Does anyone know why they are not featured on the KC website.  Do you know anywhere else to seach for a reputable one.  Its not for me but for a family member.

Because they are not a breed as such but rather a type. The Parson Russell Terrier is a recognised breed and you will find that on the KC site.

Do you mean the short leggie ones?  There are breeders listed on Champdogs but how you check their credentials I do not know.

The FCI register them, that's why they can go on Champdogs, more frequently they are working dogs, so could come in all shapes and sizes as bred to work rather than a 'breed standard'.

> Do you know anywhere else to seach for a reputable one

Personal recommendation is often best.  My parents have owned many over the last 25 years.  They had a couple (different times) from a lady in Cornwall and these were delightful dogs - Bert was an absolute gent and she'd have cloned him if possible.  Years later when she wanted another the original 'breeder' had moved due to ill health so my parents got one from someone else.  Couldn't have been more different - horrid little bugger in fact!

The trouble is that they can be so hit and miss, in terms of looks and temperament.  I've known some really lovely ones but even litter mates can be so different that it's such a gamble.  My parents have another, who will probably be their last, and he's just a peach but his sister, who was homed by someone else we know in their village, looks like a whole different breed/type and is a snappy little girl.

I think if I wanted a JR I'd either look around the rescue homes so I could meet it first or only take one from a situation where I could meet sire and dam.  Also you need to recognise that these are often bred as working terriers and as such don't always make ideal family pets. 

Have a look at Terrier Rescue for a bit more information.  A good starting place for all things terrier!

>Does anyone know why they are not featured on the KC website.

The Jack Russell isn't a KC recognised breed so doesn't feature on their site. Personal recommendation is the way to go with a type like this - is it wanted as a pet or as a working dog? That would make a difference as to where to get one from.

There are some KC registred Parson Russell breeders that have and breed dogs under 12". One of them is a very well known terrierman.

You can also contact the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain.

If you decide to import an FCI Jack Russell (Australian), it should be easy from January, and there are a lot of good breeders in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc. It shouldn't be hard to find one, and they are very nice and balanced little dogs, that have nothing to do with the bowed leg ones that pass for Jack Russell's.

> If you decide to import an FCI Jack Russell

There are Jack Russell breeders in the UK that register with the FCI.

And how do they do that?

No idea :)  You would have to ask them.

Those are dogs registered with the IKC. They can't have export pedigrees, and I actually don't understand how the FCI allows them to do it.
How can a kennel club register a litter that is born in another country? If the IKC wants to inspect the litter how do they proceed?

No idea :)  You would have to ask them.  As I said at the beginning I have no idea how you check them out.

Had a good look at the site, and still think that there is a well known PRT breeder that breeds nice dogs under 12", and if you are getting an FCI Jack Russell, there are a lot of people breeding really nice dogs from Australian stock.

> If the IKC wants to inspect the litter how do they proceed?

The IKC don't inspect litters.

>If the IKC wants to inspect the litter how do they proceed?

Does any KC inspect litters? I've never heard of it happening.

It seems that the FCI list two Jack Russel, one is our Parson Russel that is recognised by the KC the other is a smaller version. However in the UK only the Parson Russel has been accepted as breeding true to type the dogs known as Jack Russels are a type that was originally bred by farmers to suit their rodent control requirements.

So in the UK it is important to decide which you want, if a Parsons then they are available as KC registered but if you want a Jack type then you need again to decide if you want it to work or as a pet. There are in the UK loads of people breeding small terriers with the Jack look and it will be necessary as it is with any breed to visit the breeder and ask questions, look round to see if it is the sort of place you would wish to buy a puppy from and meet some adults, but don't be fooled into paying huge amounts of money for a pup who will have no health testing and no pedigree.

I too don't know how they register these pups with the IKC if they are born over here, the IKC states that you must first be registered with the English Kennel Club, which of course you can't do if the breed is not recognised by them, or, the litter MUST be born in Ireland!

Perhaps they are Parsons and are registered with the KC or perhaps it is the breeder being creative, they do it with other matters so why not registration.

Brainless, most litters aren't inspected by the KC's in any country. But they can, if they choose to. And in some countries the breed clubs inspect all the litters.

The FCI Australian Jack Russell Terrier isn't a smaller version of the PRT. If you've been around both of them, you find a lot of differences between the two breeds, it's not just size. They are as similar to PRT's as PRT's are to Smooth Fox Terriers.

I also think it's important to buy from people who have their dogs tested for PLL. The disease is not exclusive to KC Parson Russell Terriers as some people will have you believe, and if someone trying to sell you a "Jack Russell" tells you that, it's a good reason to walk away.

But are we talking the Australian Jack Russell, in the UK the Jack Russell is a basic white ratting terrier with either black or tan markings that are like most of the vermin terriers bred to suit the terrain and prey they were bred to deal with. True the type has moved to the pet market but they are not a breed as such in the UK they are a type.

