Jack Russell Terriers

I did a search on Chaz concerning JRT's, wow there are a lot of people who feel so negative about them. Now having said that, I know why, they can be absolutely miserable little creatures if not bred and raised correctly. And sadly that is the case with so many of them, when people don't consider temperament when breeding and/or placing them with people that have no clue as to how to raise and train them. People purchase them thinking they are getting a cute little lap dog, when in fact they are getting a dog that is first and foremost a hunting dog, with high prey drives and lots of energy, and usually combined with brains (although I have met a few really stupid ones and that is scary = reactive, high drives and stupid :yikes: gezz combine that with a stupid owner and the world isn't safe).
Nothing drives me more nuts than hearing people with jrts, try and justify how poorly their dogs behave, or yap their fool heads of at anything that moves, breaths or is just there.......that is not a breed trait its a training issue. The classic line is 'Well its a JRT and that is what they do." BS, imo. As for being hyper, I wouldn't own such a dog regardless of breed, let alone breed it.
I am always proud of my dogs and how they behave, yes they can raise hell if someone pulls into the driveway, but a quiet 'Enough' from me, stops it immediately. So they do have an 'off switch', my dogs for the most part are couch potatoes but can and do rise to the occassion when asked to. I haven't got a jrt in the house that would give you so much as a dirty look, let alone bite or snap and they always politely move if asked to. They are bed bugs and love to cuddle, they are also hunting dogs. I don't have a dog in the house that hasn't been proven as a true hunting dog in the earth.
Now I am not trying to change anyones opinion on this breed, I understand that some folks just are not fond of small dogs in general and others have had bad experiences etc. But please the next time, someone tells you 'But its a jrt and that is what they do', tell them B*lls**t and that Lynn of Ado Jack Russell Terriers said so!!!! :lol-sign:
Thanks and Take care
Lynn

:lol-sign: Do you want to travel the horse show circuit and give lectures? Every third person has a JRT, and every other one is completely out of control. Thankfully, shows seem to provide some great socialization, so it's not usually aggression, just zero training. Plus about 50% are still intact, so they can be bred to sell the puppies at the shows .

Having said that, I have met the occasional JRT who has been trained, and they can be some of the funniest (in a good way) dogs I've ever met.

I try to keep an open mind, but unfortunately have had bad experiences with Jack Russells. My puppy has been viciously attached twice now by JRT's. One of them had ahold of the skin on her face and would not let go. It was awful. When I see them in the dog park, we just wait until they leave. I would love to meet one trained properly!!

Ado you are soooooo very right!!!!
These little dogs are not for first time owners. And they are not for people who are not willing to train. They are also not for people who want a "little dog" just to have as a lap warmer. These are not dogs for LITTLE DOG people who like toys and low key animals. These are working dogs equivallent to any large working breed. They are different from any other dog or terrier for that matter.
These dogs are EXTREMELY intelligent, quick learners, have big dog attitudes and are independant thinkers. These traits make them very easy to train, but can make an untrained JRT very difficult to live with. Not training a JRT is equal to not training a working border collie (or any other high energy, intelligent breed). They will find things to do, exhibit behaviour problems, and become nasty little critters if let to their own accord.
The ones most often with behaviour problems such as aggression or hyperactivity either come from bad breeders, or owners who have no clue.
Often, when I tell people that I have a JRT, they state "Oh!! They're crazy". These are the people that have no clue about training or behaviour. They are the ones that know so and so, who keep their JRT in the back yard all day, and it barks and never shuts up.
I love these little dogs, I love their attitude, their extreme intelligence and their independence. They are lovers, cuddlers, loyal and great companion dogs when trained correctly. However, I would probably never recommend this breed to most people that I know. Research needs to be done before the purchase of any breed, but especially JRT's or any other high energy working breed. Too many people buy on a whim, or because they saw that breed on TV and it was "so cute and smart". That is the worst reason to purchase a dog.
Anyway, I'm done, just thought I'd add my 2 cents.

after getting Milo, i don't think i will ever live without a "Jack Rascal", as my grandmother so fondly nicknamed him, in my home ever again.

