Information
|
"Come
here little fishy fishy..." |
Dog Branch Farm in Round Hill, Virginia is home
to a small “family” of the real short-legged Jack Russell
Terriers (JRTs), also called “Puddins” or “Shorties”.
All are registered with the English Jack Russell
Terrier Club Alliance (EJRTCA) as "Jack Russell
Terriers", and the Foundation Stock Service
of
the American Kennel Club (AKC-FSS) as "Russell
Terriers".
|
The
Parson Russell Terrier(DBF does not breed the long-legged
variety) |
My
little dogs (8”- 10” tall) have the
intelligence, loyalty, love, and humor of the
Russell Terriers, but they are being bred
to be companions rather than working hunt
or performance or show terriers. I focus on
temperament as the primary consideration, and
prefer the the shorty jacks with a little more
bone and muscling than what the FCI describes as
ideal for show. The long-legged variety of Jack Russell
Terriers are referred to as Parson Russell Terriers by
the AKC. We do not breed the Parsons.
|
Josie and Lola |
Dr. Candace Lundin,
veterinarian, and her husband, Frank Zureick,
owners of Dog Branch Farm, always swore to
themselves that they would never own a Jack
Russell Terrier (JRT)
because the terriers that they had come across had strong alpha
personalities and a reputation for
stubbornness and aggressiveness toward other
dogs, cats, and some people. Some
demonstrated the irritating habits of incessant barking and jumping---the canine version of
“hyperactivity disorder”!
BUT, Candace and Frank
changed their minds when they learned that
some small breeders had been successfully
directing their efforts at producing JRTs
with calm, sensible temperaments---small
dogs that would serve as companions and
nice family pets. Thus, DBF Russell Terriers was
born.
|
A young Josie
snuggles in the down comforter |
We are not a kennel, and
breeding dogs is not our “business”. Our
dogs live in our home, sit on our sofa, and
sleep in our bed. They go to the beach on
vacation with us and attend pony shows and
steeplechase races. Our “real” business is
the breeding and training of Thoroughbred
horses (see
www.dogbranchfarm.com). The JRTs are just part of our family
—along with an Italian Greyhound, 5 cats, 3
ponies, and lots of koi (pond fish).
|
Our Italian
Greyhound, Mia, at 9 mos |
Young Japanese koi in
our water garden |
|
Lola’s sandcastle on
the Outer Banks
of North Carolina |
We
have only a few litters of JRT pups per year. Our goal is to improve the reputation
of the Jack Russell Terrier by producing healthy, jolly little dogs that
are easily socialized and that will respect
and love their owners AND their owners’
friends and family! We are not the breeder
for you if you are looking for the “tough”
little dog that stands its ground against
anything and everything, or even if you are
looking for a working hunt terrier or even a show
dog. Terriers
can be known for their tenaciousness, but we
are breeding for family pets. All terriers, not just Jack Russells, can be a bit feisty and
competitive at times---that is part of what
makes them terriers, but we do not want to
strongly emphasize those traits in our breeding for
pets.
|
"Come
down and play with us" |
We are striving to breed
terriers without the uncontrollable urge to
chase cats. We don’t
want terriers that will take off across our
farm to blindly chase anything that moves,
such as a squirrel or fox. We don’t want
terriers that “lose their minds” when the
local hunt (Piedmont Hunt) comes through our
property with their hounds chasing a fox.
Instead, our little Jacks hunt crickets and field
mice—WITH the cats! It's quite amazing to
see 2 cats and 2 dogs all stalking one poor
little field mouse together.
|
"What's
down there?" |
We
want good-natured,
playful, charming,
and intelligent
little dogs that
become part of our
family and yours.
Though a lot of this
“good” behavior
comes from proper
socialization as
puppies and as young
dogs, it is also in
the breeding.
Bloodlines can play
a role in the
tendency of a dog to
be aggressive toward
other animals (and
children!). This is
why a docile
temperament will be
our NUMBER ONE
priority in
considering whether
to breed a dog or
not.
|
Josie
loves to
run and
roll
down the
hill
with her
toys |
Some
“traditional” Jack
lovers will disagree
with this attempt to
discourage the
hunting/chasing/fighting
instincts of the
Jack Russell
Terrier. Let me say
that we have no
issue with those who
want to breed hunt/performance
terriers or those
who want to compete
in field events that
demonstrate the original natural
instincts of the
hunt terriers. We
admire and
appreciate the
abilities of those
dogs. But, there is
a place both for
working hunt
terriers and for
“family pet”
terriers. Dog Branch
Farm is focusing on
the latter.
