The Official Site - Q&A Forum Jack Russell Terrier Club of America  
Q&A Forum

Forum Main Menu

Post Response (Restricted)

Re: how much white is too much?

Posted by:  Heather Reid
Posted on:  September 27, 2001 at 23:16:06

In Reply to: how much white is too much?
Posted by:  Andrea
Posted on:  September 27, 2001 at 21:42:22

Question:

: I know that JRTs are supposed to be at least 51% white, but from some of the postings its seems almost all white is bad? My JRT is about 98% white. She has a brown ring around her eye and one little black spot on her back by her tail. Out of her brothers and sisters (including her there were 5 pups left when we went to look at her) there was one other all white, the rest had the regular colors. The parents are JRTCA registered and the lady we bought her from is a registered JRTCA breeder. She has ticking popping up (seems like over night) on her ears that is black. We got her to be a pet but was wondering if we would be able to register her with her coloring this way.

: P.S. She is the one that doesnt bark...and still hasnt. She is about 10 weeks.

: Thanks,
: Andrea

------------------ Response Area -------------------
Hi Andrea,
I'm sorry if there are posts that made you think your dog is too white. I don't recall seeing any that played all white or a lot of white as bad, and if you wouldn't mind reposting with the links of what you've read, I'd like to check them out.
A lot of white is NOT a problem-- quite the opposite. The Jack Russell is traditionally a white-bodied terrier. The breed standard states the minimum should be 51%, and that means that ANYTHING over 51% is completely acceptable for registration. That includes 100% white, which is actually a fairly common color pattern. The breed standard details which types and colors of markings are acceptable, but it does not require the dog to have any colored markings at all.
Please speak with your breeder about registration when the time comes. If your dog is a pet, she should be spayed before her first heat cycle, and in that case, registration is not an option, but recording is. Your breeder will have full information on that also, and it is contained on the site.
Enjoy your pup, and count your blessings while they last on the barking!!
Heather

p.s. Check out the ticking/spots FAQ for pictures of my heavily ticked girl. The spots appeared quickly, seems like over night. You may see a lot of changes in your dog over the next year.