What Does a Jack Russell Terrier Look Like?

What does a Jack Russell Terrier look like? Where did it come from? How big does it get? What is its coat’s color? What is its overall mood for most of the time? Is it a healthy breed? How do you take care of it? What are the appropriate foods for such breed? How much exercise does it need to maintain its overall health? What about its behavior with children? How is it with other pets?

Those are some of the basic questions that you are definitely asking if you are considering getting a Jack Russell Terrier as a pet as well as any dog in general. Moreover, asking such questions already proves one thing: you are certainly a responsible pet owner. Obviously, you are trying to research first on the dog breed that you have an eye on which is, indeed, the best first step to take. So good job on that part! This blog post contains all the necessary information about the Jack Russell Terrier as well as some fun trivia about this dog breed. So make sure to stick around.

A Jack Russell Terrier is a variation of the terrier dog. The breed’s name is from Reverend John Russell because they came from the dogs which were bred by the man around the early 19^th century.

Jack Russell Terrier: Appearance

 For the main question which is “What does a Jack Russell Terrier look like?”

A Jack Russell Terrier’s head is of moderate width at its mobile V-shaped ears which are of moderate thickness. It also has dark as well as almond-shaped eyes. In addition to these, the end of its muzzle is a bit defined with a black nose. Moreover, its body length is the same as its height. Furthermore, its tail is high. Lastly, the most significant body part of this dog breed is its chest since it’s a working terrier. It’s naturally inclined to dive into burrows, so a Jack Russell Terrier’s chest mustn’t be large where it can’t enter a supposed burrow anymore.

Jack Russell Terrier: Origin

A Jack Russell Terrier’s history started in England with a man named Reverend John Russell who was a parson as well as a hunting aficionado. Around the early 1800s, he purchased Trump, a small female white and tan terrier from a local milkman.

Russell saw Trump as the beginning of a new breed that won’t only have the same drive of a terrier with regards to chasing foxes going to the ground, but also with a distinct high stamina. Furthermore, Russell set his intention that the dogs he will breed will drive the foxes out of their places without resulting into any form of mess. Moreover, he indeed took a pride in that, that his dogs are truly harmless. Then in 1883, John Russell died. The breeding of the Jack Russell Terrier was then continued by two men coming from Chrislehurst and in Cornwall.

Furthermore, as the World War II ended, Jack Russell Terriers started becoming family as well as companion dogs because there was no need for hunting dogs anymore. Nowadays, the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America still considers the dog as a purely hunting dog. On the other hand, the Jack Russell Terrier Association of America was given recognition by the American Kennel Club in the beginning of the 2000s, leading to the narrowing of the size of the breed from the previous club standard. Then the American Kennel Club renamed the breed into Parson Russell Terrier to have a distinction between the two kinds of Jack Russell Terrier.

Jack Russell Terrier: Size

The question “What does a Jack Russell Terrier look like?” may not only imply about its face and body, but also its size too. A Jack Russell Terrier can stand as tall as 13 to 14 inches as well as weigh from around 13 to 17 pounds.

Jack Russell Terrier: Coat

“What does a Jack Russell Terrier look like?” can be not just about the dog’s face, body, and size, but more importantly about its coat which is certainly a significant detail for pet owners and/or dog lovers. 

A Jack Russell Terrier has two types of coat which are both double coated and have a certainly coarse texture: smooth and broken.

The coat’s color ranges from white, white with black or tan markings, as well as tricolor: white, black, and tan. To take care of the dog’s coat, it needs weekly brushing. Furthermore, rough coats must be stripped for once or twice a year.

Jack Russell Terrier: Personality/ Temperament

The Jack Russell Terrier is certainly a really friendly dog. Because of the innate hunter within them, they are, of course, naturally inclined to explore. They are indeed upbeat and energetic too. For these reasons, then it’s just obvious why this dog breed loves digging a lot! You need to prepare waking up to tons of mess in your garden or lawn. Consequently, you must prepare a plan to deal with it.

Jack Russell Terrier: Health

Every dog breed is more prone to specific diseases or health condition than the other breeds.

For the Jack Russell Terrier with a life expectancy of about 12 to 14 years, the health conditions that you should definitely look out for are the following: patellar luxation, legg-calve-perthes disease, lens luxation, glaucoma, and deafness.

• Patellar Luxation

This is a health condition which is the dislocation of a kneecap. For Grades II-IV patellar luxations, surgery is certainly highly recommended.

• Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

This is a health condition characterized by the spontaneous degeneration of the head on the femur bone which is located in the dog’s hind leg. It then results into the disintegration of the hip joint as well as bone and joint inflammation. Furthermore, mild cases can be managed with therapy using pain medications. On the other hand, for severe ones, surgery may be recommended.

• Lens Luxation

This health condition is the displacement of the lens of the eye(s) because of the deteriorating of the ligament that is securing it in place. For mild cases, this is treatable with either medication or surgery, but for severe ones, they eye(s) may need to be removed.

