Jack Russell Terriers - anyone have experience?

[Disneymoon04]

We're a mini zoo.... 2 young kitties, an elderly dog, and more fish than I can count ... we've been looking to make an addition to our family. I was browsing the website for our local shelter and they have a ton of JR terriers (long story short- a breeder got busted for bad living conditions and they have about 10 puppies who need a home).

I've been reading a little bit on them, but I wanted to hear first hand experience. How is their disposition? Good with other animals? Kids may be in the picture after our wedding - how do they interact?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[J&D]

I don't have one myself, but I've heard they are very hyper dogs who demand a lot of attention.

 

[chell]

Originally posted by J&D
I don't have one myself, but I've heard they are very hyper dogs who demand a lot of attention.

OH YES!!! If you don't pet them, they will pet themselves. Rusty, my mother's JRT, will just rub himself on your foot if you won't pet him. I've known several people with them. They do require lots of attention. But they are very loving and bond real well.

They are good dogs if you can handle the hyper thing.

 

[browneyes]

A lady I work with has a couple of Jack Russell's. The way she talks, they are hyper dogs, but good dogs. One of hers is a mouser.

 

[LuvTigger]

Ditto on the hyper comments. We have friends who have one, and he is incredibly hyper. Nice, but hopefully he will not agitate the rest of your "zoo." The one we know is an only dog, and I suspect he would not do well with other pets in the scene, but that is probably because his owners totally baby him. They take him to doggy day care (that's what we call it...they drop him off at Grandma's house) when they go to work, so he is never alone.

 

[lynetteSC]

How horrid - We just had large kennel in Charlotte that got busted with neglected/abused puppies. We have 2 jrt's. One is a jrt/chow mix (lol!) from the animal shelter. The 2nd one is full blooded. We love them dearly and they are super smart! However, they are a hyper breed! Saying that, I can't think of much I would trade them for unless it is a child or baby! They are quite demanding and love attention and walks. You may want to check out some of the jack russell egroups (email group). We joined them for awhile when we 1st got our jrt's. Very educational. Let me know if you have any questions!


p.s. I asked dh if he had any suggestions, he says RUN!!! Hopefully, he is just kidding

 

[dianeschlicht]

I am not sure your household would be right for a rescue JR. These dogs have likely not been well socialized as youngsers, and bringing one into a multi-animal household could be disasterous. If you are set on a JR, I would get a puppy from a "GOOD" breeder where you know they have been well socialized and well taken care of.

 

[Disneymoon04]

I'm definitely not set on any specific breed (other than size - we're in an apartment but we do have an enclosed yard)... just looking at the JRT's because the shelter has so many... they are about 7 weeks old.

 

[dianeschlicht]

As a breeder of terriers, I can tell you the 7 week age could be another alarm. If you could find out more about the conditions they came from, maybe....How long have they been at the shelter? Were they born there? If so, they probably had better socializing than they did from the jerk who they were taken from. See what you can find out and proceed carefully. JRs are terriers, and therefore, vermin hunters. I am quite sure they will love chasing cats!

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I work at a large vet clinic and we see them all the time. I have one word for you ....HYPER
What shelter are they at , I have not heard anything yet and we are not that far from Plano . Just wondering Lord knows I dont need more then the one spoiled dog I have .



Wishing everyone a Tagged night

 

[chell]

Oh, I forgot to add that Rusty is very good with other dogs. There were 4 dogs total and he never caused any problems with the others.

They are just so darn cute!

It makes me so mad to see animals mistreated! If I could I would have a house full. But then I guess that would be way too many for my sanity.

 

[Disneymoon04]

WOW! Thanks for all the quick replies!

Mad4Mickey - I'm not sure if they are actually in a plano shelter... I used petfinder.com so they could be anywhere in the metroplex. If we decided to go for it I was going to email the contact person and go from there.

dianeschlicht - It didn't say much about the condition other than shots were up to date. I think they were brought to the shelter 2-3 weeks ago.

 

[lynetteSC]

michelle- they are VERY cute! That is how we ended up with two! I sent dh to store for puppy food one day and he came home and talked me into a puppy he saw while at the store! Soooo, you could say, Maisey (2nd jrt) was unplanned!

Disneymoon04- Good Luck with whatever you decide! Keep us updated!

 

[janette]

A friend at work has one, she's a great dog from what I know except for that hyper thing. I asked my friend if the commercial where the Jack Russell is jumping up when the owner comes home is about what it's like and she said they really are like that

The only problem she's had is that their's is an escape artist and has managed to get out of the fence several times so they have to go search for her.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by janette
A friend at work has one, she's a great dog from what I know except for that hyper thing. I asked my friend if the commercial where the Jack Russell is jumping up when the owner comes home is about what it's like and she said they really are like that

The only problem she's had is that their's is an escape artist and has managed to get out of the fence several times so they have to go search for her.

