You’ll find folks out there that will commonly say that you should never judge an individual dog by the “type” of breed that they are, however, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that’s going to tell you that a Jack Russell Terrier isn’t going to have a ton of energy!
Which is good news…
Because if you’re seriously thinking about adoption a Jack Russell Terrier or Jack Russell Terrier rescue dog, it’s that boundless energy that probably first attracted you to this dog breed in the first place.
Or…
At least it should have been, otherwise perhaps you don’t know enough about this dog breed quite yet. Which is fine because this is why we wanted to write this article so that we can give folks who are thinking about adopting a Jack Russell a little bit of perspective on what it might be like to own one of these “bundles of energy”!
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Jack Russell Terrier Breed Fast Facts
Country of Origin: England
Breed Group: Working Terrier
Height: 13 to 14 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 13 to 17 pounds
Life Span: 12 to 14 years
Origin of the Jack Russell Terrier
The Parson Russell Terrier or Jack Russell Terrier as most of us know them by is named after the man who developed them, an Oxford student by the name of John “Jack” Russell who in the min-1800’s decided that he wanted to try and create a perfect “fox bolting” dog.
To do so…
Russell decided to us a breed standard that went by the name of Trump (does the name sound familiar?) to essentially create a line of terriers that could keep up with horses while hunting foxes.
This is why…
John chose Trump because he came from a long line of Fox Terriers which of course already excelled at hunting down foxes. But John was looking for something with a bit more “spunk” which is why he decided to cross breed Trump with other dog breeds such as the now extinct White English Terrier.
And what he created…
Became an overnight success in the UK. In the United States, however, the breed was divided into two different categories, one that was governed by the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, and the other by the Parson Russell Terrier Association of the United States.
The Parson Russell Terrier Association…
Was aligned with the American Kennel Club, but they could not use the trademark Jack Russell for their dogs. They were referred to as the Parson Russell Terrier only.
Now the only…
Real difference between the two is that Jack Russell Terriers are “working” Terriers while those under the Parson Russell category are mainly considered show dogs.
And while…
This distinction may be REALLY important to some folks, because we here at IndulgeYourPet only really care about the health and well being of an animal and aren’t really all that concerned about all of these technicalities, we would advice anyone who is to visit the American Kennel Club (AKC) website directly to get more information about the two “subsets”.
There you will learn…
That the Jack Russell Terrier was first “officially” recognized by the AKC in 1997, but it was renamed as Parson Russell Terrier in 2003, leading to further acrimony.
It should be noted that…
The civil war between the two groups of Jack Russell Terrier owners in the United States continues to this day. Which always make us think of the line by William Shakespeare…
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”
We’ll leave it to you to decide.
Physical Characteristics of the Jack Russell Terrier… Ah, we mean the Parson Russell Terrier
Jack Russell’s can come in a variety of different sizes and can vary in height from 10 to 15 inches and in weight from 13 to 17 pounds. Now Jack Russell’s that are 10 to 12 inches tall are called Shorty Jacks, they are very similar to Dachshunds or Corgis.
But…
The Jack Russell’s that belong to the Parson Russell Terrier Club of America and the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America are preferred to be taller and rise up to 15 inches.
That said however…
Regardless of how your “terrier” is, he should have a smooth and broken coat that come in black or tan markings or in tricolors – black, tan and white.
Their coat will also be…
A double coat with a coarse texture or sometimes a rough coat slightly longer than a broken coat. The JRT’s coat is never wavy or curly and while it is short, it will still require a brushing every week.
Jack Russel Terrier Personality
This is a dog that needs to be with people all the time. He craves human company and hates being ignored. He loves his human family to death and gets very attached to every member of the family.
All that and…
He is brave and courageous and will defend you when you are under attack, never mind the fact that he weighs only 15 pounds! He is such a sweetheart to all those who mean you no harm and he is a fearless protector against anyone else.
But remember…
While the Jack Russell is amusing and fun to have around the house, he has a strong prey drive. He will go after cats, rats or anything that is small and moves. And he was created to be able to keep up with horses so when this little guy decides he wants to “take off” good luck trying to catch him.
Additionally…
Because these guys are fearless, they’ll often like to take on anything. And anything can and often will mean taking on dogs that are much bigger than him. So, if you He is very aggressive against other dogs and prefers humans to living with other dogs.
Now with humans…
He is great – he is friendly and affectionate, eager to please and very confident. He is even friendly with complete strangers. But he is very noisy and barks a lot. He is also a notorious digger, digs absolutely anything that can be dug. So please keep that in mind, especially if you decide you want to keep him indoors all day and are even remotely fond of your carpeting or hard wood floors.
Also…
These little guys are generally better suited to living in a house with older children. You never know with toddlers or small children as it is very hard to teach them to be respectful to dogs. There is a chance that the Jack Russell could snap at them.
Jack Russel Health Concerns
Jack Russell Terriers are a relatively healthy breeds and have a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. But they are prone to certain health conditions such as….
And a variety of eye conditions as well.
And while…
Many of these conditions may not be life threatening, they can certainly become quite expensive to deal with particularly if they become recurring issues.
This is why…
We here at IndulgeYourPet also recommend that any new pet owner take a moment and see what it might cost for you to purchase a pet insurance policy for your new animal.
Now will a pet insurance policy be right for everyone?
No, probably not. But until you fully understand what these policies “will” and “won’t” cover and how much these pet insurance policies cost, how will you know if one might be right for you?
For more information on who we feel currently offers the “best” pet insurance policies out there, we
I have had three Jack Russells two of them I rescued one named Ezekiel he passed away with pancreatitis after being 13 years old we have one now called Jebediah he never backs down and that includes any of them never backs down not afraid of nothing that could be good or bad but the most loyalist playful loving animal I’ve ever ever had and they are the best especially with the children
I am from Mumbai India and we would love to adopt a smooth coat Jack Russell Terrier – but don’t know how! My kids are crazy about dogs and we have always had them…
Cheers!
Adil