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.  

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 hunting terriers. We admire and appreciate the abilities of those dogs. But, there is a place both for working 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.

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 old 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!  Some breeders attempt to disparage other breeders on their web sites; I won't do that.

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 (see below).  I also have dogs registered with the Foundation Stock Service of the AKC to try and help keep that gene pool diversified and not end up with just a very few bloodlines of show dogs from Australia. Nothing ruins a breed faster than tight registry restrictions leading to breedings that lead back to the same few "Champions".  There IS a place for line breeding (not inbreeding), but the entire breed should not end up closely line-bred to just 4 dogs as currently exists with the FCI Australian line. So, I will do my part to try and keep diversification in the Russell Terrier breed of the AKC, and try to prevent the health issues that cropped up in some of the Parson Russell Terriers when their registry was closed too soon.