Free JRT - Decisions, Decisions...

I have a friend of a friend who had a litter of JRT pups recently and I have been offered one.

I don't want a little, yappy, house dog however, I've always been a firm believer that dogs should have a purpose. Companionship is a purpose, but its not a job! I mentioned this and he assured me that his friend does indeed hunt with his terriers. I admit, I don't know much about the breed so I asked him, and he told me they're a great little hunting dog for rabbit, squirrel, or even raccoon and fox.

How specifically do the dogs hunt? Are they flushers? Chasers? Pointers? Diggers? Barkers? I'm sure I could just Google it, but generally this forum seems to offer better, more varied answers than Google - and all in one place.

I'm still trying to decide what I should do; this is a free pup. From what I understand he's selling the others for $500 and up (the reason I'm being offered a free pup is in lieu of payment for work I did for him). Are they worth $500?

How are they for condo living? I mean, not like I care - I've got a hound tearing apart my yard right now. How do they get along with cats? Other dogs? Bigger dogs? Kids?

As long as they have all the health checks from the parents and grand parents then I say go for it. If you have another dog make sure the pup is the opposite sex.

My 2 cents.

They are tuff little buggers, they can hunt, chase,dig, bark, when they are hunting, some do some don't, but they do get along fine with other animals n kids if introduced properly...

Well ... you could always run hunt tests .... http://www.retrievertraining.net/for...-one-s-for-you!!

:-)

I had a JRT as a teenager that came from working/hunting stock. I never specifically hunted with him, but did have him involved in various trials when he was younger (a fair bit of involvement with the JRT club of Canada). He also spent lots of time trampling through the bush with me, so I had a good appreciation of his working skills.

I also currently have 2 rescue dogs that are each 1/2 JRT. One is JRT and Westie, the other JRT and Cattle dog.

These dogs are about the toughest little basterds you are going to meet. They are very independent, stubborn, intelligent and depending on breeding, could have an immense prey drive. They need to be socialized with other small animals (like cats) from early on, as well as good solid obedience training from a confident leader. They need lots of stimulation/exercise, or they can become destructive.

I always said my old terrier had one thought process. If it's moving, I try to kill it. Everything else he did was in support of that primary goal.

They are yappy little buggers as they were generally bred to be that way so when they went to ground to bay animals (fox, badger, ground hog etc) they could be located/dug up pretty easily by sound. So generally if they are being active, there a good chance they will be vocal.

Certainly any behavior can be managed through appropriate training, but you likely aren't starting with a generally quiet breed.

In terms of hunting. Their instincts are generally to seek and destroy rodents and other small animals. So if you can harness that to suits your needs, they will certainly find prey for you. Treeing racoons, squirrels comes naturally. I've seen videos of them flushing birds.

A couple stories about my old JRT. At 6 months old he went straight down a hole. Not sure what was down there. He was a good 8 feet in. The noises that game out of there, I thought he was a gonner. He came out bloody, but only one scratch on his noise (I had to run home to get a shovel, he was standing proud when I got back).

I saw him sprint across the yard, dive into hedges at a height of 4ft and come out with a sparrow. He was one of the fastest JRT around, including canadian puppy champ (we raced him).

I was out on a long hike with one day. He ended up baying a raccoon in some tall grass. He was doing his job baying the raccoon, waiting for me to come 'dispose' of it. I just wanted him away from it, but every time I went to grab him, he jumped on the coon and chaos ensued. I finally got him by the scruff of the neck to pull him off, but the coon latched onto his back leg. I had a chain of a pissed off terrier with a raccoon attached, both hanging from my arm. It took me a couple swift kicks to get the coon off, but it had done damage to the rear leg. I had to carry my JRT home for repairs as he was limping bad. Except when he saw a deer, he bolted after it like nothing was wrong, then 3 legged it back the 100 meters he chased it.


I'd love to have my old JRT back and put the proper obedience training into him. He would have made one hell of a great outdoor companion.

If you've never had a 'working' terrier, I suggest getting a little more information on them to truly decide if they will meet your needs.

JRT's think they are pitbulls. Crazy little buggers with the heart of a lion but the body of rodent. I'm sure Sharon can give you better details. We had one wander into deer camp one year. Someone was using the thing on deer...really.

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Originally Posted by bdog

They are tuff little buggers, they can hunt, chase,dig, bark, when they are hunting, some do some don't, but they do get along fine with other animals n kids if introduced properly...

