Jack Russells - tell me all!

Honey08

Honey08

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A few weeks ago one of our hens was killed by a Weasel or stoat, and another couple attacked, so we brought them into a spare stable. A week later, something, probably a rat, chewed through the corner of the stable door (this had happened in the hen coop a couple of years before but once I removed the feed at night nothing further happened), so I've had to put bricks inside the door to stop the stoat getting in! This weekend we noticed something had been digging tunnels inside the hen run (which is now unused). To us they look like rat tunnels, but at the same time there are some new mole hills.

I really want to get the hens back out into the run, but until the stoat is caught, they are sitting ducks, and the mess they make in the stable (which is somehow much messier than the run and coop were) is driving me mad and no doubt attracting the rats.


Sooo, I keep wondering if we should get either a ferral cat to live in the stables (we have two house cats that go to the yard a bit, but mainly hunt in the fields and garden) or, after reading the thread on naughty dogs, a Jack Russell...

We already have two dogs, both labs, so I can't see how a little one would be too much more work (famous last words!). We have a smallholding with 16 acres, the hens are kept locked away usually, there are cats in the house, one is a bit timid of the dogs but clever enough to stay out of the way.

Me being me, I have already had a look at Preloved, and there are two 8 month old JRTs in my area free to good home, one is a bitch the other a dog. (We have one of each already). Both well socialised, both say rehoming as working long hours and dogs don't like being on their own (we read that as trashes the joint!). Husband had JRTs as a child and says they are yappy things, but he is 65% on side about getting one. I'm just a soft touch who will rescue anything! The main issue we have had with getting a third dog in the past is that we can only just fit two in the Discovery when we go off to shows etc, but surely another dog that is little is a different issue from another lab sized dog!

So please give me pros and cons of JRs and whether you think they would be helpful if there are rats around.. I've only had big dogs throughout my life.
 
Why on earth do people advertise their dogs as "free to good home"? Obviously don't give a hoot where the poor dog ends up :(

As for your question - don't bother with a cat,our stable cat is rubbish and doesn't earn his keep (ie rat catching) one bit. A Jack Russell should be an ideal ratter but then there's no guarantee and you may need to teach it yourself if it's never been in an environment where small furries are about to chase so might not have a clue!
 
They're fun, feisty, robust, like the sound of their own voice, can have an interesting interpretation of toilet training, prone to luxating patella. I'd say they are very different personality wise to Labs, but you and your OH probably know that already!

These dogs *might* have a strong prey/chase instinct, in which case might be directed at the cats or chickens, OR they might be bred from pet lines (the pet market dictates puppy sales and the things that make working dogs good working dogs, make them a bit too much of a handful for your average low energy pet home) and haven't had any encouragement to hunt, they might not have enough inbuilt drive to chase and kill rats.
(You could go see them, play with them, see if they chase/go mad for a raggy toy etc)

If you want to have a dog *specifically* to work I think you're always better to go for known working lines so it's there in the genes rather than you having to bring it out of them. Having said that most JRTS are game enough!!
 
Thanks CC. Food for thought. Do you think many of them are destructive? I get the impression a bit from some of the ads.. Then again we live in a building site anyway, so theres not much to trash while they settle.


When I say free to good home, most of them are about £50, and a lot do want to visit the future home.. I don't understand why charging a few quid changes anything anyway. I've given free to good homes animals good homes a few times, so there are people out there.. I don't intend giving much to some idiot who decides to throw away their dog anyway. I can offer a superb country home, but I'm not rewarding an idiot. The cats came from a free to good home ad, and I did give the lady money, to her embarassment, as she took cats that the RSPCA refused when full, neutered them and fed them up etc, so she deserved the money IMO..

Some of them are shocking, one ad has been put on tonight and says "Must go today" as landlord doesn't want it there.

So many others say "must find new home as my job has changed and the dog will be alone too much" - the dogs are on average 9 months! Like, did they not plan at all when they bought the puppy.
 
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The ones I have known have all been very chewy in youth but to me that's an owner issue - my young dog always has to have something in his mouth/loves chewing, it's genetic, but it's my job to be observant and keep things out of his reach...anything he has eaten, it was my fault for not watching him/tidying up properly.
Also, if dogs are left alone all day, not physically or mentally stimulated they WILL make their own fun, it's just that they make their fun with our stuff, and we call it 'destruction' and sadly the type of owner who hawks their dog on these sites are often the ones who didn't know what to do with the dog in the first place.

