Jack Russell terriers were first bred by the Reverend Mr. John Russell , a parson and hunting enthusiast born in 1795. In his last year of university at Oxford he bought a small white and tan terrier bitch called Trump. She was the basis for a breeding programme to develop a terrier with high stamina for the hunt as well as the courage and formation to chase out foxes that had gone to ground, but without the aggressiveness that would result in their harming the fox, which was considered unsporting.

The line of terriers developed by John Russell was well respected for these qualities and, when he died in 1883 , his dogs were taken on by other hunt enthusiasts.

The first split between the types of Russell terriers may have occurred early in their history with dogs being sold by the sister of John Russell's kennel man. These she described as "Jack Russells" but they may not have been part of the line of terriers developed by John Russell .

Instead they may have been shorter-legged working terriers of variable heritage. Later, around the turn of the century, the secretary of the Parson Jack Russell Terrier Club bred a strain of terriers for badger digging. These needed the brave character and endurance of the Jack Russell Terrier, which were crossed with Bull Terriers to give a stronger and harder dog with shorter legs than the original type. Again these were described as "Jack Russells".

 

Breed Development

Along with these changes the Second World War had a great impact on the breed. Sporting dogs were needed less and the numbers of working Russell terriers were drastically reduced during these years.

The original working Russells often became family dogs and were crossed with other popular family dogs including Corgis, Chihuahuas and terriers such as the Fox Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These crosses resulted in changes in form and function and led to a new type of short-legged terrier with a variable conformation. It is this form of the descendants of Trump that are now known as "Russell Terriers", "shortie Jacks", or "Puddin' Dogs".

The original longer-legged forms were also preserved and, in England, were called "Parson Jack Russell Terriers". This form was recognised by the Kennel Club (UK) in 1990 and gained provisional recognition by the international breeds association, the F.C.I, in the same year. The name of the breed was changed to "Parson Russell Terrier" in 1999 by the Kennel Club (UK) and gained full recognition by the F.C.I under this name in 2001.

In the United States a group of enthusiasts opposed to the registration and regulation of the working breed registered "Parson Jack Russell" as a trademark. This led to the long-legged breed being recognised by the American Kennel Club under the name "Jack Russell Terrier". This name was changed to the "Parson Russell Terrier" in 2003 to conform with the nomenclature in other countries.

Breeders of the unregistered, working strain continued to use the Jack Russell name for their dogs. Currently there are few differences between the two types, although working Jack Russell Terriers are sometimes smaller than Parson Russell Terriers. However, it is likely that the differing approaches to breeding and the restricted gene pool of the registered type will result in divergence between the types, possibly leading to two very different breeds.

In England, the Kennel Club recently re-opened its registry to allow the inclusion of some Jack Russell Terriers under the Parson Russell name. The standard was extended to include slightly smaller dogs to about 10 inches (25 cm) high but still with the longer-legged form.

Individuals registered with the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain or the British Jack Russell Terrier Club and with registered parents and grandparents were accepted for registration. This may have a delaying effect on any divergence of the two types, but many breeders remain opposed to registration and are likely to continue to breed outside the Parson Russell standard and to continue to use the "Jack Russell Terrier" name.