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they can hunt, and bark, chase, and bark, dig, and bark, when they are hunting they bark , oh did I mention that they bark!:)

My advice is to say "No". I have had 4 and have one now. I love the breed for a variety of reasons , but..........for you....They require a LOT of attention year one, and LOTS of exercise . I know how busy you are with your tracker. Can be noisy, until trained, so not good for close living situations. It will wrestle with your other dog incessantly year one which = some noise.

Ps Just got back after an hour in the woods with mine; never barked once. :).They bark when they have a reason.

edit > Mine have all but one been good with kids. All have driven the cat crazy.

Casey , 1998-2012

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps579ea12d.jpg

JRTs are awesome little dogs but need a TON of exercise. Your hound has nothing on a jack russell. They have insane prey drive, insane energy (most people get rid of them because they think they are hyperactive), and are not the most forgiving dogs with children (I know I am making generalizations here but I have owned them in the past and have a few friends with them). They are a LOT of dog to handle, especially in a condo setting. A free dog is tempting, but if it was me I would have no problem saying no. They are a very tenacious, high drive dog (even if not even remotely close to working lines). Not something to even think about considering unless you have been preparing for one for a long time.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/fo...ictureid=42181

Pfft, grab a couple of them.

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Originally Posted by last5oh_302

Pfft, grab a couple of them.

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Like this. One was supposed to be a gift for a friend that had lost a dog and wanted a JRT. They lived up north and when we went to the cottage they had went on vacation. So needless to say we feel in love with her and I was a kid so it would have been hard for my parents to give her back, friends ended up getting a JRT as well lol. The other JRT we got when we read an ad in the super shopper for a free dog a young girl and her mom couldn't handle. The min pin is mine and my girlfriend's. Ummm ya if you have lots of time and room for them they are excellent dogs. My two JRTs don't leave my dads feet and go absolutely mental when we get out the pellet guns. Fearless of nothing. Most loyal and protective dogs I've owned including the min pin. They have a lot of character and are amazing companions.


http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/...114_202005.jpg

Thanks everyone, after careful thinking and support from this forum - we have decided not to take a pup. They are absolutely beautiful dogs, and the parents are wonderful however; they are far too "high energy" for us at this time, without a fenced in yard for them to burn off some energy in. We already have enough issues with the hound escaping and even chewing through her tie-out cable.

Of another note - the sire, at six years old made me laugh. He's very neurotic (only word I can think of). He jumps incesantly up the trunk of a tree outside the owners house. So much so, the exact location where he jumps is free of snow and grass, and three inches deeper into the ground than the surrounding areas, the tree is also bare from bark. The owner explains - "Buddy" saw a squirrel run up that tree 4 years ago, and now he jumps up the tree and barks as soon as he's done doing his "business" outside.

I don't think I could handle a little dog with that kind of mentality - or craziness :)

LOL sounds typical. They are insane. We had to keep our cats in a bedroom when the dog was in the house. She was a cat killer (and grew up with them from the time she was 7 weeks old, just decided one day they weren't friends anymore). I used to bike with her and would go for a couple of hours (with water breaks of course) and she was still neurotic in the house upon returning. I like them but as active as I am, unless I had a ton of property I know they aren't the breed for me. The one in that pic I posted with my ECS is 8 years old. My buddy comments all the time how she is finally calming down now. I'll tell ya, it must take a trained eye because to me she's still in overdrive. Cool little dogs for sure, I don't think any other dog matches their drive or tenacity. That being said though, it takes a special home to meet their requirements. I think you made the right choice - you can always get one later on if you decide its a breed you would like. Misty is still young herself - I think 2 pups would drive you nuts - mine do. There is 6 months between my 2 and I will never do that again. Next time I'll be waiting until one dog is at least 5 years old before adding another. Much easier to keep on top of one pup than on both lol.

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Originally Posted by Cass

LOL sounds typical. They are insane. We had to keep our cats in a bedroom when the dog was in the house. She was a cat killer (and grew up with them from the time she was 7 weeks old, just decided one day they weren't friends anymore). I used to bike with her and would go for a couple of hours (with water breaks of course) and she was still neurotic in the house upon returning. I like them but as active as I am, unless I had a ton of property I know they aren't the breed for me. The one in that pic I posted with my ECS is 8 years old. My buddy comments all the time how she is finally calming down now. I'll tell ya, it must take a trained eye because to me she's still in overdrive. Cool little dogs for sure, I don't think any other dog matches their drive or tenacity. That being said though, it takes a special home to meet their requirements. I think you made the right choice - you can always get one later on if you decide its a breed you would like. Misty is still young herself - I think 2 pups would drive you nuts - mine do. There is 6 months between my 2 and I will never do that again. Next time I'll be waiting until one dog is at least 5 years old before adding another. Much easier to keep on top of one pup than on both lol.

