My mother’s dog died a couple of years ago and now she’s ready for another one.
The other one was a Jack Russell/Beagle mix. She was a great dog but now my mom wants a Jack Russell. The previoius pooch had been abused by her previous owner so it’s hard to say how much of her personality was due to her tormented psyche.
My mom has 5 cats (no she’s not one of those crazy ladies that swim in a sea of catshit in her house ) and they are all getting on in years and she wants a dog that is not likely to be aggressive toward her little angels.
So my question is what are they like, in general? Are there any quirks she should be aware of? How are they with kids? (There are no little ones around much but she won’t get a dog that is notorious for not being kid friendly)
Any info or personal experiences with theses pups would be greatly appreciated because my father and I want to get jumping on this before her birthday.
I’m afraid I can’t answer all of your questions but perhaps some. I lived with a girl who had a jack russell, and she was very hyper, very much bossy and wanted to rule the house. She wasn’t great with other dogs – I had a lab and she always ate my dog’s food and all that. But that could have just been that dog…
Good luck. I’ll be interested to hear what else folks have to say.
For as cute as they are, they can be very difficult to handle…many people underestimate the attention and execise a Jack Russell needs, and don’t understand their needs. I’ve never owned one, but I’ve wanted one for a while and done a bit of reading about them…not to put you totally off of getting one, but this article covers some of the more serious aspects you need to consider before adopting one as a pet.
Ditto what chefjeff said. Terriers in general are a stubborn, independent lot, and take a strong, firm person to keep them from taking charge.
I have a rat terrier, which shares a lot of traits with the Jack Russell. We started obedience training very early, and he turned into a pretty well-behaved dog. Even so, you could see those terrier tendencies come through. We had to make sure to do regular dominance exercises (doesn’t that sound kinky?) while the girls were younger, just so he’d stand a chance of listening to them. The older one never did catch on; she doesn’t have a very domineering personality, and as such the dog hardly ever listens to her.
That said, they are very intelligent little dogs, tend toward long life, and can learn any number of behaviors. They just demand a lot of attention.
Some of the other terrier breeds are less like this, although they will all display a measure of independence. Personally, I love them, but they’re not for everyone.
I don’t know what she will do with that info. I didn’t realize they were that energetic. Either way, it’s good to do research because I don’t want her to get a dog she can’t handle or regrets getting. It’s not fair to either of them.
Thanks for the link.
And to echo what Jadis’s cite mentioned, they have very good eyesight, particularly as it relates to movement. They are very quick, and are congenitally ADD. Therefore, they should never be outside without a leash, particularly if your mother lives in a suburban or urban environment where cars are an issue.
My rat terrier has some beagle and whippet in him, so he got some of the beagle hard-headedness, combined with a little whippet eyesight and speed. When he was younger I tried to get some kind of off-leash control of the dog, but it never happened. I would think he was paying attention to me, but if he caught glimpse of a squirrel across the field, he was gone. I would have no hope of physically catching him, and like as not he would not listen to a good sharp, “SIT!”
My old boss has one, his sister who gave it to him has had a few. My experience is they are 100mph all the time. I don’t think they even sleep.
What I’ve noticed is they seem to play very aggressively or fight (depending on how you look at it) with the other dogs all the time. They were raised and live on a farm with an assortment of pets and animals so they never got much 1 on 1 training or attention so YMMV.
I’ve never owned a Jack Russel, but some of my relatives have. Of the dozen or so Jack Russels I’ve known, all were very friendly with humans. Don’t expect them to be any sort of a watchdog: If a burglar breaks in, the Russel’s reaction is likely to be to jump into his lap and get petted.
However, any other living thing other than a human is a different story. Once one is convinced that another animal actually belongs in the area, there’s no problem… But until then, it will not allow unauthorized animals anywhere in its turf. Any other animal, from a shrew to an elephant, it will kill or drive off.
Also, the relatives have large tracts of land, and let their dogs have the run of the property. This suited both the humans and the dogs just fine, but I’m not at all sure how they would do in an apartment or a city lot.
Jack Russell Terriers: They’re football shaped for a reason.
All kidding aside, they’re great dogs (smart, tennacious, tough), but not for everyone. They were bred (as are most terriers) to go after prey in their dens–and win! IIFC, JRTs haven’t been a recognized AKC breed as long as many other terriers and, as such, they’re closer to the original working temperment than other terriers. (I could be wrong about that, though.)
So they’re really tough and not easily intimidated. If you’re used to high energy, potentially dominant dogs, you’ll do fine with them. If you want something mellow, keep looking.
I gave my dad a jack russell terrier for Fathers day a couple years ago…“buddy” is VERY sociable, good with all kinds of people (kids to the elderly) and is very companionable…BUT, like everyone has already posted, they are HYPER!!! I did give dad this kind of dog for a reason: he needs to exercise more for health reasons and now he walks buddy, takes him out to the country to run around, and has the dog trained pretty well as far as obedience commands go. They are smart dogs, but EXTREMELY hyper and LOVE people to the point of annoyance (always want to be by you). THey are natural jumpers and runners (and diggers), so you’ve got to watch them constantly.
If you’re looking for a high energy, loyal, companion dog with ABUNDANT personality (to the point of stubborn tenacity which becomes really tiresome after a while), jack russell terriers are for you.
On the other hand, my mother is still mad at me for giving my dad this dog…Buddy drives her nuts wanting to play all the time while she is doing household stuff. He is mellowing as he gets older though…and I’m sure my mom would never part with him now! They really grow on you because they do have a great personality.
