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The
IrishJack Difference
The temperament of our Jack Russell Terriers and their great trainability make them very suited to home living, with children of all ages and other dogs and cats.
Our Jack Russell Terrier is a different breed than the Parson Jack Russell Terrier who are primarily bred to be hunting dogs.
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Temperament of the IrishJack
The text below is part of the application questionnaire sent in by the Packard Family in Wyoming.
'The biggest concern we have with getting a Jack Russell is that the dog will be too hyper, chewing everything in sight, destroying the house and running off. This is why we are opting for an Irish Jack Russell with a milder temperament. We do not want an ill behaved dog, and will plan on obedience training. We live in the country, and there is a lot of room for dogs to play, but we still want them to remain on our property.'
This page of our site is to show you the difference between the common perception of this breed, and the Irish Jack Russell Terriers from our lines. The most common question that we are asked is about the temperament of the Jack Russell Terrier breed.
The first thing to understand is that there are many kinds of Jack Russell Terrier. The taller version of the Jack Russell Terrier breed, is sometimes, but not always, referred to as a 'Parson Russell Terrier'. The type of Jack Russell Terrier that we breed (like Toby on the left on the bottom), is known as the 'shortie', 'puddin' or IrishJack Jack Russell Terrier.
They differ greatly, especially when it comes to their temperaments. Having been bred in Ireland as a working farm and family dog they have and ideal disposition ideally suited for home life. The Irish Jack Russell are not a docile breed, but are happily spirited, very aware of what is going on around them, and, something that our families, and ourselves really enjoy, is the level of interactivity in this breed. With the combination of the great temperaments of our Jack Russells and our suggested basic training they are IDEALLY (see trainability) suited to home living, to being with all pets of the same or different gender, are great with cats and are great with children of all ages.
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^ On our web site you will find many pictures and testimonials from our clients and families who have really young children, other dogs and cats, who live in apartments in New York City and on the beaches of Brazil! (all of whom were highly qualified before being allowed to have one of our Jacks)
For more about what client families say about our Jacks see: testimonials
Below are some facts based on our many years of experience with the 'shortie' Jacks and on the constant feedback and inquiry from our client families, the vast majority of whom have several young children and other pets! (the 'shorties') (photos below are from our clients)
^-- can you spot our little Jack!
Our IrishJack Russells...
^One of our Jade daughters, 'Megan' in CT
...are NOT hunting dogs.
They have benn bred to be beautiful, loving and attentive house pets that will want to go everywhere with you. They are a high energy pet, but not at all hyper or high-strung. When we walk Jade (who has been training since she was a puppy) most people know her (more than know me!) and come over to say hi! and she loves the attention.
...are bred to stay above ground, and will go everywhere with you.
That's not to say your Jack Russell won't go after the scent of a chipmunk in the yard, and dig the odd hole or two, but you will not find them burrowing underground in a hole that resembles the 'big dig' in Boston! :) Also, they love to go wherever you go, so get ready for a new (small) shadow, a happy sidekick and most willing co-pilot. (« photo is Tippy on the dash in 'his' camper!)
Brianna playing with Jake
...are really a big dog in a little body.
Our Jack Russells consider themselves to be as big as any large breed and will interact and play that way with them. Our Jade's best friend is a 150lb Rotty. They love to run and race around the yard!! They have wonderful personalities and love to go walking and jogging with you. Our Jack Russells do not need anymore exercise than any other house dog would.
Susan, the owner of Violet Meadow Farm has been working with Jack Russell Terriers since 1991. She has also trained and exhibited champion Akitas in the 1980's. (Picture to left above is AKC Championship award for Susan's Akita 'Tobe'. Right is Bilbo's graduation) Susan's winning 1986 AKC Best of Breed winner 1987 and Winner again in 1988
IrishJack Kelly the PD pup ON Frieda the Rotty
..are good with other dogs, if well socialized.
