History of occurrence
The Jack Russell Terrier was developed in 19th century England by a clergyman named John Russell. This feisty little terrier was used to hunt small game, particularly fox, by digging the quarry out of its den. The energetic and playful Jack Russell makes a good family companion. Some of the Jack Russell's talents include: hunting, tracking, agility, and performing tricks.
General form
A strong, active, lithe working Terrier of great character with flexible body of medium length. His smart movement matches his keen expression. Tail docking is optional and the coat may be smooth, rough or broken.
Отличительная особенность породы Jack Russell Terrier
Head and skull: the skull should be flat and of moderate width gradually decreasing in width to the eyes and tapering to a wide muzzle with very strong jaws. There should be a well defined stop but not over pronounced. The length from the stop to the nose should be slightly shorter than from the stop to the occiput with the cheek muscles well developed. The nose should be black.
Eyes: small dark and with keen expression. MUST not be prominent and eyelids should fit closely. The eyelid rims should be pigmented black. Almond shape.
Ears: button or dropped of good texture and great mobility.
Mouth: deep wide and powerful jaws with tight-fitting pigmented lips and strong teeth closing to a scissor bite.
Neck: strong and clean allowing head to be carried with poise.
Body: chest deep rather than wide, with good clearance and the brisket located at the height mid-way between the ground and the withers. The body should be proportioned marginally longer than tall, measuring slightly longer from the withers to the root of the tail than from the withers to the ground. Back level. Ribs should be well sprung from the spine, flattening on the sides so that the girth behind the elbows can be spanned by two hands - about 40 cm to 43 cm. The loins should be short, strong and deeply muscled.
Forequarters: shoulders well sloped back and not heavily loaded with muscle. Forelegs straight in bone from the shoulder to the toes whether viewed from the front or the side and with sufficient length of upper arm to ensure elbows are set under the body, with sternum clearly in front of shoulder blades.
Hindquarters: strong and muscular, balanced in proportion to the shoulder, hind legs parallel when viewed from behind while in free standing position. Stifles well angulated and hocks low set.
Feet: round, hard, padded, not large, toes moderately arched, turned neither in or out.
May droop at rest. When moving should be erect and if docked the tip should be on the same level as ears.
Coat: may be smooth, broken or rough. Must be weather-proof, preferably unaltered.
Colour: white must predominate with black, tan or brown markings.
Character
This is a dog that thrives on action and adventure. In the process, it often finds itself in the middle of trouble. It is a true hunter at heart and will explore, wander, chase and dig when it gets a chance. It is very playful and intelligent. It gets along well with children and strangers. It can be scrappy with strange dogs, but is better than many terriers. It does well with horses, but it may chase cats and is not good with rodents. It may tend to bark and dig. It makes an ideal companion for an active person with a good sense of humor who wants a lot of entertainment-and mischief-in one dog.
Maintenance care
The Jack Russell needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation every day. It is not a dog that can sit around inside. It needs a long walk or strenuous game every day, plus a short training session. It enjoys the chance to explore on its own, but it must do so only in a safe area because it tends to go off in search of trouble, and some go down holes and must be dug out! It can live outdoors in temperate climates. It does best when allowed access to a house and yard, and it is not a good apartment dog. Coat care for the smooth type consists only of weekly brushing to remove dead hair; for the broken coat it also consists of occasional hand stripping.
Lifespan — 13-15 years.
Dignity
Conveniently-sized, natural-looking, and sturdy.
One of the most energetic, athletic, determined, and intense of all breeds.
Extremely alert and makes a keen watchdog, yet is still sociable with strangers.
When handled properly, is the brightest and most trainable of all the terriers, loves learning tricks, and excels in competitive activities such as agility and flyball.
Difficulty keeping
Very strong chasing instincts.
Digging holes.
Barking.
Constant shedding (lots of white hairs everywhere).
Mouthiness — chewing on things, carrying things around, mouthing your hands in play.
Potential aggression toward other animals.
Diseases
Common health issues affecting the Jack Russell breed include inherited eye diseases and deafness. Legg Perthes is a disease of the hip joints that can occur most commonly in smaller breed dogs, the Jack Rusell included. They are also prone to dislocation of the knee caps.
Jack Russells are well known for living long and healthy lives, as breeders have protected the gene pool, preventing direct in-line breeding. The common health issues associated with Jack Russells are generally due to recessive genes of certain lines being bred.
