The Jack Russell Terrier Club of South Africa is registered with the Department of Agriculture (62/98/B-64) under the Animal Improvement Act and as a Non-Profit Association incorporated under Section 21 of the Companies Act (Reg. No: 2002/009114/08).
The Jack Russell Terrier Club of South Africa is run by a National Committee, elected at each Annual General Meeting. The country is split into Regions, each having a Regional Representative. The certificates pertaining to the terriers are issued and controlled by the Breed Records Officer. Breeder’s Licenses are also issued by this officer.
The club has trained judges who judge the conformation (showing) sections of our Trials (or Meets as we call them). These judges also inspect the terriers for registration purposes. At our Meets we also conduct earth trials, obedience and agility challenges. Frequently the regions hold “fun days” which take many forms, including educational/training events.
Our trained Working Inspectors get invited by the regions to lead working events for the members and their terriers, and it is they who grant Working and Gameness Certificates to qualifying terriers.
During May of each year the Jack Russell Terrier Club of South Africa hosts the annual National Championships, for which we usually use a foreign conformation judge. All of the competitive events are held at the National Championships and trophies are awarded for most of the classes. Each year the regions host Regional Championships at a time of year suitable to the relevant region.
We believe in having fun with our terriers at the same time and organise light hearted events for team spirit and enjoyment. The goal is to “Protect, Preserve and Work the Jack Russell terrier in accordance with our club constitution globally.
Breed Information
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General Appearance
A sturdy, tough terrier, very much on it’s toes all the time, measuring between 225 mm and 380 mm at the withers.
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Head
Should be well balanced and in proportion to the body. The skull should be flat, of moderate width at the ears, narrowing to the eyes. There should be a defined stop but not over-pronounced. The length of the muzzle from the nose to the stop should be slightly shorter than the distance from the stop to the occiput. The nose should be black. The jaw should be powerful and well boned with strongly muscled cheeks.
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Eyes
Should be almond shaped, dark in colour and full of life and intelligence.
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Ears
Small “V” shaped drop ears carried forward close to the head and of moderate thickness.
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Mouth
Strong teeth with the top slightly overlapping the lower.
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Neck
Clean and muscular, of good length, gradually widening at the shoulders.
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Colour
White should predominate (i.e., must be more than 51% white) with tan, black, or brown markings. Brindle markings are unacceptable.
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Forequarters
The shoulders should be sloping and well laid back, fine at points and clearly cut at the withers. Forelegs should be strong and straight boned with joints in correct alignment. Elbows hanging perpendicular to the body and working free of the sides.
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Body
The chest should be shallow, narrow and the front legs not too widely apart, giving an athletic, rather than heavily chested appearance. As a guide only, the chest should be small enough to be easily spanned behind the shoulders, by average sized hands, when the terrier is in a fit, working condition. The back should be strong, straight and, in comparison to the height of the terrier, give a balanced image. The loin should be slightly arched.
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Hindquarters
Should be strong and muscular, well put together with good angulation and bend of stifle, giving plenty of drive and propulsion. Looking from behind, the hocks must be straight.
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Coat
Smooth, without being so sparse as not to provide a certain amount of protection from the elements and undergrowth. Rough or broken coated, without being woolly.
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Tail
Should be set rather high, carried gaily and in proportion to body length, usually about four inches long, providing a good hand-hold.
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Feet
Round, hard padded, wide, of cat-like appearance, neither turning in nor out.
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Gait
Movement should be free, lively, well-coordinated with straight action in front and behind
Everything about the Jack Russell has fox hunting in mind – colouring, conformation, character and intelligence. The body is compact, of totally balanced proportions, the shoulders clean, the legs straight and most importantly, a small chest (easily spannable by average size hands at the widest part behind the shoulders). The Jack Russell must also be very flexible, allowing him to manoeuvre underground. This conformation allows the terrier to follow his quarry down narrow earths. In all respects the fox is a good model for the Jack Russell – where the fox can go, so must the terrier. Although originally bred for fox hunting, the Jack Russell is a versatile working terrier used to a variety of quarry including dassie and jackal. A good working terrier may be seen as the supreme solution to stock loss prevention by farmers experiencing such difficulties, and functional physical proportions, keen intelligence and working temperament are the the forefront of a real Jack Russells characteristics.
A Jack Russell Terrier may stand between 10″ and 15″ (at the shoulder), with broad variations in coats, markings, type, and for sure personality. There is no “ideal” form, the “ideal” is what suits their owner for what they want/need to do with their terrier. That is the uniqueness of the Jack Russell Terrier. The diversity within the breed standard is what makes the Jack Russell Terrier suitable for a variety of working and performance abilities – in contrast with the narrow, cosmetic breed standards of many show breeds.
The real Jack Russell Terrier has been preserved as a working dog. Every effort has been made to eliminate and prevent genetic defects/faults within the breed registry. Close inbreeding is prohibited for the mental and physical protection of the terrier. It is advisable that prior to breeding one consults with the Chief Registration Officer whether the match you are planning is allowed.
JRTCSA judging, and all aspects of JRTCSA are focused on the working ability of the terrier. JRTCSA Judges are specifically selected from an international list of judges all of whom are committed to preserving the standard of the terrier and its working ability. Because of this, the real Jack Russell Terrier remains virtually unchanged over 200 years… it still has the structure, brain and heart to work underground, and is a mentally and physically sound terrier.
The working structure, brain and heart of the real Jack Russell Terrier is what gives this terrier the astounding character, athleticism and versatility that make it a great companion. A Jack Russell terrier is “the dog that does”…. from hunting to agility, surfing, flyball, bird retrieval, skate boarding, search & rescue, therapy dog… and is a forever entertaining pet and companion.
The working brain and heart of the Jack Russell Terrier gives it motivation to keenly interact with people, sharing and helping at every step. The real Jack Russell Terrier does not sit on the sidelines of life.
Other Breeds
The JRTCSAs essential mission is to “Preserve, Protect and Work” the Jack Russell Terrier. This mission equally preserves the breed integrity for the most versatile, healthy, highly intelligent, loyal and affectionate companion you will ever find… the real Jack Russell.
So what then are these “other” terrier types we hear about today? The Parson Russell, The Russell (shortie) Terrier, The Irish Jack Russell, the Miniature Jack Russell, and who knows what else?? They are simply variants of the Real Jack Russell Terrier. A type or size taken from within portions of the JRTCGB/JRTCSA breed standard to suit the whims of special interest groups/individuals.
What happens when all of these variants, with a now small gene pool, are bred together to “perfect” this narrow portion of the standard? Eventually they will change and become an animal that will look very different from the original Jack Russell Terrier. Inbreeding and breeding for the show ring will change the physical and mental structure of the dog. It will lose its purpose and its original character, as well as its mental and physical soundness, and will become something entirely different. It becomes whatever suits the whim of those controlling that variant of the terrier.
This is how the modern Fox Terrier of today once evolved from the original working fox terrier (now known as the Jack Russell Terrier). The original type of working fox terrier, the Jack Russell, will continue on with the Jack Russell Terrier Club of South Africa and the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Great Britain as its protectors. So please join the JRTCSA and help us ensure that the REAL JACK RUSSELL TERRIER will be here for another 200 years!