Totally know what you mean - there are a hell of a lot of people moving house/job/continent on those sites, I think Government statisticians would be surprised at how many people are emigrating the UK **rollseyes**
And as you say, all 9-18 months, funny that......
 
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Totally know what you mean - there are a hell of a lot of people moving house/job/continent on those sites, I think Government statisticians would be surprised at how many people are emigrating the UK **rollseyes**
And as you say, all 9-18 months, funny that......
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Mmm, I got reeled in with that one too. :p

My childhood dog was a bowlegged, block-headed JRT and he was an utter superstar. I'm not looking back with rose tinted glasses, others have confirmed that he was as well trained as I imagined, honest! :D

He was a crap ratter though, massively invested in squeaky toys but never really caught any live squeaky things. Cracking little dog though, full of attitude but ultimately very biddable. The boot won't be an issue, every JRT I've ever met insists on riding on the front seat.

One of my sibes is a top class ratter but not recommended unless you fancy fencing all 16 acres. :eek:
 
I grew up with JR's and continued to have them into my adult life.

They are so much fun, feisty, unaware of thier small stature, and gutsy.

In my experience most have been up for a fight (which does cause problems) but very good ratters. They appear to be born with an innate intinct to see something out of the corner of their eye (a rat) and simply chase it.

I did have one very lardy JR that was very untypical and wanted to simply sit on his ever increasingly lardy bum! He wasn't in the least bit athletic and simply not interesting in chasing anything.

Our last one had to be re-homed however, as she kept getting out to chase anything that went by the yard. She did have a poor start however, and really didn't get over it.

If you have the space, time and lots to chase, they are lovely.
 
I've had mine since he was 7 weeks old, he's now 6 and he's never chewed or messed in the house. I got him from a working home and he's got a mean streak for anything he thinks is fair game. He loves catching rats/mice/rabbits/squirrels etc etc. I love jr's. They are fun and feisty.
 
I have had Millie since she was 7 weeks, now 2 and a half,

the house training bit was easy, and she very very rarely chewed anything she wasnt supposed to (lost a couple of pairs of pants!:eek:)

Initially I just had her and my cat - who very quickly told Millie in no uncertain terms who was in charge, Millie has had full respect for her feline housemate ever since.

However, considering her dad was a farriers ratter, and her mum an avid ratter at the livery yard... Millie is less then useless when it comes to chasing anything small and furry - the only thing she killed (and i'm not convinced it wasnt already dead) was a baby partridge in a field... I think when the mother partridge took off, it made Millie jump in the air, and when she landed she flattened it...

I got a Lurcher when Millie was about 12months old, and although 5 or 6 times her size, and a good 1-2 years older then Millie, the JRT dominance snapped in and she is very much in charge (thankfully the Lurcher is quite happy for this to be the case!) - so i hope your labs are prepared! At home, she's very quiet, and the only time you hear her 'yap' is when she's chasing the Lurcher at full pelt - and I'm positive its a frustraited 'slow down, dont run so fast' yap!

Would I have another one... probably not, but only because they will have some huge (metaphorically speaking) boots to fill, as they just dont get any better then Millie! :D
 
I have a little short haired one and my son had a more parsons type with a rough coat. Both are 6 years old. Both were dead easy to house train and both have never been destructive.
They do bark and make a dreadful noise at other dogs when in the car, looking out of the house windows or when the feel generally "safe" but they are not yappy the rest of the time. Both are extremely sociable when actually meeting other dogs. Mine has excellent recall and my sons has good recall 98% of the time. They both chase squirrels and have killed squirrels and rabbits but neither has killed rats though they will play with dead ones:rolleyes:
I would not keep either as ratters as they would not earn their keep reliably. Mine is also lardy and a bit of a lap dog in the house:o
I would recommend them as pets especially if you get them from puppies, my cats kept them in line when they were young and my dog actually goes in the chicken house with the chickens to get out of the rain. They peck her and she comes out again! She also collects the eggs for me.
They are fabulous little dogs who think they are big dogs and are good with kids, small domesticated animals and other dogs. My sons dog goes beating with him and they are both well behaved at the local shoot. I wonder if just having them around would be enough to scare off your intruders and move them on somewhere else? I think you should get one anyway!
 
