Russell terrier are fantastically levelheaded , interminably sociable , and unquestioningly adorable . watch about their temperament , layer of upkeep , and more to decide whether this strain is right for your family unit .
Russell terrier are small dog with big personality . Blisteringly reasoning , these little dogs are incredibly wanton to coach , love learning and performing prank , and are most the dictionary definition of " cunning picayune frank . "
Bred for hunting foxes , voles , and farm rodents , the Russell terrier has a minuscule , stocky body with forgetful , wiry fur and small , intelligent oculus — all of which help to give him a disarmament , thoroughly charming visual aspect . Under the hood , however , you ’ll feel anincredibly sharp , cunning little creative thinker that soak up information like a parazoan and come equip with an almost individual - minded prey drive .
What all of this supply up to is a dog who , for the right proprietor , can be a terrific companion . Russell have it away to extend , compete , dig , hunting , and play . john and playacting biz will keep them awake and glad . But make no mistake , this is a high - maintenance strain that can very apace become headstrong and get into trouble if bored or not show right counseling .
Appearance
To see the Russell terrier is to sleep together the Russell terrier . These dogs are universally greet for their small , questioning expression ; sharp , bright eyes ; and overall well-disposed demeanour . Their coats occur in two varieties : " smooth " or " break " ( scruffier and wire - hirsute ) . To refer back to those famous TV Russells , Wishbone was a smooth - haired Russell , while Eddie was broken - hirsute . Most dog-iron in the strain are white with some variation of brown , dim , or tan spotting .
Russells were bred to be capable to go to land and chase after burrowing game , so their bodies are squarish in shape and compact . The stylemark of the breed is their flyspeck size , with virile and distaff Russell terrier being just about every bit sized at 10–12 inches grandiloquent and 9–15 pounds .
Temperament
Here ’s a question for you : Is the Russell terrier go to be your first dog ? Because you do not require the Russell terrier to be your first dog . These little guy have ahugemotor and are blessed with brilliant minds . As a result , they require a deft hired hand , someone with enough prison term to keep themoccupied and active , and someone who does n’t mind set in thetime and effort to train them — something that will need to be an unending , lifetime activity . For as gratifying and fun as the Russell terrier can be , these are high - sustenance little dogs .
" They ’re wired up for activeness , " says Dennis Riordan , DVM , ofRiordan Pet Hospitalin Des Moines , Iowa . " They are hyper . They are the definition of a terrier . I always say , ' I like them , but I ’d never have one . ' "
For starters , diggingis an ingrained part of their personality . It ’s not merely a spoiled behavior that can easy be trained out of them ; it ’s who they are . Bred to hunt burrowing rodents , extend to labor is second nature to these little bozo . As such , you could require lots of help till your garden . This is also the deportment a bored Russell will return to most often if left unattended for too long .
The one thing youcan(and clearly should ) aim them to do is not treat your couch like a flower bottom . These footling fellow will initiate to grok in shock absorber and carpeting if they get bored indoors , but can fairly well be trained to understand that couches are not for digging .
to boot , a high amount of energy plus a lot of smarts equal a heel who can and will get bored exceptionally easily . Which is why they thrive best in households where they can have a job . They’reenthusiastic huntersand runners but are also very adept at agility , obedience , flyball , and rally competitions — though sometimeswith mixed result .
For Russell terrier pup , training can and should start passing early . Russells are undimmed enough to start souse up instructions as immature as eight calendar week one-time . If you wait until six months , you ’re go to be dealing with a much more headstrong dog .
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Finally , Russells have an incrediblyhigh prey private road . This means that any humble critter ( cats let in ) that makes its direction into your backyard is going to be on the collision list , and the Russell is knavish and quick enough to take hold of a lot of them .
Living Needs
Youcanlive with a Russellin an apartment , but you ’re going to have to make him a full - fourth dimension hobby for keep him alive and not destructive . family withfenced yardsare effective alternative and farm are ideal . " They ’re very nice farm dogs , " Riordan says . " They combust that energy off . "
Russells are breed to hunt in packs and groups , so houses with other dogs should be fine , though their energy tier wo n’t mesh well with every personality case . Socialize any current dogsin the household with a Russell terrier to see how they get along before you commit to owning a Russell .
Because of their innate prey drive , cats are n’t undecomposed fellow for Russells . It ’s possible for Russells to overcome their nature if they areacclimated to catsat a very unseasoned age and trained properly , but that is very easy the exception and not the rule .
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Contrary to what we see in " Frasier , " Russells demand more stimulation than most seniors will plausibly be able ( or unforced ) to supply , butany alive adultcan enjoy a Russell as long as they have the patience . Households with children are also good because kidskin can often keep a Russell fill for long stretches of meter . But it ’s recommended child be over the age of six or so — the Russell terrier is a pretty soft - going Canis familiaris , but because of his hunting instincts he might not be a good tantrum for little children . Again , make certain to socialize your Russell early and often .
Care
For as intensive as their mental and activity needs are , Russells make up for it by being middling " go down and forget " when it comes to strong-arm tutelage . They arefairly light sheddersand the natural petroleum in their hair do n’t incline to hold on to dirt or burs , so a quick brushing possibly twice a week to keep thing looking neat is all they should require . Bathsare going to be more of an " as demand " kind of chore rather than a regularly schedule event .
Health
Russell terriers are , by and large , a healthy breed . A agile perusal of theJack Russell Terrier Club of America’swebsite will show you an intimidating list of ailments that can bechance the breed . However , the Brobdingnagian bulk of those illnesses are rare occurrences . The American Kennel Club ( AKC ) advocate getting your Russell terrier tested forBAER(related to hearing ) and having a PLL desoxyribonucleic acid test ( concern to the lens of the eye ) done as well . to boot , learn foreye contagion . As your dog father olderpatellar luxation(loose kneecaps ) can occur .
History
The question on your thinker is probably , " So are Russell terriers , Jack Russell terriers , andParson Russell terriersthe same dog ? " And the solvent is an enthusiastic " sort of ! " Strap in , because this can get puzzling .
So all three dogs are presently considered separate breeds . However , as you might surmise from their names and nearly identical coming into court , they share a common history . That story set out with an English reverend ( parson ) named , expect for it … Jack Russell .
consort toDepauw University ’s " Humanimalia " journal , Russell love fox hunt and was looking to break a small , agile , intelligent dog who could keep up with fox hunter , but was summary enough to observe a fox into a tunnel and flush them back out again . The Canis familiaris he developed was 10–12 inches magniloquent , white with brown spots , and was hallow with great intelligence and an incredibly solid prey ride .
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After Rev. Russell ’s demise , hunter in hillier regions wanted a detent with similar attribute , but slightly tall , with a longer pace better suited to their terrain . This is where the Parson Russell terrier start to be developed . Meanwhile , Rev. Russell ’s original stock of hotdog made their fashion down to Australia , where they were developed into the Jack Russell that we know today .
So where does that get out us now ? The Parson and Russell are currently assume as different dogs , despite make the same canonical shape and coloration . The independent difference of opinion are in size of it , and even that can be pretty subtle : Parson Russells stand at about 14 inches tall , with a more squarish body , while Russells are smaller , at about 12 inches marvellous . In the U.S. , Parson Russell terrierswere in the beginning calledJack Russell terriers or Parson Jack Russell terriers ( sometimes colloquially denote to as " shorty JRTs , " ) .
Fun Facts
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