Farm-Bred English Jack Russell Terriers
Smidgeon Mae, my first Jack Russell Terrier
Smidgeon was the best. She was born in a barn in Chester, SC in 1999. I adopted her when she was five weeks old and picked her because she was the only tri-color/white body in the litter. Little did I know I had just met one of the best dogs ever born to this world.
Smidgeon grew up on my old horse farm, Regent Equestrian.
I was a full-time horse trainer, riding instructor, and Smidgeon was in charge of vermin control for the farm. This dog hunted dawn to dusk. She’d go out at 7am and come in at 7pm. We estimate she killed about 10-30 mice per day in the fields, in the barn, etc. Nothing kept her from catching mice. Additionally, she hunted snakes. Some of those hunts went well and some not so well. She always survived. I always thought she might go down someday fighting a lion or bear (I’m kidding). I bet she’d win.
Smidgeon was a traveler.
She visited 23 states in her life. She was a go anywhere, do anything dog. Besides hunting, riding in the car was her favorite thing to do. Smidgeon died on of congestive heart failure at 14.5 years old in my arms. She hunted until about six months before her death until she went completely deaf and blind. I appreciate Smidgeon, all she taught me about her beautiful and hardy breed. She was the perfect companion and zealous hunter.
Our Jack Russell Breeding Program is dedicated in honor of Smidgeon Mae Pettler, first of her name, rightful canine Queen of Cavalleria Rusticana, hunter of vermin, lover of cheese.
May her spirit fill our dogs with love and courage…
Our Farm-Bred-and-Raised Dogs
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BJR Daisy Mae "Brinley"
Height: 7.5”
Weight: 14.7 lbs
Color: White with Brown Markings
Coat: Smooth
Registration: EJRTCA and AKC
Health Testing: PLL and SCA Clear by Parentage and Embark testing
Brinley has a wonderful temperament and a high play drive making her a great asset to any barn. She is an alpha female, but gets along well with our other alpha females.
2024 Litter planned for Brinley
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CR Hunting Full Cry "Bear"
Height at Maturity: 8-10”
Weight at Maturity: 12-16 lbs
Color: White with Brown Markings
Coat: Smooth
Registration: EJRTCA and AKC
Health Testing: PLL and SCA Clear by Parentage, pending Embark
Our “Shugga Bear” is so sweet! at 15 weeks old he weighed 8 lb, so we expect him to double his weight as an adult. He is sweet with a big personality. He loves to play with Brooklyn, but is not as high energy as Brooklyn. We look forward to gorgeous puppies from Bear in the future.
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CR Hunting Gone to Ground "CRK Brooklyn"
Height at Maturity: 8-10”
Weight at Maturity: 12-15 lbs
Color: White with Brown Markings
Coat: Smooth
Registration: EJRTCA and AKC
Health Testing: PLL and SCA Clear by Parentage, pending Embark
Brooklyn has a wonderful temperament and a strong play drive. If there were to be a strike hound in our pack it would be Brooke. Fearless and brave, at five lbs and 13 weeks old, she runs with all the rest of the dogs never missing a beat. From the barn to long hauls moving horses, Brooke is a wonderful dog and will expect beautiful puppies with great minds from her some day.
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CR Hunting Autumn Hunting "Nico"
Height: 10”
Weight: 19 lbs
Color: White with Brown Markings
Coat: Smooth
Nico is a wonderful dog and a good farm dog. He loves people, other dogs, and cats. He loves to swim in the pond, ride horses, ride on the boat, and go everywhere in the truck. He is more laid back than lots of other JRTs.
Nico is sound and healthy for Barn Hunt and farm living. He has a reasonable play-drive, but is not hyper or high-energy.
Neutered male.
The following is an excerpt from English Jack Russell Terrier Club of America Breed Standard page of their website.
Breed Standard
The English Jack Russell Terrier Club of America Breed Standard shall serve three purposes:
To set ideal, attainable goals for the breeder.
To guide the judge.
To guide buyers in finding correct or acceptable specimens of the breed.
EJRTCA Conformation Standards
General Appearance
A strong, active, little working Terrier of great character with flexible body of medium length.
His smart movement matches his keen expression.
Tail docking is optional and the coat may be smooth, rough or broken.
Characteristics
A lively, alert and active Terrier with a keen, intelligent expression.
Temperament
Bold and fearless, friendly but quietly confident.
Height
The height of the terrier shall be between 8 and 12 inches as measured at the withers with the dog standing fully erect.
Body
Sturdy, balanced terrier. Body length slightly longer than length of leg. Length should not exceed function. Straight back, level, with high tail set carried erect. Chest should be spanned by two hands behind the shoulder blades. Chest deep rather than wide, with good clearance and the brisket located at the height mid-way between the ground and the withers. The rear should be well put together with strong muscle and good angulations. Well laid back shoulder.
