Jack Russell Terrier?

[johnbeaver]

My wife wants to get our son a dog for Christmas. We haven't had one around since Abby passed away 10 years ago.
Anyway, thinking about a JRT.
Pros and Cons?
This will be an in and out dog. Abby was an out only. Well, mostly.
Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[ordy]

I've never had one as a pet myself but a friend who has one says they are a bit high strung, independent and s/w difficult to train. ymmv.

 

[Arik]

1st and most important question. ....DOES your son WANT a dog? It's a living being not a toy. If he looses interst are you willing to look after it?

JRT are lively dogs. They have energy even in old age. So it would need some kind of stimulus and exercise. They are very intelligent and fearless and can resort to destructive behavior if not properly stimulated. They get bored easily and will find ways to entertain themselves.

They have A LOT of energy. Can't stress that enough!!!! 30 min walk won't work.

A LOT OF ENERGY!!

They don't have any major health problems and live a long time.

That being said each individual dog is different. I have its cousin, a Rat terrier, which looks similar and are also high energy. Dispite this my Ratty wants nothing more than to sleep under warm comfy covers. He's happy to get walked 3 times a day for 30 min each and go back in to relax!!!

Not happy going to the vet

 

[5Wire]

They seem to be really smart dogs with a very "in charge" attitude. Science Fiction Author, Robert Heinlein, wrote, "Size does matter, otherwise Jack Russel Terriers would rule the world.

Border Collies are pretty cool, too.

Good luck with whatever you select.

 

[OLDSTER]

High strung, possessive to the point of being aggressive, and difficult to train. My pheasant hunting buddys' wifey has one at the farm. I feel like shootin' it every time I encounter it

 

[dougb1946]

A trip to the local shelter, looking for behavior, not breed. A smaller lab cross would be good. Friendly, trainable, indoor and out. maybe hunt.

 

[One-Shot]

JRT ?

I have considered getting one of these a few times but was actually talked out by the breeder who said "do you think you are ready for a Jack Russell?" I thought about it for a while, decided I wasn't and got a Boston Terrier instead.

I have been associated with at least 5 Bostons and loved every one of them.. Great family dogs, fun, love to play and darn good little watch dogs. They are also extremely intelligent and learn quickly.

 

[Inusuit]

They seem to be really smart dogs with a very "in charge" attitude. Science Fiction Author, Robert Heinlein, wrote, "Size does matter, otherwise Jack Russel Terriers would rule the world.

Border Collies are pretty cool, too.

Good luck with whatever you select.

My limited experience with JRTs says they are yappy, demanding, in-you-face little dogs.

While Border Collies are neat dogs, they and other breeds like Australian Shepherds, Cattle Dogs, and Heelers are working dogs. If you don't have a job for them, they will find one and it is usually doing things you'd rather they didn't. Like jumping fences or digging or trying to herd people.

I second the recommendation to visit your local shelter or breed-specific rescue organization. If you must have a registered full blood dog, please buy from a breeder not a pet store.

Just FYI, we have had great luck with shelter and rescue animals. Depending on how old your son is, consider his ability to control the dog on leash. We had a friend who bought puppy for his daughter when she was 6. It grew into a 70 pound dog that she couldn't take for walks or even play with in the yard. We got our son the same age a beagle, which was a good all around dog for 15 years.

 

[Ranger514]

One of the best dogs ever was our first, a JRT we named Mac. He was a rescue from a family that didn't have time to train him. We trained him to be an air scent SAR dog, and he loved the job, but he wasn't good around cats or small children because of his experience with his first family. He was my best buddy. We added a bitch JRT a couple of years later. She was aggressive toward other dogs. I guess I'd say the breed has their quirks, but if you have time to train them and play with them, they are excellent companions. They bond with masters, but need room to run. If you are really interested, check online to see if their are any JRT rescue groups in your part of the country.

 

[cowart]

This will be an in and out dog. Abby was an out only.

Let the dog make the choice. Since I had a "dogie door" installed, my dog seems a lot happier, and I get interrupted a lot less often to open and close the back door.

 

[5-Shot]

I had a Jack for 14 wonderful years. He was, by far, the smartest dog I ever had, and that included two large standard poodles and a German Shepard. He was so aware of his surroundings that he once went after a flying quail in a painting on a friend's wall. He was remarkably easily trained...for the most part!

The part I couldn't overcome was that he hated all male dogs and size didn't matter to him at all. He routinely attacked dogs 8 to 10 times his size...with predictable results.

Ed

 

[jackvs1]

I have Toy Fox terrier. Six years ago I did not want a dog, left on a business trip and came home to Lily. She is now my best friend. Lots of energy, very protective (good way) of the family, barks when somebody shows up and cute & cuddly as heck; she really is part of the family.

