For the folks that have em, care to share a pic ?

Neighbors have one

She's a rat/mole/squirrel killing machine. She has all but eradicated moles from our yard. Not near as hyper as Jacks I've been around. She's a great dog.



















And she's GREAT at guarding turkey.

We had a rat for 16 years. Awesome pet and companion. Loved to go fishing. Had to put him down in February.
I'll get a pic up when I can get to that computer.

My two rat terriers with a rat they caught.






These guys are pretty small, being the "mini" variety, with a lot of chihuahua blood in them. 8lbs or so.

Nice! I always thought a Rat Terrier would make for a great family pet due to their size but still have the drive to be a good side-kick afield. Do they shed much??

The big pit mix is now about 75lbs, but the little guys enjoyed bossing him around back when they could still handle him.....








We had a couple of the bigger rat terriers when I was a kid. They were killers, be it rats, mice,snakes, possums, or whatever. It was funny to watch them try to work on a big beaver one day that got himself stranded. I had to help them out that time.

She sheds but it's not crazy. She's the one that will bark when there's something wrong, and she's boss over the other 2 big dogs.

There is no fear in her but she'll happily spend 12 hours in bed with momma on a cold, winter day.

Yeah, my 2 big dogs will 'phcuk' around with something furry till she gets there and kills it. I've never seen 'play' with a critter, she just kills them.

It's a hoot watching her mole hunt. She does it mostly with her ears.

There is wisdom in that dog.

I have a miniature rat terrier. Great dog! Smart, fearless, yet gentle. Doesn't yap...in fact, rarely barks. Huge prey drive and ball drive. He will gladly learn anything.

Here's an earlier one, Lilli is 16-1/2 now. Energetic and inquisitive little dogs - into everything.

Gotta love that about Terriers.....

Funny about the pit, Lilli was the boss of Larry the five year older oversized Btittany from the start. Lilli is fearless of things running away from her but thinks twice if it, like a wild turkey strolling through the yard, stares back.

And they're generally pretty good about putting up with "their" kids....

I hide in the woods one day, wife was walking towards the woods with Bella (rat terrier) and the BIG dog. I started making noise in the woods and growling.

The big dog turned and ran past my wife, back to the house. Bella ran straight my way, barking and growling, ready to eat whatever ass was making the noise.

One thing about ratters, they need an "alpha." Let them break a rule once and they'll try it again. Always testing the boundaries - I like that about them.

Kicking pit/shepherd mix ass and taking names.

How to post a picture?

You need to upload a photo to Photobucket or some such photo storage website then paste the img tag in your post.

This is the only pic I can get right now. Back in '07 when he as 7.5 yrs old.
We miss him.

The dog crew ca. 2003.

The little guy was a Jack Russel/mini fox terrier mix, he passed on five years back.

The one in the middle was a rat terrier, she got out of the yard one night and disappeared. Unusual as she wasn't a roamer.

The heeler mutt is one year old in that photo.

IME, rat terriers are much less wired than Russels, and also a lot more visual, befitting a classic squirrel dog, as opposed to a typical Russel which is more often nose to the ground.

Birdwatcher

We had a "jack-rat" when first married. He was a mole killer. Really hyper but was still a dandy to have around.

Old pic of Otis the JRT. He was a handful

Bella is the only Rat Terrier I've had but she's catatonic compared to JRT's I've been around.

I am a big fan of the JRT. We do not have one now, because Momma has a brand new little phoo phoo yorkie/maltese cross.

This was our Rascal. We had to recently put him down at a young 7 1/2 due to a debilitating and progressive back injury He was sold as a pureblood Jack, but I have doubts in that regard. He grew to a fit 30 lbs and lived to hunt anything with fur or feathers.

Here, he is taunting a big old bull snake, but that is as close as he ever got to it.


When he was not in kill mode, he was every bit as sweet as this picture portrays. He absolutely lived for visits from the grand kids.....of any age 6 mo thru 12 years. He did not care. He loved them.

There is something in a JRT's eyes that I have not seen in any other breed. They are so intense, and alert to your every move.


Begging our grand daughter to play tug of war.


The day we brought him home.

I nailed this one in 2012. Threw a 200 gr TTSX via 358 Win.

