What is the difference between the Parson Russell Terrier and the Jack Russell Terrier?

Until the beginning of the 21st century, Russell terriers were considered as one complete breed with insignificant differences in size and exterior. Today, these are two full-fledged breeds, one of which is bred in England (Parson Russell), and the other in Australia (Jack Russell), which acted as the country-breeder of this breed of dogs. Let's see how the Parson Russell Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier are different and similar.

Nothing can tell more about the differences between certain dog breeds than the history of their occurrence.

Around the beginning of the 19th century among British breeders, a fashion for breeding unique varieties of dogs was actively forming with improved stamina, speed and immunity characteristics for hunting. An active position among hunters and dog lovers in those days was taken by Rev. Father Jack Russell of Devonshire. The priest’s dignity did not interfere with his hobby: he liked to spend time behind horse hunting, in which hunting dogs necessarily participated. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Jack Russell did not achieve strong heights in the church career, but he had great authority and influence among English dog handlers and breeders.

J. Russell was born at the end of the 18th century, since childhood he was actively fond of hunting and admired the hunting qualities of terriers of that time. Already in 1814 he received his first terrier (he called him Trump, which actually means - Trump).This white-haired white specimen had a powerful exterior, long limbs and a sharp mind, and this, from the point of view of the future priest, was ideal qualities for a first-class hunting dog. It was with this individual that breeding Russell Terriers began - the pastor sought to create animals with the same external qualities.

Although Trump became the founder of the Russell Terrier breedThere are no reliable data on the genetic material of what other dog breeds was used for their breeding. The only true fact in this case is only that J. Russell made a huge number of attempts to cross the monochromatic terriers. Presumably, individuals of fox terriers, boarders, lakelands and beagles participated in the formation of the Jack Russell breed. In the course of his experiments, Jack Russell pursued only one goal - to achieve the breeding of not a single individual with hunting qualities, but several dogs that would accompany him on the hunt, for a long time they could calmly observe the pace of the horse and not get tired. One of the factors that the priest sought was the steady nature and the possibility of teamwork.

No matter how strange it sounds, but Jack Russell when breeding terriers did not ask any specific norm or clear features of the standard. Neither the color of the individual, nor the shape of the skull, nor the type of pet's hair mattered to him. He relied precisely on working hunting qualities: size, limb length, sternum width, bone weight, strength of the jaw box. The ideal hunting terrier, in his opinion, must be hardy, have a flexible body for performing maneuvers, as well as a powerful and loud voice that could be clearly heard over many miles.

Over time, J. Russell managed to create several dozen individuals that not only did an excellent job of tracking animals, but also had an unusually sensitive intuition that allowed them to understand the beast and its habits, control its movement and monitor its every step. Very soon, the fame of Russell terriers spread far beyond the county of Devonshire - they were wanted to receive all the noble English hunters.

By the middle of the XIX century, the population of Jack Russell Terriers totaled more than a hundred hardy and ideally folded for hunting individuals. Around the 30s of the XIX century, the first club of lovers of this breed was formed, where these dogs were given their name - Parson Jack Russell Terrier, which translates as "Pastor Jack Russell Terrier."

By the 70s of the 19th century, the pastor was too old to devote the same amount of time to hunting, so he began to devote even more time to breeding new Russell species. For some time he was actively involved in evaluating terriers in British cynological clubs, but he never represented his pets at exhibitions. He always sought to preserve the identity of these dogs.

Around the middle of the 19th century, Jack Russell began to notice that, along with standard individuals, individuals of a slightly smaller size and with shorter limbs began to appear (they were later called jack russell). This was the result of the introduction of dachshund and welsh corgi individuals into the tribal core. Over time, the difference in size became more noticeable, as well as changes in the working qualities of animals, however, Russell himself, like his followers, did not consciously register miniature individuals, wishing to maintain a certain breed standard. Only in some pedigree clubs in Great Britain, America and Australia, it was decided to expand the standard of this breed regarding the size and height of these dogs.

This has led to until 1990, only one breed of Russell Terriers officially existed under their primary name - Parson Jack Russell Terrier. Only in 2001 did the IFF decide to divide the Parson Jack Russell Terrier into two separate and independent breeds with individual standards.

The fact that these varieties of dogs until 2001 was perceived as one complete breed, albeit with differences in terms of height and size, already says a lot about the similarity of the exterior and temperament of these dogs.

