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Breed Feature – Jack Russell Terrier
JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
– Simon Mills HISTORY The history of the Jack Russell Terrier in England is fairly well documented from its origins as a white bodied terrier bred to bolt the fox without damaging it, from its den during the hunt, by Parson John Russell – the curate of several parishes in Devon and an avid follower of Foxhounds.
In Australia, dogs were brought in from the UK by immigrants, and during the 1960s by the wellknown Roycroft show jumping family. Many of today’s Jacks have those Roycroft dogs in their pedigrees.
The Jack Russell Terrier Club of Australia was formed in those 1960s, and a registration system was started. The club held breed shows, and had several discussions with the ANKC regarding accepting the Jack Russell as a pure breed. This eventually happened, and from 1 January 1991 dogs who were registered with the JRTCA could be transferred onto the ANKC Registers.
The Breed standard calls for a marginally longer than tall dog standing between 25 and 30cms at the withers, and comes in three coat types – smooth, rough and broken, which is in between. It is said that the broken coat was John Russell’s favourite “The best breed are wire haired. The peculiar texture does not interfere with the profile of the body, though there is a shaggy eyebrow and a pronounced moustache. The eyebrow is the great mark, giving the dog the look of a Bristol merchant.......” and “White is the useful as well as the fashionable colour but a coloured ear or head is not objectionable...” (Thomas Henry Pearce “Idstone” who owned the Parson’s Terriers). Hence the requirement in the Breed Standard is for a predominantly white dog.
TEMPERAMENT The Jack Russell is generally happy and an outgoing little dog, willing to please, but sometimes with a naughty streak! Remembering that they were bred to bolt the fox from its den by barking, they can be noisy when excited, or greeting someone at the gate.
Natural hunters, they will go for lizards, snakes and anything else that moves quickly, and will be totally focussed on that job.
They are trainable, as witnessed by the number that can be seen on TV commercials, and are successful in dog sports such as Agility, Lure Coursing and Earthdog.
HEALTH The breed is generally healthy and has a long life span of 14-15 years. Occasionally an eye condition PLL (Primary Lens Luxation) may occur, and also Canine Hyperuricosuria (elevated levels of uric acid in the urine, which may form stones in the urinary tract.) DNA tests are available for these conditions, and many breeders are now having these tests done on their breeding stock.
There also were a very few cases of Legge Calve Perthes several years ago but nothing recently. Perthes is a lameness in, usually one hip caused by an inadequate blood supply to the femoral head, resulting in an improper fit of the hip ball and socket, causing arthritis if not surgically fixed.
SUITABILITY Jack Russell Terriers are great family dogs, but because they can be enthusiastic, children over three are best suited. Training should begin early, so that your dog becomes well-mannered and easy to live with.
Jacks do not like to be left alone, so having someone at home most of the time is recommended. Being left on their own in the yard could cause boredom, and being Terriers could also cause them to dig holes!! An absolute MUST For their size, they are very active, so consideration should be given as to your lifestyle. They do like to travel with you, and there are plenty of caravan parks that will allow a wellbehaved dog on their grounds.
Regular grooming is essential for all types of coat, as they do moult! For those owners who enjoy some activity, the Jack Russell Terrier Club of NSW conducts regular Race Days, including a Members’ Point Score, an ideal opportunity for owners and their families to get together and swap Jack Russell stories!
So for an all-round good fun dog, who can go past a Jack Russell Terrier? It might be small, (maximum 6kgs in weight) but it really is a big personality in a little package.