Yeah, its just in case you drop something so they can gobble it up. i nicknamed mine Goat.

great dogs,but i was constantly worried about mine getting himself killed.

I'm calling BS on that one.

Not enough gun.

I've lived with JRTs for a long time. They are not hyper, but they DO think they weigh 500 lbs and have to be treated as such. Nothing like Rat Terriers.

Jack Russell. Thinks she's about five times her size.

our beloved Emmy Lou, aka *EL* for short passed last april a year ago. she was descended from a pack of mtn fiests/terriers that made their living controlling varmints & vermin at a commercial poultry farm in ne Georgia.

she was long legged, short-haired, weighed 23 lbs, when the doc said she should weigh 18 lbs. she was 18 inches high at the shoulders. and feared nothing nor anyone. i believe there was some whippet hound mixed into her ancestry back there somewheres. we had her fixed early on so she never had any pups. she was mostly white, with brown spots. we still miss her and do wish we had gotten some pups from her.

Jack Russell Terriers are amazing dogs. I've had two. Fearless killers, self entertaining and will snuggle in your lap while you watch football.

They have nine lives, they ain't right in the head and have endless energy. I've never met a creature as tenacious.

My sisters JRT, Daisy, OWNED every dog park she stepped foot in!

"Happiness is being owned by a Jack Russell Terrier" -bumper sticker

Here is Sam my 8 year old rat, great dog with amazing prey drive

seems like it is written somewheres that a rat terrier began as a cross between a fox terrier & a manchester terrier. i don't know that i've ever seen a manchester terrier, but i don't doubt that they really do exist.

a JRT is a "type" of fox terrier if i'm understanding things correctly. a mtn feist might be a bit different but does possess quite a bit of fox terrier heritage, which might have come from the JRT bloodlines. it's an interesting subject, and the dogs that carry that bloodline are to be praised.

Rat terriers aren't an engineered breed, only in the last few years AKC accepted them as a true breed. They more or less just happened and got popular likely for their prodigious anti-vermin capabilities. And they're just nice dogs to have around. One of the breed clubs had a "family tree" posted, maybe they still do, that had about every popular breed you could think of in there somewhere.

Here's my Chocolate Tri-Color, "Chance". He loves chasing down Rabbits, Squirrels, hell he even tries to catch Ruffed Grouse!






He even goes berserk whenever a Bear hunting show comes on the TV.....thinks he can tear that bear a new azz! LOL






Rat Terriers are just cool dogs!

My newest JRT. Picked him up from a rescue. Great dog!



Growing up. Just turned one yesterday!

Best dog I've ever had

I am on my 3rd and 4th JRT's now.
they are going on 8 months
Puppy's will be Puppy's and the Jacks are on steroids

The male almost twice the size of his little sister the runt of the litter but she rules him to no end.

He took all the toys so she took control of the food and now taking control of the toys as well.

I think the smaller they are the bigger they think they are.

I'll take a Rat over a Russel anytime.

Most should.

Grandmother had a chubby mostly black and tan male rat terrier that was a mouse, rat and the occasional snake killing machine. Cunning little dog, too. Give it a piece of biscuit and instead of eating it it would use it for 'bait' at known mouse holes. Cool little dog. Any time it was awake it usually was either hunting something to kill or a leg to hump.

Had one little white with black spots RT when I was a kid. Loved to play ball better than anything. Had to have him on a leash at parks where baseball games were being played or else he would join in. If it was a grounder it was rare for anyone to get to the ball before he did.

Sneaked out one day by itself, hit by a car and killed. That happened almost 60 years ago and I still get a lump in my throat.

I'm still calling BS, I don't recall you walking with a limp.

I had a JRT that was a killer little dog. Not really hyper, more alert than anything. Certainly prone to not giving a schit about much of anything that couldn't be killed.

He was a shorter leg rough coat type dog. Came from a chicken farm in Georgia. I'd get another from them in a heart beat if they are still around and I could find them!

All these dogs were originally "types" selected on the basis of ability rather than "breeds" bred to a standard of appearance.

In England this all began to change in the "breed" fad of the Nineteenth Century. There through systematic inbreeding the selections were made mostly on the basis of appearance and so many of our bewildering array of terrier breeds developed.

