Jack Russell Terriers and Parson Russel Terriers

The "Jack Russell Terrier" is one of the more confusing dogs when it comes to breed standards. This is because there are several different prominent associations which have different breed standards for the lovable Russell Terrier. One main distinction is height.

I think the standard followed locally are the FCI standards, so we will start there. FCI breed standards identify two kinds of Russel Terriers: Jack Russell Terriers and Parson Russell Terriers. FCI Jack Russel Terrieirs have an ideal height of 10"to 12". The FCI has different standards for a close cousin of the Jack Russel Terrier named the Parson Russell Terrier. Male FCI Parson Russell Terriers have an ideal height of 14" and females an ideal height of 13". Notably, these are two distinct breeds.

In the United States, we have the American Kennel Club version of the Jack Russell Terrier, which was renamed Parson Russell Terrier. This dog has a ideal height of over 12" but not over 15".

Another prominent Russell Terrier in the United States, so prominent that it caused the American Kennel Club to change the name of its Jack Russell Terrier to Parson Russell Terrier, is the the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America (JRTCA). This group is dedicated to breeding the working class Jack Russell Terriers. Admittedly, I am partial to this group since it breeds dogs for health and performance rather than appearance, and biased too, since my Jack Russell Terrier comes from JRTCA lienage.

Anyway, the JRTCA height standards for a Jack Russel Terrier allows for a height between 10" to 15".

All in all it is a pretty confusing situation... but I am not into showing dogs so they are all pretty much the same to me. A cute dog, friendly highly energetic dog.