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Misty is a relatively calm pup for the most part, around home at least. She's nearing 50 lbs, so - that tail and her "clumsy" feet tend to knock stuff over pretty easy. When she's outside on her tie-out, she loves to just laze and relax unless something gets her attention on the ground or by sight - then she pulls at her lead and has even broken the cable a few times and got lose. We've had to switch to a higher end stainless braided cable. She's not outside all the time, don't get me wrong - but with my wife at home with the baby, it's nice just to tie her out for a couple hours.

In the bush, you can generally go for walk by yourself and completely forget you brought the dog until you call her. She comes to my voice with no issues, and almost instantly - unless she's on a trail, then she'll bark saying "No, you come to me instead!". Anyone else, she just ignores them.

I couldn't imagine a hyperactive little dog running around right now distracting her. She got frustrated enough with my brother-in-law's lab pup (same age) getting in her way when she had her nose to the ground, he wanted to play, she wanted to sniff - I could see it was bothering her. So much so, he stopped bringing the lab to the hunting camp when we were training Misty.

Such talk of the JRT ..LOL I love them. They keep you young. :)

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Originally Posted by Sharon

Such talk of the JRT ..LOL I love them. They keep you young. :)

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They'd keep my blood pressure up... lol

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Originally Posted by jweese

How specifically do the dogs hunt? Are they flushers? Chasers? Pointers? Diggers? Barkers?

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Yes X 5. When matched with the right owner they are absolutely fantastic. My male will retrieve ducks in calm water early seaason and find cripples on shore. I've never found mine to be "yappy", and they benefit greatly from a lot from being talked to, affection and a whole lotta action. I absolutely love the little buggers.

Seeing the post / pictures of the little dogs reminded me of a tweet I read this morning

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Any dog that weighs less than 50 pounds is a cat. and cats are useless. - Ron Swanson

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If you don't watch "Parks and Recreation" you might not get it :)

I don't subscribe to the theory, just found it funny :)

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Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie

Seeing the post / pictures of the little dogs reminded me of a tweet I read this morning



If you don't watch "Parks and Recreation" you might not get it :)

I don't subscribe to the theory, just found it funny :)

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Ya well my cats have put a 100 pound husky on top of a car roof. After it took apiece of my males head, the female ankle biter came and was right on the jugular. The fight was on after that and my male recouped never heard such a big dog whimper so loud and piss its self. There a rule in the animal kingdom; fright, flight, then fight. They may be little but they are fierce. Oh and the kid down the road was pretty bummed his husky got it handed to it by two 20 pound jacks and then had to fork over a 200$ vet bill for the small cut on my dogs noodle. And some choice words to keep his dog fenced or its next visit will probably be its last.

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Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie

Seeing the post / pictures of the little dogs reminded me of a tweet I read this morning



If you don't watch "Parks and Recreation" you might not get it :)

I don't subscribe to the theory, just found it funny :)

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OMG I love that show. I'm reading Nick Offerman's Paddle Your Own Canoe right now. He's hilarious!

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Originally Posted by terrym

JRT's think they are pitbulls. Crazy little buggers with the heart of a lion but the body of rodent. I'm sure Sharon can give you better details. We had one wander into deer camp one year. Someone was using the thing on deer...really.

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Actually very good on deer. Saw one hunting from year to year around my old camp, a local dogger used the JRT with a larger big
bloodhound cross.The JRT would investigate all the deadfall trees slipping in and out and pushing out bucks that were laying low.The bigger hound would then continue the chase.

Camp not far from ours use them on deer... They say the deer don't run hard from them because of there size. Kinda run and stop and look at them... Run and stop and ... You get the idea.

I have a 7 yr old 'long legged' Jack purebred. Beautiful dog. Obedient. Walks w/o a leash. Yappy. I take him hunting for companionship. He walks three times my distance while we're out. He's not as high-strung as people think the breed is, but demands exercise. In the summer I ride my bike and he runs for an hour EASILY, but he's not tired when we get home. Has a VERY high prey drive. Chases the cat constantly, but would never hurt it. He will patrol for hours in the yard if he thinks vermin will happen by. Loves to chases rabbits. Has killed many possum and skunks in the yard. Not ideal for most hunting styles, but....