• Glaucoma

This is a health condition which is an inadequate fluid drainage in the eye(s). This may certainly result into blindness if not properly treated. Treatments for this condition include drugs that will lower the pressure on the eye(s). Cyclocryotherapy is also a treatment option wherein it’s a process of draining the fluid and altering the fluid producing cells to avoid the buildup in the eye(s). In other cases, the eye(s) needs to be removed.

• Deafness

This is a hereditary problem that can be aided by training the dog or using vibrating collars.

For these reasons, you should certainly be in regular contact with your pet dog’s veterinarian in order to track your dog’s overall health as well as to detect any bad health condition in advance.

Jack Russell Terrier: Care/ Grooming

Caring for a Jack Russell Terrier includes always being careful with it when you are both outside. When you are walking this dog, it should be on a leash since it will really wander off, no doubt on that! At the same time, if you have a yard, see to it that it has fences that will confine this intensely lively dog.

Moreover, in terms of its nails, make sure you trim them once or twice a month. Your Jack Russell Terrier will truly jump on you every time that it finds to do so, and you don’t want to be scratched harshly. Furthermore, in terms of its teeth, make sure to brush them for at least two to three times a week or even daily if you prefer.

Jack Russell Terrier: Feeding

A Jack Russell Terrier needs a high-quality dog food that can either be commercially-manufactured or home-prepared. It must also be divided into two main meals daily.

Jack Russell Terrier: Exercise

A Jack Russell Terrier needs an exercise routine that lasts for around 40 minutes or more. In training this dog, praise as well as food treats or rewards will really go a long way. At the same time, go easy on scolding since they can be stubborn from time to time. Furthermore, schedule for an activity where it can do whatever it wants without a leash. This will in turn burn the dog’s excess energy and let it tire, so it won’t be aggressive with the built up extra energy it has.

Jack Russell Terrier: Behavior with Kids and Other Pets

The Jack Russell Terrier is okay for older children, but not very likely for smaller ones since their hostile side may come out from time to time. Little kids won’t likely to be able to handle this snapping of mood properly. In terms of other pets or animals, this dog certainly needs to be socialized with them at an early age. It’s because this dog naturally thinks of other animals as prey. Without a doubt, they will most likely chase or kill smaller animals. Even bigger dogs doesn’t scare this dog breed away! These are all because they are bred to hunt one of the most ferocious animal in the world which is the fox. So you may not be able to blame a Jack Russell Terrier for having their aggressive side.

Other Fun Trivia About the Jack Russell Terrier

• Nipper who is believed to be a Jack Russell Terrier is the inspiration behind Francis Barrauds’ painting called His Master’s Voice that was used by music companies such as The Gramophone Company, EMI, Victor Talking Machine, and RCA. On the other hand, HMV in UK and in Europe still incorporates this painting into their logo up to this day.
• Bothy, owned by explorers Ranulph and Ginny Fiennes, became the first dog to travel to both the North and South poles in 1982 as part of the Transglobe Expedition.

• George protected five children from two pitbulls in New Zealand and died doing so back in 2007. In 2009, he was posthumously awarded the PDSA Gold Medal and a statue of him was launched in Manaia. At the same time, a former US Marine gave George’s owner the Purple Heart Award that he received for service in Vietnam.
• Moose and his son Enzo played Eddie the dog in the hit, long-running TV sitcom Fraiser. In addition to this, they also played Skip in the 2000 movie called My Dog Skip.
• Soccer played Wishbone in the television show with the same name which aired from 1995 to 2001.
• Max played Milo which is one of Stanley Ipkiss’ only friends in the film The Mask which stars Jim Carrey. Max also played female dog Audrey in the film Mr. Accident.
• Scholastic published a series of children books by Darrell and Sally Odgers entitled Jack Russell: Dog Detective. The books tell the story of Jack Russell’s adventures with his friends.
• Uggie, an animal actor, was in the film Water for Elephants.

Final Words

“What does a Jack Russell Terrier look like?” Surely, this main question and the others have already been answered by this comprehensive Jack Russell Terrier guideline that we provided.

The Jack Russell Terriers is a dog breed originally bred for fox hunting that is why this dog is certainly brave and hardworking. It definitely has its unique characteristics which make it stand out on its own from the other variations of the terrier dog type.

If you are an aspiring pet owner and you are looking for a dog that you can indeed count on for your safety as well as security, pick this breed. Also, choose this dog if it’s certainly complementary to your personality and lifestyle in general. Well, without a doubt, it’s easy if you can just pick an adorable Jack Russell Terrier without even thinking, but you really have to ponder hard about the dog that you will choose to be your life companion. Indeed, that is a hard task because all dogs are extremely lovable, especially a Jack Russell Terrier. But regardless of your final choice, happy fur parenting!

CHECK OUT: What Does a Fox Terrier Look Like?