The Jack Russel escaped breed recognition (always the kiss of death for functional dogs) until relatively recently. Forty years ago a bona-fide "Jack Russel" came in a variety of forms and sizes, mostly popular with the horsey set and kept around barns. I saw little short legged examples of around 10 pounds all the way up to longer-legged 25 or 30 pound versions, the only commonality being fearlessness and an inclination to tackle anything (common wisdom had it never leave your Russel alone with your cat in the house or else sooner or later you were coming home to a thoroughly dead cat ). Likewise Russel puppies had to be separated early before the runts of the litter were worried to death by the rest.

Back in the days the dividing line between a "fox terrier" and a "Jack Russel" would have been blurred indeed until the breeders-for-looks crowd came in and created the "official" Fox Terrier. Understandably a watered-down version of the original when it comes to gameness.

To have an idea of what ALL English regional terrier types were like at one time before they were inbred for appearance check out what the Jack Russel has been and the Patterdale terrier still is.

Over here the rat terrier is descended from general purpose fiests, useful for everything from killing rats to chasing rabbits and treeing squirrels. Not nearly the miniature psychopaths that Jack Russels are, and much less inclined to go underground in pursuit of quarry.

Fortunately IIRC AKC recognition of rat terriers as a breed was fairly recent, and the breed's popularity across the South at least far predated this, so unspoiled examples do still exist.

Birdwatcher

I'll have a rat terrier/feist till I die.

Chances mom brother and dad are go getters too.

Scott that's the puppy I was trying to find a good home for. Looks like he got a great one!! Good thread fellas.

My buddy's rat terrier, one of the shorter legged veriety, is a licker. If you don't watch out she'll be running along the top/back of the couch getting each person's ear as she passes by.

mine was a long-legged short haired mostly white w/brown beast. and beast she was too. her parents were guardians of a commerical poultry houses in ne georgia.



yep. in general and on average a JRT is a much more aggressive attack dog than a rat-terrier. and there are some jack-rats around, but one doesn't see them all that often. the mtn fistes i'm most familiar with are more tree dogs than anything, but will do anything necessary on a homestead. i'm thinking they have north african whippet hound, and beagle blood mixed into their terrier ancestry.

I think I got my dog in Winder. It was around there anyhow. Not too far from Athens, where I was living at the time.

yep, lot's of poultry in the area, but it's getting more sparse now that urbanization is taking over.

mine came from a commercial poultry farm at the base of Skitts mtn in ne Georgia. those beasts allowed nothing to bother the poultry.

as an aside, and as a purely subjective comment, we always preferred the white w/brown spots more so than the whites w/black spots. i'm sure it didn't matter in the real world. each one would kill whatever.

I frequently think of that phone call from you and the subsequent whirlwind roundtrip drive from Michigan to Tennessee, and back again non-stop to pick up "Chance".

The wife is long gone, but Chance is still my pard and can't imagine what life would be like without him!

Thank you again!!

Good looking dogs

I have a Jack Daniels mountain dog...you can just see the raw intelligence in his face {yeah right!!} It's a good thing he don't weigh 125 pounds...there would be nothing safe on the planet:




adding the word "mountain" to the title of a pet makes it more valuable...if you just say "I have a dog for sale" people say "what???" If you say "I have a mountain dog for sale" they say "How much???"

The only JRT I've known was the one at Wilderness in Tennessee, where the Campfire Hog Hunt took place a few years. He was a friendly guy, but when riding in his master's Ranger, he'd jump out and make sure downed hogs were dead.

Delilah, after the Biblical one, for being a real man (me) killer. If we had it to do over, we'd name her Hoover, for her ability to scour the floor for crumbs. Give a Jack Russell one cookie wrapped up as a Christmas gift, and she'll open every package under the tree. They have OCD. Once a thought enters a Jack Russell's mind, there it shall remain, for eternity. They are a proverbial handful in every sense of the word. I love her, but she wears me down if I need to take her anywhere, she's always in trouble for jumping on and scratching a customers door or running over to a neighbors. Busy busy busy. Fun when hiking, not so much in town. Upside, fearless. Downside, fearless.

