Parson Russell Terrier - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Parson Russell Terrier was developed in 1800s in the south of England for hunting foxes. They were developed by John Russel who was enthusiastic fox hunter and dog breeder. In 1819 he bought a small white and tan terrier called Trump who formed the basis of his breeding program. His goal was to create the best fox hunter who would be able to pursue foxes above or bellow to ground, who would be athletic and lively and who would be independent problem solvers.
2) Jack Russell Terrier
You probably know the famous close relative of Parson Russell Terrier, the Jack Russell Terrier. On the first sight, they might look almost identical, but there are some differences between those two breeds. The most important are legs, because Parson Russell Terrier has noticeably longer legs. The Parson Russell Terrier also has longer head, larger chest and overall slightly larger body. The body is also squarer.

3) Size
The ideal height of the Parson Russell Terrier is between 13-14 inches, which is 33-36 cm and weight is typically between 13-17 lbs, which is 6-8 kgs. There are only small size differences between males and females.

4) Working Terrier
The Parson Russell Terrier was bred to work and he is amazing hunting dog. To be such a good hunter, he must posses certain characteristics, which are very high prey drive, harsh and weatherproof coat, alert, confident and independent temperament, always ready attitude, a lot of endurance, strenght and athleticism and small flexible chest which enables them to follow its quarry under the ground. The Parson Russell Terrier is also known as a very brave, courageous and tough dog with natural chasing instinct.

5) Companion
The Parson Russell Terrier is not only a good hunter, but also great companion for active people and families. They are absolutely loving, quite obedient, friendly and generally kind. But even though they are devoted and friendly, they are not the easiest breed for training, which is mostly due to their independent personality. The training must be very consistent, firm and patient. The Parson Russell Terrier is normally very good playful partner for older kids and they can live with other dogs in the family as well, especially if raised together from the puppyhood. With enough exercise, these dogs make amazing family pets.

6) Coat
The Parson Russell Terrier comes in different coat types, which are smooth, broken and wirehaired. The broken coat is basically a mix between the smooth and wire coat. The color is typically white with little spots of colors. It might be spots of tan, black or brown and the spots are typically on the tail, head and back.

7) Exercise
These little dogs were bred to be able to hunt all day with people on horseback, so as you can probably imagine, this is highly energetic breed who definitely needs daily proper exercise to stay healthy and happy. Without daily vigorous exercise, these dogs can become bored and they can develop some unwanted behaviour, such as destruction.

8) Dog sports
Great way how to exercise the dog physically, but also mentally are dog sports and Parson Russell Terrier is great adept for various dog sports, because not only that they love different plays such as fetch, they also do very good at agility or earthdog trials.

9) Maintenance
As i mentioned earlier in this video, the Parson Russell Terrier comes in different coat types. No matter what coat they have, it sheds to some degree, but the grooming is not very hard. Even without any grooming they will keep the coat in good condition. The broken and wire coat must be stripped to achieve proper texture. Just like with all dogs you should regularly check the eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The average lifespan of Parson Russell Terrier is between 13-15 years and these dogs are prone to certain health issues, such as patellar luxation, eye problems and cerebellar ataxia