from the Parson, which should be predominantly white with (ideally) colour confined to the head and base of the tail (as I understand it). When buying a Jack Russell, don't *ever* be fobbed off with the breeder trying to convince you that the basket of little black and tan puppies are 'rare black and tan Jack Russells' They simply don't exist, and what the breeder is trying to plam you off with are crossbreed terriers, fine in itself and very probably lovely dogs, but unscrupulous breeders will play on the 'rare' and try to con a higher price out of unsuspecting folks. Oh, and don't start me on *Irish* Jack Russell Terriers... if they are true Jack Russell Terriers then they are true Jack Russell Terriers, regardless of where they originate from :rolleyes: . I live in Ireland, all my Jack Russells are registered with the Irish Kennel Club as Jack Russells Teriers, and are shown successfully at Irish Kennel Club Championship Shows. I am an active member of the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Ireland....and I absolutely abhor the numerous websites offering 'Genuine Irish Jack Russell Terriers', or even worse 'Rare Irish Black and Tan Jack Russell Terriers' :x: The black and tans aren't genuine Jacks, and the fact that any breed is marketed as Irish doesn't make it any different to a dog of the same breed bred in any other country! Do your homework and don't be fooled! For the officially recognised breed standard go here: Jack Russell Terrier If you want to compare it with the breed standard for the Parson Russell Terrier go here: Parson Russell Terrier Oh, and for a really great comparison of the two breeds, those lovely folks at the Singapore Jack Russell Terrier Club have done it for you, side by side breed standard comparisons with photos and diagrams to give examples of the differences. Breed Standard Comparison |
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| Tafia | Jul 13 2007, 02:11 PM Post #2 |
Total Gas Bag!
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Really informative. Just wanted to say that if at any point you wanted to share your more anal (!) research I'm sure that it's not just me who'd be interested in reading it. Thank you. |
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| Lu20 | Jul 13 2007, 02:27 PM Post #3 |
Total Gas Bag!
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I agree, a very informative and interesting profile. As for the Anal research?? :o |
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| PARSNIP | Jul 13 2007, 04:02 PM Post #4 |
Chatterbox
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Brilliant and fabulously informative- Its along the lines of what all "good" terrier people know; but in a lovely wording making it really accessible... WELL DONE! :P |
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| jakeysmum | Jul 15 2007, 07:15 PM Post #5 |
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One of the regulars
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That was really informative. I have a lovely little JRT and she is the feistiest most loyal dog I have ever had the pleasure to own x |
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| RJL | Jul 18 2007, 09:17 PM Post #6 |
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Chatterbox
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:yay: Great post JRM - definitely helps bring everything together! BTW a fair few so-called black & tan Jack Russels round here actually have heeler blood in them! An enterprising chap (or should I just say a prat? :P ) I once encountered was churning out black and tan smooth coated little dogs and selling them for 300 pounds as 'Pa***a Terriers' :wacko: He freely admitted he was taking the proverbial, but thought it was funny that people fell for it and paid up! I had seen the FCI standard for JRTs and I've read some really good articles on them. My post in the Parson section was based on UK KC classification only - so it's great to read another slant :yes: |
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| Laura | Oct 18 2008, 06:05 PM Post #7 |
One of the regulars
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Brilliant description! Little Meg is now over a year old -such a character and definately first and foremost a hunter. I call her a jack russel, but it's often questioned. She's just about 10 inches and only 4 1/2 Kilos, so fairly petite, white with black eye patches and a patch at the base of her tail. She's a long haired one, we met both parents, a grandmother and a great grandfather, a further 2 generations ratted on the same farm. All long haired. So I guess she's classed as pedigree something? I guess this is one of those occasions any small terrier gets called a Jack. |
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