Jack Russell

[milkymocha]

Have been on the waiting list to rehome a dog and a lovely little Jack Russell has come up.
2 years old, brilliant with children and other dogs (so iam told!)

I am wanting my children to grow up with a dog as i did and also DH did. I am a stay at home mum so have the time to walk and to tend to him but, iam wanting to know if you all think that Jack Russells are good pets to have with small children??

My eldest lived with my familys labrador from birth-2 and sees him 3-4 times a week and is very good with him although does like to cuddle him and jump on him (which my labrador is fine with, they adore each other and hes a dopey so and so!)

The new Jack and Labrador will not live together but will be socialises together.
Whats your experiences?

If I were you I would want to make sure for myself about the claim that the dog is brilliant with other dogs and with children. Lots of JRTs are brilliant in that way, but it is definitely something that you ought to check carefully, since some JRTs make a profession of feistiness with other dogs, and quite a lot of them are more protective of their personal space than a lot of dogs. Most Labradors, for example, are very laid back about being gently mauled and mobbed by a toddler, but a JRT is more likely to say "enough is enough!" and if provoked enough to say it with a nip.

Having said that, JRTs can be absolutely lovely, brilliant dogs. Great companions for children because they are clever and very very playful and full of life; very trainable by anyone who is prepared to but in consistent effort and be firm in a fun and gentle way.

I have a parson russell terrier very similar in breeding. He is perfect with our children but they are older: the youngest was 7 when I got him, old enough to respect the dog's space. (I deliberately chose to get a more reliably tolerant breed when I had babies/toddlers). My dog definitely needs "downtime" time when he is safe in his own space and won't be bothered. He doesn't like people that he doesn't know, and I have always crated him when friends of my children come round -- but that is just his wary nature. I've met lots of much more gregarious JRTs. I adore him and would certainly have a PRT or JRT again.

So, in short: that JRT might be perfect for you, but make sure you check him thoroughly first.

Thank you Oaty thats great advice!
Iam going to take my children to visit him this week and see how they get on together.

My eldest is not a spiteful child and like i said He is used to dogs but i will have to be confident of Jacks temperament beforehand as my son can be over-friendly!

Good luck! I hope it turns out that the dog is right for your family and that you have a wonderful time with him.

We adopted a two year old Jack/Parson Russel terrier a couple of years ago. He has clearly been knocked about in the past but we don't know any other history. It wasn't until he settled into our home and began to feel it was his territory that we realised how threatened he feels by small children. Our younger DD in 9 so he's fine with her but he can behave quite aggressively if a toddler comes near him or his crate.

If I'd known this beforehand I wouldn't have adopted him because I am a childminder. It isn't a major problem because the dogs and the childminded children don't generally mix anyway but if I'd wanted him to be a playmate for a smaller child it would have been a major fail. He is not very good at playing - even with our other dog.

I would make very sure you know this dog's history because it has become clear to me that they behave very differently once settled in from how they appear at the rescue centre.

Don't get me wrong. We love both our rescue dogs to bits. It's just that the younger terrier/collie cross we got more recently has turned out to be a much better companion for our girls.

Yes, I'd second that: it can be a while before their temperament really reveals itself. There was a case on MN a few months ago where someone had rehomed a terrier cross (was it part chihuahua?) which had been billed as good with children, and it gradually showed itself to be more and more fear-aggressive around her family, to the point where she had to return it to the rescue. I don't want to be overly negative: it may very well be that this dog is perfect for you. But it is as well to think as much as possible about possible problems before you take the plunge.

My own dog was only 4 months when we got him, and for a couple of months he was rather quiet and withdrawn around the house. His true nature (more forthcoming and confident) only slowly emerged.

Hi Milkymocha
I would not have a JRT with small children. They do not have the right temperament in my opinion. They are fab dogs - I always wanted one, and 2 years ago got a JRT bitch at 8 weeks. My DC were 3, 6, 8. I brought the dog up correctly and she was fabulous - bright, quick, loyal, well trained, loving. But she was feisty and JRTs have a hard bite - they love to bite and chew. When she chewed a toy she wanted to KILL it - squeaky toys never lasted more than a few hours. She chewed golf balls to bits. She would retrieve a ball, but then she wanted to bite and bite it and destroy it! She loved playing football but really she wanted to bite and KILL the ball - normally deflating it. All this was very well, but she caught the children's hands a few times when playing. Eventually she started snapping at them when playing or if they picked her up. She bit both my sons on the same day and I broke my heart but was lucky to find her a child free good home with a couple who adore her.
I now have a retriever cross - he is not as bright as the JRT. but he is calm, laid back, the children crawl over him and he does not mind, he is too big to be picked up, he does not like biting or chewing, he has a soft mouth. I think terriers (it means terror!) and young children are not a good mix.

I have two JRTs and i was a confirmed JRT hater and would think anyone who had a JRT with children was mad. My DD is 6 and is totally OTT with them . JRT is a rescue, we got him from the dogs trust - he is very sweet but does like to chew anything and everything and we have terrier wars where both dogs play fight pretty much constantly. He is still a pup (about 8m now i think) so am hoping he will grow out of the chewing as a i will need to remortgage to keep him in rawhide!

How old are your children? Where is the dog coming from? Some rescues are less than vigilant about who they give their dogs too so do take care. Why is this dog in need of a home?

Also, it will be very difficult to assess how a dog will behave on a visit to kennels as he will not behave normally.

We adopted a rotweiller many moons ago and for the first two weeks he was like the model dog and just as the guy from battersea told us, after the first two weeks he will show his true colours and two weeks to the day, he did - oh boy, did he show his true colours - we didnt have any young children at the time of course. That dog was an out and out nutjob but he came good in the end - i do have alot of dog experience though, he wansn't for the faint hearted i can tell you!

I have decided to look into another breed of dog after lots of research, talking to JRT owners and of course, your advice!

Thank you, i really appericiate it !

I have a fab Jack bitch (6), she loves the boys (3 & 6), while they chase her and annoy, they can really push it. Jacks are great as they growel and snap but dont bite unless playing and its nothing nasty. There is a lot of attitude with these dogs.

I plan to get another Jack as I think and my farming friends make great family dogs, love to work and suit the house perfect. Cheap to keep, great for health. Yes agree they are ratters hence will kill a football, wreck toys (dont buy her any) and will go missing.

She does have an open door here - she comes and goes as she feels fit, she will run out for miles and do day trips. We do go ratting too which she loves and the boys too. So does earn her keep.

I would love a whippet but we cant owing to living on a farm with cats and rabbits. Whippits are great home dogs.

The boys are taught to respect dogs but unfortunately are too trusting of other dogs when out and they beleive all dogs are the same. I try to teach them about this but will still put their face in theirs.

Poddle types are nice, never used to like them but the large ones are lovely.