Jack Russell Terriers

Jack Russell Terriers have an unequaled knack for finding trouble—and their owners would have it no other way. It takes a certain amount of imagination and creativity to achieve some of the Jack Russell Terrier's reported transgressions. If they were people, most would probably be labeled juvenile delinquents. But also—geniuses. Because when you give a Jack something constructive and challenging to do with all that creativity, they can achieve amazing feats. Some top animal actors have been Jack Russell Terriers who were given up as being incorrigible, only to find fame in the hands of trainers who channeled their imagination and energy. Jack Russell Terriers are among the most playful of breeds, and because of this, make great companions for considerate, older children. Adult family members will find a willing partner in jogging, hiking, and almost any kind of dog sport. And the elderly will cherish Jack Russell Terriers as clownish and ingenious entertainers.

The Jack Russell Terrier is a dapper dog that looks ready for action. They are a long-legged terrier with medium bone and a slender appearance. In fact, the standard demands that the chest not be too deep; it should be able to be spanned by average-sized hands. This is to enable the dog to fit and turn inside narrow burrows. The topline is straight and level, with the tail set high and carried gaily. In countries in which it is legal, it is typically docked so the tail tip is about level with the skull when the head is up. The head has a flat skull. The eyes are almond-shaped, and the ears are small and V-shaped, rising up slightly and carried forward so the tip points toward the eye. The coat can be either smooth, rough, or broken. The smooth coat is short and close-lying. The rough coat is wiry and of medium length, with facial furnishings. The broken coat is between the other types in length and wiriness, and may or may not have facial furnishings. The color is predominantly white with any combination of black, tan, or brown markings.

In typical terrier-manner, Jack Russell Terriers are into everything. They are inquisitive to the point of getting themselves stuck in odd places, even underground or in hollow trees. They are also stubborn, and have been known to stay underground having holed up some wild animal. They also bore easily. A Jack Russell Terrier stuck inside all day is a Jack Russell Terrier that may ransack the cupboards, climb the shelves, dig a hole in the sofa, or turn the books and pillows into confetti. The best way around this is to provide your Jack Russell Terrier with many diversions, and tire him out with lots of physical and mental activities. Jack Russell Terriers are among the most trainable of dogs, but without training, they can be difficult to live with. Jack Russell Terriers are truly dogs for active people who want to share their active lifestyles with their dog. Even so, expect the unexpected—and have a great sense of humor. They make great playmates for older, considerate children, but may not tolerate rough handling from young children. Jack Russell Terriers are not known for being friendly toward other dogs, and are typically not good dog park candidates. They also tend to chase family cats, and terrorize family hamsters and other rodents.

One reason Jack Russell Terriers excel as animal actors is because it’s easy to teach a dog what not to do, but difficult to teach one what to do. Jack Russell Terriers have lots of behaviors in their repertoire. So if the trainer wants to teach the dog to open a door, or bark, or dig, it’s likely the Jack Russell Terrier already knows how to do these things, and the trainer needs only get the dog to do so on cue. And of course, the trainer also has to discourage some other behaviors. Dogs that make great animal actors tend to be challenging at home because they offer so many behaviors. Any Jack Russell Terrier owner must be willing and happy to train their dog, both to make clear what behaviors are going to be rewarded, but also to keep their dog’s mind challenged and exercised. Jack Russell Terriers are stubborn, and will dig their feet in if you try to use force, but will respond beautifully to reward-based training. The reward can be treats, toys, or interactive games like tugging. Jack Russell Terriers, such as the ones appearing on the television shows Wishbone and Frazier, have been among the most successful animal actors. Did you know the Jack Russell Terrier in the TV show Frazier was given up by his first owners for behavior problems? It took a trainer to recognize his potential and bring it out by giving him challenges and rewarding those desirable behaviors. Other Jack Russell Terriers have competed successfully at the highest levels of competitive obedience and agility.

According to DNA studies the Jack Russell Terrier, Parson Russell Terrier, and Wire Fox Terrier are all closely related. But given their history, this is no surprise. The Parson John (Jack) Russell started with a dog named Trump, the Parson’s answer to his quest for a long-legged terrier that could keep up with a pack of foxhounds. He bred a strain of dogs descending from Trump, and they became popular with other hunters, who called them Jack Russell Terriers. These dogs were long-legged, came in either short or wire coats, and were considered a strain, not a breed. In other words, he had no qualms about mixing in other breeds as he saw fit to produce his hunting Jack Russell Terriers. Around 1900, short-legged Jack Russell Terriers came on the scene, and later became extremely popular around barns with the horse crowd. The breed’s main club, the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America (JRTCA), was strongly opposed to American Kennel Club (AKC) recognition, but the AKC recognized the breed nonetheless in 2000. Although the AKC recognized only the long-legged version, short-legged Jack Russell Terriers were still popular. Finally, the AKC divided them into long-legged Jack Russell Terriers, which they called Parson Russell Terriers, and short-legged Jack Russell Terriers, which they called Russell Terriers. However, the most popular Jack Russell Terriers are still those recognized by the JRTCA as Jack Russell Terriers. The JRTCA still objects to the AKC versions to the extent that membership in the JRTCA is denied to anyone owning an AKC Parson Russell or Russell Terrier. Celebrity Jack Russell Terriers include the dogs starring on “Frasier,” ”Wishbone,” “My Dog Skip,” and “The Mask,” among others. Celebrity owners include Bette Midler, Audrey Hepburn, Sandra Bullock, Michael Douglas, Sarah Ferguson, and Mariah Carey.