JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
»Jack Russell Terriers – known to thousands simply as JRs or Jacks – hold a special place in the hearts of many country people, not least because of the work that such terriers carry out. Many farmers would be lost withouth their Jack Russells to catch mice and rats, help with the hunting of rabbits, and assist with the tracking down and culling of those foxes intent on killing the farmer`s chickens, ducks or sheep.«
( James Mckay, The complete Jack Russell, UK 2000)
This breed is becoming increasingly popular as a pet nowadays. Living with them in an apartment is very easy and pleasant because the dogs are small. As long as they are well socialized, respect boundaries and rules, life with a “Jack” is interesting, fun and relaxing. Its charm and warmth soften even a most cold hearted person.
General appearance
A strong, active, little working Terrier, of great character, with flexible body of medium lenght. His smart movement matches his keen expression. Tail docking is optional and the coat may be smooth, broken or rough.
More information about the breed:
We breed smooth coated Jacks in our kennel.
What can we do with a Jack Russell?
Dog shows (international, national, special)
A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a breed show, is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed’s individual breed standard.
Work disciplines
Agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. Consequently, the handler’s controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.
In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles laid out by a judge in a design of his or her own choosing in an area of a specified size. The surface may be of grass, dirt, rubber, or special matting. Depending on the type of competition, the obstacles may be marked with numbers indicating the order in which they must be completed.
Courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete them correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies, and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds and the strengths and weaknesses of the various dogs and handlers.
Rally obedience
Rally obedience can be described as obedience exercises performed in a sequence format, with the emphasis on an upbeat relationship between handler and dog. It is made up of a compilation of many of the traditional obedience exercises, including heeling, sit down, stand, and stay. Rally is a terrific sport to use to build a working relationship between dog and handler that will serve as a foundation for everyday life skills, other human-dog team sports such as agility and any type of dog assisted therapy programs.
Lure coursing
Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. Dogs chase an artificial lure across a field, following a pattern that is meant to simulate live coursing.. In Europe, as well as the rest of the world, the course length can be over 1000 meters, and often incorporates some obstacles or jumps. The course must have a minimum number of turns in order to simulate prey (the jack-rabbit or hare) changing direction in a chase. The fields can be fenced or not. If a dog is lure focused they will typically follow the lure from start to finish and not run off course. Dogs with some considerable lure experience, termed “lure-wise”, may try to anticipate or “cheat” by attempting to cut off the lure instead of trying to capture the lure using follow, speed and agility. Sighthounds generally have no need to be trained or enticed to chase the lure since the desire to chase is instinctual.
Nose work
Nosework is an activity that allows your dog to use their natural desire to hunt. It harnesses a dog’s unique ability to detect scent and determine the source.
In training, dogs learn to find one of three scents just about anywhere you can hide it. Competitions include searches in four elements: interior, exterior, containers, and vehicles.
Hunting
In hunting trials, we can opt for classic dog hunting or sport hunting which consists of various disciplines adapted for terriers.
All information about dog shows and work can be found at the following sites:
https://www.skt.si/
https://www.kinoloska.si/
http://www.fci.be/en/
Work with our dogs
Agility
Our Gina is born for agillity. She regularly attends trainings at the Obala Kennel Club with our daughter Živa under the guidance of the instructor Tanja Gril. Both Gina and Živa enjoy training very much, relax and gain new knowledge and friendships. When they are trained enough, they will be happy to participate in domestic as well as international competitions.
Rally obedience
Hope found her joy in rally obedience training. She has already passed the first level of training and is awaiting for the final exam. Once a week the instructor Naia Furlanič makes us happy at the trainings at KD Obala; both dogs and guides relax as we laugh and enjoy working with dogs.
Gina is also looking forward to the trainings of rally obedience; she cooperates very nicely and provides endless entertainment for all participants in the training.
Nose work
Hope also found her mission in nose work trainings. Under the guidance of the instructor Petra Šarkanj from KD Obala we both have learned a lot together: Hope to use her nose and I to practice patience and confidence in my dog.
The most important thing when working with a dog is that both the guide and dog enjoy it, work joyfully and wilfully and in this way weave and deepen the bonds that are very important for a healthy relationship.