Neck
Well laid into shoulder. Strong and clean allowing head to be carried with poise.
Head
Strong boned with powerful jaws and strong cheek muscles. Dark almond-shaped eyes, pigmented eye rims, dark black pigment on nose. Small, v-shaped ears carried close to the head. Prick, semi-prick and rose ears are acceptable but not preferred.
Eyes
Small dark and with keen expression. MUST not be prominent and eyelids should fit closely. The eyelid rims should be pigmented black. Almond shape.
Ears
Button or dropped of good texture and great mobility.
Mouth & Teeth
The points of the upper incisors slightly overlapping the lower. May be missing up to four teeth. Deep wide and powerful jaws with tight-fitting pigmented lips and strong teeth closing to a scissor bite.
Legs
Straight as is consistent with the short legs for which we aim.
Feet
“Hound-Like, “Fox-Like” and “Hare-Like” are all acceptable. All three are considered sound working feet for a Jack Russell. Round, hard, padded, not large, toes moderately arched, turned neither in nor out.
Tail
May droop at rest. When moving should be erect and if docked the tip should be on the same level as ears.
Gait/Movement
True, free, lively, springy, well-coordinated.
Coat
Smooth, rough or broken coats, without coat being wooly. Smooth should not be sparse. Belly and underside coated. Must be weatherproof, preferably unaltered.
Color
Predominantly white with tan, black or brown markings. The tan markings can be from the lightest tan to the richest tan (chestnut). Ticked or mottled acceptable. Brindle not acceptable.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. However, the following weaknesses should be particularly penalized:
Lack of true Terrier characteristics – Nervousness, cowardice, over-aggressiveness.
Lack of balance, i.e. over exaggeration of any points.
Sluggish or unsound movement.
Faulty mouth, week bite, minor physical deformities.
Here’s another way we want our 40 years in horses and dogs work for you…
How to Buy a Jack Russell Terrier
Breeder or Greeder?
There is a huge difference. The very first thing to try to dissect is what kind of place are you buying the puppy from? Breeders are responsible people focused on furthering a breed. Greeders are those with no trackable, measurable, and mappable knowledge and/or participate in the breed activities combined with complete disregard for health testing, and/or husbandry of dog breeding and care.
Health Testing
Ask if the parents were health tested before breeding. If they are, you should be able to find the records in the database (link below). Health testing is responsible, ethical, and appropriate no matter what. Breeders should spay or neuter dogs found to have genetic disorders and never breed them. Health testing trumps registration.
Health Guarantee
Because we health test our dogs, we give a one-year health guarantee against genetic defects. If a puppy ends up with a problem, we will take the puppy back, refund your money, and give you another puppy of the same quality. Health testing and getting a health guarantee trump registration too.
Temperament
It is important to ask about the temperament of a dog or puppy. No one can predict the adult personality and temperament of any dog. However, pack order within a litter is evident within hours to days after whelping. Responsible breeders should be able to identify the alpha in the litter and who is at the bottom of the pack. Decide what kind of temperament suits your intended purpose. Laid back or high energy for example.
Conformation
Conformation (not conFIRmation) is the shape or structure of an animal or how the parts (e.g., head, legs, body, tail, etc.) are assembled to conform to the desirable goal. Conformation is important for farm-bred Jack Russell Terriers because our intended goal is for them to be good instinct and scene hunters to help people in their yards and on their farms. Decide what kind of conformation suits your intended purpose best: long-legged, short-legged, etc. Luckily, JRTs come in all shapes and sizes. It is definitely not a one-size-fits-all breed, so enjoy deciding on type of conformation is good for you.
Price
The price of puppies should be reflective of their quality. Health tested dogs naturally should be more expensive. Dogs with great temperaments, not aggressive, not shy will cost more. Dogs’ conformation that are consistent with the breed standard are going to be more expensive. Color and coat might be a price-related factor as well. And lastly, people who have registered dogs might charge more than dogs that are not registered. Then decide what each aspect is worth to you.
Color & Coat
Jack Russell terriers are white with colored markings. There should not be any merle in this breed towards keeping in line with traditional JRTs. Well bred JRTs are white with tan markings, white with black markings, or white with tan and black markings. That’s it. Don’t fall for “rare color” jargon or anything that is classified by a breeder (greeder) as “rare.
Jack Russell Terriers come in smooth coat, broken coat, and rough coat. Smooth coat dogs are short haired dogs that do not look wiry. Broken coat dogs have rough, wiry hair around their heads most often. Rough coat dogs have rough, wiry hair all over. You choose your preference. They are all adorable!
Height & Weight
Jack Russell Terriers come in all shapes and sizes. Our line in particular are short JRTs. We like them that way. Smidgeon was a short JRT and her hunting ability and farm-life ability was unmatched…ever… Our JRTs are under 12” tall and weigh between 15-20 lbs. at adulthood.
