What is the difference between a Parson Russell Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier?

Up until the beginning of the 21st century, the Russell Terrier was considered as one full-fledged breed with minor differences in size and exterior. Today, these are two full-fledged breeds, one of which is bred in England (Parson-Russel), and the other in Australia (Jack-Russel), which has acted as a breeding country for this dog breed. Let's see what is different and what the Parson Russell Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier are similar to.

Nothing tells about the differences of certain breeds of dogs better than the history of their occurrence.

Around the beginning of the XIX century among English breeders was actively formed fashion for the breeding of unique varieties of dogs with improved endurance, speed and immunity characteristics for hunting. An active position among hunters and dog lovers in those days was held by Rev. Father Jack Russell from Devonshire. San priest did not interfere with his hobby: he loved to spend time behind a horse hunt, in which hunting dogs must have participated. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Jack Russell did not achieve strong heights in his church career, but among English cynologists and breeders he had great authority and influence.

Born J. Russell at the end of the XVIII century, since childhood he was actively keen on hunting and admired the hunting qualities of the terriers of that time. Already in 1814, he received his first terrier (he called him Trump, which actually means - Trump). This wire-haired white individual possessed a powerful exterior, long limbs and a sharp mind, and this, from the point of view of a future priest, was ideal qualities for a first-class hunting dog. The breeding of Russell Terriers began with this individual - the pastor sought to create animals with the same external qualities.

Despite the fact that Trump became the ancestor of the Russell Terrier breed, there is no reliable data on the genetic material of any other breeds of dogs used for their breeding. The only true fact in this case is only the fact that J. Russell made a huge number of attempts to cross one-colored individuals of terriers. Presumably in the formation of the Jack Russell breed participated individuals Fox Terriers, Borders, Lakeland and Beagles. In the course of his experiments, Jack Russell pursued only one goal - to achieve the breeding of not a single individual with hunting qualities, but several dogs that would accompany him on the hunt, for a long time could calmly keep pace with the horse and not get tired. One of the factors that the priest wanted was a steady character and the possibility of teamwork.

No matter how strange it sounds, but Jack Russell, when breeding terriers, did not ask any particular norm or clear features of the standard.. Neither the coloring of the individual, nor the shape of the skull, nor the type of pet's coat had any value for it. He relied specifically on the hunting qualities of workers: size, length of limbs, width of the sternum, skeleton weight, strength of the jaw box. The ideal hunting terrier, in his opinion, must be resilient, have a flexible body to perform maneuvers, as well as a powerful and loud voice that would be clearly heard over many miles.

Over time, j.Russell managed to create several dozen individuals that not only did an excellent job of tracking animals, but also possessed an unusually sensitive intuition that allowed them to understand the beast and its habits, control its movements and follow its every step. Very soon, the fame of Russell Terriers spread far beyond the borders of Devonshire - all notable British hunters wanted to receive them.

By the middle of the XIX century, the Jack Russell terrier population already numbered more than a hundred hardy and perfectly folded for hunting individuals. Around the 1930s, the first club of fans of this breed was formed, where these dogs were given their name - Parson Jack Russell Terrier, which translates as “Pastor Jack Russell Terrier”.

By the 70s of the 19th century, the pastor had become too old to devote the same amount of time to hunting, so he began to devote even more time to the breeding of new individuals of Russels. For a while he was actively engaged in the evaluation of terriers in the canine clubs of British clubs, but he never presented his pets at exhibitions. He always sought to preserve the identity of these dogs.

Around the middle of the XIX century, Jack Russell began to notice that, together with standard individuals, individuals of slightly smaller size and with less long limbs began to appear (They were later called Jack Russels). This was the result of the introduction of dachshunds and welsh corgi to the breeding core. Over time, the difference in size became more noticeable, as well as changes in the working qualities of animals, but Russell himself, like his followers, deliberately did not register miniature individuals, wanting to maintain a certain breed standard. Only in some breed clubs of Great Britain, America and Australia it was decided to extend the standard of this breed regarding the size and height of these dogs.

This led to the fact that until 1990, there was officially only one breed of Russell Terrier under their primary name - Parson Jack Russell Terrier. Only in 2001, the ICF decided to divide the Parson-Jack-Russell Terrier into two separate and independent breeds with individual standards.

The fact that these varieties of dogs until 2001 were perceived as one full breed, albeit with differences in terms of growth and size, already says a lot about the similarity of the exterior and temperament of these dogs.

