"That's just a Jack Russell Terrier noise, it's nothing to worry about"

[FuckingHateRats]

Today we were at the beach with friends (a family I know very very well, and a family that is new to us).

They had their 10m old JRT with them. We had our 13wk labradoodle puppy with us.

The JRT was kept growling at our puppy and trying to nip her neck. She kept going back for more. Our puppy was initially keen to play about and run/roll with her but then behaved in a way that made me think she was frightened (no play bowing, ran between my legs, whimpering).

The owner said that "that noise is just the noise JRT make when they're playing, it's nothing to worry about."

i have very little experience with JRT, but all my interactions have been quite negative with very aggressive dogs, so I want to make sure I'm not being overprotective or influenced by those.

Is this normal playing for JRT?

I don't have much experience with JRTs either and obviously I wasn't there but it sounds like it could have been a play growl. If so, it's nothing to worry about. Very young puppies can sometimes become a bit intimidated by older puppy play and choose to opt out, as yours did. My current pup is a very confident boy but at 13 weeks he definitely wasn't ready to play with older puppies.

I think it's more important to be guided by your dog's reactions, rather than what's 'normal'. Normal for a fighting dog would be to fight, but that wouldn't make it ok for your dog.

If your dog looked scared, then your dog was scared, and no responsible owner of another dog would allow their dog to continue scaring your dog, regardless of whether the behaviour is normal or not.

She has played with a fair amount of older puppies (we have a 1yr old Maltese terrier/poodle cross in the family, as well as meeting lots of other puppies on walks and on the beach). This has mainly been running/chasing/rolling/standing on their back legs and 'hugging'/wrestling. She's quite 'forward' for her age - my mum calls her 'gallus' haha. It was the repeated nipping at her neck that went with the growls too.

I'm fairly confident with her running riot with other like minded dogs, so maybe I'm harbouring JRT fears after the aggressive encounters we've had.

I have a JRT cross and yes, it's very normal for them to growl and nip as part of their play. However because of this I don't let him play with puppies or other little dogs as he's just way too much for them to handle. His friends are all labs and collies (plus one mad shih tzu who thinks he's a rottweiler). If your dog is uncomfortable the other owners need to take responsibility and stop the play rather than going with the 'JRTs will be JRTs' line.

Jack Russsels are generally dicks btw. It's the small dog syndrome thing. I love the bones of mine, but still, he's a bit of a dick.

Thanks @thepurplepenguin , that's helpful to know it is part and parcel, as well as helping me think about how to navigate our next interaction.

My jack Russell is 15 and will play growl as such , especially during compete games such as tug, but she is as soft as can be and loves all humans . However , like a pp has said I don’t let her play with other dogs , other than those of close friends , as she gets excited and goes into the full excited play mode including the growl .

My JRT X does nudge other dogs necks (not nip, just nudge with his nose) when he's trying to engage another dog in play. Play growling is also a thing, for all breeds; working out what a growl meals generally requires the wider context of their body language. If this dog was intending to start a fight, you'd have found out about it long before that.

Still, it was obviously a bit much for your pup and eventually she'd had enough, so you were right to remove her.

JRTs are often dicks though. Love mine, but he's a dick.

Lots of dogs will growl in play - it's normal and a big part of "bitey face" but equally, that doesn't mean your dog has to like it or put up with it.

My own dog is a play-growler but I only let him play that way when I know the other dog has a similar play-style. It's not unique to JRT's - he plays growly/bitey-face with a husky, a cairn terrier, beagles, a Labrador and a cockapoo. He's a beagle :)

Thanks everyone. The other terrier in the family does growl a bit too and it took me a wee bit of time to get over the fear haha.

This sounds like my parents JRT and he’s a bit of a dick but a loveable one.
My dog is quite happy to play with him and she’s a lot bigger and she’s very confident so puts him in his place and he does take a telling…eventually and for about 3 minutes then he’s back for more.

My JRT is the second one I've owned and I would say, if their puppy was nasty you'd have found out quickly - when they're aggressive they don't mess around, they just go.

I'm currently dog sitting another JRT and have had both dogs outside today.
If you were listening to them you'd think they were trying to kill each other. They sound ferocious, snarling and growling non stop but they get on well and stop when told and it never turns nasty.
Every little terrier I've known has been the same.

If you heard my terrier and my parents terrier (both young) together you'd think they were killing each other. Lots of noise, lots of teeth. It's rare to see them together without someone's limb/neck/tail/ear inside the others mouth.

Mine in particular makes a horrible noise when she does the "chasing" of other dogs. I always say to other owners it's nothing to worry about, but I always watch both her and the other dogs body language and remove her if needed. I say it because a lot of owners have panicked on hearing it.

My German shepherd plays like this. Lots of grabbing at the neck, growling, nipping and pulling at the other dogs neck.

Regardless of if it’s play or not it can be intimidating to other dogs and I don’t allow her to play with many others because of it.

I would say if she seems unhappy stop the interaction. I wouldn’t worry about offending other owners, not all dogs have to love each others personalities or play styles!

My jrt growls when he plays. He loves a good play with a bit of growling. Does it when he is playing with his toys with us or even by himself. He doesn't hurt other dogs though.