Jackapoo - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Designer dog breed
The Jackapoo is a so called designer dog breed, which basically mean that it is not a purebred dog, but a mix or a crossbreed. But the Jackapoo should not be called mutt, because it has known ancestry and it is always a cross of the active Jack Russell Terrier and intelligent Poodle, to be more specific of miniature or toy Poodle.
2) History
Just like vast majority of crossbreeds, even the Jackapoo does not have a long history. Of course, there definitely have been unintentional mixes of JRTs and Poodles for a long time, but it was not until 1980s or 1990s when the crossing of these two dogs was intentional. The purpose of this crossbreeding was to create a dog with blended appearance, and with lively and playful personality of the Jack Russell Terrier and with intelligence and non shedding coat of the Poodle.
3) Companions
The Jackapoos only true purpose is to be a great companion dog. These dogs were never truly used for any other job such as hunting or protection. They can work as therapy dogs, but as i said, most of them are just amazing companions. Most often these dogs are described as affectionate and cheerful, alert, lively, loving and loyal, playful and energetic. They can live with other dogs or pets in the family, especially if they are raised from the puppyhood, but small household pets like rodents might be problematic, because the Jackapoo can inherit a stronger hunting instict from the Jack Russell. These dogs can also be good playful partners for kids, especially if they are raised together from the puppyhood.
4) Size
Just like with all crosses, even the appearance of Jackapoo is quite unpredictable and some dogs will look little bit more like Poodle and some little bit more like Jack Russell Terrier. But this should always be rather smaller breed with height between 10-16 inch, which is 25-40 cm and weight between 13-25 pounds, which is 6-12 kg. There are no extreme size differences between males and females.
5) Exercise
Even though small in size, these dogs are quite active and lively. The Jackapoo is definitely not a lazy coach potatoe, but an adventurous dog that love outdoors. These dogs will be always ready for any activity, it can be a long walk, jog or vigorous playtime. And you must provide them with enough daily exercise, so they stay healthy and happy! Without enough exercise, these dogs might develop some unwanted behaviour such as destruction.
6) Coat
Jackapoo can inherit coats from either the Poodle or Jack Russell parent, meaning their coats may be straight, short, coarse, curly, or fluffy. It truly is a little gamble what coat your dog will inherit. If it inherits the Poodle coat, there is a big chance that the dog might be hypoallergenic and indeed, some Jackapoos sheds only very very little and they might be a good choice for allergy suffereres. But it is important to say, that there is no such thing as 100% hypoallergenic dog as they all produce some dander and salive and it is advised to spend some time with the dog and see if it triggers your allergies or not.
7) Name
The Jackapoo name obviously comes from the start of parent breeds name, Jack Russell Terierr and Poodle. But just like with almost all the crossbreeds, it is not the only name they are known under. Other names and nicknames of this crossbreed include Jackadoodle, Jackapoodle, Jackpoo, Poojack or Jackdoodle.
8) Color
These cute dogs come in variety of colors, but commonly they can be found in white, black, brown, tan, gray, and blue. The coat does not need to be single colored and it can be a mixture of these colors. The eyes are always in shades of brown and nose is black.
9) Trainability
As a mix of two intelligent breeds, the Jackapoo will learn new commands fairly easily. Especially the Poodle is known for being extra intelligent. But both breeds, mostly the JRT, are also known for their independence and they can also be stubborn from time to time, so as the Jackapoo. Because of that, they are not total pushovers to train and they definitely need patient, firm, but kind and consistent trainer. Most Jackapoos are food motivated dogs and they will do their best in training if they will be rewarded for good behaviour by their favourite treat. But with enough patience, all Jackapoos are capable of learning all the basic obedience commands rather easily.
10) Health
All Jackapoos are prone to the same health issues as their parent breeds. There are theories, that due to the large gene pool, crosses can be healthier than their purebred parents, but in the end, it all comes down to the breeder and their ethics. The Jackapoo average lifespan is pretty high, around 14 years. Just like with any other breed, they may suffer from some health issues, such as epilepsy, hypothyroidism, skin problems and allergies, addisons disease or various eye problems. ​