Jack Russells: Small Dog, Enormous Engine

Jack Russells are everywhere in South Africa — on farms, in flats, in bakkies. They are also the breed most often bought on the assumption that a small dog is a low-maintenance dog, which is close to the opposite of the truth.

What they were bred for

Going down holes after animals that fight back. That produces a dog with enormous stamina, high prey drive, real courage, and a strong tendency to dig, bark and chase. None of those switch off because you live in a townhouse.

What they actually need

• Real exercise. An hour a day, including off-lead running where safe. A walk around the block is a warm-up.
• Mental work. Training games, scent work, puzzle feeders. A Jack Russell without a job invents one, and the job is usually digging up your irrigation or barking at the neighbour's dog through the fence.
• Firm, kind, consistent rules. They are extremely trainable and extremely quick to learn that a rule they can ignore is not a rule.

The predictable problems

Barking, digging, escaping and dog-to-dog reactivity are the four complaints, and almost all of them trace to insufficient exercise and stimulation. They will kill small animals given the chance — chickens, guinea pigs, wild birds, and sometimes cats they have not grown up with. On smallholdings and farms this is a management issue, not a training one.

They are also often over-confident with much larger dogs, which is how small dogs get badly hurt.

Health notes

Generally robust and long-lived, often 13 to 16 years. Watch for patellar luxation, lens luxation and deafness in some lines. They are prone to weight gain when under-exercised, which shortens lives. Their coats — smooth, broken or rough — need little more than a weekly brush.

Who they suit

Active people who want a dog that comes running, hiking, or working. Families with older children who will throw a ball. Farms and smallholdings where the terrier drive has an outlet.

Who they do not suit: people who are out all day, people who want a quiet lap dog, and households with small pets. If you want a small dog with lower energy, look at a cavalier, a maltese or an adult rescue whose energy level is already known.