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 full-fledged breed with minor differences in size and conformation. Today these are two full-fledged breeds, one of which is bred in England (Parson Russells), and the other in Australia (Jack Russells), which acted as a breeder country of this dog breed. Let's see how the Parson Russell Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier differ and how they are similar.

Nothing tells the story of the differences between certain dog breeds better than the history of their origin.

From about the beginning of the 19th century among English breeders, a fashion for breeding unique varieties of dogs was actively formed with improved characteristics of endurance, speed and immunity for hunting. Reverend Father Jack Russell of Devonshire occupied an active position among hunters and dog lovers in those days. The priesthood did not interfere with his hobbies: he liked to spend time on horseback hunting, in which hunting dogs necessarily participated. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Jack Russell did not achieve strong heights in the church career, but among the English dog handlers and breeders he had great authority and influence.

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 the terriers of that time. Already in 1814 he received his first terrier (he called him Trump, which actually means Trump).This wire-haired white individual possessed a powerful conformation, long limbs and a sharp mind, which, from the point of view of a future priest, were ideal qualities for a first-class hunting dog. It was with this individual that the breeding of Russell Terriers began - the pastor strove to create animals with the same external qualities.

Although Trump pioneered the Russell Terrier breed, there is no reliable data on the genetic material of which 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 at crossing monochromatic Terrier individuals. Presumably, individuals of Fox Terriers, Borders, 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 at once, which would accompany him on the hunt, for a long time could calmly keep the pace of the horse and not get tired. One of the factors that the priest sought was his resilience and the ability to work as a team.

As strange as it sounds, but Jack Russell, when breeding terriers, was not set by any specific norm or clear features of the standard... For him, neither the color of the individual, nor the shape of the skull, nor the type of pet's coat mattered. He relied precisely on working hunting qualities: size, length of limbs, width of the sternum, weight of the skeleton, strength of the jaw box. The ideal hunting terrier, in his opinion, must be hardy, have a flexible body for maneuvering, as well as a powerful and loud voice that could be clearly heard for 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 animal and its habits, control its movements and follow its every step. Very soon the fame of the Russell Terriers spread far beyond the borders of Devonshire - all the noble English hunters wanted them.

By the middle of the 19th century, the Jack Russell Terrier population numbered more than a hundred hardy and ideally built individuals for hunting. 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's 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 individuals. For some time he was actively involved in the evaluation of terriers in British dog clubs, but he never presented his pets at exhibitions. He has always striven to preserve the identity of these dogs.

Around the middle of the 19th century, Jack Russell began to notice that, together with standard individuals, individuals of a slightly smaller size and with shorter limbs began to appear. (it was they who were later called the Jack Russells). This was the result of the introduction of the Dachshund and Welsh Corgi into the breeding nucleus. Over time, the difference in size became more noticeable, as did the changes in the working qualities of animals, however, Russell himself, like his followers, deliberately did not register miniature individuals, wanting to maintain a certain breed standard. Only a few breed clubs in Great Britain, America and Australia have decided to expand the standard of this breed regarding the size and height of these dogs.

This led to the fact that until 1990, there was officially only one Russell Terrier breed under their primary name - Parson Jack Russell Terrier... Only in 2001, the ICF decided 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 were perceived as one full-fledged 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 the peculiarities of the color of these dogs that have become the cause of numerous disputes among breeders of the 20th century. Both dog breeds 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.

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

• Ears. Another striking common feature of "parsons" and "jacks" in the same shape of the ears with the tips hanging down. Ears of both dogs are spaced 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, you can find the following similar features: both breeds have a rather long, powerful neck, the same shape of the head and muzzle, approximately the same tail in length (which, in an excited state, is slightly curved and stands strictly perpendicular to the pet's back), a flat back and a rounded croup, as well as a toned belly.

• Character. In addition to the general features of the exterior, Jack Russells and Parson Russells are very similar in temperament. Both breeds are distinguished by an active and cheerful disposition, they are unusually loyal to their owner, adore his praise and lend themselves well to training.

To this day, the individualization of these two breeds continues in full swing, which made it possible to single out several distinctive features by which it is possible to recognize individuals of a particular breed.

• The first and noticeable feature is the shape of the body. The fact is that in Parson Russell individuals it looks more like a square, while in Jack Russell individuals the shape of the body is more elongated and presented in the form of a rectangle.
• By unifying both breeds, it was also possible to segment their sizes. So, individuals of Jack Russell usually do not grow above 30 centimeters (usually from 25 to 30), and in parsons the average indicator 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 both breeds in profile, you will notice that the Parson Russells have significantly longer forelimbs than the Jack Russells. The hind limbs of the Parsons are slender and elongated, muscular, while in Jack Russells they are shorter, with well-defined knees. Long legs provide great speed, making Parsons often much faster than Jack Russells.
• Parson Russells today are widely used in hunting activities (as well as during the creation of the breed), at the same time Jack Russells are increasingly used exclusively as decorative breeds for normal keeping within the walls of an apartment.
• Today, Jack Russell puppies usually cost significantly more than Parsons. This can be explained by the wide popularity of "jacks" among breeders of decorative and show dog breeds.
• If parson terriers are most common in Europe, where they occupy the 3rd most popular terrier breed, Jack Russells 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 Parson Russell Terrier, and you do not know which dog breed to choose, you can turn to certain points to look out for when buying these dogs.

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

As already said, Parson Russell Terriers are most often bought specifically for hunting activities, they are excellent watchmen and loyal companions who will always be with you and help out as much as possible. These dogs are very hardy, able to chase game for a long time and not get tired. They obey the owner unquestioningly, while possessing a unique structure of limbs and body, which allows them to quickly move long distances, even in swampy areas.

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

Another important factor that can influence your choice. It is believed that Parson Russell Terriers are more adapted for keeping in the conditions of the street, they are wonderful watchmen, and therefore many English breeders prefer to put them on the protection of a certain area.

Jack Russells are more squat and, although they also love pranks, they will be quite happy to carry them out within the walls of their owner's apartment. Due to their small size, these dogs can be safely kept even in small one-room apartments, without experiencing great discomfort.

Another equally important factor when choosing puppies for any dog.

As mentioned above, Jack Russells are consistently more expensive than Parsons, but this difference in price is not so great as to give up some breed 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 character, the characteristics of keeping and caring for them - everything is about the same here. If you bought a certain individual Russell Terrier and did not achieve the development of hunting skills, obedience or other skills from it, you should not blame the breed on the responsibility. Most likely, the problem is the wrong upbringing.

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