Jack Russell owners

[DG78]

Thinking of getting a new family dog. Does anyone have any experience with JR's? Primary family dog in town. But would like to take him on hunting excursions as well. Also what is the shedding like? Temperament around kids? Thanks.

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by DG78

Thinking of getting a new family dog. Does anyone have any experience with JR's? Primary family dog in town. But would like to take him on hunting excursions as well. Also what is the shedding like? Temperament around kids? Thanks.

They shed alot but short hairs, mine is 14 and has been awesome her whole life with kids, pups other dogs. Strangers etc. Ours is a long legged version which I prefer. She is dramatically failing in the last year. Dementia, half blind.half deaf.starting to have the odd"mistake" indoors. Doesnt know where she is at times, walks into walls. She has gone fron 18lbs to 14 in a year, Man its gunna be tough real soon. I love that damn dog lol. Oh and my brother in law has one thats a friggin gong show, runs away, jumps up and chews on door knobs, bat poop crazy!!!!!

[calgarychef]

Fantastic hunting dogs and very good at blood trailing. They're high (high!) energy pooches.

[ex811]

Also called a Jack Russell 'Terror' for a reason.
As an owner you have to be on constant alert for the 'pranks' this little member of the terrier family will surely inflict upon your household. If Pitties had the JR's temperament grizzlies would live in fear...
Good luck with your Jack Russell.

Seriously, a wonderful dog, but headstrong, stubborn, with a mind of it's own.

[caliberX]

Be ready with their energy and naughtiness. They are sure adorable and cheerful pooch.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by ex811

Seriously, a wonderful dog, but headstrong, stubborn, with a mind of it's own.

Throw smart on top of that. They say the same about MinPins, but as long as you work with them and not against them, wonderful dogs.

[npauls]

My dog is 12 this year and is still as stubborn as they get.

They say its pretty much a 50/50 split whether they love or hate water. My dog hates it.

He has slowed down a lot lately but he used to terrorize our place pretty bad. Has little dog syndrome and thinks he is pretty tough. Very yappy when he hears a voice or noise that isnt familiar to him.

[6.5swedeforelk]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

...mine is 14 and has been awesome her whole life with kids, pups other dogs. Strangers etc. Ours is a long legged version which I prefer. She is dramatically failing in the last year. Dementia, half blind.half deaf.starting to have the odd"mistake" indoors. Doesnt know where she is at times, walks into walls. She has gone fron 18lbs to 14 in a year, Man its gunna be tough real soon. I love that damn dog...

Good grief!

I just went thru this, practically word for word.

Ended last week, after 15 years of sharing every minute of trapping, hunts, rough camping, shed picking etc etc.

Xbolt, hope yours makes spring so she can enjoy probably the last summer.

[dfrobert]

We have an 8 year old female. Stubborn as all get up. Very affectionate, friendly with strangers, kids, and other dogs. Needs a good hard off leash walk and then she flakes out and is calm as can be in the house. Excersize them daily and they are couch potatoes. She sheds a lot.

Jacks can be sharp, and ours has no fear. She's lucky she never got stomped by a cow moose on our driveway a couple years back when she decided to bark and run that cow outta the yard!

[Twisted Canuck]

We took in a rescue JRT about ten years ago, and she was one high energy dog! We had to take turns taking her for walks like a relay race, thankfully there was a park next door. Incredibly smart and stubborn, she tried to get all the kids in line early and she had to be watched around my youngest daughter, she could get aggressive with her. Unfortunately, for some reason I was terribly allergic to her though I don't have dog allergies! The lady at the rescue said they had 4 JRTs of their own, and her husband was fine with them, but he was allergic to this girl as well. Strange, but she had to go. She is living and working on a ranch by Longview as I understand it.

All of which brings me to a point...I'm not sure a JRT is a 'city' dog. They are too energetic, too smart, and too stubborn by half, and will get up to mischief without 24 hour supervision. The are a 'working' dog, good with livestock, and tend to bond with a family well. Just my opinion, but I've had lots of different breeds, and she was the most challenging for me. Being a rescue, and her background may have had something to do with it, she was a loveable dog but you really had to be on top of your game with her. If the dog is for a family situation, in the city, you best be prepared to be a full time dog walker. I'd suggest a miniature schnauzer over the JRT for a city/family pet. That's what I currently have, and he's a gem.

[Gerald_G]

Originally Posted by DG78

Thinking of getting a new family dog. Does anyone have any experience with JR's? Primary family dog in town. But would like to take him on hunting excursions as well. Also what is the shedding like? Temperament around kids? Thanks.

We love our little guy. He's near five now. Has not slowed down one bit. We live in town, and he's a house dog. (but we do have a fenced back yard he can access, and I had to JRT proof the fence here and there)

Comments above re: them thinking they can take on anything are true.

Ours loves playing ball fetch. Would chase the ball till he keeled over if I don't stop throwing it.

Seems to point when he smells something. I've never taken him hunting.

He loves kids - he seems very sensitive to our moods, and can be cuddly and calm - he seems to sense when this is needed - as when our son was sick.

He needs daily runs and stimulation. Is very smart and learns tricks like "play dead" "roll over" etc. very well. He closes kitchen drawers on command.

Ours is also long legged, which I too prefer. Can run like the wind. Is often fastest of all the breeds at the dog park on any given day. (at least he wins the race to the ball most times) He is short haired too.

