Jack Russell Terrier History
The Jack Russell Terrier originated in England in the 1800’s due to the efforts of the Reverend John Russell. He developed a strain of Fox Terriers to suit his needs for a dog to run with his foxhounds and go to ground to bolt the fox and other quarry from their dens. Two varieties evolved with basically similar Standards except for differences, mainly in height and proportions. The taller, more squarely built dog is now known as the 'Parson Russell Terrier' and the shorter, slightly longer proportioned dog, is known as the 'Jack Russell Terrier'. There was and still is many strains of Jack Russell Terrier in England developed for different terrains and by different huntsman though the Jack Russell Terrier derives its name from the southern huntsman Reverend John Russell who was born in 1795.
The Rev'd bred a strain of terriers for working fox in Devonshire, England in the mid-to-late 1800's, his dogs were however noted to be up on the leg and stand around 14" high so were of the Parson Russell Terrier standard, a short legged terrier was not required for following hounds across mass open countryside on horseback as a shortlegged dog could not have kept up with a mounted pack, the rev'd russells dogs were kept purely as fox and badger working terriers and were noted to be very hard and fiery.
Rev'd Russells strain was developed from one of his founding dogs TRUMP whom he bought from an unknown milkman in Oxfordshire, he then mated Trump to what is known as black and tans and he also used the dogs of the Scorrier Fox Terrier Hunt in Cornwall who had a strain of small headed, natural undocked tailed terriers, to further improve his own strain as the Scorrier Foxies had pedigrees going back a 100 years in Russells day, this information can be found in the book by Sir Jocelyn Lucas 'Hunt & Working Terriers' along with photographs of the scorrier terriers.
The Rev'd Russell was also one of the ones responsible for having the breed we now know today as the Fox Terrier, Kennel Club registered as he was also a founding member of the english Kennel club, though he declined to register his own stock as Fox Terriers.
The Parson Russell Terrier became a Kennel Club breed in 1990 and is given recognition across the globe and the breed we know as the Jack Russell Terrier is said to have been mainly descended from undersized Terriers bred from Rev'd Russells stock.
In the north of England the greatest huntsman that ever lived John Peel born in 1776 also kept a strain of fox working hunt terriers that were shorter on the leg than the southern hunt terriers yet still able to cover rough and rocky terrain, they were good workers and as tough as the fell people themselves, these terriers were created by the blending of Fox terrier, Beagle and Elterwater/Fell terrier, noted as good family dogs as well as being able to work fox without too much change in their temprement they were used by many in Cumberland and Lancashire as rabbit dogs for bushing and flushing game from the undergrowth to the waiting lurchers or a gunman.
The Jack Russell Terrier has a very varied ancestry which has given rise to the different styles that abound today. In the past the Jack Russell Terrier was bred as a working dog, therefore not much thought was given when breeding as long as the selected sire or dam was 100% for working, the different breeds found in some strains of this little terriers past are Fell/working Lakeland Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Fox Terriers, Border Terrier, Norfolk Terrier to name but a few.
Trump, the progenitress of the Parson Russell Terrier
Northern Hunt Working Terriers pre 1900.
The Jack Russell Terrier of today has a more modern day history, since the early 1950's certain breeders around the world have kept and bred only pure strains of Jack Russell Terriers, breeding like for like because there is enough choice of working dogs with the correct breed type.
Australia was the first country in the world to register the 10"-12" Jack Russell Terrier as a breed with a Kennel Club in the Australian National Kennel Council in 1990, this was due to the many dedicated breeders and the Australian Breed clubs working together to secure the breeds future.
Australia are to be commended for their devotion to the breed.
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale were next to register the breed, the FCI is the World Canine Organisation and has 84 member countries, they first accepted the breed in the year 2000, since then the breed has truly flourished and is now one of the most popular breeds in the world.
However much some Jack Russell Terriers today may vary in style however they should still remain breed typical and if all coat and colour were taken from them they should still have a Jack Russell Terrier silhouette which is rectangular as the dogs overall length is always slightly greater than it is tall.
Along with health and temprement this is the look the Jack Russell Terrier Society of the UK is embracing to keep alive for many generations to come.