Almost every PH in Africa owns one. I think they track the shot animals. Do a google search for 'PH services in Africa' and you're bound to see a JRT.

I'll save you the time!

http://borntotracknews.blogspot.ca/2...-trackers.html

Our son brought a jrt home 6 yrs ago as a pup,we thought oh boy.he is a neutered male,let me tell you he is the most loveable,loyal little guy(weighs 25 lbs)loves to tree squirrels,chipmunks,coons,whatever will run away.have seen him get sprayed by skunks,rub his burning eyes in the ground and then go and kill the skunk.if a strange dog shows up in his zone,look out and it does not matter how big.loves to play frizby,if you take it away from him after 2 hours of playing and say hide it in a closet or high up on a shelf he will sit there and look,he knows where it is.just last week he was outside(we live in the country)barking like hell,I thought he has a squirrel up a tree,no a poosum on the ground,I try and call him off,no way,I go in the house to get the 22,by the time I got it out of the safe ,unlocked,loaded,went back outside the job was done.these dog are very high mantainance,with a lot of energy,not the kind of dog in my opinion you would want in a condo setting.mac

Perhaps in a few years I will reconsider. He's been breeding JRT's for a number of years as it is - so I asked him to keep the option open for me, and he agreed. I'd certainly like to wait until I get a house out in the country, not a condo in town. As well, with four children running around at the moment - they don't sound like a good option.

On-Topic with JRTs - my friend with the neurotic tree jumping JRT (I think I posted about it a bit earlier) informed me that his just recently killed one of his cats. They are now trying to figure out what to do with it, it has never been aggressive toward people, or other cats - this was a smaller black cat. My friend thinks the JRT may have thought it was a squirrel. Such a shame, I certainly hope they try to re-home him in the country or something and don't opt for euthanasia.

It is in a Jack/Parson Russell Terriers nature to kill small vermin-like animals. It is what terriers were bred to do, specifically, go to ground and kill the animal (badger, rat), or to bolt it so the hunters can continue the hunt (as in the case of the fox).
*Terrier loosely means 'Earth dog'.

My daughter wanted to 'babysit' a friends hamster for a weekend years ago. I had to explain how that would be a BAD idea. It would drive that dog nuts until he managed to kill it.

Our PRT will try to kill ANY animal that gets into our back yard, including skunks, rats, mice, squirrel, and rabbit...even unlucky birds. When he does kill it he proceeds to 'rag doll' it to pieces. (skunk spray does not deter it, believe me!) Despite his tenacity, he is great around kids. No problems, and he knows the difference. Also, he chases and catches our Bengal cat several times a day, but would never harm it. The prey drive in some terriers is amazing, and is all-consuming in most Jacks. I think they make a great family pet for an active owner and great hunting companion.
Definitely not an apartment dog, though. They get fat if they don't get enough exercise. If I bred them I wouldn't sell them to people with 'sedentary physiques'. You'd be inviting trouble.

I think most dog issues come down to dominance factors, and Jacks will challenge that if dominance is not enforced early.

Oh,.... now it's time for 'walkies'...............AGAIN!

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...psada880c6.jpg


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GDF- Duckdog's dog

Just to add some closure to this thread - those that know me, know I like to do that - I didn't end up getting a puppy. My brother-in-law however, did; and he, "Finnegan" is absolutely adorable. I was going to post pictures, but again I forgot my camera when I went to visit him.

I was surprised to see the predatory instinct in this little fella already, the breeder assured me to begin with that he was trying to breed strong hunting lines and trying to stay away from dogs that just don't have that quality. I can see it in this pup, aside from his general puppy playing - his nose is constantly on the ground, and he attacks everything that moves, including your toes. You push him away, and his tenacity will bring him right back - over and over again. Not only does he get a hold of your toes and bite, but then begins to shake!

Couple the pup with a "less than year old" birdy lab, and that house is now officially crazy.

I've been told however, the offer still stands for a free pup in the future instead of payment for work I did for the fellow. So, I asked to keep that option open when I finally relocate to the country and have the yardage for another dog.

*Will post a picture when I manage to remember to take one*

Here's a picture (hopefully it works):

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resi...t=photo%2c.jpg

" over and over again" quote

Yes. That is the definition of a JRT. Let me know how it's going in 6 months. :)

They were made cute so when you feel like ................them, you see that cute face and give them another chance.