There have always been 2 different types.
The long legged, almost border terrier shaped worker and the shorter version which often has bandy 'Queen Anne' legs.
I've never owned the short legged type and always opted for the tall ones who did a wonderful job when out rabbiting. Our last one was a dream of a dog, so I wouldn't judge them all by her standards but she was intelligent and easy to train (although housetraining took a looong time!) Her only fault was a degree of selective deafness if your attention wandered and there was prey on the horizon lol

There have always been 2 different types.

Well that is just it they were bred to do the job the farmer wanted some for rabbit some for mice - would say there are loads of different types because like may other of the terriers they were truly bred for the job required. And the Parson was just one of those types that has over time been bred true and so is recognised in the UK where as the others are not.

In Portugal, the Portuguese Warren Hound, of which you have a lot in the Show ring in the UK, is also a type. Any small yellow rough haired dog that it's used to hunt rabbits is called a warren hound. But the initial poster was looking for a registered breed or a reputable breeder.

The history of the two types is the long legged ones were bred to run with the hounds, while the short legged smaller type was bred so the terriermen on foot could carry it.

They were both bred to go to ground to bolt foxes, not to catch vermin.

We only recognise the one Portuguese Podengo in the UK the small one, they may be just a type in country of origin but one assumes that they breed true to type in the UK or they would not have been recognised. Just as I suppose the JR does in Australia but that is not the case in the UK.

But the initial poster was looking for a registered breed or a reputable breeder.

Er, no, the OP asked why they were not registered in the UK. They also asked for a breeder and I think that has been answered.

They are not just a type, they are a breed. And you only recognise the small ones, because the other varieties, specially the large, are nearly extinct, and until we rehabilitate them (if we actually can, given the size of the gene pool), there is no point in trying to get them recognised outside the Portuguese Kennel Club. But they breed true, all of them.

The point I was trying to make is, down here, anything that is yellow and rough will be called a Portuguese Podengo. Just like you call any little white terrier type a jack russell. If form follows function, and John Russell bred dogs to go to ground and bolt foxes, how can the fiddle front little dogs be a "jack russel", if they don't have the structure that would allow them to turn around inside a fox den?

If he was trying to find them in the KC website, I think I can infer he was looking for a registered dog.

Hi  thanks for all the replies and the info on Jack Russels.  I didn't realise the was so much in the little dog.  Personnaly its not a dog for me for the reasons a lot of replies described them.

They think they might have found one tonight.  the breeder is bringing both pups and mum round to see them (yes I know) I'd roll my eyes but don't know how to.   There were two that they enquired about.   The first one wanted to let pup go at just 7weeks, one yesterday was only 6 weeks, luckily they did seek my advice about pups age and leaving parents.  I thought that a too young with it being a small breed.   The breeder who's coming round did ask them proper questions to check for home suitability.

I wish they hadn't missed the king charles spaniel this morning.  They are open to other breeds to find what the want but seem happy for this breed. 

Thanks again for all your help and comments.

> the breeder is bringing both pups and mum round to see them (yes I know) I'd roll my eyes but don't know how to
> I wish they hadn't missed the king charles spaniel this morning

Yes - I'd roll my eyes too, and sad to say it sounds as if it's a decision made on speed not breed...

> the breeder is bringing both pups and mum round to see them

Let's just hope the breeder won't persuade them to take BOTH pups!
One of my neighbours has two JRT litter sisters... they *seem* to get on OK.... but another neighbour has two BC's, litter bro and sis (actually there's probably some springer in there too) and whenever I've visited I'm left in no doubt that one of them is permanently stressed - she is more subdued than her brother, and carries a blanket round with her which she sucks & chews constantly. Owner just thinks "well,that's her" and doesn't see beyond that.

Such a difference between toy Spaniels and JRT's - I hope these people don't think small=easy!

> Does any KC inspect litters? I've never heard of it happening.

Yes in some countries they do.  A gentleman I had met who was trying to introduce my breed in Poland (sadly dead now) had a KC rep come out to look at his latest litter while I visited. 

They ere examined to ascertain they were typical and healthy before registration was possible.

In many countries the parents have to achieve minimum awards at shows before their offspring can be registered.

>>Let's just hope the breeder won't persuade them to take BOTH pups!<br />

How well you knew what what was to happen.  Luckily they did say no to it but are having one.  The breeder couldn't remember the date of birth and is still bringing pup to them.

We now have a jack russel in the family (great!!!!)

Aparrently mum was lovely and cuddley enjoying a fuss and pups nice and inquisitive, at least there's taht.

At seven weeks they haven't yet learned bite inhibition (at that age mine are little crocodiles disguised as puppies). Advise them to ask the breeder to leave the puppies with the mother until they are at least 9 weeks old, waiting the extra 2 weeks will save them a lot of trouble in the future.

This was the other two litters.  Luckily they did listen to me.  This litter is 9wks.