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Breed guide · Dogs
He watches the car park for cats from the back of the sofa. I've put a cushion there for him.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Holes in the garden, sand flying at the beach, and a cushion dug flat before every nap.
What's going onTerrier comes from the Latin for earth. They were bred to dig towards an animal underground and dig back out. Give them one place where digging is allowed, and bury something there for them to find.
At home
Frozen at the window, fixed on the cats in the car park below.
What's going onThey were bred to go after small animals and not stop. Training will not take the urge away, only give you a say in it. Keep them on a lead wherever there are cats, and give them a toy to chase at home every day instead.
At home
The door, the lift, the delivery driver, the bird on the railing.
What's going onA terrier underground barked so the hunt could hear where to dig, and the loudest dogs were kept. Shouting back sounds like joining in. Let them bark twice, thank them, and call them away.
At home
Squaring up to a dog three times their size in the park.
What's going onThey were bred to face a fox in the dark and stay. They do not judge size, and they do not always walk away. Keep greetings with strange dogs short, and choose a few calm dogs they can call friends.
At home
A long walk, a game in the flat, and still looking at you for more.
What's going onA Jack Russell was built to keep up with horses through a day's hunting. A short walk round the block leaves most of that engine running. They need a proper walk in the cool hours and a job for their head.
At home
A hop on a back leg for a step or two, then off again as if nothing happened.
What's going onThat may be a slipping kneecap. They were bred to ignore pain, so the skip is often all you get. Tell your vet about it rather than waiting for a limp.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Behind a hunt from morning to night.
In Dubai: Often in a flat for the working day.
Their quarry
Built for: A fox underground, barked at until someone dug down.
In Dubai: The cats in the car park.
Their walk
Built for: All day, behind horses and hounds.
In Dubai: Too hot to walk far for half the year.
The digging, the barking and the chasing mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a hunt. You can give them a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Jack Russell at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will dig either way. One place where it is allowed saves the rest of the house.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will dig either way. One place where it is allowed saves the rest of the house.
What to do
Set up a sandpit or a big tub of play sand. Bury a toy or part of their dinner while they watch, then let them find it. When they dig somewhere else, take them to their corner.
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you.
What to do
Keep them on a lead in compounds, car parks and anywhere cats or birds gather. Practise recall on a long line in a quiet, fenced place, and only let them off once their recall holds with a cat in sight.
A Jack Russell who gets to chase and catch something with you is calmer everywhere else.
Every age, gentler games for puppies and seniors
Why
A Jack Russell who gets to chase and catch something with you is calmer everywhere else.
What to do
Use a flirt pole (a toy on a rope at the end of a stick) or a tug toy. Let them catch it and shake it, and let them win sometimes. Teach "drop" by swapping the toy for a treat, and put the toy away when the game ends.
Barking was part of the job, and shouting sounds like joining in.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Barking was part of the job, and shouting sounds like joining in.
What to do
Let them bark twice at the door, say "thank you" calmly, call them to you and reward them. Close the curtains on the view they bark at most, and give them a chew when a delivery is due.
They were bred not to back down, and they do not judge size.
Every age, most of all up to 2 years
Why
They were bred not to back down, and they do not judge size.
What to do
Keep hellos with strange dogs to three seconds, then walk on. Skip the dog park when it is busy, and meet the same few calm dogs often. If they start getting into fights, contact your vet.
They learn fast when it is worth their while, and get bored fast when it is not.
Every age, most of all up to 4 years
Why
They learn fast when it is worth their while, and get bored fast when it is not.
What to do
Keep sessions short and stop while they still want more. Pay them with part of their daily food. If they do not respond to sound at all, rather than just ignoring you, tell your vet.
They will keep going in any heat, and they are close to the hot ground.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
They will keep going in any heat, and they are close to the hot ground.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Take water, and save the long walk for the cool hours.
Dental disease is a risk at every stage of their life.
Every age, from the week they come home
Why
Dental disease is a risk at every stage of their life.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste, a few seconds at first. Once a week, check their gums for redness or brown build-up. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan at their puppy visits, and dental cleaning from age two to four.
A slipping kneecap and a hip problem called Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) are the first health risks in a young Jack Russell.
Every age, most of all up to 4 years
Why
A slipping kneecap and a hip problem called Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) are the first health risks in a young Jack Russell.
What to do
Put rugs where they run on marble, and use a ramp for the sofa. Keep them lean. For a skip, a lifted back leg or chewing at a hip, contact your vet rather than waiting out a week of rest. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan from six months to four years.
They will not tell you when something is wrong.
Every age, eyes most of all 6 months to 7 years
Why
They will not tell you when something is wrong.
What to do
Run your hands over them, look at their skin and between their toes, and look at their eyes in good light. A red, cloudy or painful eye means contacting your vet the same day. Weigh them once a month.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Jack Russell types
Jack Russells were bred for work, not looks, so they vary. Longer-legged dogs were built to run with the hunt, and shorter-legged types spread in Britain and later Australia. The Kennel Club only recognised the breed in 2016, so working-bred, pedigree and cross-bred dogs are all sold as Jack Russells.
Colours
A Jack Russell is mostly white, with black or tan markings, or both. The tan runs from pale lemon to deep mahogany. The white, the story goes, was so the hunt could tell the dog from the fox.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Then plenty of calm, friendly dogs of every size before sixteen weeks, short training games, and a digging spot of their own.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting home ready
Set up a sandpit or a tub of play sand, and get a long line for recall practice, a flirt pole and sturdy tug toys. Put rugs where they run on marble, and a ramp up to the sofa.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder what health tests the parents had, for their eyes and hearing in particular, and whether either parent had a limp as a young dog. A puppy who turns to a quiet sound behind them can hear it.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep their cushion and their watch on the car park. If they stop getting up for the cats, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before 1800
Farmers and hunts in England kept small, tough terriers to go into fox and badger dens, barking until the animal bolted or someone dug down.
What they still carryThe digging, the barking, and a dog who goes into any hole they find.
1819 to 1883
In 1819 a student at Oxford, John Russell, bought a small white and tan terrier called Trump from a milkman. As a parson in Devon he bred terriers to run with the foxhounds all day.
What they still carryThe stamina, and the white coat.
Late 1800s to late 1900s
Russell's name was given to many working terriers of different shapes, and shorter-legged types spread in Britain and later Australia.
What they still carryTwo shapes of Jack Russell, and plenty in between.
2016
The Kennel Club in the UK recognised the Jack Russell Terrier as a pedigree breed in 2016. Many working-terrier clubs opposed it, to keep the dog bred for work.
What they still carryWhy two Jack Russells can look and behave so differently.
Today
In the UAE a Jack Russell lives in a flat or a villa, with no hunt to run with and a lot of cats to watch.
What they still carryAn engine built for a day's hunting, which is why they need a job.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Jack Russell suits you, so might these.
West Highland White TerrierThe same kind of dog: a small, bold British terrier, a little calmer, in a white coat with more to brush.
Border TerrierAnother small working terrier from Britain, more easy-going.
Yorkshire TerrierThe same bold, friendly temperament and big-dog confidence, in a toy terrier with a silky coat that needs daily care.
BeagleA similar small-dog life with an easy short coat, in a slightly bigger scent hound with a louder voice.
