The Photo is a Male like his dad only this is a hard to find smooth coat parsons. Should you own a Jack Russell?
To own or not to own a Jack? That is the question. Well let's start out by discussing who should NOT own a Jack. A person who lives alone, works more than six hours a day away from the home, and cannot or is unwilling to take he dog to work with them every day. Anyone with short patience and a quick temper. Anyone who views these wonderful beings as 'possessions or property' that will enhance their status among their friends. Anyone with children of any age that believes dogs are playthings with no rights concerning the gentle treatment of their bodies or hearts. Anyone who does not wish to deal with holes dug all over their yards or gardens. Anyone who is "noise sensitive". Anyone who is unwilling to be inconvenienced by the little tornado about to come into their home. Anyone who does not have or is unwilling to COMMIT TIME, TIME, TIME, to this newest family member. And I am not just speaking of a few weeks or months but the rest of the Jack's life (12-16 years)! Anyone who is not willing or simply cannot enforce DISCIPLINE! I'm not talking about corporal punishment, (hitting, swatting, shaking which I find a week persons way of trying to make an unmakable point) but I am talking about a 'NO' always being a NO. These dogs not only need to know exactly what your rules are but they are much happier, better companions for it. Anyone who is unwilling or unable to spend at LEAST an hour in the morning and an hour at night running the legs off your Jack Russell. And I'm not talking little, quiet walks around the neighborhood. (How much energy do you think 4 Jack Russells have to have to take three tons of rats in one year?) Jack Russells who do not have their bodies as well as their extremely, quick minds challenged every day will find some very creative albeit incredibly destructive ways to channel their intelligent energy. Anyone who thinks puppies are trained and not raised. Anyone not willing to undergo the tedium of teaching and enforcing the two basic life saving commands of 'come' and 'stay' or 'wait'. The major cause of death to the Jack Russell Terrier is death by auto. Either by jumping from or running in front of or behind their owners or someone else's vehicle. Teaching your jack that he MUST come every time he is asked and that he MUST wait before entering or exiting ANY door (car, office or home) would cure this top killer of Jacks. So now that we have determined who should NOT own a Jack Russell I think it's pretty obvious who may.
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About The Jack Russell Terrier
First and unequivocally, foremost, a Jack Russell Terrier is a "HUNTING TERRIER"!!!! Anyone who thinks this incredibly, energetic, highly, intelligent, incurably curious, bundle of iron muscles whose actions are directed by steel springs will be anything but miserable trying to live a sedate life in city or suburb is in for a tragic surprise. The only other drive as great as the need to hunt is their desire to please the humans they love. These fellows are often described as being 150 pounds of dog in a ten pound body and no truer words were ever spoken! They can jump (4 or 5 feet is not at all unusual). They can climb (chain link enclosures, stock fences, trees (squirrels and chipmunks beware)). They can, and many do, love to, swim and although they can retrieve with the best of them you may not get your stick back. They can keep up with a cantering horse and not break a sweat. They have noses that pay homage to their beagle ancestry. And while they DIG, DIG, DIG for that elusive quarry they like to let the world know what they are up to with voice!! They will not tolerate vermin in their world. Rats, mice (little rats) chipmunks (rats with stripes) squirrels (rats with bushy tails) all are relentlessly hunted to their eventual extermination. This has been their job for decades. But does this mean they are untrustworthy, indiscriminate killers? Does this mean that any small creature (kittens, other small puppies, the family bird, the pet ferret) are also at risk? Absolutely not! In my opinion, anyone who says otherwise is making excuses for animals and breeders that have no excuse. To say it is the "Terrier Temperament" that makes them untrustworthy maimers of what are considered "stock animals" is like saying anyone who is descended from the Huns must really be excused for raping and murdering. Ridiculous? Of course it is. Just as breeders literally genetically engineer the dog type they think they need so do they control the temperaments of these dogs. A good example if not a sad one is the strain of beagle bred explicitly for laboratory experimentation. These are highly desired by the labs because they are bred for their docility and their easy acceptance of handling. Does this mean you must sacrifice intelligent hunting ability for a more gentle temperament? Absolutely not. Jacks in Britain hunt rats in poultry sheds with the rats being bolted by jill ferrets (ferrets close to the size of rats). The only animals in any danger from the Jacks are the rats. A record 6000 pounds of rats were taken in 1977 by D. Brian Plummer's four Jack ratting team using this method and not once in all the hullabaloo was a ferret mistaken for a rat. So should it be entire responsibility of the breeder to insure the well being of non game animals around a Jack Russell? No. They should be expected to provide the best raw material possible but the rest is up to the owner of the dog!
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