Jack Russells as family/farm dogs?

[Pcostx]

Another notion about rescue dogs that is completely false is the that they were all given up by their owners.

Many, many dogs who end up in rescue were dogs who were owned, loved and well cared for BUT they got loose somehow and couldn’t be returned to their owners.

If your dog gets out and doesn’t have a collar with tags and/or a microchip, the chances of you getting your dog back are slim and none.

These dogs get picked up and taken to the pound where they are held for a few days before they are euthanized or, if lucky, transferred to a rescue.

[Pcostx]

[QUOTE=vacation1;6215189]
To say that most rescue dogs lack training - or that lack of training is why most are unwanted in the first place - is dangerously misleading. Yes, you can easily find a “project” rescue dog, but you can also easily find a rescue dog who just walks in and is the family dog. Many unwanted dogs in shelters and pounds are house-trained and have basic commands. They’re often just “lack of time” or “too high energy” dogs - they were acquired as puppies by people who realized too late that they didn’t have the interest in dealing with a young dog’s energy level. You can’t train an 18-month-old lab mix who gets walked around the block once a day; it’s like teaching French to a toddler on a sugar high. I’ve gotten 3 dogs from shelters, all came very well house-broken and all came with basic manners and at least a rudimentary understanding of commands like “Sit” and “Stay.” Were they obedience champs? No. But they were familiar with the ideas, and just needed refreshing and reinforcement.[/QUOTE]

AWESOME post Vacation1:yes:

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=vacation1;6215189]
Were they obedience champs? No. But they were familiar with the ideas, and just needed refreshing and reinforcement.[/QUOTE]

and were they JRT’s?

I firmly believe the breed DOES make a diff.

[Pcostx]

[QUOTE=threedogpack;6215311]
and were they JRT’s?

I firmly believe the breed DOES make a diff.[/QUOTE]

Yes, the breed makes a HUGE difference!

If you read what vacation1 posted, she is talking about rescue dogs in general.

I think the general consensus is that the OP does NOT need a JRT.

We are now discussing rescue dogs in general and how they are NOT all ‘damaged’.

[bizbachfan]

As someone who loves the breed I would say a JRT more than likely not a fit for you. If you can find one that a rescue has evaluated and deemed to be good with small kids, well then yes, but that might be hard to find. My sister has one that is good with the kids and a neutered male. But I have had two males one neutered, one not and both were not great with kids. My current female tolerates children but once they pick her up she is not so happy. (she is small so kids always want to pick her up) She gives a warning growl and then if child is not stopped she would bite-never has happened, I am too careful. I agree look at your local rescues for any dog that they have deemed suitable for small kids. Bet you can find a potty trained nice dog but you might not be able to to actually figure out the breed. My sister’s was a very pricey JRT from a very good breeder, nice dog but I would opt for the mutt from the local shelter if I had small ones at home, if it is good with kids.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=Perfect Pony;6215053]
My second, a female by Sow’s Ear Stetson, is bred to hunt, and she is not good around kids or small animals! She is very shy and really just always on the hunt. She has killed rats as big as herself. She is well mannered and well trained but just a high strung hunting dog. [/QUOTE]

I am so disapppointed to hear she is shy. The SE dogs have always been high on my list of where I’d go for a Jack.

[lovey1121]

[QUOTE=Pcostx;6215316]
Yes, the breed makes a HUGE difference!

If you read what vacation1 posted, she is talking about rescue dogs in general.

I think the general consensus is that the OP does NOT need a JRT.

We are now discussing rescue dogs in general and how they are NOT all ‘damaged’.[/QUOTE]

Did anyone say all rescue dogs in general WERE ‘damaged’?

[EqTrainer]

Lovey1121, I think your advice is very sensible and I agree with it. IME it is best to raise a PUPPY with your family when you have kids. For me, an adult rescue would simply be out of the question too… The risk and consequences of the dog being unsuitable are too high.

I get exactly what you are saying.

