Why are Jack Russell Terriers so popular?

Jack Russells have an endearing appearance. They have bright eyes, neat little ears and an inquisitive look. Many people have seen dogs like Eddie on the NBC sitcom Frasier and the dog who plays Wishbone on the PBS special of the same name, and think Jacks are cute and mellow like those TV dogs.What they don’t realize is that the average Jack Russell is nothing like Eddie or Wishbone. Many Jack Russell Terriers end up abandoned by their owners because most people can’t handle these complex dogs.

People who enjoy living with this breed appreciate their dog’s difficult personality, and even boast about it. They think it’s fun to have a busy, mischievous dog who always gets into trouble around every turn.

How are Jack Russells not like Eddie or Wishbone?
The Jack Russells you see on TV are acting in more ways than one. They are not just pretending to be Eddie or Wishbone, they are pretending to be nice, well-behaved dogs. You could even say they are acting like a breed other than a Jack Russell Terrier!

The Jacks who play Eddie and Wishbone have undergone thousands of hours of specialized training to get them to behave the way they do on TV, and put on a ruse of being mellow and easygoing. In real life, these same dogs are typical Jack Russell Terriers: they are extremely active and often get into trouble. In fact, trainers who work with movie animals look for dogs with a lot of energy and drive for this kind of work. That same energy and drive that makes them great movie dogs can make them terrible pets who will drive their owners nuts.

The good behavior of Jack Russell Terrier actors is usually limited to the short periods of time they are required to be in front of the camera. In fact, before he was finally adopted by his current trainer, one of the Jack Russell Terriers who played Eddie on Frasier was abandoned twice by pet owners who couldn’t deal with him.

Why are Jack Russell Terriers such good hunters?

They are tenacious, fearless and relentless. Jack Russells have been known to follow prey for miles and miles without giving up. Once they catch their prey, they usually kill it. Their prey can include anything from a wild rabbit to the neighbor’s cat.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, Jack Russells were used during foxhunts to pursue the fox once the animal had retreated into its burrow.While the foxhounds “gave voice”—that is, bayed loudly so the hunter would know where the fox had hidden, the Jack Russell went into the fox’s burrow and sought to chase the fox out so the hunter could kill it. Since a fox is about the same size as a Jack Russell, it took a tough little terrier to tackle this job underground.

Jack Russells use almost all their senses when hunting. They listen to hear their prey and use their noses to follow its scent. They are quick to catch sight of an animal on the run with their good vision. They also use their intelligence to outsmart animals who are trying to escape by running through a series of underground burrows.

How did Jack Russells get this strong hunting instinct?
Farmers living in England have bred them for hundreds of years to be aggressive hunters. Animals such as rats, mice and gophers plagued farmers by eating their crops and making nests and burrows on their property. These farmers needed a dog who could work on its own to hunt down these rodents and kill them.

Jack Russells were also used by foxhunters to help in the hunt, and were bred in part for this use. Since the fox is an animal who fights back when cornered by a dog, foxhunters needed a dog with incredible spunk and courage for this kind of hunting.

What do Jack Russells do when they are hunting?
If their prey is above ground, they will chase their prey until they catch it, and will kill it if they can. They will run the prey down until the animal is too exhausted to run any further. Or they will corner the prey until they are able to grasp it in their jaws or underneath their paws. If the animal goes into an underground burrow, the Jack Russell will follow, racing through the animal’s burrows until he corners the creature. If the burrow is too small for the Jack to fit, the dog will dig his way into the burrow until he unearths the prey.

Rodents hiding in haystacks, between walls or underneath woodpiles are not safe from this breed. Jack Russells will dig or chew their way through any kind of barrier to get access to their prey. In fact, one Jack in California tore a huge hole in his owner’s living room wall because he
heard a mouse squeaking inside.

What exactly is a Jack Russell Terrier?

He’s a feisty, incredibly active little terrier who, despite weighing only from 8 to 15 pounds, thinks he is a large dog. Jack Russells vary in height, and can be anywhere from 10 inches at the top of the shoulder to 15 inches. They are usually white with black or tan markings, or a combination of both. They come in two different coat types: smooth or broken-haired.

What else are Jack Russell Terriers called?
The American Kennel Club uses the term Parson Russell Terriers, as they do in England. In this book, we will call them the name they have long been known by in this country, which is Jack Russell Terriers, or the shortened version, Jacks.

What are Jack Russell Terriers used for? Why?
Jack Russells are tough, outdoor dogs used for hunting small animals, for competitive canine sports and for companionship. They have a very powerful hunting instinct that has been bred into them for centuries, making them among the best hunting dogs around.

Jack Russell Terriers were originally bred to “go to ground”—that is, to follow prey underneath the ground. When a fox, rabbit or other rodent tries to escape by running into its underground burrow, the Jack follows the animal into the burrow. The Jack then catches the animal on the run or after it has been cornered, and kills the prey. The prey sometimes fights back, which means the Jack Russell has to be a brave, tough little dog to stand up to this defensive attack.

Today, people are able to use the Jack Russell’s talents in a variety of ways. The dogs compete successfully in terrier hunting competitions (called earthdog trials), do well in sports that require running and jumping and are great for keeping farms and ranches free from rodents.

Defining aggression among dogs

Aggression in dogs is defined as a threatening or harmful behavior directed toward another living
creature—whether human or animal. The dog may snarl, growl, snap, nip, bite and lunge. Such behavior among dogs is not abnormal. All they are doing is to exhibit the typical behavior of a normal species that is perhaps incompatible with human life and safety. Such behavior among dogs is on the rise and can lead to gruesome situations, including death, as described below.

Only recently, a young woman returned home with a lady friend and was unlocking her door when two snarling and ferocious dogs lunged at her. Though the owner of the dogs screamed at them to stop, they went straight for the woman and attacked her.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found her in ragged clothes and bloodstains all over the walls and floor. The victim was sent to hospital for neck injuries which she later succumbed to, and the dogs went to an animal shelter.


Were they bred to be ferocious? The question: what makes dogs turn ferocious has led many
behaviorists to go into the matter at great length. They say that while some breeds are very fierce or aggressive, others aren’t. Due to domestication or taming by humans, they have lost their predatory edge and since then have also been selectively bred or mated to certain breeds of dogs to redouble certain specific behavioral traits helpful to humans.


Killer instinct: Though certain dog breeds such as rottweilers and pit bulls are deadly attackers, it is still impossible to know a killer by his breed alone. A more reliable way is to know if the dog has been neutered or not. When a dog is devoid of its sexual urges, he ceases to have any hormonal urges to roam and fight.


The return of the predatory instinct: As you know, dogs have descended from wolves that have a very distinct predatory instinct. Like most wild canine predators, wolves also killed in packs. In addition, predators kill other animals for food or in self-defense of their territory. Dogs have evolved from wild canines, and most wild canine predators kill in packs. From the many hundred cases of fatal dog attacks, one thing comes to light: that the savage instincts of a pack have returned to some domestic dogs that suddenly attack animals or people without warning.


Our responsibilities: There’s only so much that genetics can be responsible for, when attributing blame to aggression and the killer instinct in dogs. There are also our own responsibilities towards our pet dogs.

Your pet’s behavior is the net result of how you bring him up, his health and training—aspects you are responsible for. In certain cases, a pet owner, unwittingly encourages his dog to become dangerous by including rough play in his daily schedule, abusing him and praising him when the dog growls at strangers.