Jack Russell Terrier

Basics of the standard

The Jack Russell Terrier breed standard includes the following features:

appearance and proportions;
movements;
appointment;
character;
dimensions: weight and height;
head;
body type;
forelimbs;
hind limbs;
wool cover;
color;
flaws;
vices.

Many owners, in addition to the basic parameters of the standard, are interested in the questions of how old these dogs grow and how long they live. The final development of the dog occurs between ten and twelve months. The average lifespan of an animal is sixteen years. But how long a dog will live largely depends on the quality of care and education. You can read more about this in the article “Raising and caring for a Jack Russell Terrier puppy.”

Health and vaccination

The requirements for the care and maintenance of the Jack Russell Terrier must include regular veterinary examinations. When purchasing a puppy, the breeder will give you a dog passport indicating all vaccinations received. In the future, the puppy is tested for worms every three months, and is also vaccinated annually. The first immunostimulating vaccine is administered in the first month of life, the second (against coronavirus) after 3 weeks.

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Typical diseases of the Jack Russell Terrier are disorders of the joints, eyes and nervous system. To avoid diseases, do not neglect a manual examination of your dog at home and preventive examinations of your dog at the veterinarian.

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Appearance

Active and resilient, the Jack Russell Terrier has a lithe, medium-length build and quick reflexes. For this expressive breed, having a heavy chest with undeveloped muscles is unacceptable.

A dog's coat has three types - smooth, hard and broken. The thick coat should be rough to the touch, but not too harsh, and should cope well with weather conditions.

At first glance at the rectangular body of the Jack Russell Terrier, it seems that the dog is growing in length, but not in height. From the chest to the withers of the animal there should be the same distance as from the elbow joint of the front paw to the ground. At the request of the dog owner, the tail can be docked, that is, some part can be removed.

Description of the Russell Terrier breed

Exterior

Cute little hunters have the following exterior features:

Strong build, slightly elongated body, shortened legs.
The height of an adult is 24-31 cm; weight - 6-9 kg. Males, of course, are larger.
The head is quite flat, the transition from the forehead to the muzzle is clearly visible, the jaw is narrowed to the tip of the nose.
The chest is not too wide, the neck is short, the back is level, the lower back is slightly convex.
The eyes should be dark in color, with black eyeliner, the nose should be black, and the ears should be bud-shaped.
The tail is not long, does not curl into a ring, and is docked.
The wool is hard and dense.
The coat color is white with red, brown, yellow and black spots. Black-and-white and black-red-white colors are also not considered a defect.

Varieties

The Jack Russell Terrier dog breed has the following varieties:

Short-haired, with coarse hair.
Long-haired with a beard and eyebrows
Semi-longhaired dogs are often called “broken”.

Sometimes long-haired Russell terriers are called "broken".

Movements

The working characteristics of the breed allow the dog to move energetically and quickly. The Jack Russell Terrier's gait should feel free and confident. Due to its low weight and height, the dog can easily overcome obstacles.

Compliance with the standard can be determined when the dog walks without a leash. All movements of the Jack Russell Terrier should be natural and relaxed.

History of the Russell Terrier dog breed

From the name of the breed it is clear that a significant amount of effort was put into the appearance of the breed by an English priest named Jack Russell.

At the beginning of the 19th century, terriers in England were considered the only dogs suitable for hunting.
Jack Russell acquired a terrier and became interested in the breed with all his passion. He practically sacrificed his life for the selection of the ideal hunting breed.

While improving the breed, he mated with border dogs, beagles, bull terriers, bulldogs and other dog breeds. In 1904, characteristics of the breed of short hunting dogs were created.

It was used until the beginning of the 21st century, and more recently the following types of breed were identified:

long-legged Parson Jack Russell Terrier,
short-legged Jack Russell Terrier.

The breed gained worldwide fame after several dogs arrived in Australia. Already there the appearance of the Jack Russell was slightly changed.

These dogs came to Russia quite recently - at the end of the twentieth century. They are not particularly popular due to the high cost of puppies.

Character

Discerning, cheerful and highly intelligent, the Jack Russell Terrier has a bold and energetic personality. Thanks to its bright features, this dog is easy to train. The education of this dog must begin from an early age, otherwise the animal’s stubbornness and aggressiveness may take over. It is necessary to be able to restrain the dog’s persistence so that he can learn to control himself.

Keeping and feeding a puppy

Caring for a Jack Russell Terrier puppy should begin with preparing a suitable place to keep the small pet. To do this, select a place in the apartment where a bed covered with soft natural fabric will be installed. The bed should be of medium density and size so that the dog fits completely on it.

In addition to a place for a bedding, it is very useful to find a place in the apartment for an aviary, which will be needed during the absence of the owners of the house. In the enclosure, place a water bowl and a thick mattress covered with non-staining fabric - this is where the dog will rest. It will be useful to put a couple of toys in the enclosure, with which the Jack Russell puppy can play while the owners are away.

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Both the enclosure and the bed are installed in a quiet, calm corner of a non-passable room, where direct sunlight does not fall. Also avoid constantly keeping your pet in a draft or in a noisy room.

Before bringing your dog into the house, be sure to remove all small objects from the floor that could injure the puppy. It will not be superfluous to remove shoes, wires, children's toys and carpets from the floor (for the first time). A small, active Jack Russell will bite and play with everything during its growth period, so your property will be at risk.

Dimensions

The height of a male Jack Russell Terrier should ideally be twenty-five to thirty centimeters; The minimum weight after the final development of the dog is five kilograms. An adult dog weighs no more than six kilograms.