[Pcostx]

[QUOTE=lovey1121;6215325]
Did anyone say all rescue dogs in general WERE ‘damaged’?[/QUOTE]

@lovey1121;6215121

When you decide to adopt, you must go into it knowing that the dog’s past life may present challenges you may need to address. Some issues may not present immediately. But you need to be prepared that something might. With Jacks, issues are often housebreaking, food aggression, animal aggression, possessiveness, territoriality, resource guarding, excessive reactivity in general. All of which do not mesh well with kids, especially toddlers.

There have been several references to rescue dogs that were less then positive, the above being just one.

If you don’t like my use of the word ‘damaged’, I’m happy to choose another one.

Not all rescue dogs are given up because they are possessive, reactive, aggressive, destructive, nightmares who are not house trained.

There, is that better?

[LostAcres]

[QUOTE=threedogpack;6215321]
I am so disapppointed to hear she is shy. The SE dogs have always been high on my list of where I’d go for a Jack.[/QUOTE].

SE JRs are NOT shy, although there has been an occasional Belly crawler, due to some outside blood. I am the original owner of the bitch that produced the bitch that got the SE line going so many years and incredible dogs ago. Of course, its a long story, many mentors before and after. Still have 6 of them. They are great dogs, as far as JRs go, they DO hunt, but they also have to fit into family life.

[lovey1121]

Wow. Yes, please choose another word, preferably one that I’ve actually used, and please be sure to use the words might, may, or possibly.

I ask you to reread what I posted. Never said all dogs are damaged, etc. In context with OP’s first post, I advocate caution on a JRT, esp. rescues, to OP in her situation. I said to go into adoption with eyes wide open.

I said not to EXPECT a housetrained, obedient trained dog–never said you couldn’t find one. How is that negative to you?

30 yrs. of experience with rescue dogs. Probably 45% of my clients have been rescued. I deal with the afteradoption.

I applaud you for your rescue efforts, and I understand how horribly stressful it must be to be on the frontlines of the animal overpopulation tragedy. But my job is to assess and enhance compatibility once the commitment has been made, and its sad for all concerned when there was a poor choice made.

[Pcostx]

[QUOTE=lovey1121;6215386]
Wow. Yes, please choose another word, preferably one that I’ve actually used, and please be sure to use the words might, may, or possibly.

I ask you to reread what I posted. Never said all dogs are damaged, etc. In context with OP’s first post, I advocate caution on a JRT, esp. rescues, to OP in her situation. I said to go into adoption with eyes wide open.

I said not to EXPECT a housetrained, obedient trained dog–never said you couldn’t find one. How is that negative to you?

30 yrs. of experience with rescue dogs. Probably 45% of my clients have been rescued. I deal with the afteradoption.

I applaud you for your rescue efforts, and I understand how horribly stressful it must be to be on the frontlines of the animal overpopulation tragedy. But my job is to assess and enhance compatibility once the commitment has been made, and its sad for all concerned when there was a poor choice made.[/QUOTE]

The list of issues that rescue dogs CAN have came off as very negative to me. That seemed to be the focus, not the fact that some dogs in rescue are perfectly normal with no problems.

I didn’t see anywhere in your post where you thought it was possible to get a decent dog (JRT, mix or ANY breed) from rescue.

Perhaps you could have balanced the +'s with the -'s?

As far as dealing with the aftermath, we’ve owned a dog training/boarding day care facility since 1969. Our school is the oldest and most successful in the DFW area (perhaps in TX).

We were the first in Texas to offer puppy kindergarten classes, back then everyone (including vets) thought that a dog couldn’t be trained until it was at least 6 months old.

We debunked that myth and now every school/trainer has puppy k classes and it is common knowledge that very young puppies can easily be trained.

Not only do I rescue dogs and place them but I also train them (and their owners) so I know what you are saying. But to be honest, in my 40+ years as a trainer/behaviorist, I have to say that the rescue dogs (both purebreds AND mutts) have been, by far, the easiest to train and the best dogs.

This is NOT to say that dogs purchased from responsible, ethical and educated breeders can’t be great dogs. It is more of a commentary on how little research the average person does before they run out and purchase a pup from a breeder. Most people honestly have no idea how much goes into breeding quality dogs with good, stable temperaments and healthy, sound bodies that are true to breed type and follow the standard.

