The family's getting a Jack Russell Terrier, anything they should know?

In My Humble Opinion
1

One of my sisters is adopting a JR from the veterinary hospital she works in.

Here’s what we know of the dog: It’s male, around 8 years old. It’s a stray brought in by someone off the street, but a purebreed. My sister says it’s fairly mellow for a Jack Russell.

Now the family: They already have a dog, a 2 year old female Chihuahua. Although there is always someone on the house they don’t usually have time to take the dog out for a walk every day, the Chihuahua is walked about twice a week, I think.

Personally I don’t think the dog is a good idea. From what I’ve read about them they are very active and bark a lot when they are bored. I’m not sure how the two dogs will get along either. We had a Toy Poodle for 15 years until she died last year so we know the Chihuahua can get along with other dogs but the Poodle was very calm, and patient and I don’t know how JRs get along with other dogs of different breed.

My sister is adamant on adopting the dog. She grew close to it at work and hates seeing it kept all day in their kennel. The doctors don’t expect it to be adopted due to its age and wont put it to sleep since its still healthy and with a normal temperament.

I’d rather they manage to live with the dog rather than get rid of it so, any tips or useful facts?

2

Do they have a big enough yard for the dog to get enough exercise? If not, they just can’t do it. Jack Russells are crazy. There’s no way you can walk that dog twice a week and call it good.

ETA that it’s better than sitting in the kennel, of course. But I’d try to find a more suitable home for it.

3

yeah, my aunt’s two jack russells became destructive when underexercised. the key here is “mellow for a Jack Russell,” which basically translates to “psychotically hyperactive for a golden retriever.”

4

I don’t think the age is going to be much of a problem for adoption. I foster a lot of dogs for a rescue agency here on Okinawa, and purebred dogs get adopted quickly no matter how old they are. I fostered a 12 year old cairn terrier (no papers) who was a total pain in the ass behaviorally, and she was adopted in less than 2 weeks to a great family. Have they tried to get him placed, or are they just assuming there is no market for older dogs?

5

They have a terrace. It’s big for a terrace, they once planned on building an extra room on it but turned it into a regular terrace instead, I don’t think it would be enough for it though.

From what I gather, they tried getting him a home at first and then just assumed they couldn’t find anyone due to his age (which is only midlife for a JR but elderly for some similarly sized dogs), normally they don’t even keep dogs for more than a few days or only for recovery periods, the only reason they have this one is because the ‘owner’ never came back. Apparently the dog has been there for quite some time.

6

If Jack Russells do not have enough exercise that they fall down exhausted every day, they become very, very destructive. Typical JRTs habitually bark. They also have insane prey drive and can basically never be off a leash in a non-enclosed area (like a dog run). They do not take very well to obedience training (I have this from a dog trainer friend).

JRTs are very difficult dogs. The also don’t tend to live very long, because they tend to get killed with the crazy/stupid things they do in pursuit of their prey drive.

7

They are shaped like a football for a reason. :smiley:

8

We have a JRT who is quiet for his breed, and if he doesn’t get out for a good long walk at least once a day (plus several quick trips outside for basic business), he gets seriously antsy and things get chewed upon. It’s not just that they are active dogs by nature; they’re ferociously intelligent, and if they don’t get enough mental stimulation, they will turn their minds to destruction.

If your sister’s family isn’t willing to give the dog regular exercise, I don’t see this being a good fit.

Eight years old is right in the prime of his life and JRTs are a hot breed right now. I’m sure a good family could be found for him with a little effort. Surely there’s a breed-specific rescue group that could help?

9

Terriers also tend to dig. Even if the yard is fenced, make sure the fence is secure. You will have to check the perimeter very regularly for signs of digging.

10

Are there children in the household? JRTs can be a problem with younger children (granted, all “breed tendencies” are strictly generalizations and may bnot apply to individual dogs).

11

A terrace is NOT enough for a Jack Russell Terrier.

My god the insanity! Have they ever owned a Jack Russell before? They. Have. No. Idea. What. They. Are. Getting. Into.

A Jack Russell Terrier is kind of like the Tasmanian Devil from the old cartoons. Only Jack Russells are real.

Actually, that’s an insult . . . to the Tasmanian Devil, that is!

