Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell Terrier is a working terrier and the most important physical
attribute of a working terrier is chest size. If a terrier is too large to
get to ground it is virtually worthless as a working dog.
Jack Russell Terriers come in three coat types: broken, smooth, and rough. In
all cases, their coat should be dense and not soft, feathery or linty. A smooth
coated Jack Russell should be smooth coated all over, with a dense topcoat that
is approximately 1cm long. A rough-coated Jack Russell should have a double coat
with fur as much as 10cm long, and should be rough-coated over its entire body.
A broken-coated dog is any dog with a topcoat of intermediate length, or a dog
that is largely or partially smooth with longer hair on some parts of its body.
The Jack Russell Terrier have tails that are straight, held high, and upright.
Traditionally, tails on Jack Russells are docked to around five inches -- the
length of a hand grip. It is not a serious fault to leave a tail a little long,
but too short a tail creates a less useful dog in the field and a dog that looks
poorly balanced.
The Jack Russell’s legs should be straight. Dogs with crooked or “benched” legs resembling Queen Anne furniture are often a sign of Achondroplasia.