We’ve had four over the years and they’ve all been different, it’s hard to generalise as they’re not a pure breed, more a “type”.

The first was the only one who wasn’t neutered and he could be a little feisty, always had to have the last word but was incredibly loyal and would defend his home and family to the end. The next was quite a softy, rarely growled could be picked up by anyone but his recall was never great despite our best efforts, he also “sang” a lot. Both these ones loved travelling in the car and lorry.

The third is by far the smallest and quite a wary character possibly as he had had two homes before coming to us at four months old. He is very much my dog and gets worried by raised voices / loud bangs; he also is quite jealous of our other dog and doesn’t travel well. Fourth dog is a real character; he’s a sturdy wee black and tan chap, loves playing and loves the sound of his own voice. Of them all he has been the most destructive but nothing serious, mainly socks for some reason.

All were easy to house train and our house cats find a well-aimed swipe at their noses soon stops any nonsense. We haven’t had a rat problem so I don’t know how they would be but all would certainly chase rabbits given the chance.
 
Thanks so much for your replies. Its getting more and more appealing all the time!

The ones we were looking at on Preloved have gone, and I've just remembered that we're going away for a weekend and leaving the dogs with my dad the weekend after next, so think we had better hold fire for a couple of weeks. There will no doubt be a load more on it after Xmas!

I think the labs would be fine. The big lab, 6yr old female, is a bit grumbly with other dogs, but comes round in the end. The 3yr old male is very playful, and would adore something to run round with - the bigger one would probably be glad that she wasn't being nagged to play as much!

We have a client at the garage who is a gamekeeper, so I was thinking of having him round with his dogs - if we do get a JRT and it sees the others hunting, it may get the picture!??

Anyway, will keep our eyes open, and if any of you hear of any that need a home give me a nudge - I'm in the North West, but drive up and down to Heathrow a few times a month, so could always collect en route..
 
We have a long legged one (more like a Plummer, but both parents were JRTs) He is an awesome ratter, a noisy guard dog but the softest pet. He occasionally goes hunting round the farm if he can sneak off, but since he got the snip he has always come home after a few hours and we haven't had any phone calls from locals who have picked him up. However, he also killed one of my chickens so be careful. Oh and he killed a weasel the other day and I reckon he could take on a stoat.
 
I have 2 pure and one x. All from working homes. The two we had from pups (now 14 and 6) are not at all yappy. One chases anything that moves but I don't know what she'd do if she caught it - probably drop it and look shocked. Buddy will chase if he's with the other two, I wouldn't fancy the chances of anything he caught. However on his own he walks to heel and has never chased anything, even a cat that was giving him abuse.
Rosie is the one we looked after that never went home. She's a yappy cow and yaps for the sake of yapping. She nearly caught a neighbours cat and if she had of she'd of killed it no doubt.

Great dogs and all three are curled up with me on the sofa now :)
 
Hi, have 2 of the monkeys!!;)
One is 5 1/2 and the other is 18 months. Ones is a true JR in the respect of furries, he will catch rabbits rats ect, he sat staring at a tree for half an hour today because there was a squirral in it. The other runs off sqeaking when animals are caught he has no killer inline in the slightest and hes the one from working parents!!
As for chewing mine did escape from the crate when i was at work once and chew a hole in my sofa!!!:eek: He was at that puppy chewing stage though and wrecked many dog toys!! Which is what there for, hes fine now hes grown up though it was mainly when he was teething, as another poster said i lost a few pairs of pants to, he liked the crutches the most, and his favourite place to steal them from was the dirty washing basket!!:o:eek: I just kept him occupied and gave him lots of chew toys ect.

But all in all they are great dogs, mine are amazing with my daughter thats where they sleep at night, they absoluty adore her. They are great on the yard follow me around and keep going all day. they are also great on normal walks, pretty much ignore other dogs , they do like to scurry around in the bushes, they always come back, they older one comes slighty slower than the younger one, but comes.

Mine are short haired and are the biggest whimps with the cold though, they do get cold, i must admit ive never been a fan of rugging dogs but i do have to them. But the state there legs got today out walking i was glad i did as it saved there bodies getting gross!!!! Especially as theyve both got alot of white on them.
Here a piccie of the pair of them out walking today.:)

5b0402077031970ac82cbdd55ac5cadb.jpg
 
They're very cute!

