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The Jack Russell Terrier is a type or landrace of small, principally white-bodied, smooth or rough-coated terrier that has
its origins in fox hunting. The name "Jack Russell" has been used to describe a wide array of small white terriers,
but is now most commonly used to describe a working terrier.
The Jack Russell Terrier is not the same as a Parson Russell Terrier, which is a breed recently created by narrowing the
Jack Russell standard. The Parson Russell Terrier is primarily a show dog, and is rarely found in the hunt field.
The Jack Russell Terrier is also not the same thing as an Australian Jack Russell Terrier or Russell Terrier, which are
dogs first brought into the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 2000 and the United Kennel Club in 2001, and which
are maintained under a different breed standard and described as having been developed in Australia out of dogs originating
in England.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
As a working terrier, a Jack Russell's most important physical attribute is not coat color, gait or expression, but chest
size, which must not be so large that it prevents the dog from entering and working in burrows.
The red fox is the traditional quarry of the Jack Russell Terrier, and the quarry pursued by the Reverend John Russell
himself. Red fox may den in a wide variety of locations from old badger setts, rabbit holes and groundhog dens to drain-pipes
and building crawl-spaces; but in all cases the working Jack Russell must be small enough to get up to its quarry, which is
to say a Jack Russell's chest should be no larger than that of the animal it is pursuing. Red foxes vary in size, but across
the world they average about 14 pounds in weight and have a chest size, on average of 12-14 inches in circumference when measured
at the widest part of the chest. As Barry Jones, the founding Chairman of the National Working Terrier Federation noted in
comments directed to those in the UK who were intent on pulling the Jack Russell Terrier into The Kennel Club as a Parson
Russell Terrier:
The chest is, without doubt, the determining factor as to whether a terrier may follow its intended quarry underground.
Too large and he/she is of little use for underground work, for no matter how determined the terrier may be, this physical
setback will not be overcome in the nearly-tight situations it will encounter in working foxes. It may be thought the fox
is a large animal - to the casual observer it would appear so. However, the bone structure of the fox is finer than that of
a terrier, plus it has a loose-fitting, profuse pelt which lends itself to flexibility. I have not encountered a fox which
could not be spanned at 14 inches circumference - this within a weight range of 10 lbs to 24 lbs, on average 300 foxes spanned
a year. You may not wish to work your terrier. However, there is a Standard to be attained, and spannability is a must in
the Parson Russell Terrier.
Jack Russell Terriers are predominantly white (more than 51%) with black, tan, or tricolor markings commonly found on
the face and at the base of the tail. The skin and the undercoat to show a pattern of small black or brown spots, or freckles,
that do not carry through to the outer coat.
Jack Russell Terriers have small V-shaped ears that should fold downward, and strong teeth with a scissor bite.
Jack Russell Terriers come in three coat types: smooth, broken, and rough. In all cases, the coat should be dense and
not soft, feathery or linty. A smooth coated dog should be smooth coated all over, with a dense topcoat that is approximately
1cm long. A rough-coated dog should have a double coat with fur as much as 10cm long, and should be rough-coated over its
entire body. A broken-coated dog is any dog with a topcoat of intermediate length, or a dog that is largely or partially smooth
with longer hair on some parts of its body.
Jack Russell Terrier tails are straight, held high and upright. Traditionally, tails are docked to around five inches
-- the length of a hand grip. It is not a serious fault to leave a tail a little long, but too short a tail creates a less
useful dog in the field and a dog that looks poorly balanced.
Many dogs commonly referred to as "Jack Russells" have crooked or benched legs, resembling Queen Anne furniture.
This is often a sign of Achondroplasia, and is a fault according to the breed standard. A Jack Russell's forelegs should be
strong and straight boned with joints in correct alignment, elbows hanging perpendicular to the body and working free of the
sides. Hindquarters should be strong and muscular, well put together with good angulation and bend of stifle, giving plenty
of drive and propulsion. Looking from behind, the hocks must be straight. Generally, a JRT should have a square appearance,
with the body length in proportion to the height.
The Jack Russell has traditionally been a "working terrier." Terrier work required a dog that barked at prey
so that the dog could be located underground and be dug out if necessary; because of this, Jack Russell Terriers were bred
to be very vocal dogs, and excellent diggers.
