THE BREED HISTORY

In the history of JRT is the idea, that pastor John Russell was the founder of this breed. In the Cumbria area in northern part of England lived, however, on 1700 century the hunter named John Peel (1776-1854, he was born about twenty years before John Russell), who had also s.c. “hunting terriers”, that were named as jack russells, as all the small, white dogs, that had spots. These dogs were not short legged, but, though they were not high, more square and like miniatures. But they were not all so high legged than parson russell. Parson John Russell had higher dogs (parson like), when the hunters in the north part of the country wanted smaller dogs to work in that kind of terrain. The different areas had different kind of terriers, i.e. high legged terriers, as bedlington, were able to run after horses when hunting, but in Cumbria area there were very narrow caves, which were too small to high legged dogs. A shorter legged terrier could turn himself better in a narrow cave and a small miniature jack russell was fitting excellently in this purpose. So the idea, that the small jack russell would have been only the result of the parson- breeding experiments, isn´t true, and there have been already from 1700 century in Cumbreck kennel a stud of small, miniature like “jack”-terriers (a nick name to jack russells earlier), where i.e. also John Russell bought dogs. Parson russell was breeded later.

Many people have an impress, that John Russell´s dogs were breeded by himself, but Russell bought dogs everywhere and he really hadn´t his own special line. As it is said before, the outlooks really didn´t mean so much to him. J. Russell bought dogs, i.e. from Cumbria, and sold them further, -sometimes as his own breeded dogs, which many people didn´t exactly like. Trump is said to be the first stud dog in the breed. John Russell didn´t, however, breed her by himself, he bought him from the milkman. At the time on that area there were five milkmen, and three of them were from Cumbria. So it is quite obvious, that Trump was also from Cumbria, from the area, where the light small terriers, “jacks”, were originally breeded.

Before the war jackrussells were used mainly in fox hunting. During the second world war there wasn´t much food; then the purpose in working was changing and expanded, and the small hunting jackrussell terriers became important in hunting rabbits to get meat (notice, that the dogs were not barking dogs, it would have scared the prey away). They also were protecting the children and they were brave watching dogs. Then on 1930-40´s they were crossed with bullterrier and fellterrier; these crossings, which were different from the original jackrussell, were bought from the south parts of the England i.e. to Australia. Also dachshund and beagle were used in crossings, the barking and strong sense of smell were wanted from the beagle. In the northern parts of the country in Cumbria area jackrussell terriers still were original; small, working hunting dogs.

The following information is from the ”bible” of jackrussell-breed the book Captain Jocelyn M. Lucas M.C ”Hunt and Working Terriers”. The book is published first time on year 1931 and after several prints on 1995, of which book there are the following notes. Notes concern mostly only jackrussell-breed from the beginning of its history. It is talked many times in the book about “Jack”-dogs, that were different kind of small terriers (as I wrote earlier in history part, that overalla all the small spotty terriers were called “jacks”). J.S.
 

The old english terrier was usually black-and-tan. The white colour in the body was probably from one or two crossings in other breeds.
One of the first ones was usually used bulldog-crossing, because such “sport” as hunting the badger hunting (a badger was pulled out of the barrel) and dog fights were popular sports. In those occasions people bet from big sums of money. Hunting rats was also common and we might have read about the famous terrier, Billy, who killed hundred rats in five minutes. He was a white English terrier, who had a spot on the other side of the head.
Notice: Interesting when talking about colours is, that originally there was mentioned only two colours in jackrussells, tricolour and black and white, a.o. in old collecting cards there is mentioned as colours only those two, not the resessive tan and white.

What was wanted was a small dog, that could go in every small hole on the ground, as a fox. He should not weight more than 6.8 kilos, on the other side to be enough strong in his task he should be at least 6 kilos.

About 100 years ago hunters used to take with hounds two smaller terriers, a bigger and a smaller. The smaller was sent to the gave behind, if the gave was too narrow for the bigger dog.

In the book Tuberville mentions two types of terriers, short- and long legged. The first ones go better under the ground and the later work better on the ground, though they can also go into gaves. Colonel Negus used jackrussells and transported them in the bags, because the terrain of his home place was gallop terrain.

When terriers were first used with hounds, the colour was found as important matter. Hunters were afraid that hounds would kill terriers thinking they were otters or fox, when they come out from the hole smelling like prey. Others thought that it didn´t matter, because as well hounds could make a mistake, when a terrier in hunt smells to otter or fox and could be brown of the soil. These accidents diminished a lot terrier pack when hunting with pack of hounds, and everything possible was done to prevent the accidents. One good way was to keep hounda and terriers in a same kennel. The good hunting abilities of borders and Lakeland terriers were recognised, but their colour was kept as minus compared to foxterrier, that was mostly white.

