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The Jack Russell Terrier is a type of small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. The name "Jack Russell" has been used for all of the several types of Russell terrier but is now most commonly used for working terriers similar in form to Parson Russell Terriers. The Parson Russell Terrier itself was known as the Jack Russell Terrier in the United States until 2003. In England the name has been used to refer to the Parson Russell Terrier and to the short-legged type, the Russell Terrier.
In Australia and other countries affiliated with the
Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) a fourth type, the
Australian Jack Russell Terrier, is also talked about but the
official name is Jack Russell Terrier. These types are not
always considered to be separate breeds, definitions are still
evolving and the naming of the breeds is still sometimes
unclear.
Appearance: All Russells are small terriers; The
Jack Russell Terrier Clubs' breed standard recognizes Jack
Russells as being from 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) at the
withers, The American Kennel Club's breed standard recognizes
Parson Russell Terriers as being from 12 to 15 inches (30 to
38 cm).
They are predominantly white with black, tan, or tricolour
markings, particularly on the face and at the base of the
tail. They have small V-shaped ears that usually fold sharply
forwards, and strong teeth with a scissor bite.
They have a dense double coat that appears in three
varieties: smooth coat, where the topcoat is very short
(approx. 1cm) and stiff; rough coat, where the topcoat is
longer (as much as 10cm long, though usually groomed shorter);
and broken, which is used to describe both dogs with topcoats
of intermediate length and dogs that have longer coats only on
some parts of the body (always on the face, frequently on the
head and back, sometimes extending to the shoulders,
occasionally everywhere except the legs).
Tails are straight, six to eight inches (150–200 mm)
long, held high and upright. Traditionally, tails were docked
to around four inches (100 mm), the length of a hand's grip.
This was supposedly to aid in pulling the animal out of a
hole. In many countries, docking is now illegal, and even in
countries where it is not undocked JRTs are becoming more
common. The Parson himself did not dock his working terriers.
The breed has a sturdy and robust appearance and an
outgoing character; breed standards emphasize that the Jack
Russell must have a "keen expression".
Temperament: Jack Russell Terriers are considered an
intelligent, high-energy breed. Their compact size, friendly
and inquisitive nature, and intelligence make them popular as
pets. Built for speed and strength, they will always be ready
to play. However, they require consistent training and a good
deal of attention and exercise to maintain their temperament
and to occupy their minds.
Jack Russells who are not trained on a consistent basis, or
are not exercised regularly, may occasionally exhibit
aggressive or 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 JRTs whose owners could not meet these
requirements for keeping JRTs as house pets.
The old terriermen wanted terriers that would bark
incessently at their prey. The dog could then be located
underground, and dug out if necessary. As a result, JRTs are
most definitely vocal dogs. They lack the nervousness that
makes so many small dogs "yappy". JRTs rarely bark
without good reason.
Most JRTs easily mingle with children, though they do not
tolerate even unintentional abuse. Most are outgoing, and very
friendly towards other dogs, but a good number show same-sex
aggression issues. However, this aggression is not shown
towards the pet's owner, despite what many Scottish canine
experts claim. JRT's do tend to exhibit a "Napoleon
Complex" regarding larger canines that can get them into
dangerous situations. Their fearlessness can scare off a
larger animal, but their apparent unawareness of their small
size can lead to a lopsided fight if not kept in check.
Health: A well-cared-for Jack Russell can live for
over 15 years. One main health concern is cataracts. They are
often seen in dogs bred by backyard breeders or puppy mills
who have not CERF tested the breeding stock they use. Other
concerns are Lens luxation, congenital deafness (responsible
breeders will have their dogs BAER tested), Patellar luxation,
cerebellar ataxia, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, and von
Willebrand's disease.
History: Russell terriers were first bred by the
Reverend Mr. 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.
She was the basis for a breeding programme 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 their harming
the fox, which was considered unsporting. The line of terriers
developed by John Russell was well respected for these
qualities and, when he died in 1883, his dogs were taken on by
other hunt enthusiasts. It was unlikely, however, that many of
his dogs were decended of Trump as Russell was forced to sell
all of his dogs on more than one occasion because of financial
difficulty.
The first split between the types of Russell terriers may
have occurred early in their history with dogs being sold by
the sister of John Russell's kennel man. These she described
as "Jack Russells" but they may not have been part
of the line of terriers developed by John Russell. Instead
they may have been shorter-legged working terriers of variable
heritage. Later, around the turn of the century, the secretary
of the Parson Jack Russell Terrier Club bred a strain of
terriers for badger digging. These needed the brave character
and endurance of the Jack Russell Terrier, which were crossed
with Bull Terriers to give a stronger and harder dog with
shorter legs than the original type. Again these were
described as "Jack Russells".
Breed development: Along with these changes, the
Second World War had a great impact on the breed. Sporting
dogs were needed less and the numbers of working Russell
terriers were drastically reduced during these years. The
original working Russells often became family dogs and were
crossed with other popular family dogs including Corgis,
Chihuahuas and terriers such as the Fox Terrier and the
Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These crosses resulted in changes
in form and function and led to a new type of short-legged
terrier with a variable conformation. It is this form of the
descendants of Trump that are now known as "Russell
Terriers", "shortie Jacks", or "Puddin'
Dogs".