Registration
Our dogs are registered with the English Jack Russell Terrier Club of America (EJRTCA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). Some dogs you might find might be registered with the NKC, CKC, or UKC. Some dogs you might find might not be registered at all. It is widely known that many JRTs do not have full pedigrees for lots of reasons. If registration is the most important thing to you, research the breed clubs and the kennel club registries and pick the one you think is best for you. Get ready…there are lots of them. But do consider this…
It is arguable that there could be less health problems found in registered dogs than in unregistered dogs. This is because it is likely more registered dog breeders health test than do non-registered breeders. Depending on your intended purpose, you have to decide what is most important to you.
Health Testing Is Mandatory
There are two kinds of Jack Russell Terriers. The “Parson Russell Terrier” and the “Russell Terrier” recognized by the AKC. Regardless, of recognition or no recognition, responsible breeders health test. We encourage responsible breeding and that means health testing no matter if you’re registered or not, hunting or not, showing in conformation or not. Health test to help weed out health problems in the breed. According to the Jack Russell Terrier Health registry, at minimum the following disorders should be tested for prior to breeding:
Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) - University of Missouri/OFA and Animal Health Trust
Spino-cerebellar Ataxia (SCA) - University of Missouri/OFA and Animal Health Trust
References:
Jack Russell Health Registry. (2023). Database. Retrieved from http://www.jrthealthregistry.com/
Pedigree Database. (2023). Inherent Problems with the Jack Russell Terrier and Parson Russell Terrier Databases - Page 1Pedigree Database. Retrieved from https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/community.read?post=1114-inherent-problems-with-the-jack-russell-terrier-and-parson-russell-terrier-databases
English Jack Russell Terrier (Shorty Jacks)
JRTs are hunting dogs. They are not heading dogs, so they often go well with horse people. Some JRTs get along well with children, cats, other dogs, and people, and others are very centered on their hunts. Learning as much about the breed that you can is a must before adopting a JRT to your family.
References:
Jack Russell Terrier Club of America. (2023). Frequently asked questions about Jack Russell Terriers. Retrieved from https://www.therealjackrussell.com/advice/jrfaq.php
Historical Glimpse of the Jack Russell Terrier
Born in 1775, John “Jack” Russell was a parson (protestant pastor) in England in the 1800s (The Canine Chronicle, 2012). Even though he was a dedicated parson committed to taking care of his flock, by all accounts in his diaries, Jack Russell appears to have been more obsessed with fox hunting than anything else. He hunted more than three days a week and owned his own pack of Otterhounds. Eventually he wanted to breed a dog that could keep up with Fox Hounds, chase foxes underground, and keep up on very long days of hunting with horses. Jack Russell got a bitch named Trump and she would go on to become the ancestress of what is known as the Jack Russell Terrier today.
According to The Canine Chronicle (2012), The American Kennel Club only recognized the Jack Russel Terrier 1990 after much controversy and debate (The Canine Chronicle, 2012). Jack Russell himself was unconcerned with formal recognition from any kennel club. He did not pedigree his dogs and did not exhibit his dogs and dog shows. He was concerned with their functionality, not how they looked. He did not dock their tails or crop their ears like many people did with their hunting dogs during the 1800s. Today there are many Jack Russell Terrier Clubs in the United States. Many have nothing do to with the AKC whatsoever because these clubs are concerned with preserving the Jack Russell for hunting sports rather than for conformation at dog shows, therefore, it is normal for Jack Russell Terriers not to be registered with the AKC or any other registry. The purpose of breeding these dogs is for scent sports, their conformation is certainly important pursuant to that goal, but like many Fox Hounds shown in conformation in the AKC have never seen a fox hunt, our Jack Russells are bred for people to enjoy, horses to hang out with, and to help keep properties and barns vermin free.
References and Additional Reading:
The Canine Chronicle. (2012, August). Parson John (Jack) Russell and the Jack Russell Terrier. Retrieved from https://caninechronicle.com/current-articles/parson-john-jack-russell-and-the-jack-russell-terrier/
The Field. (2016). The Jack Russell Terrier: keep them mutts. Retrieved from https://www.thefield.co.uk/country-house/the-jack-russell-terrier-keep-them-mutts-31498
“A pedigree Jack Russell? You cannot be serious! That’s the reaction of most Jack Russell terrier owners I have spoken to about the Kennel Club’s recent recognition of this most feisty and diverse of dog breeds, founded by the Rev’d John (Jack) Russell, vicar of Swimbridge in North Devon. Known as the sporting parson because of his love of the chase, Russell’s sermons were reputedly short by Victorian standards, as his hunter was usually saddled and waiting in the churchyard. Starting with his foundation bitch, Trump, he succeeded in establishing a tenacious and feisty strain of terrier that could not only run with the hounds but pursue foxes underground with great success.”