The height of a female Jack Russell Terrier should be twenty-three to twenty-six centimeters, and its weight should also be up to six kilograms.

Calculating how much a dog weighs is very simple: for one kilogram of weight there are five centimeters of height. Accordingly, if an animal’s height is twenty-five centimeters, then its weight is five kilograms. If a dog is thirty centimeters tall, then its weight will be six kilograms.

Head

According to the standard, a dog's skull of medium length should be flat, gradually tapering to powerful jaws. The transition from the muzzle to the forehead is well defined, but not too clearly defined.

The nose is black.

The Jack Russell Terrier's muzzle should look like this: the length from the stop to the back of the head with a characteristic bump should be slightly longer than the length from the nose to the stop. The proportion is five to two.

The dog's lips fit tightly to the muzzle with black pigmentation.

The dog's cheekbones should have well-developed muscles.

A scissor bite of a strong, wide, square jaw has a full set of powerful, healthy teeth. Teeth damaged as a result of hunting are not considered a defect and such a dog should not be fined. But a protruding jaw with poorly developed muscles is a defect.

Small almond-shaped eyes with fully closed eyelids have a dark shade and a soulful look. A bulging eyeball is a defect.

The Jack Russell Terrier's mobile and strong ears can be drooping or slightly raised on cartilage. The dog can turn them one hundred and eighty degrees. Prick ears are considered a defect according to the standard.

Well-developed neck muscles allow the dog to hold its head balanced. The length of the strong neck should correspond to a two to three proportion relative to the back of the animal. The neck is responsible for the balance of the entire body, so a neck that is too powerful, short or long is a defect.

Body type

According to the standard, the Jack Russell Terrier's body should be rectangular in shape with a flat back. The length from withers to tail is slightly longer than from ground to withers.

The short loin has well-developed muscles, since the ribs of the chest cannot withstand heavy loads.

A deep chest should have a small volume. In the middle of the distance from the ground to the withers of the animal there should be a clearly visible part of the chest. The volume of the ribs behind the elbows of the forelimbs is forty to forty-three centimeters. If you look at the dog from above, the chest should be visible from behind the shoulder.

The tail hangs down in a calm state; when the Jack Russell Terrier is excited, it becomes straight and takes on a vertical position. If the animal's tail has been docked - some part has been removed - its end should be at the level of the ears.

Varieties by coat type and color

The main distinguishing feature of representatives of this breed, therefore, is their short legs and small size. At the same time, the main predominant coat color of Jack Russell Terriers is white. It was this shade that breeders once placed the main emphasis on when breeding the breed. After all, during the drive, hunters had to easily distinguish dogs from animals.

On the white body of the Jack Russell, among other things, there are always spots that can be black or brown in different shades. According to legend, in order to make such dogs more aggressive, Jack Russell crossed some individuals with Bull and Terriers during selection. This is what supposedly gave rise to Jack Russells with black spots. Such dogs actually have a more angry and aggressive character than individuals with brown tan marks. Sometimes they even have the characteristic overbite of Bull and Terriers.

According to the characteristics of their coat, the following varieties of Jack Russell Terriers are distinguished:

short-haired;
shaggy;
Brocken (medium length coat).

Representatives of the breed of all these types are allowed to exhibit. That is, according to the standard, any of these types of dog hair is not a defect.

Hind limbs

The Jack Russell Terrier's strong hind legs are well-muscled. They maintain balance in proportions relative to the shoulder blades.

The hock joint stands at a comfortable angle relative to the ground and is located quite low.

If you look at the dog from behind when it is standing calmly, you will see that the metatarsus are parallel to each other.

Small, densely built, hind legs have soft pads. Toes turned inward or outward are considered a flaw.

Caring for a Jack Russell Terrier dog

Training

What kind of character do Jack Russell Terriers have?

These small dogs are active, friendly, positive and curious. Their innate hunting skills transformed into a desire to catch objects with their mouths while playing. The Russell terrier Anastasia is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for catching and bursting 100 balloons in a record time of less than 45 seconds!

The Jack Russell Terrier communicates wonderfully with children, but you need to think about the coexistence of a dog of this breed and pets that are smaller in size: hamsters, pigs and even cats of medium-sized breeds.

Training Russell Terriers is a pleasure: they very easily learn all commands and, if you reward the pet with treats and outdoor activities, he will very soon reward the owner with his exemplary behavior and obedience.

Training must be carried out regularly after the puppy is 2 months old.

By themselves, Jack Russell Terriers are not aggressive and not prone to dominance!

With proper upbringing and proper socialization, he will not cause trouble to his owner either on a walk or in the apartment.

Content

Keeping a Jack Russell Terrier has its own characteristics:

A dog's short coat is constantly renewed and needs careful care. Combing the coat and trimming it with a trimmer are extremely necessary procedures for the Russell Terrier.
Bathing your dog should be done infrequently: once a quarter.
Necessary hygiene procedures - as usual - cleaning ears, eyes, washing paws, trimming nails.
The food must be fortified and balanced, only natural products.
The dog needs walks and physical activity; in winter, the pet needs insulation.
The need to chew something is natural for the Russell Terrier, so bones and dense balls will help keep things and furniture intact.

Lifespan

Dogs of this breed live 15 years. However, with proper maintenance, the pet can easily live up to 20 years.

Jack Russell Terriers are prone to obesity and allergies.

In general, the owners of dogs of this breed can be called lucky: after all, a positive, always friendly, real little friend awaits them at home.

If necessary, he will always be able to warn the owner of danger, as well as protect him using the means available to him.