The original longer-legged forms were also preserved and,
in England, were called "Parson Jack Russell
Terriers". This form was recognised by the Kennel Club
(UK) in 1990 and gained provisional recognition by the
international breeds association, the F.C.I, in the same year.
The name of the breed was changed to "Parson Russell
Terrier" in 1999 by the Kennel Club (UK) and gained full
recognition by the F.C.I under this name in 2001.
In the United States a group of enthusiasts opposed to the
registration and regulation of the working breed registered
"Parson Jack Russell" as a trademark. This led to
the long-legged breed being recognised by the American Kennel
Club under the name "Jack Russell Terrier". This
name was changed to the "Parson Russell Terrier" in
2003 to conform with the nomenclature in other countries.
Breeders of the unregistered, working strain continued to use
the Jack Russell name for their dogs. Currently there are few
differences between the two types, although working Jack
Russell Terriers are sometimes smaller than Parson Russell
Terriers. Working terriermen tend to select breeding pairs
based upon size and temperment. As even the largest quarry
worked with Jack Russells reach a maximum chest diameter of
about 14 inches, this is generally the largest chest that
working terriermen will tolerate. (Burns, 2005) It is likely
that the differing approaches to breeding and the restricted
gene pool of the registered type will result in divergence
between the types, possibly leading to two very different
breeds as has happened to other working breeds following
kennel club recognition.
In England, the Kennel Club recently re-opened its registry
to allow the inclusion of some Jack Russell Terriers under the
Parson Russell name. The standard was extended to include
slightly smaller dogs to about 10 inches (25 cm) high but
still with the longer-legged form. Individuals registered with
the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain or the British
Jack Russell Terrier Club and with registered parents and
grandparents were accepted for registration. This may have a
delaying effect on any divergence of the two types, but many
breeders remain opposed to registration and are likely to
continue to breed outside the Parson Russell standard and to
continue to use the "Jack Russell Terrier" name.
Breed controversies: The working strains of Jack
Russell Terriers are not recognised by the FCI, or by any
major registry. Some breeders have campaigned for recognition
either as part of the Parson Russell Terrier breed or
separately. However, other breeders, such as the Jack Russell
Terrier Club of America, feel that this working breed should
not be restricted by the standardisation and limits to
breeding that this would involve.
Most large registries recognise and register only breeds
that they regard as "purebred", that is, dogs who
breed true to form, within a set standard, and whose parentage
is known to be of other examples of the breed meeting these
criteria. For working-terrier enthusiasts this may not always
be acceptable. They want to breed for function rather than
form, which might include using dogs of variable ancestry to
improve the working abilities of the offspring.
In 1990 Jack Russell Terriers were given full recognition
by the Australian National Kennel Council. The FCI followed
with recognition in 2001. This breed is sometimes called the
"Australian Jack Russell Terrier" to distinguish it
from the other forms of Jack Russell terriers found in other
countries. Its form is very similar to the Parson Jack Russell
and to working Jack Russell Terriers, although its standard
form is for the body to be longer than it is tall. This gives
it a form somewhere in between that of "shortie"
Jacks and the taller formation of other Jack Russell Terriers
and of Parson Russell Terriers.
Because of the recent nature of these changes there is
still considerable variation in the names used for the
different types of dog. Additionally, controversy over
registration, conformity to set standards and breeding
restrictions may still lead to other variations in the naming
and classification of these dogs.
Jack Russells on screen: The Jack Russell's
endearing facial expressions, feisty personality, and cuteness
make it a natural choice for television and the cinema. Some
famous Jack Russells include Wishbone, the title character of
a popular children's television series in the United States,
Milo from the hit movie The Mask played by Max, Rimshot from
the comical Ernest P. Worrell movies and Bijoux the
policeman-hating dog from Hooperman.
There was even a Jack Russell in the movie Crimson Tide,
and in the movie the character played by Gene Hackman
introduced the dog breed as one of the smartest in the world.
Moreover, there is also a Jack Russell called Flike in the
well-known Italian neorealist film Umberto D., who is depicted
in the film as the main character Umberto D.'s only friend. In
the movie, Problem Child 2, Junior's grandpa had a Jack
Russell named Nippy.
Some Jack Russell Terriers have near-superstar status,
including Eddie, the clever, irrepressible dog belonging to
character Martin Crane on the sitcom Frasier. Eddie was played
by the late Moose, who died in July 2006. Later in the series,
Moose had a stunt double; his son Enzo stepped in for the more
physically demanding tricks to spare his aging sire. Moose and
Enzo also appeared in the movie My Dog Skip. Also prominent is
Soccer, the dog star who portrayed Wishbone, a veteran
performer with many television commercials to his credit. He
reportedly hated swimming and had two stunt doubles and a body
double.
Superman's dog, Krypto, in the older DC Comics's Superman
comic books, may have been a Jack Russell Terrier. The dog
which accompanies Rick Stein on his ventures is a Jack Russell
Terrier, named "Chalky". Jack Russell is also the
name of the protagonist of Radiata Stories. These dogs have
overall good companionship and good quality.
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