Earlier terriers were only black-brown or grey and the white colour came 100-150 years ago by the introduction of bull or beagle blood. White dogs were apt to be regarded with suspicion. The old white English terrier has already become extinct. It was smooth and weighted 2,55-4,24 kg by Stonehenge, who said it was covered, if it was not mixed to bulldog.

Earlier years a dog was allowed to kill an animal straight, without torture and hunter´s gun didn´t play so big role. When foxhunting became a big sport, such dogs were wanted, that only chased a prey on the surface of the earth as “provided”. John Russell mentions, that he doesn´t want a dog to kill the fox, but to tease it until it becomes mad, and the dog must yap so that the diggers know where to dig.


Ar “Four Burrow” Cornwall people hunt in capricious terrain, that is 25 % moor. Terriers thay use and small headed, with narrow chest and undocked. Their pedigrees could be tracked after 100 years. They follow the seecong horse man and can run all day. Mr G. Williams told me, that pastor John Russell used to visit his grandfather Mr George Williams every year and take any hunting terrier that he gave to him; most of those dogs he sold further. This is again a new proof that Russell had a type, not own breed.


An extrat from Baltimore´s writing about “jackrussells”. It is totally deceptive to talk about jack Russell terriers. Mr. Russell alvays said , that he didn´t have any special terrier bloodline. If he saw a dog he liked, he bought him, and if he was suitable for his work, he used him in breeding,, but he never kept any special strain. This was told to me by my grandfather, my father and my father-in-law (honorable Gerald Lascelles, whom I have borrowed in other parts of this book) and r. R. L. Riccard from South Molton, that all were very close friends with Mr. Russell.
So this should stop the legend that Mr. Russell would have ever breeded anything else than his own strain, though certain breeders have kept their own terrier strain, of which pedigrees go now at least to 30 years ago. The late Arthur Heinemann was one of them, and his terriers have reached a wide repetition. Yet Heinemann said, that everybody did outcrosses to keep the strain vital.

The location of Devonshire and Cornwall when the sea ronded the area from both sides helped Russell to keep the strain more or less pure. Though many authors insisted his strain to be clean and that it is possible to track it till the beginning, the author has been assured that it isn´t so. According to late Arthur Heinemann, whose jackrussells were famous, pastor had a principle, that he added to his gap any terrier, that filled his demands of working and structure. He said, that to maintain jackrussell type, he had had to bring to strain new blood every now and then, otherwise the strain would have been hopelessly inbreeded.
So John Russell didn´t have according to his own words his own strain, but more a type, because he bought any terrier, that established the right type. No doubt during years his terriers got repetition, local people used them in breeding and so the type became more a strain.

Mr Lascelles told, that Russell had (very barbarous, I think) a method when testing the breed value of a dog to try it just on the limit, then kill him and then breed with his brother. The idea was, that a dog, that had lost a lot of blood, couldn´t get anymore strong puppies.

Mr. Robert Leighton, a famous author, says, that it is impossible to call jackrussells a breed, as f.e. seylahams, because, according to him, all foxterriers today go back to Jackrussell terriers. (They don´t want to registere the breed in English Kennel Club today, though some people would want it, because the type is considered too wide and because the breed has both smooth and rough coat, so it isn´t only the question of hunting qualities).
 

In the end:

Nowadays in England hunters want harder and harder dogs, dogs, that kill the prey straight.
They also mix jackrussells to f.e. bullterriers to add hardness and strength. Could it be because in principle killing foxesis forbidden, but it can always happen that a dog tracks a prey when walking in the forest and kill it. Older times a dog was allowed to kill the prey immediately, when hunting was getting food, but when hunting became a sport to upper class people, such a dog was annoyance, because he could spoil the whole day´s sport.
Are people coming back to the old habit? When looking at nowadays managed jackrussells in unofficical terrier shows, you really can be confused. Dogs have big heads, they are very straight in front and rear and they don´t look very harmon.

Small, but balanced russells, that have not the impress of dachshund, are used also as hunting dogs and they are not “only” stable dogs or “the result of unsuccessful breeding”, as it is told. Such a dog was able to go to the schist rock gaves in England that was except small as size and chest, as well had triangle relatively flat sculled head that to fit between schist rocks. So though parson like dogs were the hunting type used by pastor Russell, also other hunters used smaller terriers depending the terrain and the size of prey. Depending the terrain hunters hunted either on foot or with horses, when the smaller terriers travelled in saddlebags. Maybe the purest jackrussells were preserved by long lasting breeding work from generation to another in certain area, as f.e. in Cumbria area in England, where John Peel, a honourable

Jackrussells are cross breeded a lot in other breeds today. Popular breeds are f.e. Chihuahua-crossings because of the size and poodle-crossings, so that the coat would not cause allergic reaction. England is the home country of jackrussell breed and I have a firm idea of the fact, that the best inviduals are found from the home country of the breed. But hopefully the breeders there understand in time to cherish the genes of the breed, so that dogs as original as possible and suitable for the original work for their type and their character, would be preserved.                J.S.
 

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