Our Jacks do well with other pets. Sometimes there is a few minutes of 'getting to know you' phase, after that they often become the best of friends. Bigger dogs most times tend to 'take care' of the wee one and sometimes the little one ends up becoming the boss! More pics with Jacks and other pets
...are a shedding breed.
Jack Russells do shed. We recommend that you give your little Jack a regular bath in a good quality shampoo (and keep them off your black Levi's if you are going out!) Most of our Jacks are short hair with smooth coats, so shedding is minimal
...require discipline and training, like all breeds.
Our Jacks are extremely intelligent, we strongly recommend that you take your puppy to basic obedience class or puppy kindergarten as soon as you pick him/her/them up from us.
They thrive on training and it really makes a wonderful difference in quality of the relationship you will have with your Jack. We only recommend that highly trained Jacks be allowed off leash, as our Jade and Elvis are now, after years of diligent and on-going training! For more see trainability.
^Delany, sent to us from our owner Linda in NV with one of her cats
...have a tendency to get along really well with cats.
We have many owners who had a cat before they got a puppy from us and have many glowing reports and great photos of how well our Jack get along with their cats. You can never be completely sure that any dog will be best buddies with your cat(s).
As with many other breeds of dogs that have a natural hunting instinct they will bring you home the odd 'gift', such as a chipmunk or other furry wild creature. Many of our dogs share their home with cats. Some simply ignore each other, and others play like best buddies. It is always up to the cat how the relationship in going to go :)
...remain active for their 15-year-plus life span.
We have even had calls from owners who have had Jacks live to be 22 years old! A Jack Russell will remain active for its whole life, so plan on adapting your life to include lots of healthy walks in nature, or just down the neighborhood to accommodate your new addition(s).
Irish Jack Molly, sent in by Sylvia in Texas, who obviously can fly — this is very rare!
...do NOT require a fenced yard, although we recommend it.
Jack Russells, as with all other breeds of dogs should not be left unattended outside. Again, this would not apply in case of highly trained Jacks (like our Jade), who is free to roam without a leash on our property and never, ever once has gone on the road or too far off our property as she is trained to recognize side- walks and the edge of our yards. We have even seen her chase a squirrel and stop and the end of driveway!! Some people even think we have an electric fence....! :), which we don't...
If you do not have a fenced yard you can have a Jack Russell. Our Jade has spent many hours on end sitting on the sidewalk in our local town watching the world go by and will not go beyond 6' of her position. Training is key in this, all Jacks can be trained to do this and certainly don't come this way!! :)
...are NOT destructive if left unattended.
One of the many reasons we qualify our clients is to make sure they are aware of the responsibility of having a dog as a pet. It is fine to leave them in their crate or pen for a few hours from time to time as long they have lots of toys to keep them entertained. When they are trained they can have the run of the house even when you are not around for a few hours. All you have to do is to make sure they have access to all their favorite toys.. And make sure you leave on The Animal Planet!
... are city and country dogs.
We have Jacks in all sorts of living situations ranging from apartment living in NYC to farm living in Peru (the country!). They can adapt to both. Again, we do qualify all new owners in a city living situation. (to the left is Bilbo in Central Park, NYC)
... are recommended as apartment or condo dogs.
As long as your schedule permits plenty of time at home and plenty of outdoor activity, you and your Jack will have a great life. Again we do not allow our pups to go to homes where the owners are away for long periods of time on a regular basis.
...do well with children of all ages.
Proper upbringing is the key. Children need to be taught respect for the dog and be appropriately supervised. One of the main reasons that people love our Jacks is they do well with children of all ages. See our photo gallery and read our testimonials if you would like more details from messages sent to us by our owners who have more than one Jack and more than one child!.
...like to watch TV and cuddle on the couch!
And like their humans there is nothing like relaxing on the couch after a long day of running around and always leave on 'Animal Planet' when you have to go out and have to leave them home for a while ..did we mention that already!
