About The Jack Russell Terrier

The Jack Russell Terrier is a type of small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting and rat catching. The name "Jack Russell" has been used for all of the several types of Russell terrier dog breeds but is now most commonly used for working terriers.

The Parson Russell Terrier is not a Jack Russell Terrier -- it is a breed created by the American Kennel Club by narrowing the Jack Russell standard to include only the larger dogs, and as a consequence the Parson Russell Terrier is rarely found in the hunt field today.

In Britain the name "Jack Russell Terrier" has been used to refer to a wide variety of dogs, including the Parson Russell Terrier, working Jack Russells, and the short-legged type of terrier (many of which are achondroplastic dwarves).

In Australia and other countries affiliated with the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) a fourth type, the Australian Jack Russell Terrier, is also talked about but the official name is Jack Russell Terrier.

The various types of white fox-working terrier are not always considered to be separate breeds; definitions are still evolving and the naming of the breeds is still sometimes unclear.

Jack Russell Terriers are predominantly white with black, tan, or tricolour markings, particularly on the face and at the base of the tail. They have small V-shaped ears that usually fold sharply forwards ("tipped" ears, as though tipped over), and strong teeth with a scissor bite.

Jack Russell Terriers have a dense double coat that appears in three varieties: smooth coat, where the topcoat is very short (approx. 1cm) and stiff; rough coat, where the topcoat is longer (as much as 10cm long, though usually groomed shorter); and broken, which is used to describe dogs with topcoats of intermediate length and dogs that have longer coats only on some parts of the body (always on the face, frequently on the head and back, sometimes extending to the shoulders, occasionally everywhere except the legs).

Tails are straight, six to eight inches (150–200 mm) long, held high and upright. Traditionally, tails are docked to around five inches, the length of a hand's grip.

The breed has a sturdy and robust appearance and an outgoing character; breed standards emphasize that the Jack Russell must have a "keen expression".