Fireball good looking dog,and beautiful wood on that 99

We had a JRT ,named Rocket and thats just what he was. 100% all of the time. We got him from a family where the kids just beat on him. He hated kids under 8 years of age and with no hesitation would just go up and bite them. Over the age of 8 not a problem,but he did not sit well with the kids next door. A week after we got him ,we took him camping,I opened the truck door and he was gone. We yelled and looked for him but nothing,20 minutes later he comes back carrying an old deer leg. I wrestled the thing from him and he was gone again ,only to return with another leg. I figured out that I'd let him have that one. We ended giving him to a cattle ranch ,because of the biting,and he is very happy there. He was one of the smartest and toughest dogs for his size that I have ever seen and could switch directions on a dead run ,that would make your head spin. I really liked the dog ,but it was for the better

Coyotes made a run at her a couple weeks ago, somehow they missed. I wish I'd had an unobstructed view of how it went down. All I saw was the coyote running at the last place I'd seen her and then heard her barking at him, busted. I ran out and chased him off. Upside fearless, downside, fearless.

This is definitely true...the one I have is always one more severe beating away from being trained not to mark in the house. Yet, in all fairness to the dog, he is very calm natured and doesn't do any of the hyperactive wild idiot things that most of them do. He just thinks it's his job to try and kill every wild living thing he sees.

True of ratters too, maybe to a lesser extent. In a moment of weakness I broke a long standing rule that Lilli couldn't have a treat if she barked for it without being commanded to. About six months later the bad habit still comes up once in a while. She's constantly testing her limits.

That's been a constant theme for 16 years, testing the limits. Now she's perfectly happy following the rules, most dogs are becoming secure with their place in the pack, but always pushing the boundaries. So I'd say with both breeds you have to be willing to work with the dog to establish appropriate rules of behavior and enforce them without exception, ever. Both of you will be happier for it.

I love the spirit and inquisitiveness and forgive her transgressions because of my mistakes.

How about a Yorkshire terrier (historically used for ratting)?

I'd like for him to do this to rats or downed pest birds. Our last Yorkie retrieved house sparrows and cowbirds that I'd shoot off the feeder.

Tex attacking the mail:



BTW, great thread with some great looking dogs! I'd like to see what msinc's dog did to that snake.

. Every one posting pics of the dogs they love and you post a pic of one you shot what a great hunter you are.... Not ....

absolutely true about the "mountain" in the provenance. and if there's paperwork, the value goes way up over "non-papered" varieties. it's just how the mkt operates. btw, your dog much resembles my beloved Emmy Lou, aka *EL* for short.

What is REALLY reprehensible is that Ed went clear to AFRICA to shoot that inoffensive little pooch

The only consolation is that the trophy fee musta been unreal.

The rumor is he has that thing mounted in his trophy room cocking it's leg on the buffalo (which would be a realistic pose for a Jack Russel ).

Hahaha...that's a cute little girl(?)! My last two JRT"S have weighed about 25 pounds.

Whelen Nut's pooch, Skipper.
Needs some work on the "let-go" command.

Good pic !!

It sure is, and if you are a JRT guy, you know that is a "I'm good. Don't make me kill you." look.

Little Cold is she.

Or did you just tell her NO for sumpin she dun did.

She's cold. When you tell a JRT "no", they may obey, but you will always get the middle-finger look.

Hey tex n cal...this one?

That is the exact reason I asked.

They can tell you a lot when they look at you.

This is my buddy Andrew Brill's dog.

She would get cold and crawl up into the fire box on those cold June evenings that we spent in SA

Our closest neighbor is about 1/2 mile away. They have a little 15 lb typical looking JRT male (Charlie). He used to run up to our house just to visit our Rascal. Often twice a day.

A couple times, I had him hop on the quad and gave him a ride home. Both times, he beat me back to my house.

If the grandkids were playing in our yard, and squeeled a bit, Charlie would come running, He also seemed to think the sound of driving a steel post was some kind of dinner bell.

The little guy is scarred from head to tail from various encounters with vermin about the farm. A racoon nearly did him in until the cow dogs resting under the porch figured out something was going on and came to help.

Meet little Napoleon. My previous JRT. Actually his name was Blizzard. He was certain that he ruled the world.

Yep!