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Original poster

Are Jack Russels okay for children

17 replies

fusion · 03/04/2009 11:49

Hi
I am thinking of getting my 8 year old ds a dog and a jack russel appears to be the right size for us and we like the look of the dog, but thats about all I know.
Are these dogs okay for children or are they an unwise choice.
I also have a 1 year old cat how is it likely to get along with that.
Does anyone have any experience with these dogs and having young children are they okay.
I am going to see one tonight which is a male and its 10 months old it is currently living in a family with young children and they have told me that its great with the children and puts up with the childrens rough handling etc with no problem.

OP posts:

QueenEagle · 03/04/2009 11:53

I am going to be very unhelpful, sorry.

IMO Jack Russell's are yappy and annoying. I wouldn't trust them around very small children. My gran has had JR's forever and as I recall they don't go well with very little kids.

drlove8 · 03/04/2009 11:54

NO way id get a jack russel for a kids pet! they are bred ratters! prone to biteing...i had one as a small child and it constantly bit ....and we were a dog family...parents always had dogs and granparents bred boxers.

Wormsmeat · 03/04/2009 11:55

My youngest was only six whe we got ours, but well used to dogs. I deliberately didn't get a terrier when I had smaller children because they are certainly not the best choice around toddlers and babies. They are more likely to be snappy than some other dogs

Plenty of JRs are brilliant around children -- they are FULL of fun. BUT they need to be trained properly or they will try and rule over the children. And they can be mistrustful of people they don't know, especially children because children are noisy and unpredictable.

Ours is completely brilliant, obedient, etc with our children. But I put him off the scene when other children visit, because he =is very uncomfortable around them.

iggypiggy · 03/04/2009 11:55

Depends on the dog

I know a couple of adorable JRTs that are fab with very young children. So a 10 month old that is already good with children could be a good bet

Generally - am not a huge fan as alot of the ones I meet with my dog are less than friendly. And they are proper hunting/ working terriers - so have tendency to chase rabbits/ rill rats etc. You need to see if it is used to cats - I expect your average JRT will chase a cat... but they can learn...

They can bark a bit too

I think you are sensible to consider a slightly oder dog - rather than a 12 week old puppy - at least you can have more idea of temprament.

Wormsmeat · 03/04/2009 11:57

oh, cats. Risky. There is no guarantee that a JR and a cat could live well together. It might work out, but that is the best I can say.

girlandboyWantsMoreEasterEggs · 03/04/2009 11:57

I was bitten twice as a child by two different Jack Russells, so I would lean biasedly towards a NO. I think they are a rather unpredictable breed.

Disenchanted3 · 03/04/2009 11:58

My aunt had her face bitten by a jack russle when she was little.

the dog had its lower jaw inside her mouth and was clamped onto her cheek.

It was a family dog and she just went to pat its head.

Im not saying ALL JRs will do this any dog could turn (or not!)

bohemianbint · 03/04/2009 11:59

That baby that was attacked and killed in Wales at his grandmother's house, one was a JR, wasn't it?

YouKnowNothingoftheCrunchie · 03/04/2009 11:59

IME they can be lovely, but they are also highly territorial, snappy and I would never trust one alone with a child.

There are more child-friendly breeds out there.

The only dog I've ever been bitten by was a Jack Russell as a child (a dog who knew me well and went for me while I was sitting quietly)

muppetgirl · 03/04/2009 12:00

I think it can be a mixed bag...

I have had 2 JR's in the past when I lived on a boat where we had no contact with children. Both dogs hated children.

Now we have 3 year old Stan, had him from a puppy, and he has always mixed with lots of children. He's fab with my 2 - 5 and 16 months but does hate other people's children. I think this is because other people's children don't know how to be with dogs let alone Stan. They grab him, poke him and pull him about so he growls. I have tried to talk to the parents but it doesn't help, children just don't seem to have the same experience with dogs as we did perhaps when we were little -I was told in no uncertain terms do you approach someone else's dog without talking to the owner first.

There's a piccie on my profile of him if you want to take a peek -he is very gorgeous!

muppetgirl · 03/04/2009 12:02

...and you need to be very confident and take no Sh*t from your dog also. They do like to make themselves top dog and you would need to be a very strong person yourself capable of keeping your JR in line!

I would agree that I would never totally trust him but then you should think that of any dog whatever the breed.

Opinions · 03/04/2009 12:03

I really think it depends on the individual dog and not just the breed. I have had 3 Jack Russells and they were all completely different. 2 were absolutely fine with cats, the other hated cats. All 3 were fine with my kids (even when they were babies/toddlers) but whilst I'd completely trust 2 of them I was always watchful of the 3rd because on very rare occassions she would growl so that alerted me to keep an eye.

Jack Russells are great little pets though and very loyal. If its got the right temperament it would be a lovely companion for an 8 year old.

Wormsmeat · 03/04/2009 12:03

He is gorgeous muppet. They are completely lovely dogs. So clever, so agile.

But you need to give them the right lifestyle -- plenty of training, plenty of exercise and mental stimulation, and appropriate management for any prickly bits of their character.

OrmIrian · 03/04/2009 12:14

Oh yes. They are perfect. Grilled with chips and tomato sauce

But seriously, yes they are IME, if properly trained. I've only known a few, one of which was a cranky little sod but he was old and ill and not well-trained. The others (incl my parents's dog, are good natured and lively.

LittleB · 03/04/2009 20:00

Do you know why they are rehoming their dog if he's so good with their kids? Alot of dogs hit adolescence at around 10mths and can be hard work to train, the most common age for abandoned dogs is 9mths. However I do think most dogs are fine if really well socialised, but I wouldn't rehome a dog with young children unless I knew it was fine. People will say anything to rehome a dog.
I'd be a bit worried if they say the dog puts up with rough handling, I don't think children should be allowed to roughly handle animals, my dd is 3.10 and is always gentle with our dogs, which she's been around all of her life. Perhaps get one from a puppy, unless you know it well.

Becs77 · 03/04/2009 20:13

No way - I'll alway remember my Grandma's Jack Russel who snapped at my sister when she was a baby and and as a result my Grandma got rid of it which caused some upset. We have a basset hound which is a great breed for kids, we have a 7 month old baby and the dog is so gentle around him, def one of the best breeds for families in my opinon...

twoluvlykids · 03/04/2009 20:19

I'd steer clear, tbh. I know one lovely lady jrt, she's adorable, but unique, imo they do not make good pets for children.

Get a cocker spaniel or something.

Also, as LitteB says, why are they rehoming at that age?

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