Parson Russell Terrier

The Parson Russell Terrier is slightly taller than it is long, of medium bone. Its long legs enable it to keep up with the horses and hounds during a fox hunt. Its slender build allows it to fit into small passageways in pursuit of its quarry. Spanning is a critical part of judging the Parson. The chest behind the elbows must be easily spanned by average-size hands, such that the thumbs should meet at the spine and the fingers under the chest. Its gait is free and lively, with good reach and drive. Its coat can be either smooth or broken, both coarse and weatherproof with a short, dense undercoat. The outercoat of the smooth is flat and hard; that of the broken is harsh, straight, tight and close lying, with no sculpted furnishings. The PRT's expression is keen and full of life.

This is a dog that thrives on action and adventure. In the process, it often finds itself in the middle of trouble. It is a true hunter at heart, and will explore, wander, chase and dig when it gets a chance. It is very playful and intelligent. It gets along well with children and strangers. It can be scrappy with strange dogs, but is better than many terriers. It does well with horses, but it may chase cats and is not good with rodents. It may tend to bark and dig. It makes an ideal companion for an active person with a good sense of humor who wants a lot of entertainment — and mischief —in one dog.

The Parson Russell Terrier was formally known as the Jack Russell Terrier in the USA. The breed was named after a clergyman named Rev. John Russell. It was used as a small-game hunting dog particularly for red fox, digging the quarry out of its den in the mid-1800s. On English hunts, the dogs needed to be long-legged enough to keep up with the hounds. The breed used to have a strong emphasis on its working ability, so the standard was very broad, allowing a wide range of accepted body types. When show breeders wanted to make the look of the dogs stricter, they decided to change the name to separate the show types from the working types. Effective April 1, 2003 the name Jack Russell Terrier was changed to Parson Russell Terrier as requested by the Jack Russell Terrier Association of America, which was changed to the Parson Russell Terrier Association of America. Some of the Parson Russell's talents include: hunting, tracking, agility and performing tricks.