• Color. Perhaps, it is precisely the color characteristics of these dogs that have caused numerous disputes among breeders of the XX century. Both breeds of dogs are distinguished by the dominance of white in color with zonal segmentation of the muzzle, ears, tail, croup and back with caramel or brown spots.

• Type of wool. Both breeds are characterized by the same subspecies of wool based on its structure and length. So, in both breeds there are representatives of a long-haired (with a pronounced beard, eyebrows and elbow feathers), half-long and stiff-haired appearance (which requires regular trimming - plucking of the outer hair in order to correct the appearance of the coat).

• The ears. Another striking common feature of the “Parsons” and “Jacks” in the same shape of the ears with the tips hanging down. The ears of both dogs are set at approximately the same distance from each other. In a calm state they look to the sides, in an excited state they are turned forward.

• Exterior. If we consider the description of both breeds from the point of view of the exterior, we can find the following similar features: both breeds have a rather long powerful neck, the same shape of the head and muzzle, the tail is about the same length (which is slightly curved in the excited state and stands strictly perpendicular to the pet’s back), flat back and rounded croup, as well as a tucked up belly.

• Character. In addition to the general features of the exterior, Jack Russell and Parson Russell are very similar in temperament. Both breeds are characterized by an active and cheerful disposition, they are unusually loyal to their master, adore his praises and lend themselves perfectly to training.

Until today, the individualization of these two breeds continues at full speed, which made it possible to identify several distinctive features by which it is possible to recognize individuals of an individual breed.

• The first and noticeable sign is the shape of the case. The fact is that in Parson Russell individuals it looks more like a square, and in Jack Russell individuals the body shape is more elongated and is presented in the form of a rectangle.
• Using the unification of both breeds, we also managed to segment their sizes. Thus, individuals of Jack Russell usually do not grow above 30 centimeters (usually from 25 to 30), and in Parsons the average is slightly higher - up to 35.5 (from 33) centimeters at the withers.
• Another characteristic feature is the length of the limbs. If you look at the individuals of both breeds in profile, you will notice that the forelimbs are much longer in Parson Russell than in Jack Russell. The hind limbs of the parsons are slender and elongated, muscular, and in jack russell they are shorter, with distinct knees. Long legs provide greater speed, making Parsons often much faster than Jack Russels.
• Parson Russell today is widely used in hunting activities (as during the creation of the breed), at the same time, Jack Russell is increasingly used exclusively as decorative breeds for normal maintenance in the walls of the apartment.
• Today Jack Russell puppies usually cost significantly more than Parsons. This can be explained by the wide popularity of "jacks" among the breeders of decorative and exhibition dog breeds.
• If parson terriers are most common in Europe, where they occupy a niche 3 in terms of popularity of the breed of terriers, then jack russelli are more common in Australia, where most of the kennels for breeding these dogs are located.

If you are faced with the choice of buying a Jack Russell Terrier or a Parson Russell Terrier, and you don’t know which dog breed to prefer, you can turn to certain points that you should pay attention to when buying these dogs.

Before buying any dog, you should understand what exactly you need it for.

As already mentioned, Parson Russell Terriers are most often bought specifically for hunting activities.They are excellent watchmen and faithful companions who will always be with you and will help out as far as possible. These dogs are very hardy, able to chase game for a long time and not get tired. They obediently obey the owner, while possessing a unique structure of limbs and bodies that allow them to quickly travel long distances even through marshy terrain.

Jack Russell Terriers have about the same number of qualities, but due to the structure of their body, they are not as adapted to them as Parsons.

Another important factor that may affect your choice. It is considered that Parson Russell Terriers are better suited to street conditions, they are wonderful watchmen, and therefore many English breeders prefer to put them on guard of a certain site.

Jack Russels are more squat and, although they also adore pranks, they will be quite happy to carry them out within the walls of their master’s apartment. Due to the small size of these dogs, you can safely keep even in small one-room apartments, without experiencing much discomfort.

Another equally important factor when choosing puppies of any dog.

As mentioned above, Jack Russels are consistently more expensive than Parsons, but this price difference is not so great as to refuse some kind of dog. It all depends on your desire to get an individual of a certain breed.

As for other factors, such as the health of both breeds, their nature, the features of their maintenance and care, everything is about the same here. If you bought a particular Russell Terrier individual and did not get the development of hunting skills, obedience or other skills from it, then you should not blame the breed. Most likely, the problem is in the wrong education.

How Jack Russell differs from Parson Russell, see the next video.