We have one, all I can say is don’t get one unless you have a lot of patience, are willing to listen to a lot of yapping and don’t mind if the cats leave.
Ours:
Barks at the TV when any animal is shown
chases all cats in the neighborhood
uses our Aussie as a chew toy/love doll
growls when you get near her food dish/toys/blanket
She a great dog and we love her, but after she’s gone we won’t get another Jack
I have a half-Jack Russell/half-rat terrier. Believe everything you read about the hyper part- my little 18 pounder eats enough to fill a horse but he’s skinny and it’s not due to worms but strictly because he runs it off. He also has major separation anxiety (I tried crating him- he trained me out of that pretty quickly- every morning was a battle to get him out from behind the sofa or under the bed or whatever to put him in his crate). He’s also destructive for a little boy (though he’s better now that he’s not a baby)- LOVES plastic coathangers with a passion and if one ever hits the ground it is his. And they’re not easy to housebreak (though mine will at least use the housebreaking pads).
Ollie (my dog) literally has two speeds: full & stop. He’s either galloping through the house and insisting on me throwing his ball or destroying his chewtoy, or he’ll jump in my lap and completely zonk out with his head resting on my stomach. (He sleeps in the bed with me and shares his pillow with me most nights.)
On the up side- he is super affectionate, funny, lots of personality, he doesn’t bark constantly like some dogs, and lots of company.
If you need a docile companion dog, you might want to consider a greyhound. While it’s true they can be out of the sound of your voice in a matter of seconds when they run, when they’re confined or on a leash they are very sweet, bright and almost totally vegetative.
I was a third generation pet store owner, and rode at hunter barns where JRTs were ubiquitous. I’ve been around a lot of them, of all different bloodlines, ages, and genders. All I can say is, many more people do own them than should own them. I have met the occasional outstanding member of the breed - obedient, polite, tough, independent, and responsive. Such dogs are in the extreme minority. Most of them bite, bark incessantly, and dig feverishly; to achieve your average JRT, take every negative stereotype of a terrier and square it. I’m sure they’re tremendous at what they’re bred to do, but many of those behaviors do not translate well to the average life of a pet dog. While it’s certainly possible to keep them with cats, it would be an uphill battle. Honestly, my field-bred hounds have been easier to train and handle than almost any JRT I’ve met.
As a general thing, it’s a bad idea to give someone a pet as a gift. A gift certificate good for a trip to the shelter or breeder to pick out their own pet, yes; an actual animal you’ve picked out, not so much. Animals are individuals, and finding the right individual is every bit as important as finding the right breed. Finding the right individual for you is something that nobody else can really do.
It doesn’t really sound like most Jack Russels would be a good match for your mom. With that terrier prey drive, they’re far too likely to think Chase the Kitty was the funnest game ever, and I don’t think your mother and her elderly cats would appreciate that at all. Most of them are nice, but the occasional mean ones are just absolutely fucking EVIL. At my last job, we used to board one that would fling himself at the door of the kennel, snarling and trying to get at you through the bars, when you walked past the door. We had to walk him with a rabies pole to keep him from eating our ankles up. Nasty little animal, just nasty. The other thing is that when these little guys are underexercised (and it takes an awful lot of running to give them enough exercise), they tend to become destructive and/or neurotic, and that makes them more likely to bite. And being terriers, when they bite they tend to hang on.
That’s not to say that there are absolutely no JRTs that would be a good fit for your mom, because some individuals might be just right for her. But the typical JRT–I don’t think it would be that great an idea.
As a boxer owner myself, I’d advise against it. And remember, boxers are hyper too.
The thing is, JR are big dogs in compact form, and many people who really want a bigger dog, but think it’s more convenient with a smaller breed will say things like: “Well, it’s a big dog in compact form, it’s lively, energetic, happy, playful.”
Well, yeah. And then they go and buy one and try to raise it like it was a lab or golden.
It will need very strict obedience training, it will need to know, right from the start, that it’s not master of the house, it will need to socialize with other dogs, and preferably be taught a lesson by an adult female (not harsh, just put in place). The JR:s I’ve met tend to have no limitations. When dogs playfight, it’s normal that when one dog yields, the other backs off, content with its victory. A Jjack russel tends to continue the fight, even when the other dog is on its back. If the dog is bigger, the terrier will get hurt that way.
There’s a reason someone decided to cross the bulldog with a terrier to create a pitbull. The relentlessness comes from the terrier.
Here’s my experience. My last home, I lived next to a neighbor who owned a JRT. It barked all the time.
My new home, I moved in and all was quiet. Then another neighbor moved in next door with two JRTs. They bark all the time for no reason. Also, they jump on each other and rile each other up. While they are barking, my neighbor yells at them to quiet down. The yelling doesn’t accomplish much, except make things noisier. YMMV.
You can’t get a Jack Russell Terrier anymore. The name of the breed has been changed by the AKC to Parson Russell Terrier. It reflects the name in the country of origin.
Well…
In Sweden we have Parson Jack Russel and Jack Russel. I’m not saying that’s the final word, just that labels may change, but the breed doesn’t.
And it seems like the AKC is being disputed: http://www.terrier.com
My neighbors have one. I hate that dog. It barks and barks and barks, and bangs against the metal fence they have, which sounds like a thunder machine. It once bit the beak off a parrot. It terrorized their other dog to the point it was wetting itself; they had to get rid of it because it was getting so neurotic (they keep the JR because one of their daughters loves it). Horrible animal. I hope a meteor falls on it.
) and they are all getting on in years and she wants a dog that is not likely to be aggressive toward her little angels.