Page 15 - JRT Magazine - 2023 Issue 2

AKC Russell Terrier / FCI Jack Russell Terrier

A strong, active, working terrier with a flexible body of moderate length and rectangular profile.
Full of life and moves with confidence.

Balanced image
with no one part
exaggerated over
another

Tori Lee

Those of us, foolish purists, see a given breed one characteristics included in a breed standard and
way and one way only. We need help to reproduce in a breed's history. In other words, the bottom
that ideal as consistently as possible. It goes line that makes a breed unique.
without saying that this is a very old-fashioned
and very arduous way of breeding dogs. But then, Most breed standards contain many superfluous
all the good lines I have ever known have been words and descriptions that fit all dogs'
developed in this old-fashioned way - through characteristics. But the terms or phrases of most
hard work, persistence, and an unswerving significance describe what, if not present, would
dedication to a clearly envisioned goal. leave the reader unable to create a mental picture
of that breed.
In the past, top breeders strived for years to
develop and set breed type so that opening a I observe with some alarm that the breed
catalogue for identification was unnecessary standards of newer breeds that are becoming
when their dogs came into the ring. By their established or that are relatively recent arrivals to
quality and similarity, the kennel was recognized. North America are becoming consistently more
verbose. There are paragraphs after paragraphs
The individual attempting to set breed type must describing qualities and characteristics of the
clearly understand what is essential to their entire canine species and then, to make matters
breed…what is the essence of their breed. worse, these newer standards waste even more
words to list that the lack of these characteristics
This essence is, in effect, a distillation of the many are serious faults or disqualifications.

A Worldwide Magazine for the Jack Russell Terrier / Russell Terrier • Issue 2/2023 | 15