What are JRTs like as pets?

Snowy Celandine

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My Grandad always had a JRT and a Lab but I've always had whippets. I used to love Grandad's dogs and am now thinking of getting a JRT in the summer but wondered what they were like as pets, good and bad points? My whippet girls obviously have short bursts of intense energy but are then happy to snooze for hours at a stretch. Do JRTs sleep or are they always busy?
 
We have 2 Jack Russells age 7 months. They are incredibly fun dogs to have. Both of ours are very different. The dog is always on the go. He will fetch his toy all day long. He is very intelligent and very funny. Our bitch is more laid back. She curls up on your knee and loves a cuddle. They were both very easy to house train and I wouldn't have anything else now.
 
My JRT (although he is 1/4 border terrier - the rest is JRT) is currently fast asleep next to me :) I would almost go as far as saying he is lazier than my cats! He loves to snooze and cuddle up on the sofa but also loves coming to the yard and going for walks. He is a fantastic dog - friendly, lively and fun but also snuggly and sleepy - everyone loves him! He has 2 walks a day, just 10 mins on lead in the morning, and about 40 mins off lead running around fields in the evening, plus long walks at weekends, and probably spends another 2 hours every day messing around at the yard. He does like to protect his home in his own little way so will bark at cats in the garden or noises outside the front door, and he has been very very well socialised with other dogs - I think this is really important for JRTs.
 
Mine is an angel - I wouldnt change him for the world - he is sooo affectionate - very energetic but in a nice way and it works well for me because he is my jogging partner and always outruns me - if I go cycling he tags along with me and around the stables he is a star - not bothered by horses at all. He is the friendliest, happiest little soul ever.
He sleeps through the night on the end of my bed and naps thru the day - if Im indoors all day he will lay on my lap and snooze.
 
I have 2 they are such fun, very intelligant and incredibly loyal. They are both happy curled up on your lap or out all day at the yard or a show. I dont think I could have another breed of dog after my JRT's
 
Anyone got whippets and JRTs? I don't want to upset the whippet girls by changing the dynamic too much :) I think my younger girl would get on well with any breed but I'm not sure about the older girl who is very fixed in her ways?
 
Best dogs in the whole world:D Clever, loyal, affectionate and fun. Mine is 4 now and my son has one as well who stays with us a lot she is also 4. They are great. My little one comes to the yard and helps me round up the chickens when they are "free ranging" she knows not to hurt them. She does steal eggs though:eek: She runs and digs and ferrets around while you are out with her but sleeps like a cat indoors. She is a lap dog at night. My sons is the same. They are both very very good with the small children in the family and tolerate quite a lot of tugging, pulling, carrying and teasing from other peoples children. They are, however, terrible scroungers and thieves. In case you cannot tell I think they are the ideal family pet - mine is also good with cats, other dogs and horses.
 
What are JRTs like as pets?

Bl00dy fantastic!!

I've got 3 soon to be 4 (fingers crossed!!) As already said, they're clever, loyal and affectionate. My 2 (Mouse has to stay with my mum because she and Millie hate each other) are asleep next to me now, having spent 3 and a half hours home alone whilst I was at work and they have free roam of the dining room and kitchen when OH and I aren't home.

They're fabulous around the horses and even come out with me when I go riding, they mingle well with the farm dogs and other livery's dogs.

OH has 5 kids, the youngest is 4 and they're fantastic with her. She was 3 when they met her and they hadn't had a lot to do with small kids and although always supervised, have had no problems even when she gets a bit rough with them.

They can be a challenge to train sometimes but then so can any dog.

I wouldn't be without at least one now :D

I should imagine they'll get on fine with a Whippet - lots of tearing around at top speed :p You'd have to work on introducing a puppy what ever breed you chose - but it's got to be a Russell!!
 
I will always have terriers! Never had them before Roly and Lil but now wouldn't be without them.

I wouldn't have thought they would cause any more or less disturbance to your current dogs than any other breed.

I give mine a good walk in the morning (with ball action!) and one trip around the block at night. This quite satisfies them over winter, but in summer I take them down to the river and beach and they can go for hours!

They are very clean, clever, bright little dogs with lots of spunk! Its like having a naughty child most of the time, you need to get on their wavelength! They are very obstinate and opinionated, but mine mix well, recall really well (so long as favourite ball isnt involved lol) and don't have any aggression.

In short - JRTs are fantastic :)
 
I have a 3/4 JRT. The other 1/4 is Cairn.

She is fantastic. If I may so say ;) If she was allowed, she'd be up on the sofa for snuggles all the time, follows me wherever I go, but in no way needy and happy to wander off and do her own thing. Never been in any way snappy with kids or anyone (which some JRTS can be) and if someone will give her a belly rub, that's it, firm friends!

She was fairly easy to train. As a fairly halfwitted 11 year old with a clicker and all sorts of books I've managed to create a well mannered dog with the odd trick... the only thing is recall can be a tad hit or miss if there is something to be chased...
Although she does have that "look" sometimes when asked to do something (generally go to her bed...) nose in the air, looking at you sideways and then "badgering" away at top speed... Can be a bit stubborn at times. :D
She does have a tendency to kill small furries and present them to us. :o She also takes herself off hunting overnight sometimes if we haven't closed her up early enough...