Milo is everything i anticipated a jack russell would be. this is definately, definately, not a dog for a first time owner (even though i am a first time owner, i've been around dogs my whole life, and did a ton, a ton, a ton of research). This breed needs to have someone paying attention to them, constantly. they are so, so so so smart. i swear, Milo is like a mute two year old. He is relentless when he wants something. He is the most intelligent, loving, playful, spunky dog i have ever known. however, i wouldn't ever recommend a jack russell to someone unless i knew they would be devoted and fully prepared for such an intense breed. for an avid dog lover and experienced dog owner, this is a fun, challanging, perfect breed. but for someone not experienced or not prepared, this is a disaster waiting to happen. people who don't do their research before getting a dog discust me. and anyone who owns a jack russell and realizes afterwards they can't take care of it and provide enough stimulation to keep it occupied, and ends up giving the dog up, is in my opinion, someone who shouldn't own an animal, ever.

my jack russell is very aggressive towards other dogs, sometimes. other times he's best friends with them. but i would never let Milo offleash somewhere where we might run into another dog.

and believe me, when they don't want to let go, they will NOT let go.

The owner of the JRT that attacked my puppy twice has been warned by the Park Ranger to keep the dog out of the dog park or on leash, but he ignores it. Others have also complained. It's terrible that he was trained so poorly because it's not fair to him. His owner is irresponsible and unworthy of owning a dog, in my opinion.

I have a good friend who got into JRT's around 15 years ago, she's now a judge, breeds occasionally, works, shows, and rescues a ton of them . She must be up to about 10 right at this time in her rescue as well as her own dogs.

I give her alot of credit, her dogs are all very friendly but alot of work, she never turns one away in need. In fact she's taken in a 13 yr old that was brought to the vet to be put down because it was deaf and they just got a new puppy,,YIKES..so many people get these dogs (as with any) for the wrong reason.
Diane

Emma is 1/2 JRT and while I love her dearly.. I don't think I could deal with a full JRT.

don't let this change your opinion of JRTs, they often fall into the wrong hands. it's 100% the owners fault here.

Scooter, sorry to hear about the attack, I don't blame you for not trusting the breed. Sadly too many Jrts are like that, it is a training issue but the breed does have some aggression. Of all the Terrier breeds out there, they are still worked to live quarry in a natural setting. They have been bred to have enough balls to enter a cold dark earth, and to meet the quarry which has teeth and claws. Although Jrts were bred to Bay and Not Slay, they still have to be able to defend itself and to force the quarry to bolt or corner it and hold it there by baying. All of this is done in the dark and in very tight spots. But that does not excuse dog aggression, nor people aggression.
Up until recently, Jrts were not bred to be companion dogs. And the average person can not deal with them, the worse thing a person can do is raise them in a permissive home, on the other hand being harsh or training with corrections also doesn't work. Sadly too many people don't understand the breed, don't know how to raise and train them correct. Those same people tend to purchase from breeders who don't care, they just take the cash and run, they also tell people what they want to hear about the breed and not the truth. And all of us pay including the dogs that end up being put down for aggression etc.
But I can give a flip side to this, one of my dogs.........not aggressive, but he was very dog reactive.........because he had been jumped several times by strange larger dogs at training or at agility trials. It has taken a lot of training on my part to teach him not to be reactive just because a strange dog is within his comfort zone.

Have a good day
Lynn

I love Jacks! They are on my list of breeds not recommended for most pet homes but that's not a slight against them- just that they are a LOT of dog in a little package. People seem to get them for how cute they are and have no idea how much training and stimulation they need- same goes for most of my favorite breeds.

Oh I couldn't agree more! The owner is totally at fault in this case. It's sad because after being attacked twice, my puppy is now a bit afraid of all small dogs. She is fine around the big dogs, but shies away from the little ones no matter what the breed. I'm hoping some good experiences with small dogs will get her over that.

OHHHHH!!! Another JRT lover!

I LOVE JRT's, and plan on owning a few when I get into a house, showing, hunting, and possibly breeding them. I say possibly because I am not completely sure if I want to or not yet, as I am still young.

My Kona is a JRT/ Chi mix, but she is all JRT. She has not nary a trait of a chi, except for her colors.

While she is a very happy, athletic dog, she is still quite the handful. She has a very high prey drive, is faster than a bullet, and sometimes has selective hearing! But working with her constantly for months has turned her into a very well-trained, calm, and loving little girl. She loves other dogs, and loves to play with them.

This is what all JRT's need. If only the people buying them would realize that!!

Oh, and this is what happens when you have a JRT that isn't tired




Thanks for the wonderful informative post Lynn, maybe you and I can change people's mind about our breed

I love my Jacks and have to agree, they are not for everyone, they need the correct home that understands their training needs

anyone who may be interested in getting one of these little bundles of joy in the new york area, there are two litters in upstate shelters, one in east aurora, NY, and one is Cuba, NY. someone who actually knows a thing or two about dogs needs to give these babies a home, not some mother whose child saw "wishbone" and now wants one. search Jack Russells on petfinder in the NY area and they'll come up.