• Color Perhaps it is the particular color of these dogs that caused many disputes among breeders of the 20th century. Both breeds of dogs are distinguished by the predominance of white in the color with zonal segmentation of the muzzle, ears, tail, croup and back by caramel or brown spots.

• Type of wool. Both breeds are characterized by identical subspecies of wool based on its structure and length. So, both breeds have representatives of the long-haired (with a pronounced beard, eyebrows and elbow feathers), a semi-long and hard-haired look (which requires regular trimming - pulling out the guard hair to correct the appearance of the hair).

• Ears. Another bright common feature of “Parsons” and “Jacks” in the same ear shape with tips hanging down. The ears of both dogs are placed at approximately the same distance from each other. In a calm state they look to the side, in the excited - they are turned forward.

• Exterior. If we consider the description of both breeds from the point of view of the exterior, we can find the following similar features: both breeds have a rather long powerful neck, the same shape of the head and muzzle, approximately the same tail length (which is slightly bent in the excited state and stands strictly perpendicular to the pet's back) flat back and rounded croup, and a tucked up belly.

• Character. In addition to the general features of the exterior, jack races and parson races are very similar in temperament. Both breeds have an active and cheerful disposition, they are extremely loyal to their owner, adore his praise and perfectly amenable to training.

Until today, the individualization of these two breeds continues at full speed, which allowed us to identify several distinctive features by which individuals of a particular breed can be recognized.

• The first and most noticeable feature is the hull shape. The fact is that in the Parson-Russell specimens it looks more like a square, while in the Jack Russell specimens the body shape is more elongated and is represented as a rectangle.
• Using the unification of both breeds, we also managed to segment their sizes. Thus, Jack Russell individuals usually do not grow above 30 centimeters (usually from 25 to 30), and in Parsons the average figure is slightly more - up to 35.5 (from 33) centimeters at the withers.
• Another characteristic feature is the length of the limbs. If you look at individuals of both breeds in profile, you will notice that the Parson Russell has its forelimbs significantly longer than the Jack Russell. The hind limbs of the parsons are slender and elongated, muscular, and in Jack Russell they are shorter, with well-defined knees. Long legs provide greater speed, so parsons are often much faster than Jack Russels.
• Parson rassela today is widely used in hunting (as during the creation of the breed), at the same time, jack rassela are increasingly used solely as decorative rocks for the usual content in the walls of the apartment.
• Today, Jack Russell puppies usually cost significantly more than parsons. This can be explained by the widespread popularity of "jacks" among the distributors of decorative and exhibition breeds of dogs.
• If Parson Terriers are most common in Europe, where they occupy a niche of 3 most popular Terrier breeds, Jack Jacks are more common in Australia, where most of the breeding kennels for these dogs are located.

If you are faced with the choice of buying a Jack Russell Terrier or Parson Russell Terrier, and you do not know which breed of dogs to prefer, you can refer to certain points that you should pay attention to when buying these dogs.

Before buying any dog ​​you should understand what exactly you need it for.

As already said Parson Russell Terriers are most often bought specifically for hunting.They are excellent watchmen and faithful companions who will always be with you and help out as far as possible. These dogs are very hardy, able to chase game for a long time and not get tired. They unquestioningly obey the owner, while possessing a unique structure of the limbs and the body, which allow them to quickly move over long distances, even through swampy areas.

Jack Russell Terriers have about the same number of qualities, but because of the structure of their body, they are not as adapted to them as the Parsons.

Another important factor that may influence your choice. It is believed that Parson Russell Terriers are better suited for keeping in the street, they are wonderful watchmen, and therefore many English breeders prefer to put them on guard of a certain site.

Jack Russells are more squat and, although they also adore pranks, they will be quite happy to carry them out within the walls of their master's apartment. Due to the small size of these dogs, you can safely keep even in small one-bedroom apartments, without experiencing great discomfort.

Another equally important factor when choosing puppies of any dog.

As mentioned above, Jack races are steadily more expensive than Parsons, however, this difference in price is not so great as to give up some breed of dogs. It all depends on your desire to get an individual of a certain breed.

As for other factors, such as the health of both breeds, their character, the characteristics of maintenance and care for them - everything is about the same. If you bought a certain individual of the Russell Terrier and did not achieve from it the development of hunting skills, obedience or other skills - you should not shift the responsibility on the breed. Most likely, the problem is in the wrong education.

About what Jack Russell is different from Parson Russell, see the following video.