LOL! Sounds like most terriers I know!

 

[wdw4us]

I remember a few years ago, I was watching a tv show and they were interviewing the police about a robbery in a NY city apartment.

The places was completely trashed like nothing they had ever seen before. The owners were so upset and couldn't believe how much destruction these vandals had done.

Turns out it was the JR dog that had had a fit because the owners had left and it destroyed the apt. I didn't see the destruction but the officer said he had never seen anything like it before. That's why we only have cats.

I LOVE all dogs- but I don't have the patience to have one. I know my limitations.

A jack russell, has to be the cutest dog around. BUT I still remember that interview.........

denise

 

[Christine]

I have a 2-year old JRT (Lola). Honestly, I haven't found her to be any worse in the "hyper" department than some of the other dogs I've had in the past. I once had a German Shepherd, who for the first 3 years of her life, destroyed my entire home.

I wanted a JRT because, as a child, I fell in love with one and have never forgotten how cute they are. To me, Lola doesn't act much different than any other terrier we've had. The only real problems she has caused are:

1. She is very small (only about 11 lbs.). We have a privacy fence that has spaces between each piece of wood. When we first got her, we realized she could squeeze right through them (and she did). So, my husband spent a few weeks putting chicken wire all around the inside perimeter of our fence, which solved the problem. They are definitely escape artists!!

2. We work all day and this is the only dog I've ever had that cannot "hold" it all day. I don't know if it is due to her smaller size or if she anxious without us. Fortunately, we crate our dogs and the "mess" is confined. Other than that, she is housetrained, but she was the hardest dog I ever had to housetrain. In reading some of the JRT website, this seems to be the norm with them.

But, we did a "bad" thing and we purchased our Lola from a puppy sales place. I don't think they used puppy mills because they gave me the name and number of the breeder, who turned out to be local. But she was four months old when we got her and this may explain why she had a problem being house trained. Any dog that is kenneled for too long will have that problem.

As far as socialization, they are really good with kids (I have two) and she has been very good with any other dog that we have been around. I have another dog (beagle/hound mix) and they get along fine. In fact, it is the beagle that does not do well. My MIL comes over often and brings her Newfoundland and Lab, and Lola just loves them and they love her (the beagle doesn't do well). My JRT has a more submissive personality and maybe this is why she does well. A dog that is more dominant would not.

Also, a co-worker of mine has owned his JRT for about a year and he recently added another to his household and had no problems there. But they definitely have a "killer" instinct when it comes to rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.

We took Lola to a dog obedience class when we first got her, and this did do wonders for gaining some control of her. But, alas, she is still far from perfect, but definitely cute!

 

[cindala]

I have a JRT ..."Nellie" who will turn 6 years old this month! She is amazingly smart, affectionate beyond belief, and as funny and cute as you could imagine!

Yes, she is an active dog, and slightly hyper, but I didn't want a dog who just sits there either. She has her quiet moments when she will just snuggle up with you on your lap, and her crazy moments when she runs in circles around the house for 10 minutes straight! I wouldn't think of getting any other type of dog!

We all have different hours, and sometimes she is alone during the day for longer spells, but she has become accustomed to the routine, and we make up for it when we are around. She gets constant attention, not because she demands it, but because she is so sweet and comical! We have a fenced in yard for running too. JRT's become very attached to their owners, and at least our JRT thrives on having a regular "routine" each day.

The only thing bad I can say is that our Nellie thinks she is a human, and doesn't like ANY other animals, even bugs! She loves every person she meets, and is very friendly and happy to see even strangers, but she goes beserk when she even sees an animal on TV! Now each JRT has their own personalities, and many get along with other animals. Many JRT's are barkers, but Nellie only barks when the doorbell rings, or someone knocks on the door.

She is a great size, about 17lbs., easy to pick up, but not extremely small either. Also remember there are several different types of coats with JRT's; smooth coat, broken coat, and rough coat. From what I hear, the smooth coats are more hyper and their dispositions shorter as well. We have a rough coat, but we cut her coat so she looks like a smooth coat. The rough coats, and broken coats seem to have a nicer disposition. The smooth coats shed more than the rough or broken coats as well.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

 

[Gette88]

My parents have a JRT and they love him to death. He is hyper and does demand alot of attention. I don't think I've ever seen that dog without a ball in his mouth. He loves to play catch.

 

[cindala]

Originally posted by Gette88
I don't think I've ever seen that dog without a ball in his mouth. He loves to play catch.

My JRT LOVES to play ball too! She even sleeps with the ball!