I'm a first time dog owner and while I've had a few problems I've raised Jack pretty well. He knows commands and doesn't tear up furniture. He has a set of rules he has to follow around the house and he usually obeys them. I've worked with him a lot though. He is also very smart, and I'm surprised JTR's are not on the top 10 list of smartest breeds.

JRT peeing in our laps

My boyfriend has a 7 year old Jack Russell (Winston). About 8 months ago, Winston was on my lap for a while - nothing exciting happening and he wanted on my lap (I mention this so people don't think I picked him up and made him sit on my lap) - Winston went into the kitchen and I looked down to see he had pee'd on my lap. We were at my boyfriends house so he was in familiar territory...

Fast forward to yesterday. We were at my boyfriends cousin's backyard at a BBQ. There is another dog (a terrier but not a jack) and they got along really well - I think Winston had met this dog before. Anyways, nothing exciting going on...just 10 people sitting around chatting in the backyard. Winston sat on my boyfriends lap for a few seconds and then moved to my lap. My boyfriend looked down and saw Winston had pee'd in his lap...we teased my boyfriend for a few minutes and then Winston jumped off my lap and we realized he had pee'd on my lap too.

Winston just had his annual vet checkup - mind you no stool sample was analized...has anyone else had this problem before? Is it a jack russell thing? Could it be a parasite? Is it an emotional thing? Any advice/help would really be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

To the OP: I understand how frustrating it is when people who are clueless own the type of dog that you feel passionately about. I've met a few people who say that keeshonden are "nasty" dogs!

Obviously, mine isn't and none of the ones I've ever met aren't, but back yard breeding can do terrible things to any breed.

As for my personal feelings to JRTs- I'm really not a huge fan of terriers, in general. Especially the smaller ones, like the Yorkies, etc. My kees has been attacked four times: one by a pit bull mix at a dog park, twice by a pair of JRTs that live in our complex, and once by a Yorkie Terrier.

The pitbull mix had a silly owner who didn't have a clue about how to control her dog.

The pair of JRTs are owned by some very good friends of ours, and they are little demon dogs. They are back yard bred and pet store bred. Both don't really even look like JRTs. They are very hateful, and the owners don't dicipline them or exercise them enough.

As for the Yorkie...I just wish people who had little dogs would realize that they need just as much dicipline and exercise as large dogs do, and that a vicious dog is a vicious dog regardless of size.

I have met some really great little terriers. Border Terriers are awesome little dogs and cute to boot!

To the person that just asked that question about bladder problems: As a pet owner, I would feel better to be safe then sorry when it comes to my animal friends.

I agree... I often here the same thing about cockers as well


I would LOVE to meet your guys' dogs, who actually behave some of the time !!!
I have met my fair share of JRTs, mainly when I was working/volunteering around horses. As many others have stated, very crazy and even at times aggressive. I'd say 99% of them were not exorcized enough, and the owners were just irresponsible...
I met the coolest JRT though, his name was George and I loved to visit him and the old man who owned him! His job was to keep the rats out of the feed, and to also be a companion to the man. The dog never listened to commands like "sit" "down" or "stay", but he listened perfectly well if you talked to him like a person! For example, the old man would invite him to come sit by him quietly so they could both visit with me. Or tell him that they could go on a walk together, but if he pulled they would turn around and go home. 9x out of 10 the dog would get up and go sit right next to the man, or do what he was asked! If he was misbehaving, the man didn't yell or scold. He'd say "Alright, I'm gonna go buy that little black puppy and He'll be my new friend. You can sleep in the dog house!" George loved all dogs and people (he was pretty fond of Maddie! let me tell you!) but he was insanely jealous of the little black puppy... I was really fond of that little dog. We believe he was stolen, and we all searched for him for a long time. . . I understand he was an awesome dog, but whoever took George from that old man was a cruel and heartless person! (sorry for rambling a bit, here! lol)

I've never met a "good" breeder, or a well bred JRT other than George. I believe George was farm bred, and was just a lucky draw if you know what I mean. I've seen some squirrelly looking ones around here, I have the strongest suspicion that the BYBs around here who breed for size, are breeding truly mentally retarded dogs. Honest, I think they are