Re: international breeds

In Reply to: international breeds
Category:   Breed Standard
Posted by:  Gail Bayne
Posted on:  May 31, 2002 at 11:18:03

: Hello,

: I have a few general questions that I would love to have some advice on. My husband and I live overseas (Paris, France) and we adopted an adorable 4-month old male JRT (Didier) a couple of months ago.

: 1) Is anyone familiar with the differences in JRT lines around the world? Didier was actually born in Holland. Does there seem to be any difference in body type or behavior? This is just out of curiousity - he just doesn't seem to conform to the "typical" JRT profile (he's so calm and sweet all the time!)

: 2) Living in such a large and crowded city, I have to walk him on a leash for several blocks to reach the park where I can let him run free without the leash. Problem is, he scurries all over the place (through peoples legs, around fire hydrants, etc.) and we end up in a tangled mess even though I keep him on a short leash. I find this to be the most stressful part of my day. Any suggestions?

: 3) Lastly, and this may be more of a vet question, my husband started giving him little pieces of cheese for treats when he does something good - we are in France after all ;). Could this result in any health problems down the line?

: Thanks so much for any suggestions you might have.

Response:

Hi Gail,

Since I really can't see your pup, I can't tell you if it conforms to any standard. I can tell you however I have a female who is out of a bitch that was born in Holland, she very much conforms to the JRTCA Standard. Here is a link to the JRTCA breed standard, which was originally taken from the Standards in Great Britain.

I can also tell you that most of my dogs are nothing like I see on this board and they are also calm and don't have nor have ever had any aggression problems. This is also true of the other breeders that I know of who breed Jack Russells.

As to letting him off the leash, I don't think that this is advisable if you don't have total recall, and this is only accomplished my many years of hard Obedience work. Mine are only allowed off leash when they are in the field working, and yes they do have total recall and do come when called. I would suggest that you look for an obedience school in your area, and see what they have available. Agood temperment is very important to most breeders

As to feeding cheese, that is ok in moderation, mine love it, but the key is Moderation. Too much of any treat is bad!