...are good guard-dogs and are NOT yappy
Our Jacks will let you know if there is something in the yard or if you have someone at the front door. They bark for a reason — they are not yappy.
...as with all pets, require a long-term and loving commitment from you and your family.
In your search for a puppy, please be aware of these facts and ensure that your purchase is from a reputable breeder who has the knowledge to understand and deliver to you the highest quality and healthiest puppy. As you will see below, this breed is not yet recognized by the AKC nor the JRTCA, so this situation puts much more of an onus on the breeders of this type of puppy to ensure it's quality and strength of breed, and on you, the new owner, to work only with reputable and consciencious breeders who really care for their breed.
If you have specific questions please email us at susan@irishjacks.com or check out our forums.
About Dog clubs:
'Shortie' or 'puddin' type Jack Russell Terriers, like our Irish Jacks (and all 'shortie' JRT's) cannot be registered by the American Kennel Club. They simply do not fit their required breed standard of the larger/taller Parson Russell Terrier. However, two or our own Jacks Russells, Jade and Cryssie are certified in the AKC - Canine Good Citizen Program which is available to all breeds as long as a certain (somewhat advanced) levels of obedience training has been reached. The 'puddin' or 'shorties' are more than welcome ( at Dog Trials ) to compete in all other events such as agility, lure coursing, go-to-ground, ball retrieval, racing, jumping and more, some of which are sponsored by the JRTCA, Jack Russell Terrier Club of America. As you will see there are many registries for this wonderful breed. Membership of a particular club is in no way a representation of the breeding standards, breeding stock, nor the breeder themselves. You can become a member of any or all of the clubs that recognize your particular Jack if you are interested in competing in their events or engaging in other club activities.
The Irish Kennel Club recognizes the Jack Russell Terrier in Ireland adopting the FCI standard for the breed. Part of the FCI world canine registry standard is: Ideal Height : 25 cm (10 ins) to 30 cm (12 ins) which is by all standards definitely leaning towards the shorter side and mostly the size of our Irish Jack Russell Terriers. There are many other registries of Jack Russells, including, but not limited to, the IKC, UKC, ERJTCA, JRTCA, AKC, AJRT. Most of these clubs have a variety of breed standards for what is, in their own opinion, a Jack Russell Terrier, in regard to size, height and coloring.
Our highest standard is breeding for temperament, companionship, long life and lots of love and puppy kisses.
Other JRT registries include the FCI and the ANKC. They both recognize the shortie Jack Russell Terriers. The UKC recognizes the shorties as Russell Terriers. The Parsons are the long legged Jack Russell Terriers named officially Parsons Russell Terriers. The Jack Russell Terrier and the Russell Terrier are the same breed but are entirely a separate breed from the Parsons Russell Terrier. The Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, founded in 1976, and the Jack Russell Terrier Breeder's Association register only those individual dogs which meet their standards.
The AKC has recently recognized the Jack Russell Terrier as the Parson Russell Terrier. Jack Russell's may also be registered with the UKC, KCGB, NKC, CKC, NZKC, CET and the ANKC. There are many other registries for both the taller and the 'shortie' Jacks here in the US, in Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia. Membership of a dog club or registry does not necessarily imply anything about the health, nature or breeding standards of 
that member's stock as membership is open to all so long as the dog meets that individual club's standard. Here is a photo of just some of the rosettes that our own Jacks Russells Jade, Harrison and Cryssie have won at these other Terrier Club events.
For more photos of our Jacks competing at trials click here.
We love our IrishJack puppies...
...We know you will too!
Irish Jack Russell Terriers make the BEST! and cutest pets. Our excellent temperaments and trainability make us really great with children of all ages. We are also great with cats and with other dogs... even the big ones.
We accept reservations on all expected arrivals from Ireland from qualified owners on all of our available and upcoming Irish Jack Russell puppies from Ireland. Please call or email us with all of your questions.