Despite all the publicity, people STILL purchase pups from pet stores and online puppy mill brokers. We had a woman come in to our school yesterday with a pup she’d gotten at Petland. When we gently explained that many of her puppies issues were the result of poor genetics and being born/raised in a puppy mill, she didn’t believe us. She said that Petland told her that NONE of their puppies came from commercial breeders/puppy mills.:rolleyes:

[Pcostx]

@EqTrainer;6215337

Lovey1121, I think your advice is very sensible and I agree with it. IME it is best to raise a PUPPY with your family when you have kids. For me, an adult rescue would simply be out of the question too… The risk and consequences of the dog being unsuitable are too high.

This statement is patently ridiculous!

If you get a dog from a GOOD rescue where the dogs are in foster homes, there is NO reason why you cannot adopt an adult dog and bring it into a home with other dogs, children, cats, rabbits, birds, horses, etc.

I get the feeling that most people do not understand the difference between a rescue and a shelter or the pound?

Dogs in the pound and at many shelters CAN be unknown entities. Would I advise someone with toddlers at home to walk through the pound and choose a dog to take home? Absolutely not, unless you are a PROFESSIONAL with experience in evaluating and temperament testing dogs.

In a rescue situation the dogs go through evaluations for temperament, suitability around other dogs, children, and often cats. They are living in homes, often with kids, cats and other dogs. The foster parents know the dog VERY well.

You are more likely to get a good dog that will fit into your home from an experienced rescue organization then you are from many breeders!

The fact that you purchase a purebred puppy doesn’t guarantee that pup is going to grow up to be sound in mind and body.

With an adult dog what you see is what you get, and if someone has taken time to evaluate, train and care for that dog, you can get a pretty clear picture of what he or she is like.

[Danger_sDelight13]

[QUOTE=Pcostx;6215445]
This statement is patently ridiculous!

If you get a dog from a GOOD rescue where the dogs are in foster homes, there is NO reason why you cannot adopt an adult dog and bring it into a home with other dogs, children, cats, rabbits, birds, horses, etc.

I get the feeling that most people do not understand the difference between a rescue and a shelter or the pound?

Dogs in the pound and at many shelters CAN be unknown entities. Would I advise someone with toddlers at home to walk through the pound and choose a dog to take home? Absolutely not, unless you are a PROFESSIONAL with experience in evaluating and temperament testing dogs.

In a rescue situation the dogs go through evaluations for temperament, suitability around other dogs, children, and often cats. They are living in homes, often with kids, cats and other dogs. The foster parents know the dog VERY well.

You are more likely to get a good dog that will fit into your home from an experienced rescue organization then you are from many breeders!

The fact that you purchase a purebred puppy doesn’t guarantee that pup is going to grow up to be sound in mind and body.

With an adult dog what you see is what you get, and if someone has taken time to evaluate, train and care for that dog, you can get a pretty clear picture of what he or she is like.[/QUOTE]

Agreed, especially with getting a foster dog from a rescue. My foster boy just went to his new home yesterday!:sadsmile: He came from a shelter and was taken in by a rescue. I knew him very super well and was able to give his new Mommy a very detailed report on him.
Another vote for taking a look at shelter/rescue dogs. My boy was 10 months old when they got him out of the shelter and he came to me housebroken, basic commands, sleeping through the night, didnt chew/jump on counters/bark, pretty much the perfect boy!!

[lovey1121]

I just went back and reread my posts, and I do see what you mean - of course you can get a great rescue. But we were talking Jacks…best not to get expectations too high. People get disappointed when they aren’t Eddy from Frasier.:winkgrin:

Kudos on your career down there in Big D. What’s the name of your place? My brother lives in FW and has 4 dogs and he’s been looking for some help with his latest foundling.
AND a cousin with a new wild thing in McKinney. We have VERY LONG phone conversations.

[Pcostx]

[QUOTE=lovey1121;6215488]
I just went back and reread my posts, and I do see what you mean - of course you can get a great rescue. But we were talking Jacks…best not to get expectations too high. People get disappointed when they aren’t Eddy from Frasier.:winkgrin:

Kudos on your career down there in Big D. What’s the name of your place? My brother lives in FW and has 4 dogs and he’s been looking for some help with his latest foundling.
AND a cousin with a new wild thing in McKinney. We have VERY LONG phone conversations.[/QUOTE]

You are absolutely right about the Eddie from Frasier phenomenon!

