Parson Jack Russell Terrier

[Rimbaud]

My Drahthaar is now too old to hunt here in the States, and I am looking for a suitable replacement. The Parson terrier seems to have many of the same characteristics of the DD -smart, strong prey drive - and I was wondering if any of you have any experience w the breed. The dog will be used for boar and deer hunting, mostly, and he will get to travel. I don’t kennel my hunting dogs and let them live in the house w the family. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Holly Brewer]

We had a Jack Russell Terrier with a strong hunting drive. She could retrieve a dove and track a deer. She sat in the hunting blind with me many times during archery season. She was a great family dog. If you pulled a gun or bow out, she went nuts because it was time to go hunting. She lived to the ripe old age of 14-1/2 yrs.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Hi we are dog people, We have one Jack Russel, I do not know about the "Parson" part. Great dog. One negative shedding, Jack Russels shed, shed & shed! Good luck!

 

[Holly Brewer]

There’s not a nickels worth of difference between the two breeds. One’s a bit taller and their heads are shaped a bit different. About 20 yrs ago the Jack Russell Club of America tried to stop the AKC from bringing this jack into the show ring. They feared the AKC would breed the hunting instinct out of the dog. After a big hairy lawsuit, the AKC came out with a Parsons. My understanding is both dog breeds originated in the mid 1800s for fox hunting as the go to ground dog.

 

[Rimbaud]

Thanks @Holly Brewer and @Tokoloshe Safaris for the feedback. Very helpful. I keep reading that these dogs need loads of exercise. Did you find that to be true? I cannot imagine they are more demanding than DDs, but want to be sure. Gus, my DD, needed to exercise and needed variety in his life, but he was a very calm dog w a prey drive that was incredible and had to be used. Would you say the same is true of the Jack Russell? I read a lot of stuff that makes it seem like the dogs are neurotic high energy, but you never know if that is the owner or the dog, frankly.

 

[Holly Brewer]

Our female JRT was calm indoors. When it came time to hunt, she was ready and never seemed to tire. We lived in the country, so she stayed busy tracking and killing rats, mice, scorpions, tarantulas, snakes, etc. Just like any hunting dog be sure to get it from hunting stock. I’ve been around JRTs that simply didn’t possess the hunting drive.

 

[Rimbaud]

Our female JRT was calm indoors. When it came time to hunt, she was ready and never seemed to tire. We lived in the country, so she stayed busy tracking and killing rats, mice, scorpions, tarantulas, snakes, etc. Just like any hunting dog be sure to get it from hunting stock. I’ve been around JRTs that simply didn’t possess the hunting drive.

Thanks - Do you recall the breeder for your pup? I am concerned about getting a dog from a non-hunting breeder. The great thing about the VDD-GNA is that all of the dogs come from hunting kennels, and they are obsessed with the breed standard thus all of the dogs are natural born hunters. The Jack Russell breeders I have spoken w are not major hunters.

 

[Holly Brewer]

The kennel we got Sadie from is no longer breeding JRTs. My advice is look into the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America. https://www.therealjackrussell.com/ They have a breeder directory. This club has hunting trials and awards various hunting certifications. It exists to preserve the the working Jack.