We
take the placement
of our puppies
seriously. We want
you and the puppy to
be happy---for a
long time. We want
to match the right
puppy to the “right
family”. Many people
do not realize that
the personalities of
puppies begin to
show at just a few
weeks of age. Thus,
we get to know which
ones are more shy,
which ones are the
first to try new
things, which ones
have the most
patience, which ones
tend to dominate
their littermates,
and which ones are the
most active. So, even
though you may have
your heart set on a
puppy with a
particular color or
markings, the
specific pup that
you inquire about
may not be the one
most suitable for
your particular
home/family.
|
Chondrodysplastic
forelimbs—a
sign of
dwarfism |
Conformation IS
taken into
consideration in our
breeding program,
especially in terms
of a desire to avoid
dwarfism
characteristics,
such as
chondrodysplasia,
resulting in
excessively curved
limbs. We also want
skull size and chest
width to be in
proportion with the
dog’s size---in
other words, we
don’t want our
“shorty Jacks” to
simply be
“big-bodied dogs
with cut-off
limbs”. However, we
are not breeding for
show. Our dogs
are smaller than the
FCI show standard. I
just happen to
prefer small
terriers. You may
want something
different.
Jack Russells,
Parson Russells, Russell
Terriers, Shorty
Jacks, Puddins...
JRTCA, AKC, AKC-FSS,
ARTC, EJRTCA, NKC,
UKC, CKC, FCI...
Confused by these
various "breeds" and
clubs? You can read
numerous books and
search the web until
your heart is
content and you will
still be confused!
The history of the
"Jack Russell
Terrier" is marred
in confusion,
misinformation,
politics, gossip,
and the unknown. The
bottom line is that
these dogs never
were a "breed" per
se, but rather a
terrier type. That
is why they can vary
so much in size and
look. Note the
variety of "jacks"
in this old
print--smooth coats,
a rough coat, a
black and tan and a
red (Hunt terriers),
a prick-eared
terrier...
As clubs try
to claim their stake
in this arena,
things are written
and said in a
dogmatic (no pun
intended) fashion,
with no true
legitimacy. Some
write that the
"Shorty Jack" is an
American
invention---if so,
then Congratulations
to the good ole USA!
However, I highly
suspect this is
untrue since Prince
Charles (see
Celebrity Jacks
below) would be
kicked out of the
United Kingdom if he
favored (and
imported) "American"
terriers! As a
veterinarian and
scientific medical
editor, I read
everything on the
web with a big grain
of salt---I hope you
will too!
Most people who find
this web site are
looking for a pet
and life-long
companion. That is
my goal in breeding
these wonderful
little dogs. I
happen to like them
on the small and
(sometimes) stockier
side. My dogs most
closely fit the
standard described
by the EJRTCA.
For more
information on the conformation standards
that Dog Branch Farm strives to meet, please see the
Standard from the English Jack Russell
Terrier Club Alliance (EJRTCA) listed below. This is
the standard that DBF Russell Terriers
chooses to follow.
EJRTCA Conformation Standard
|
Height |
The height of
the terrier shall be between
8 and 12 inches as measured
at the withers with the dog
standing fully erect, with
10 to 12 being ideal. |
|
Body |
Sturdy,
balanced terrier. Body
length slightly longer than
length of leg. Length should
not exceed function.
Straight back with high tail
set carried erect. Chest
should be spanned by two
hands behind the shoulder
blades. The rear should be
well put together with
strong muscle and good
angulation. Well laid back
shoulder. |
|
Neck |
Well laid
into shoulder. |
|
Head |
Strong boned
with powerful jaws and
strong cheek muscles. Dark
almond-shaped eyes,
pigmented eye rims, dark
black pigment on nose.
Small, v-shaped ears carried
close to the head. Prick,
semi-prick and rose ears are
acceptable. |
|
Teeth |
The points of
the upper incisors slightly
overlapping the lower.
|
|
Legs |
Straight as
is consistent with the short
legs for which we aim. |
|
Feet |
“Hound-Like,
“Fox-Like” and “Hare-Like”
are all acceptable. All
three are considered sound
working feet for a Jack
Russell. |
|
Gait |
Free, lively,
well-coordinated. |
|
Coat |
Smooth, rough
or broken without coat being
wooly. Smooth should not be
sparse. Belly and underside
coated. |
|
Color |
Predominantly
white with tan, black or
brown markings. Ticked or
mottled acceptable. Brindle
not acceptable. |
|
Faults |
Nervousness,
cowardice,
over-aggressiveness, weak
bite, unsound movement,
minor physical deformities. |
|
Disqualifications |
Extreme
viciousness, shyness or
major physical deformities
(these are considered such
serious traits that dogs
having them are not to be
used for breeding.)
Undershot or overshot bites,
rye mouth. |
|
DBF Luke Skywalker, one
of Josie’s pups |
|
One of
Josie's pups, a female |
Recommendations
"...when we visited your place, I couldn't
believe how low key your dogs were. I can't begin to
tell you how happy we are with Rocket. I'm really
glad we got him from you. I knew from the beginning
that I wanted one of your puppies!"
Rodgers Family
"Chance is a totally
awesome dog." Gibson Family
Links
|