She will walk for miles with me, even now she's getting older, but today she's been happy to lounge about inside as the weather is foul and I can't be bothered!

Perfect dogs IMO. Small enough to be shoved in a landrover and taken out hunting without them tramping all over you...but big enough personality to hold their own among all the labs and pointers!
 
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AMAZING! I love ours to pieces. He is like a little collie in a small body. He's loyal, intelligent, affectionate and very gentle.

Chase recall training has been a challenge. After alot of work he's a lot better, but if he sees a muntjac all control is lost.

He does spend the morning at the yard with me, gets 2 walks a day on top of that and at weekends he comes running (4-6) miles with us. If I'm being lazy and he isn't walked we do know about it.

So, an amazing little type of dog, but wouldn't recommend them to a sedentary person.
 
Thanks everyone. I am liking the sound of JRTs a lot :p Will have to wait a while to get one though because we are having more building work done over the next few months and it would be a bit hard to keep a puppy in if builders have removed the front doors :eek:
 
We have 2 terriers, mother & daughter. (Have sml bit of JRT in breeding as grandmother was a JRTx Border, Grandad was a Fell). I also have 2 Whip/Beds and they all get on great, terriers mostly do the flushing whilst the others wait although my smooth bitch (3/4 Whip) can rat as good if not better than a terrier. My terriers are lap dogs at home and killing machines around the stables, not snappy or yappy and occasionally think they are much bigger than they are when we come across other large breeds!!! Like whips I strongly recommend terriers - no horsey home should be without them (maybe why I've had them around all my life)!
 
I have seen the best and the worst of JRTs - my childhood dog, Spike, was an absolute cracker. As Tinkerbee, half an hour a day with a clicker and some half-baked ideas out of library books and he would do anything for me, up to and including sneezing on command. :eek: He came with me everywhere, never on a lead, and kept up with a pack of kids on bikes all day.

Conversely, my grandparents' current JRT (possibly a dash of Staffie in there, thinking about it, though he was sold as a 'teacup' from a BYB :rolleyes:) is a vicious little ******** of a dog, has bitten dogs and humans alike and is nowhere near as receptive to training. It is almost entirely their fault for being numpties but even as a pup there were striking differences in his attitude compared to the previous one.

I think it's a case of when they are good, they are very very good, and when they are bad they are horrid. :p
 
they're wonderful. i have a little pack and they'll go all day if i'm outside or snooze on the sofa all day if i'm not. totally adaptable. totally excellent temperaments, none of them have ever even growled at anyone in their entire lives. they're not territorial, happily accept new dogs into their house etc.
 
I have a JRT and have known numerous others. Until I got to Blackcob's post I was beginning to wonder where I had gone wrong!!

Ours is 14 now and is snappy with everybody but his immediate family, he has selective hearing and pees everywhere!

However, he is also cheeky, loving, fantastic with the horses and would take down a rhino to protect my daughter.

We will definately have another one.
 
Have to say in addition to my post I would add terriers are great - in the right hands with people who have time and understand them. I remember, like in Blackcobs comments I had an aunt & uncle that had JRT's at various times that were not the nicest but only because of how they were handled (or not)!.
 
Dogs have personalities too and it isn't entirely down to how they are handled. We are experienced dog owners and have certainly never done anything to make ours so distrustful of strangers
 
i dont know if its due to the fact mine is the runt and we think she isnt a jack russell.. looks more like a chiwawa.. (sp!!) .. she can be moody.. she is lovely to us and to have around.. but we can never trust her with little poeple.. as i said.. this may be due to the fact she is a bit "special" .. however she did enjoy a 8 mile bike ride the other day and caught her first rat! .. :D:D:D
 
We started off with one JRT and now have four! We used to have cockers and the OH wanted a dog to walk which he would not look silly with, we loved the first one so much we bought another, then a bitch then bred a litter, one of whom we kept. They are all very different in character but share common cheekiness and know how to butter you up if they've done wrong. Fierce hunters, ours take themselves off over the fields at the slightest whim, we find a good run morning and evening is more than enough, three of them are on the sofa next to me snoring for England!
 
i dont know if its due to the fact mine is the runt and we think she isnt a jack russell.. looks more like a chiwawa.. (sp!!) .. she can be moody.. she is lovely to us and to have around.. but we can never trust her with little poeple.. as i said.. this may be due to the fact she is a bit "special" .. however she did enjoy a 8 mile bike ride the other day and caught her first rat! .. :D:D:D

We think out little one is a ch (cant spell it either) cross.
I don't suppose yours came from the Martock area did it??
 
Just got a miniature one, and she's fab. My friend boughth one from me a couple of years ago, and he already had 2 big dogs. He rang me the first night he fed them all together, laughing, saying the jack had the other two doing what he said, he ate first, then they did. he laughed for 10 mins, considering the difference in size. I think jacksare always the boss!!!!
 
Easiest dogs in the world. Mine is my 1st ever dog, easy as pie, everyone adores him and have no idea how I ever managed without him! Cracking dogs, absolute privilege to own one :) xx
 
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