In general, the odds of them catching a rat has got to be better than a lab!! They'd only notice a rat or a weasel if it was holding a bacon butty! And even if they caught it they'd bring it back and drop it.:D

I haven't ever seen this rat though, just the odd hole and tunnel that I presume are from rats. I saw the weasel/stoat twice.

BWa do you fancy a trip out with your weaseler!!
 
Honey08 said:
They're very cute!

In general, the odds of them catching a rat has got to be better than a lab!! They'd only notice a rat or a weasel if it was holding a bacon butty! And even if they caught it they'd bring it back and drop it.:D

I haven't ever seen this rat though, just the odd hole and tunnel that I presume are from rats. I saw the weasel/stoat twice.

BWa do you fancy a trip out with your weaseler!!
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Oh definatly more chance than rat catching than a lab.
I could probaly encourage my younger one to do it, but i dont really need or want him to so i dont. The older one wasnt killer at all untill he came to live me at 2 years old ( he was my mums). And he lived with my previous terrier she was very very killer and he learnt it from her. So it doesnt have to be ingrained into them its something they can pick up quite easily.

I love my terriers they have so much personality they make me laugh everyday. :)
 
We have four JRT s all love rafting and fine with poultry as long as you keep an eye on them two live in house and two in kennel and run, just dont keep collars on them as they could get caught up especially down rabbit holes, but are micro chipped.
 
I was looking after two Labs and went to get their biscuits,when I opened the door of
the shed there was a rat on the floor.Both Labs completely ignored it["My biscuits are in THAT bin"]the rat shot between them ,out the door and into the waiting jaws of Vixen.
 
I have only really had terriers I love their character, my jack russel Mutley came to me aged 2 and had only ever lived outside. He was completely house trained in 3 days, although he did mark his scent everywhere untill he got the point outside was the place to go for wee,s. He will come out with me all day and never get tired, hates the postman or anyone who knocks the door. Unless visitors make a fuss of him and say his name to him, he will eye them up and glare at them untill they go. However after a fuss he is their new best friend, he ill sleep all day untill his lead comes out then he gets so excited he is hard to catch in the house to clip him on the lead. As for killing furry things he can and does, hedghogs being enemy number 1. Although so far the fact he yaps like mad if he finds one, I have saved all hedgehogs to date. His favorite trick is to ride in the wheelbarrow even if there is manure in it.
Mutley


304894_290811037602172_1545705171_n.jpg
 
Well with correct training Jacks are great dogs, definatly not the snappy stereo type if you train them well. I think most people go "aww he is only little though" and let them get away with it but they are a great dane stuck in a tiny body.

We have a 4 yr old Jack who has kept mice out of the garage since we got her , she loves digging around in corners and has killed a couple of rats hanging around by the ditch. If you are prepared to put the training in i would defo advise a jack for that role :) Very robust dogs aswell and hardy

Goodluck !
 
My JRT was brought up with Labs and an ESS, which may explain why when he 1st started ratting he thought he had to retrieve the dam things live! After dropping several live rats at my feet, he was bitten and now dispatches them very effectively.;)

Smooth coated JRTs seem to molt non stop and the hair will knit into EVERY piece of clothing you own.:rolleyes:

Don't worry about space in the 4x4 as someone else has pointed out the JRT will most like be in the front (they can squeeze through the smallest gap to get from the boot to the front seat), or the Labs will be squidged together in one half of the boot while the JRT sprawls across the rest.:D

JRTs are very good at training, they can train most people to do most things............... My JRT recently stayed with a friend and trained her to carry him over a patch of mud in the woods!:o

All that said, I wouldn't swap mine, he hacks out with the horse, is happy to rat if I'm mucking out or riding in the school, is quiet at home as long as he has somewhere warm and cosy to sleep. He is great with children (they are seen as an endless source of treats and toys). He is respectful of cats (doesn't go within 10ft of them unless they run), having been duffed over several times. He isn't yappy, destructive (well did chew a small patch plaster off a wall as a pup) and wasn't a problem to toilet train (though did once catch my father holding a brolly over him as a pup, so he would go out for a pee!!:eek:).
 
