I LOVE MY JACKS :) (Jack Russell)

Member Name: natsurvey

Product:	Jack Russell
Date:	09/09/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cute, small but big enough not to be a toy dog

Disadvantages: not for everyone, strong willed can be hard to tame

I love my jack Russell's always have always will but I am aware that they have feisty little characters. I will probably be able to write the longest review in history about these little doggies but I'm not into long reviews: too long to write too long to read. Anyways here I go..

These dogs have been around since the 19th century, they were originally named by an English parson named jack Russell hence the name. This is also why they are often referred to as Parson Russell's. They were originally bred from the fox terrier I believe, but these little critters were bred for hunting small animals such as rats and rabbits. In fact these dogs are often used for ratting today, they have always been considered working dogs.

I personally have owned both male and female Jack Russell's over the years. My first was a rescue dog, mitzi, who unfortunately had been very badly treated. At first she was nervous but the JRT personality soon shone through. These dogs are very strong willed and often very difficult to train, they are not the best type of dog for everyone. They require a lot of training as we soon found, they can be stubborn and very strong willed. They also require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. Mitzi was typical of this.

My current dog now however, is an exception to the breed. He is well behaved, however he did also require a lot of training as a pup. He also took forever to house train as the little man refused to go outside in the rain! I have to say that he is great now and this does go to show that if you have a dog from a pup there is no way to say how they will turn out.

Although a JRT antics can be charming and very amusing, they have a load of energy, and they often decide to dig up the garden, chase any other animal, big or small, and bark at everything. This breed is at its best in a large open area. It is not easy to train a Jack Russell, and training should be started early and continued consistently. I recommend puppy classes to socialise too, as another of my dogs Diddy, was a nightmare with any other dog before these.

I think I have cracked it with my current dog and I will definitely keep them as long as I'm fit and able, but a word to the wise, as sweet as they are, make sure you are dedicated to training them properly otherwise the dog will be a terror!

Summary: if you put the effort in you've got yourself a beautiful loyal companion