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Jack Russell Terrier breeders

The Jack Russell Terrier is a small, mainly white working terrier in The Royal Kennel Club’s Terrier group.

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Advertise your Jack Russell Terrier puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Jack Russell Terriers? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers searching for Jack Russell puppies for sale, and owners looking for a Jack Russell Terrier stud dog, can find you. Advertise upcoming litters and stud dogs, and show buyers the PLL, LOA, SCA and eye results behind your pairings. A basic listing shows your kennel name, location, website, social media and categories, and paid plans unlock more showcase features. Add your listing or see pricing.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Jack Russell Terrier

The Jack Russell Terrier is a small, mainly white working terrier in The Royal Kennel Club's Terrier group. The RKC calls it a modern descendant of the hardy terriers of the Rev John Russell, and the Jack Russell Terrier Club records that Russell, born in Devon in 1795 and nicknamed the Sporting Parson, favoured mostly white terriers as they were easier to spot when hunting. Its modern history runs through Australia: the RKC explains that small British working terriers went there with emigrants, many in the 1960s and 1970s, that the Jack Russell Terrier Club of Australia was founded in 1972, and that Australia was where the breed was first shown. The RKC recognised it in 2016, a date the UK club gives as 1 January 2016. UK breeders kept the original type, similar in proportion to the Parson Russell Terrier but smaller.

Size and build. The breed standard asks for an active, supple working terrier that is slightly longer than it is tall, with body depth matching foreleg length. Height is 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in), with weight in proportion. The tail is set high and held upright on the move; for a dog docked for work, the standard places the tip level with the skull.

Coat and grooming. Three coats are accepted, smooth, broken and rough, all weatherproof and not over-trimmed. The coat is mainly white with black and/or tan markings, the tan anywhere from light to rich chestnut. The RKC suggests grooming once a week, and the coat sheds.

Exercise and home. The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day, lists the breed as suited to a flat with a small to medium garden, and marks it as a country dog. Its forebears worked foxes and kept down vermin, and the breed club describes a tenacious, strong-minded dog with a keen urge to dig.

Temperament and suitability. The standard wants a bold, fearless terrier that is also friendly and confident, and the RKC gives a lifespan of over 10 years. The name was applied loosely to many small terriers long before recognition, so not every dog sold as a Jack Russell is RKC registered or bred to this standard. See our guides to ratting and pest control terriers and flyball, compare other Terrier group breeders or browse the breed directory.

Jack Russell Terrier health tests

The RKC lists one Good Practice test for the Jack Russell Terrier, which it strongly recommends as the minimum before breeding: a DNA test for primary lens luxation (PLL). Its Best Practice list adds DNA tests for late onset ataxia (LOA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), and eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme. All three DNA conditions are autosomal recessive: a dog must inherit two faulty copies to be affected, so two carriers can produce affected puppies.

PLL is a painful eye disease in which the lens slips out of place, which can lead to glaucoma and blindness; full dislocation usually happens between three and eight years of age. LOA causes worsening loss of coordination and balance, usually first seen at 6 to 12 months. SCA is a progressive condition affecting parts of the spinal cord that carry information to the brain, with signs from as early as 2 to 6 months. The RKC sells a breed package covering all three DNA tests plus a DNA profile, and the Jack Russell Terrier Club says affected dogs should not be bred from. The breed is in Breed Watch Category 1, and the RKC has no additional breed-specific breeding restrictions. No test result can guarantee a puppy's future health.

Choosing a Jack Russell Terrier breeder

A good Jack Russell Terrier breeder DNA tests both parents for PLL at the very least, ideally for LOA and SCA as well, and has their eyes examined within the 12 months before mating, the timing the RKC's eye scheme guidance advises. Ask to see the certificates and check them on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. For each condition, mating a carrier only to a DNA-tested clear dog means no puppy should be affected by it, so ask how the pairing was chosen. Expect the breeder to be frank about living with a terrier from vermin-hunting stock, which coat type the litter is likely to carry and whether the puppies will be RKC registered. If tails are docked, ask for the vet's certificate: section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes docking in England and Wales an offence except for medical treatment or certified working dogs. Puppies must be microchipped and registered by eight weeks, and in England anyone breeding three or more litters in 12 months and selling puppies needs a council licence. Our buyer safety guide covers deposits and scams.

  • Have both parents been DNA tested for PLL, LOA and SCA, and can I see the results?
  • When were the parents' eyes last examined under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme?
  • Will the puppy be RKC registered, and what is the litter's inbreeding coefficient?
  • Do the parents come from working or show lines, and what are they like at home?
  • Have any tails been docked, and if so, can I see the vet's certificate?

Jack Russell Terrier questions

What is the difference between a Jack Russell Terrier and a Parson Russell Terrier?

Both trace back to the Rev John Russell's working terriers, but The Royal Kennel Club treats them as separate breeds with separate standards. The Jack Russell stands 25 to 30 cm and is slightly longer than tall; the RKC describes the UK type as similar to the Parson Russell in proportion but in a smaller frame. The Parson Russell standard gives an ideal height of 36 cm for dogs and 33 cm for bitches.

How much exercise does a Jack Russell need, and can one live in a flat?

The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day and lists the breed as able to live in a flat with a small to medium garden. Its forebears were working terriers, though, and the breed club describes a tenacious, strong-minded dog with a keen urge to dig, so it needs daily activity, secure fencing and something to do.

What health tests should a Jack Russell's parents have?

The RKC's minimum is a DNA test for primary lens luxation (PLL). As Best Practice it adds DNA tests for late onset ataxia (LOA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), and eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme. You can check results for RKC registered dogs on the Health Test Results Finder.

Can a Jack Russell puppy have a docked tail?

In England and Wales, section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes docking an offence except for medical treatment or for certified working dogs of permitted types, docked no later than five days old. Terriers are among the types allowed under the England regulations, but only with a vet's certificate that the dog is likely to be used for work such as lawful pest control or shooting. Docked dogs cannot be shown at events where the public pays for entry, other than to demonstrate working ability.

More for Jack Russell Terrier owners and breeders

Official sources