misst said:
I have a little short haired one and my son had a more parsons type with a rough coat. Both are 6 years old. Both were dead easy to house train and both have never been destructive.
They do bark and make a dreadful noise at other dogs when in the car, looking out of the house windows or when the feel generally "safe" but they are not yappy the rest of the time. Both are extremely sociable when actually meeting other dogs. Mine has excellent recall and my sons has good recall 98% of the time. They both chase squirrels and have killed squirrels and rabbits but neither has killed rats though they will play with dead ones:rolleyes:
I would not keep either as ratters as they would not earn their keep reliably. Mine is also lardy and a bit of a lap dog in the house:o
I would recommend them as pets especially if you get them from puppies, my cats kept them in line when they were young and my dog actually goes in the chicken house with the chickens to get out of the rain. They peck her and she comes out again! She also collects the eggs for me.
They are fabulous little dogs who think they are big dogs and are good with kids, small domesticated animals and other dogs. My sons dog goes beating with him and they are both well behaved at the local shoot. I wonder if just having them around would be enough to scare off your intruders and move them on somewhere else? I think you should get one anyway!
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Similar to all of this - our parsons type JRT is just fab - up for anything, spends hours with me around the yard and walking. But equally will just chill out if not been out. Loves ratting and her best game is to scoot around all the barns hunting. I am sure her mere prescence puts off rats and stoats and foxes as i have seen much less of these this year. Very trainable ( not destructive and quickly caught onto toilet training) very clever, brilliant recall. Wonderful with the children, chickens, other dogs although if she is 'bullied' by another dog her first response is to snap.. Only fault is that she is very shy with strangers and I would not trust her with children grabbing at her if she didn't know them - again the short fuse snap. Never done it but wouldn't put it to test.
 
zoelouisem said:
Hi, have 2 of the monkeys!!;)
One is 5 1/2 and the other is 18 months. Ones is a true JR in the respect of furries, he will catch rabbits rats ect, he sat staring at a tree for half an hour today because there was a squirral in it. The other runs off sqeaking when animals are caught he has no killer inline in the slightest and hes the one from working parents!!
As for chewing mine did escape from the crate when i was at work once and chew a hole in my sofa!!!:eek: He was at that puppy chewing stage though and wrecked many dog toys!! Which is what there for, hes fine now hes grown up though it was mainly when he was teething, as another poster said i lost a few pairs of pants to, he liked the crutches the most, and his favourite place to steal them from was the dirty washing basket!!:o:eek: I just kept him occupied and gave him lots of chew toys ect.

But all in all they are great dogs, mine are amazing with my daughter thats where they sleep at night, they absoluty adore her. They are great on the yard follow me around and keep going all day. they are also great on normal walks, pretty much ignore other dogs , they do like to scurry around in the bushes, they always come back, they older one comes slighty slower than the younger one, but comes.

Mine are short haired and are the biggest whimps with the cold though, they do get cold, i must admit ive never been a fan of rugging dogs but i do have to them. But the state there legs got today out walking i was glad i did as it saved there bodies getting gross!!!! Especially as theyve both got alot of white on them.
Here a piccie of the pair of them out walking today.:)

5b0402077031970ac82cbdd55ac5cadb.jpg
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Ahh they are lovely and sound just like mine - she sleeps in daughters bed if I give them half a chance, loves squirrels and her fav pastime is charging through the woods sending up flurries of squirrels. She also hates the cold and has been known to wear a doggy coat :-)
 
I have a 2 and a half year old JRT x (he's got a bit of border terrier thrown in!). He loves to chase small furries, but we have 2 cats he gets on really well with... any other cats are fair game though!!

He is strong willed but easy to train, never really chewed (destroyed a few blankets as a young pup), was house trained in a week and has excellent recall. He thinks he's a massive guard dog and does bark at home (and used to bark at the yard) but it's not silly yapping, just 'alert' barking which stops once you acknowledge him.

He is everyone's best friend, everyone adores him, he's so friendly. He loves kids, and is an angel around my 5 month old baby. He sleeps on my feet, looks after us if we're ill, and I swear he understands at least 50% of what we say - he's so clever. He's either running round like a nutter, or is flat out on the sofa. He thinks he's a person.

OP, the one thing I would say is if you get one, maybe consider one that has been in a home with chickens before/a pup from someone with chickens, as it's going to be really important to you that it gets on with your chickens :) Get one, they're the best :D
 
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