We have had a wonderful client for over 15 years. She and her husband had two AMAZING JRT’s, a male and a female, Maggie and Murphy. They were a couple of years apart in age.

We cared for Maggie and Murphy their entire lives. When I asked their owners where they got them, they told me from the Firestone’s in VA?

Does anyone know if the Firestones did or still do breed JRT’s? Because if they do I would recommend talking to them about their Jacks!

Maggie and Murphy were SO easy, they were terriers that inexperienced people could own and enjoy. They still had spirit but they were wonderful with ALL dogs, kids of all ages, etc.

[JanM]

Eddie from Frazier (I read a bunch of articles about him) wasn’t all that great until he ran across the right owner. The reason his tongue hung out was that he wore his teeth down chewing chain link fence, he went through several homes, he disliked his own son Enzo who was his stunt double, and who later took over for him. He might have looked perfect and cute on tv, but he was an actor who did a great job.

And I wanted to second the rescue/dog pound dog. I’ve only had one puppy, and I bought it from a BYB who was the equivalent of a puppy mill (not quite that bad, but she wasn’t a good breeder), and my other dogs were all from friends or acquaintances who for one reason or another needed to rehome their dogs. You get great dogs from friends or the pound. My last boy was from the pound, and apparently was owned by an older person (from the part of town he was found in) that was a dump job. My guess is the owner went in a nursing home or died and the relatives hit town, sold the house, dumped everything else they didn’t want, and that included the dog. He was a very good boy, and it was cute to see him run around like a fiend in the back yard while his much older adopted sister stood there looking at him like he was a fruitcake. He wasn’t perfect, but last time I looked I’m not either, and after a period of adjustment everyone got along very well.

[Perfect_Pony]

[QUOTE=LostAcres;6215344]
.

SE JRs are NOT shy, although there has been an occasional Belly crawler, due to some outside blood. I am the original owner of the bitch that produced the bitch that got the SE line going so many years and incredible dogs ago. Of course, its a long story, many mentors before and after. Still have 6 of them. They are great dogs, as far as JRs go, they DO hunt, but they also have to fit into family life.[/QUOTE]

Oh dear, I did not mean “shy” in a really bad way, she’s just a very “terrier” JRT and likes her space and to be left alone until she decides she wants to be near you. I personally think she’s one of the most awesome dogs in the world, but she’s not one that would be a good dog around a toddler. I bought her specifically because of her lines. She’s just not an outgoing dog with strangers, does not want to cuddle, and would not put up with a kid grabbing at her.

I was just trying to make the point that if you want a JRT with kids, pedigree does matter.

And just because I love my dogs…
http://pets.webshots.com/album/569256951cgmFfg

[2tempe]

have not had JRTs but know a bunch. One friend has two that are very well trained by JRT standards; others are a bit wilder…A lot to do w/ the owner. One of my friends had two - older male, young female when baby was born. When baby was about two, the female took a snap at him one day; fortunately not material injury, but said female took an extended vacation to grandpa’s house where she had a much quieter environment. Lucky it worked out well for them but it was clear she needed to go somewhere.
Get yourself a DAWG that the kids can play w/ and have fun with. One less thing to worry about.

[lovey1121]

@JanM;6215600

Eddie from Frazier (I read a bunch of articles about him) wasn’t all that great until he ran across the right owner. The reason his tongue hung out was that he wore his teeth down chewing chain link fence, he went through several homes, he disliked his own son Enzo who was his stunt double, and who later took over for him. He might have looked perfect and cute on tv, but he was an actor who did a great job.

Exactly. Eddy was found by someone who channelled his energy into a positive life. A great success story.

I’d been around Jacks at the barn since I was a kid, and my opinion of them as hyper, aggressive, noisy bundles of endless energy didn’t change for a long time when I begain dog training. The I got a couple of puppies to train that were just wonderful, as you describe your 2, Pcostx. Totally changed my mind and I got one. And another. And another. I do love them.