They think having a Chihuahua was a typical dog? They don’t have a clue what they’re in for.

Jack Russells have often been known to dig through interior walls (exterior, too). They will tear up whole sofas and chew up dining room tables. They have an extraordinary ability to get on top of high dressers and pull down curtains. This is all, of course, when they aren’t digging a hole straight through the carpet and into the floor joists.

All in a day’s work for a Jack Russell.

Jack Russells need to be EXHAUSTED daily before even letting them in the home. If all they have is a (laughing) patio, than the Jack Russell will find a way to make his own exercise.

Like someone else here said, Jack Russells are CRAZY.

12

I really really like dogs, but I don’t have anything good to say about JRTs.

13

The OP mentions nothing about cats. That is good, (I hope), as long as it is not an oversight. I can’t imagine a JRT letting a cat survive if the JRT was not raised as a puppy with the cat.

Other than that, I agree that the sister is looking at a destroyed house in a very short time.

14

[Dang, I was replying then I lost it.]

My JRT is 8 and is quite calm now, compared to when she was a puppy. She was also described as laid-back, and from what I have read in books that seems true. She was destructive then but no longer.

She does like to chew–we give her leftover plastic bottles or very durable plastic bones and she is happy.

She is happy in her cage when we aren’t home. She does need a lot of exercise and attention. An Invisible Fence is ideal for her–we can let her out and she is happy. However, they do say that one day a JRT might just jump the fence and leave. I can’t imagine her doing that.

I’m not too sure about a JRT and a Chihuahua. The fact that they are male and female could make that work out okay.

They say a JRT is smart–I’m not sure about that. Our old dog knew a lot of words but Lily does not bother learning words she doesn’t care about. She might know ten words. Sit, down, come, walk, treat, car, Daddy, Lily. That’s about it. She will not play fetch. As if. We used to throw a tennis ball back and forth and our old dog would jump for it until she dropped with exhaustion. Lily will jump for it once and take the ball behind the desk in the corner.

She used to run in circles like a crazy dog at least twice a day but now she does not do that.

She will run for two hours while my husband inline skates or cross-country skis. Loves to go. Anywhere. In a canoe, on a kayak. It’s hard on her in the summer because she goes full blast and overheats so he can’t take her skating. She will just flop down on someone’s lawn when she is tired.

I think JRT’s are terrific–lots of fun–very entertaining. Ours is very sweet. But she is very aggressive to other dogs no matter the size. We have to be careful with her, especially at parks. People will let their dogs loose in the woods and then they call out to us, “It’s okay, our dog is nice, she won’t hurt your dog.” Great. But my dog does not want to be sniffed and looked over by a large dog so good luck with that. She also has a record with the United States Postal Service and the County Board of Health because of an incident one summer. And it didn’t even break the skin.

Kills: squirrels (rarely), chipmunks, voles, bunnies.

15

I’m sure they’re just horrible. If he manages to chew through the concrete walls and floors he won his freedom.
To other posts: No, there are no kids or cats, the only people in the house are my sisters and my parents, both of whom work from home.

My main worries at this time are the dogs themselves. The Chihuahua can be pretty aggressive with other animals but seems to get along well with other dogs. It’s fixed so there is no worry about even more feisty dogs showing up.

I don’t think the house is big enough for the new dog but my sister knows its needs and is pretty confident in keeping it, and frankly its as well off in their house as any other. Here, houses don’t have yards or if they do they are little more than open-air garages. I’m hoping its age has mellowed it out somewhat.

Thanks for all the replies. Apparently they get the dog tomorrow so I hope its not a handful.

16

JRT stands for Jr. Terrorist.

17

I just saw a bumper sticker this morning:

Jack Russels: They’re football-shaped for a reason.

18

Don’t you all think you’re taking just a wee bit too dim a view? I have a JRT puppy right now, and he’s a handful, but certainly not the kind of monster being described here. And I’ve known my sister’s JRT for a decade or so, and similarly, he was energetic in his youth, but very well behaved. In the last four years or so, he’s mellowed a LOT. He gets tired of chasing frisbees now after three or four throws instead of three or four hundred. They’re just dogs.

19

Aw, I love JRTs, but they need lots of exercise and lots of attention. They’re great dogs, but not suitable to every household.