Hunting
The Jack Russell Terrier is a mighty hunting dog, with incredibly strong hunting instincts. And because the Jack Russell has such strong hunting instincts the owner must be thoroughly aware of the dog at all times.
The Jack Russell Terrier was developed as a working fox terrier after the Fox Terrier had been bred so long for show that the breed lost most of it's field working ability in exchange for prettiness and prancing around a ring. A few of the traits that the breeders of the Jack Russell Fox Terrier strived for, which were quickly being bred out by the show dog breeders, were mostly white in colour, small enough to fit into a fox den, a tenacious attitude toward predators, with lots of voice to drive their quarry from the ground.
To understand the Jack Russell Terrier, one must first understand it's background. In England where the JRT had it's beginnings, there was considerable trouble with foxes coming into farmyards and stealing chickens, ducks, rabbits, and lambs, not to mention the diseases that were spread from the foxes to humans and their canine companions. A small family of foxes would quickly steal a farmer's entire flock of chickens, causing serious hardship. To control the fox and other pests, the farmer would call the local terrier man, who would bring his dogs over to track down the predatory animals. The small terriers would enter the den and bark up a storm, driving the foxes to the surface into the waiting hands of the terrier man. The foxes were then captured for relocation or destroyed if necessary. In most situations, the Jack Russell was not bred to kill the fox, just drive it to the surface, which is why many JRT's have a lot of voice and can still bark up a storm.
Today's Jacks can be found all over the world working in one capacity or another. Many can be found on farms across Canada, helping to keep the vermin population under control, as well as treeing raccoons or denning foxes that threaten their livestock. Consequently, most Jacks have no fear and, throwing caution to the wind, will happily run off after a fox, squirrel, skunk, cat, rabbit, or whatever. These feisty dogs have also been known to get themselves into some very dangerous predicaments. Every year several Jack Russells get stuck in holes, burrows, under foundations, and in other sticky situations. It is so common, in fact, for Jacks to get themselves "stuck" in a hole, that there are several volunteer groups that specialize in digging out a trapped dog.
Off leash the Jack Russell Terrier needs an experienced handler, and even with an experienced handler, the threat of losing the dog is very real. Because of their tenacity, these little terriers can and will enter dens that are too small to fit into, and they will dig themselves right in, pushing the loose dirt behind them, burying themselves and cutting off their air supply. In loose ground or water sand there is always the danger of cave-ins, which can immediately suffocate the dog. A wise terrier owner will always be aware of the location of their dog and be prepared with a shovel, and other tools, to dig the dog out should it be necessary. Many enthusiasts use locating collars, which are very similar to avalanche locating beacons, affixed to the dog's collar which help locate the dog underground.
Perhaps one of the most dangerous animals that your Terrier could ever encounter underground is the skunk. A skunk is not a very ferocious animal, but it's spray will quickly expand in the enclosed space of a den or under a shed and fill the lungs of the dog, causing shock and suffocation. In this situation, time is of the essence. The dog must be brought out into the fresh air immediately, and specific handling techniques employed to help the dog get fresh air into it's lungs should be done quickly. Then as soon as possible the unresponsive dog should be rushed to the veterinarian.
Should the dog be sprayed by a skunk, and come out of the hole by itself, it will most likely rub it's face back and forth in green grass. This is the time to catch the dog before it tries to enter the ground again. Getting sprayed by a skunk, and handling a skunked dog, can be very smelly. One of the best ways to get rid of the smell is to bathe the dog in warm water, using sunlight dish soap, and a lot of baking soda.
A quick note about bathing. Be very careful when bathing the JRT, they can be very susceptible to over bathing. I have several terriers that are in and out of the house all year long. They are very active and even go hunting several times a year. My terriers can get quite dirty at times going to ground in all kinds of weather. Consequently, there are many times when they need a full bath (like after meeting skunks). The rest of the time I spot wash any dirty fur and do a lot of surface washing with a damp cloth, or a baby wipe. Bathing the JRT too often can result in dried out skin, excessive shedding, and hyper-sensitivity to touch.
A final thought; It is good to keep in mind that just because you do not plan on hunting with your JRT, does not mean that your Jack will always agree. Most Jack Russell Terriers have a mind of their own when an interesting scent fills their nostrils.
Remember: You can take the Jack out of the hunt, but you can't take the hunt out of the Jack.
To learn more about training and hunting with the Jack Russell Terriers, click here.
All content, including pictures, copyrighted © by Prairie Jacks - 2008.