Jack Russell Terriers are also very intelligent, protective, fearless, high-energy dogs; requirements of a working dog
which must problem-solve in the field and work tirelessly against often formidable quarry.
Due to this and their compact size, Jack Russells have a loyal and growing following among dog owners. However, prospective
buyers should be aware that they are not for everyone. They also have a sense of independence that is stronger than can be
found in most dog breeds, and although they are small, they are anything but lap dogs, they are dogs that require a firm hand,
a lot of attention, and regular - even frequent - exercise to maintain both their physical and emotional well-being.
ack Russells that are not trained and exercised regularly may exhibit unmanageable behaviour, including excessive barking,
escaping from the yard, or digging in unwanted places inside and outside the house. In America, several Jack Russell rescue
networks have to work constantly to find temporary and permanent homes for Jack Russell Terriers whose owners typically were
not aware that Jack Russells are not "docile" dogs and could not meet these requirements. Prospective Jack Russell
Terrier owners are advised to be responsible.
Most Jack Russell Terriers get along well with children so long as they are introduced carefully, but they are extremely
protective of their territory and have no tolerance of even unintentional abuse. Most are outgoing and friendly towards other
dogs (again, territorial invasions notwithstanding), but a good number show same-sex aggression issues, especially the males.
JRTs are also known for a "Napoleon complex" regarding larger canines that can get them into dangerous situations.
Their fearlessness often scares off a larger animal, but their apparent unawareness of their small size can lead to a lopsided
fight with larger dogs if not kept in check.
It is not uncommon for a Jack Russell terrier to be cat-aggressive (although they have been known to get along with them
over time in the same house) and homes with other small fur-bearing animals in them (pet hamsters, rabbits, etc) would do
well to think through the ramifications of bringing a JRT into the house as their hunting instincts are strong.
HEALTH
Jack Russell terriers are known for good longevity and health due to a healthy gene pool and lack of in-breeding when
compared to some Kennel Club 'show dog' breeds. A well-cared-for Jack Russell can live well into its teens. Health concerns
with the breed include hereditary cataracts, primary lens luxation, congenital deafness, medial patellar luxation, cerebellar
ataxia, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, myasthenia gravis, atopy, general joint problems, and von Willebrand's disease. Responsible
breeders will have their puppies BAER tested for hearing before sale (this test is good for the life of the dog). Prospective
dams and sires should be CERF tested and OFA inspected before breeding in order to reduce the chance of passing on congenital
eye or joint problems. Prospective puppy buyers are encouraged to avoid dogs sired or whelped by dogs under two years of age
as congenital problems in the sire or dam may not yet have expressed themselves.
HISTORY
Small white fox-working terriers were bred by the Reverend John Russell, a parson and hunting enthusiast born in 1795.
In his last year of university at Oxford he bought a small white and tan terrier bitch called Trump from the milk man. Trump
was purchased based upon appearance alone. (Burns, 2005) She was the basis for a breeding program to develop a terrier with
high stamina for the hunt as well as the courage and formation to chase out foxes that had gone to ground, but without the
aggressiveness that would result in physical harm to the fox, which would have ended the chase, and so was considered unsporting.
The line of terriers developed by John Russell was well respected for these qualities and his dogs were often taken on by
hunt enthusiasts. It is unlikely, however, that any dogs alive today are descended from Trump, as Russell was forced to sell
all of his dogs on more than one occasion because of financial difficulty, and had only four aged (and non-breeding) terriers
left when he died in 1883. (Burns, 2005)
The only painting that exists of Trump was painted more than 40 years after the dog died, and it was painted by someone
that had never seen the original animal at all. Russell said the painting was "a good likeness" but in fact he may
have been trying to be polite, as the painting was commissioned by Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) who befriended Russell
in his old age, and had the painting done as an homage to the old man. (Burns, 2005)
On the day that the impoverished Rev. John Russell died, his old sermons and other papers were found blowing around in
the farm yard. Little or no written record of Rev. John Russell survives to the present day.