Sheds like any dog. Hair is white mostly so it stands out on my tuxedo LOL.

He keeps a good watch around the house, and while I am sure he'd wag his tail at any actual intruders, he'd have woken us up at night first at least. He knows all the neighborhood routines and sounds and ignores them completely, but will alert us if something is different.

Best dog I've owned, love him tons. He brings much joy to our home.

I would not describe ours as stubborn. His recall is decent, but he can take his time deciding if he wants to "come" at the moment. He's mostly very cooperative.

He's also crate trained, and loves his crate, so when we first got him, he could be there when no one was home. He has earned our trust, and now we never shut the crate door. He spends time in there on his own though. Especially when the town has fireworks :-)

[Kim473]

Used to have a cross with a corgi. Fantastic dog. Smart and very good with everyone. Playing like a puppy till over 12 years old. Pound for pound he was fearless. Protected my Daughter from two shepards twice his size once. Best dog I ever had.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by ex811

Also called a Jack Russell 'Terror' for a reason.....If Pitties had the JR's temperament grizzlies would live in fear...

For those who believe its the dog, and not the owner, I've read and heard the Russell is one of the dogs who bite humans the most.

[tchammer]

Flip a coin, might get the highly intelligent, high energy version....or just if not more likely you will get the psycho nutbar pee everytime anyone deigns to try and pet it freakazoid version.


Good luck.

[Taco]

Extremely tough minded dogs, absolutely fearless. I had one that inserted himself between me and a young grizzly. Just stood there snarling until the bear left.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by Trochu

For those who believe its the dog, and not the owner, I've read and heard the Russell is one of the dogs who bite humans the most.

Every one I've been around mirrors this. Fair enough I've only been around four but they've attacked people and dogs every time I've seen them. Different owners as well, from my experience they're one of the last dogs I would own.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Every one I've been around mirrors this. Fair enough I've only been around four but they've attacked people and dogs every time I've seen them. Different owners as well, from my experience they're one of the last dogs I would own.

They don't need to be that way. I've met many running off leash at the parks, confident, easy going. Socialize the heck out of them from a young age with adults, kids, dogs, cats, anything.

[HighlandHeart]

Not a great first dog or dog to keep in an apartment, but if you are good at training stubborn and aggressive dogs they can be very playful and loyal. Make sure it has lots of room to run, your Jack Russel will want and need to.

[silverdoctor]

If you're not hung up on a JRT as a dog, take the kids to a local off leash dog park, let them meet the dogs and talk to the owners. This is where you "typically" find the most social dogs in an unmanaged environment and there's lots of small breeds running around.

Minpins are my favorite little dog, not unlike the JRT. Only real downfall with the Pin is that they aren't built for cold weather. Have to make concessions, take him to a local indoor dog park to keep the socialization up, but other than that - he's great with kids and dogs. 0 degrees on a sunny day, put the sweater and boot on, he's good off leash in the parks. Recall is solid, and I haven't done any formal training with him. Kids pick him up and pet him. Tough little dogs mentally, he won't start anything, but he will stand up to anything if pushed. It's not little dog syndrome. He's going to be a great little mouser, had to call him off a few wild rabbits already. Think I may end up with a second Pin this spring.

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Every one I've been around mirrors this. Fair enough I've only been around four but they've attacked people and dogs every time I've seen them. Different owners as well, from my experience they're one of the last dogs I would own.

Our Jack wouldn't attack anybody....probably has more to do with the owners than the breed.

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by ex811

Also called a Jack Russell 'Terror' for a reason.
As an owner you have to be on constant alert for the 'pranks' this little member of the terrier family will surely inflict upon your household. If Pitties had the JR's temperament grizzlies would live in fear...
Good luck with your Jack Russell.

Seriously, a wonderful dog, but headstrong, stubborn, with a mind of it's own.

Never heard the terror part before

[tallieho]

yAPPY X100 Try out a Border Terrier mine is 8 yrs old great around everything.Happy tails kennels in High River Slyvia

[Erik]

I admire Jacks a great deal and they are probably 1 of only about 4 or 5 small breeds I would consider owning. I ended up with Beagles, but have had a few experiences Jacks in the past. They are exceptionally loyal and with that can be quite protective. They have a character that is much larger than their size. They can be a bit nasty when certain boundaries are crossed, which usually comes with a fair deal of warning. Stubborness has been mentioned; they remind me a bit of Beagles in this regard. Stubborn, but with a certain amount of wisdom and problem solving ability. These dogs are not for the casual dog owner; they require work and a certain patience, but for those who are willing to invest that they are perhaps some of the most rewarding dogs to own, IMO. From a Beagle ower, I truly admire the Jack Russell.

I've seen them trailing blood on a hunt in South Africa and that experience left me with the impression that they are amongst the best breeds for this task, perhaps even better than some hounds, partly due to their agility and their wits to track back to their owner and then back to the game, back and forth - quite remarkable. This unfortunately means nothing to you in Alberta, but to answer your question about them hunting, yes, something to behold. Not sure about shed hunting, though.

[saskHKuk]

i have just taken ownership of a patterdale terrier.
had her now just over a year.

these dogs have no fear,no fear of nothing.
they are well known for not liking cats amongst other furry creatures,but we have 3 cats and well its entertaining at times.

would i have another?
i would have 3 more