Jack Russell

What is a Jack Russell?

A small white-bodied working terrier of 6-8kg, bred to bolt foxes from earths. It is a job that requires a dog to go alone into a dark hole and face something that will fight back, and the breed was selected for exactly that. Everything about living with one follows from it.

Note the naming: the Kennel Club recognises the Jack Russell Terrier (shorter-legged) and the Parson Russell Terrier (taller, squarer) as separate breeds. Most dogs advertised as Jack Russells are neither, formally - they are working terriers of the type, which is fine, but it means the paperwork varies.

History and origins

Named for the Reverend John Russell, a Devon parson and hunting man who from the 1820s bred a strain of white fox terrier that could keep up with hounds and work underground. The white body was deliberate: it made the dog distinguishable from the fox. The working type was maintained outside the Kennel Club for well over a century; formal recognition came in 1990 for the Parson and 2016 for the Jack Russell.

Appearance and size

25-30cm for the Jack Russell, taller for the Parson. Predominantly white with tan or black markings, usually on the head. Three coat types: smooth, broken and rough. The chest should be small enough to span with two hands - a working requirement that is still in the standard.

Temperament and personality

Bold, tenacious, cheerful and absolutely relentless. They are enormously entertaining and enormously demanding. A Jack Russell that has had a proper walk and a job to do is a delightful dog. One that has not will excavate your garden, redesign your skirting boards and bark at the neighbours for four hours.

Intelligence and trainability

Very intelligent and highly independent. They learn fast and they problem-solve, which means they also learn how to open things and how to get out of things. Training must be interesting; drilling bores them and a bored terrier stops co-operating. Scentwork, terrier racing and trick training all work well.

Children and other pets

Good with children who understand not to torment them, and they are sturdy enough for family life. They are frequently not good with other dogs, and same-sex terrier pairs in particular can be a real problem at social maturity. Rabbits, hamsters, birds and guinea pigs are prey, and no amount of socialisation reliably changes that.

Health problems

One of the healthiest breeds in the country, and the health tests are cheap and definitive.

• Primary lens luxation (PLL) - a painful condition causing blindness; DNA test, both parents.
• Late onset ataxia (LOA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) - progressive neurological diseases; DNA tests.
• Patellar luxation - grade the parents.
• Deafness - associated with the white coat; a BAER test on the litter is worth asking about.
• Also: Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, and lens or eye injuries from working.

Beyond that, they are famously robust. Fifteen and sixteen year olds are common and many are still going up stairs at fourteen.

Daily care routine

An hour and a half minimum, with real variety, plus something to think about. A flirt pole, a scent game, a puzzle feeder. They need to use their nose and their teeth on something legitimate, or they will find something illegitimate.

Grooming and coat care

Smooth coats: a weekly mitt. Broken and rough coats: brush weekly and hand-strip twice a year. Nails, teeth, and check the ears. They shed more than the coat length suggests.

Exercise needs

90 minutes and a job. They are capable of far more and will happily walk all day. Secure fencing matters: they dig, they climb, and they will follow a scent under a gate.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals, £15-£28 a month. They stay lean if exercised properly. Watch middle-aged dogs whose exercise has dropped off.

Price

£500-£1,200, and the health tests are cheap enough that there is no excuse for a litter without them. Setup £250-£400; ongoing £45-£85 a month. They are also very common in rescue, and an adult with a known temperament is a sensible option for this breed in particular.

Buying advice

Ask for the PLL, LOA and SCA DNA certificates. These cost a breeder very little and their absence tells you the litter was not planned carefully. Ask what the parents do - working terriers from proven lines are magnificent dogs and are also considerably more dog than a first timer expects. Meet the mother, and be honest about whether your household can absorb this much terrier.