The Jack Russell Terrier, which is very similar in appearance to the Fox Terrier, is a small, sturdy short-legged dog with an athletic frame and a wide chest. Their coat is predominantly white, with markings of reddish black, brown, or tan, especially around the head and tail regions. There are three different coat types amongst Jack Russell Terriers: smooth, broken, and wire-haired. They have characteristically flat heads between their ears and wide diamond-shaped black noses. Their ears are v-shaped and charmingly folded forward. Their high-set and sometimes docked tails are always cheerfully wagging. They have very short legs, making their cute little bodies their bodies hang very low to the ground.
Jack Russell Terriers are known for their joyful and energetic personalities. They are full of spunk, exuberance and playfulness. This breed loves to play with toys and they’ve got very spirited, youthful attitudes. One of the downsides to their unending energy is that they can be pretty difficult to train and housebreak, but if an owner is very diligent, it can definitely be done. If you are going to get a Jack Russell but you don’t know much about training one, you should consider getting a professional trainer involved so that your little pal doesn’t pee in your favorite shoes and rip up your lovely furniture. Jack Russell Terriers love people, though they generally are not the best dogs to have with younger children who are prone to playing a little too rough. This breed is not good with other dogs, and in fact they can become very violent and aggressive, even fighting to the death of themselves or the other dog. They have a very strong and pretty much unshakeable hunting and chasing instinct, and therefore they should not live with smaller non-canine animals, not even cats.
This breed of dog is not ideal for individuals who are not experienced dog owners that are willing to put lots of time into raising, caring for, and entertaining their dog. Jack Russell Terriers are not low-maintenance by any stretch of the imagination – they are really quite a handful for a little pooch. They have a quick, high bark, and they enjoy barking quite frequently, which makes them a questionable choice for apartment-dwellers. They are always wound up, so they are happiest when they have a nice-sized backyard to rush around in – just make sure that you keep your terrier on a leash. Not only do they love digging (so they can dig under fences), but they can also jump remarkably high – up to five feet! Jack Russell Terriers need tons of attention from their owners. If they are left alone at home for long periods of time, they are likely to become very destructive -- they just miss their owners so much, and they can’t come up with a healthier way to express their love!
The average lifespan for a Jack Russell Terrier is between thirteen and fifteen years, although it is certainly not unheard of for that average to be exceeded by several years. It is rare that a Jack Russell Terrier is overweight because they are pretty much always on the turbo-charged move. They should weigh, at adulthood, between fourteen and eighteen pounds and they stand about ten to twelve inches high. While they are a generally healthy breed, there are some health problems that are more common, including knee problems, eye diseases, deafness, and hip diseases. Grooming is about the only “easy” thing about maintaining a Jack Russell Terrier – their coats are very easy to brush and comb.