While it is often stated that Trump was "14 inches tall and weighed 14 pounds," there is no source for this
statement, and it appears to have been penned by someone who had never met Russell and only seen the painting of Trump (to
which there is nothing to suggest scale). (Burns, 2005)
While Trump's appearance is murky, and her size a complete mystery, the fox dens of Devon, England, where John Russell
once hunted, are well known. Terrierman Eddie Chapman, who has hunted those same Devon earths for more than 30 years, notes
that "I can state categorically that if given the choice, ninety-nine percent of hunt terrier men would buy an under
12" worker, if it was available, over a 14" one." (Chapman, 1994). To this day most working terrier enthusiast
seem to prefer a dog around 12 inches tall and with a chest span of around 14".
THE BREEDS PURPOSE
The Reverend Jack Russell did not have Jack Russell terriers; he had white-bodied fox-working dogs that, in his day, were
simply called fox terriers.
The term Jack Russell Terrier was coined after the Reverend John Russell was dead, and was used to differentiate small
working terriers from over-large non-working Fox Terriers that by 1900 dominated the Kennel Club show ring and bench.
Today, the term "Jack Russell Terrier" is used to describe a wide array of dogs. Though there is a difference
of opinion as to what is a true Jack Russell Terrier, it is revealing that the Reverend John Russell himself, never registered
his own dogs with the Kennel Club and described his own dogs as being very different from those found on the show ring bench:
"True terriers [my dogs] were, but differing from the present show dogs as the wild eglantine differs from a garden rose."
The simplest way to think about Jack Russell Terriers is to divide the entire lot of them into two groups as John Russell
himself did: Those that actually work in the field, underground, to formidable quarry (what Russell himself valued), and all
the rest -- pets and show dogs alike.
Such a simple demarcation stood for more than 100 years, but ended in 1990 when The Kennel Club (UK) decided to add the
Parson Russell Terrier to its rolls. The American Kennel Club followed suit in 2001, as did the United Kennel Club that same
year.
While working terrier enthusiasts, such as John Russell, are principally concerned about function and do not much care
about the color of a dogs nose or the lay of its ear, the show ring breeder is principally concerned about form. In order
to ensure that the value of show dogs is maintained and a sense of exclusivity and purity is maintained, Kennel Club registries
are generally closed, and firm physical standards are crafted with the idea of minimizing the differences between breed members.
The primary goal of a Kennel Club registry is conformation (hence the term conformation show) and the working abilities of
a dog take a second slot, if they are considered at all.
There are a wide variety of Kennel Clubs, each with competing registries and names for dogs claiming descent from the
dogs of the Reverend John Russell. Some registries put no value on work at all, some value working dogs above all others,
and some are largely conformation registries, but which give a small nod to the working side of the dogs in question.
* The Jack Russell Terrier Club of America is the largest Jack Russell Terrier registry in the world. It is not a
Kennel Club, but a breed specific-organization that organizes trials which pair conformation shows with performance events
such as earthdog and agility trials. The JRTCA actively promotes a working terrier, and its highest award is reserved for
working dogs. The JRTCA breed standard recognizes Jack Russells as being from 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) at the withers,
with a body length approximately equal to height. The JRTCA has an open registry, and does not register entire litters, but
individual dogs at the age of one year of age and after photo and veterinary inspection. JRTCA breed records indicate the
size of every dog in their registry (useful for breeding dogs of the correct size) and whether those dogs have successfully
worked quarry (fox, badger, raccoon, groundhog or opossum) under a JRTCA-certified field judge in a natural hunting situation.
* The Federation Cynologique Internationale or FCI, based in Belgium, added a small white dog to their rolls in the
year 2000. This dog is called a "Jack Russell Terrier" by the FCI, but the breed is described as being "developed"
in Australia, a country the Reverend John Russell never visited. In 2001 and 2002, the United Kennel Club and American Kennel
Club adopted the same breed standard (first created in Australia by the Australian National Kennel Council in 1990) for a
dog they describe as a Russell Terrier. The breed standard calls for principally white-bodied terrier 10" to 12"
tall at the withers with a distinctly different silhouette than the working Jack Russell terrier or Parson Russell Terrier.
These dogs are sometimes referred to as an Australian Jack Russell Terrier. The FCI is not a registry and does not issue pedigrees
-- it is a collection of national canine societies. Neither The Kennel Club (UK) nor the American Kennel Club are affiliated
members of the FCI.
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