Parson Russell Terriers - all you can tell me :)

[handbagsandhay]

Good morning all

I am looking for anything you can tell me about Parson terriers/Parson Russels (i read conflicting information on the correct breed name

My experience is with the skinny breeds so therefore very chilled dogs.... and our sheep dogs which are NZ Huntaways. I lost my last little whippet a few months back and have been casually keeping one eye out for another little pet.... and purely by a chance encounter have come across (and fell a little in love with) a young Parsons Terrier for sale has basic training etc etc but this is a completely new breed to me so I am trying to be sensible and learn as much about the breed as possible before making a decision (of course I understand that all dogs are different and have their own personalities.)

We are a farm home (plenty of vermin control opportunities) and exercise levels usually vary - I love going on long walks and hill climbs but not consistent as depends on what is happening on the farm ie during lambing I can't go long walks as such but still plenty of outdoor opportunity.... basically all you have good and bad, I would love to hear please

 

[Marnie]

I am not quite sure what Bunny is, but she is probably similar to a Parson. She is heading up to 3 years old, very loving, absolutely adores people although can be a bit feisty with strange dogs (not terrible and more so when on the lead and on 'her' territory). I live on a beef farm and now she is a little older, can be trusted to mooch around - she comes and finds me to check in regularly. She is perfecting her rodent control - probably gets a rat a week on average, we aren't overrun with them but as with any farm, there are some around. She likes a good long walk but is also happy if she has a couple of hours mooching around - although as a puppy you could tell if she hadn't had a decent walk. I've done some fun agility with her and she enjoys that - she is really brave and will fly up and over equipment. She is crate trained and during the day when I am not around she has an outside kennel (garage sized stone shed) with an outside run and she happily goes in and out of it. She is wary of my pones after being on the receiving end of a hoof as a pup and she pretty much ignores the cows - she will chase the farm cats given the opportunity. She is better now, but she was a chewer - I lost numerous cables to her teeth plus a pair of slippers, a brand new pair of leather sandals and I lost count of the reading glasses I had to replace! She was ok to house train, she was clean over night pretty much straight away although we did have a few accidents during the day at first but once we both got the hang of it, she was good.

Like any dogs, they aren't for everyone, but I don't regret getting her for a second

 

[misst]

Son had a parsons. She was a brilliant dog. Full on terrier as a pup but as an older dog very loving and cuddly. Typical terrier personality, cheeky, selective hearing for recall when younger. Occasionally reactive to other dogs getting in her face but pretty much an all round nice girl. Good with children. She did chase cats and small furries but was gentle with other dogs and people. She adored any water and was rescued from a lake by a windsurfer after swimming too far after the ducks. She liked to dig.
If you like vocal naughty full on pups go for it. Just be prepared for some hard work the first 2 years

 

[cauda equina]

Or first 3 or 4 years!
Mine was a horror to start with but from 3/4 onwards he was the most brilliant dog
He never yapped (he had a proper bark, and didn't bark unnecessarily) and had great recall
He loved car trips and like misst's terrier he adored water
He was a smashing dog and I'd love another; or actually I'd love to have him back, grown up and sensible.
I'm not sure I've got the energy for the puppy years again

 

[Cortez]

It's a Parson Jack Russell terrier, and I love them to bits, but my goodness they can be feisty little horrors!

I swore after Rolo died fourteen years ago at age 16 that I couldn't take the stress of another, so of course I now have Sammi, who to be fair isn't as bad as Rolo was. They are super little chaps, but all of mine have been noisily aggressive towards other dogs, utterly fearless (I have pulled Rolo off Great Danes, Rottweilers, Pitbulls, German Shepherds.....). They are also sweet, loyal, great companions who want to go everywhere with you and "supervise" proceedings. They're also conveniently pocket sized, which is handy.

 

[meleeka]

I had one who was just wonderful. Her bad points were that anything smaller than her was prey and she was very prey driven. This lead to a rubbish recall because a bush was far too tempting to ignore. She'd smell a mouse anywhere and my stables all have gaps in the bottom of the kickboards where she ate them, trying to reach mice. On the flip side, she loved people and other dogs and I could take her anywhere. She was fearless and fun and throughly enjoyed our adventures on boats, trains and even a tour of Edinburgh on an open top bus! I'd have another in a heartbeat. She had a wonderful character which was probably like a JRT but less punchy.

 

[EventingMum]

I haven't had a Parsons but have had Jack Russells for the last 38 years. The main difference is Parsons tend to be bigger and have a pedigree whereas most Jack Russells are smaller and most don't have pedigrees although there are ones now shown at Crufts so they may be an upmarket version!

We have had six dogs and all have had their own individual characters ranging from laid back to quite feisty. All have been easy to house train and generally very happy wee dogs but fairly active. Some have been more vocal than others but I wouldn't class them as quiet dogs. Recall wise a couple have been really good but the others tend to listen when it suits them! All have been very loyal, the first two were excellent when our son was small and took their job of looking after him seriously. One of the ones we have now is quite wary of people he doesn't know and thinks it's his duty to defend us and our home, the others aren't so extreme, we just keep him on a lead if there is anybody around on our yard at home! All have existed happily with our house cats but will chase any outdoor cats they see. Some have been reactive with other dogs, some very friendly. Our first one adored water and would swim anywhere given the chance regardless of the weather, I often caught him doing lengths of the field troughs! We don't have a big vermin problem (hope I'm not tempting fate) but a couple of years ago one found and quickly dispatched a rat, the others quite like hunting voles with varying degrees of success.

I guess what I'm saying is they all be different, there doesn't seem to be a rule book with them but if you would like a fun, energetic, loyal little dog they are fantastic but if you want a highly trainable, calm dog they're possibly not for you!

 

[tda]

I've had 4, currently 2
Our bitch was an out and out Hunter, would dig for anything, often disappeared for hours. But also the sweetest little thing, loved a cuddle, but not too much ☺
Our first dog was no hunter, but would happily eat a rabbits head if he found one he was very attached to me and OH, loved a trip in the car, nice to be around, but he had a go at any dog he met
We have 2 of their sons still, Buster was a real mummies boy and he has been a bit lost since she went a couple of years ago, he has been feisty, could nip, but very loveable. Dexter is an oddbod, all mouth and no trousers, barks and runs but cant catch a thing, hes not very cuddly either
I feel they definitely suit an outdoor style life, and they need strict boundaries when young.
Forgot recall, well sometimes

 

[TheOldTrout]

Our previous dog was a Parson Russell terrier. He was very loyal and affectionate, energetic when he was younger (we got him aged about 8), lived to his late teens and was pretty healthy. Until his old age, he only ever saw the vet for vaccinations and an eye infection he picked up once. He was very food oriented (i.e. greedy), travelled well in the car, good with people. He had a high prey drive and wasn't good with other dogs. He liked watching television.

 

[Landcruiser]

We had one we took on as a rescue at a year old, he hadn't been walked or properly socialized. Good points - he was very loving and affectionate to people and to our lurcher, they played endlessly together. His recall was surprisingly good, as he wanted to be with us.
Bad points - he barked at everything, peed up the curtains, and was also desperate to chase cars. This was his undoing - devastatingly he escaped from the garden one day a year after we had him and was killed on the road outside.
Current terrier is a JRT/patterdale who is remarkably quiet most of the time, and super affectionate. She's 6 now. She's a terrible thief of food (and incredibly quick and wily) and has several trips to the vets over the years when she's eaten unsuitable stuff. But she's healthy and happy and good fun. Terriers are such jolly characters.

 

[TheOldTrout]

Are you getting the parson russell terrier, OP?