 

[gregintenn]

A Jack Russell Terrorist has the energy of a nuclear bomb! If you can live with that, they are awesome little dogs.

 

[TTSH]

Jack Russell terriers are totally great IMHO. My daughter has one and I wish to God it were mine! But I could see where they aren't right for every family. All I can say is do your research. Could be the greatest doggie in the world for you... or one noisy little mistake! All depends on the characteristics and personality you are seeking in your family doggie.

 

[Jeffrey A. Cooper]

Man's best friend.

Have not owned a Jack Russell but my brothers boy owns two. He says that you must have two so they have constant entertainment. Good luck.

 

[Fishslayer]

1st and most important question. ....DOES your son WANT a dog? It's a living being not a toy. If he looses interst are you willing to look after it?

They don't call 'em Jack Russell Terrorists for nothing! JRT are generally VERY high energy dogs. They are also extremely smart & need mental stimulation to go with LOTS of exercise. If you don't give them things to do they will INVENT things to do and that can get ugly. Not a dog you can just put out in the yard and play with at your convenience.

Pros is that you can train them to do just about anything that doesn't require thumbs. Fun loving with tons of personality. Training can be fun for both the human AND the dog.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B9c7e-6CDM[/ame]


Just Jesse is one of my favorite Youtube channels. Jesse is an amazing dog & his human is an amazing trainer.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PztO-OvzRyg[/ame]

 

[klondike]

Great comments above. I have seen this breed produce dogs that are both aggressive and playful friendly. They all seem to be highly intelligent and very active. They should have an experienced owner who know how to bring the best that the breed can offer out.
I think that they are very sensitive and a light hand with more rewards than scolding is in order for them.
They are all DIGGERS.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

Take your son to the shelter and let the dog and him pick each other. You may find that he will like a breed that you did not consider. 4 of the last 6 dogs that we have owned were rescued. The other 2 were Cairn terriers that my wife wanted.

A couple of months ago, we adopted this dog that was found as a stray. I think that she is mostly Miniature Schnauzer. She loves everyone and has a lot of energy when she is not being a lap dog. She also loves to play with my other small dogs.

 

[Maddog 521]

I had a JRT many years ago. Like everyone said, high strung, aggressive, unpredictable but very loyal. I thought he was very easy to train if you remember repetition--repetition--repetition ect. When he jumped flat footed onto the kitchen table when my wife was working there that's when she lost interest. My daughter and granddaughter move in after her divorce and he didn't like either one of them. After that he spent a lot of time on my buddy's farm. He died kinda young, I sure did miss him.

 

[Dashriprock]

We have an 8-year old purebred female JRT named Zoby, short for Zenobia. (Her papered name is Zenobia Domino Proudfoot. Weren’t my idea, see management.)

We researched the breed extensively and knew full well what we were getting into. Being very active people, a dog willing to participate in mountain biking, hiking, trailrunning, camping, etc, was indicated. I reckon this dog would go skiing with us if it could! She can go for days.

They have boundless energy, are amazingly intelligent (ours opens doors and gates) and expect much from their people. If you are willing to provide that level of dog companionship, you’re in for a treat.

When we first got Zoby, we had been unsuccessfully trying for children and the dog was a great fit for us and very much elevated the gloominess in my wife. Guess what happened soon after Zoby arrived? I cannot recommend a JRT puppy and an infant simultaneously for any sane person, but we made it work. She and our son are the best of buddies. She has become a treasured member of our family.

We worked extensively on manners and training when she was a pup and now enjoy one of the more well-behaved JRTs with whom I have been acquainted. This is crucial. You have to do a lot of work with them and be available for daily energy burn-off sessions. If you don’t, the results will not be amusing to you or your household maintenance budget. We have had no issues, which I attribute to all the foundational work. She isn’t perfect, gets very wound up and excited when anyone new comes over for example, but she has never destroyed anything.

JRTs are exceptional at trials and agility training if you are so inclined. We once attended a JRT-specific “go to ground” competition and seeing a gang of these little firecrackers do their JRT hunting thing for which they were bred is quite a spectacle.

They are notoriously efficient ratters as well. There are documented cases of a dozen or so JRTs wiping out 5,000 rats in a single night on the docks. I’ve seen ours play hell on the field mice in our woodpile – shakes them to death in very short order and quickly finds another. She has successfully snagged full size grackles and robins that didn’t take off quick enough, too.

One thing to consider if you get one: pet health insurance. Not for health issues, for injuries. These little dogs know no fear and can be dangerously curious. I am low some S&W acquisition budget due to surprise veterinary bills generated by crazy JRT doing crazy JRT stuff. They can get hurt and it can get expensive.