The Northern Parson Russell Terrier Club

General Appearance
Workmanlike, active and agile; built for speed and endurance. Overall picture of balance and flexibility. Honourable scars permissible.

Characteristics
Essentially a working terrier with ability and conformation to go to ground and run with hounds.

Temperament
Bold and friendly.

Head and Skull
Flat, moderately broad, gradually narrowing to the eyes. Shallow stop. Length from nose to stop slightly shorter than from stop to occiput. Nose black.

Eyes
Almond-shaped, fairly deep-set, dark, keen expression.

Ears
Small, V-shaped, dropping forward, carried close to head, tip of ear to reach corner of eye, fold not to appear above top of skull. Leather of moderate thickness.

Mouth
Jaws strong, muscular. Teeth with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Clean, muscular, of good length, gradually widening to shoulders.

Forequarters
Shoulders long and sloping, well laid back, cleanly cut at withers. Legs strong, must be straight with joints turning neither in nor out. Elbows close to body, working free of the sides.

Body
Ribs not over-sprung. Chest of moderate depth, not to come below point of elbow, capable of being spanned behind the shoulders by average size hands. Back strong and straight. Loin slightly arched. Well balanced. Overall length slightly longer than height from withers to ground.

Hindquarters
Strong, muscular with good angulation and bend of stifle. Hocks set low and rear pasterns parallel giving plenty of drive.

Feet
Compact with firm pads, turning neither in nor out.

Tail
Customarily docked.
Docked: Length complimenting the body while providing a good handhold. Strong, straight, moderately high set, carried well up on the move.
Undocked: Of moderate length and as straight as possible, giving a general balance to the dog, thick at the root and tapering towards the end. Moderately high set, carried well up on the move.

Gait/Movement
Free-striding, well co-ordinated; straight action front and behind.

Coat
Naturally harsh, close and dense, whether rough or smooth. Belly and undersides coated. Skin must be thick and loose.

Colour
Entirely white or predominantly white with tan, lemon or black markings, or any combination of these colours, preferably confined to the head and/or root of tail.

Size
Most importantly a working terrier should be capable of being spanned behind the shoulders by average sized hands. Ideal height at withers: dogs 36 cms (14 ins.), bitches 33 cms (13 ins.) It is recognised that smaller terriers are required for work in certain areas and lower heights are therefore quite acceptable provided that soundness and balance are maintained.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note - Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

THE REVEREND JACK RUSSELL   

The Famous hunting Parson was born in Dartmouth, South Devon on 12th December 1795, of a fox hunting family. Hunting was a passion that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Even at boarding school he kept hounds in secret, until his headmaster found out and he was severely reprimanded. He went to Oxford where he continued to hunt and it was here he acquired his first terrier Trump from a local milkman, which was said to be the animal “that Russell had only seen in his dreams.” Davies. Russell's biographer said of Trump “ In the first place the colour is white with just a patch of dark tan over each eye and ear, while a similar dot, not larger than a penny piece, marks the root of the tail. The coat, which is thick, close and a trifle wiry, is well calculated to protect the body from wet and cold, but has no affinity with the long rough jacket of a Scotch Terrier. The legs are straight as arrows, the feet perfect; the loins and confirmation of the whole frame indicative of hardihood and endurance, while the size and height of the animal may be compared to that of a full-grown vixen fox.” After gaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees Russell became a deacon and was subsequently ordained in 1820. He returned to Devon as a curate and married his bride Penelope Bury who was also a keen huntswoman.

The appearance of the Parson is workmanlike, built for speed and endurance. They are essentially a working terrier used to run with foxhounds, so must have the confirmation to allow them to go to ground after the fox. Their job is not to worry or kill the fox but to flush it.

Parsons have an out going personality and should be bold and friendly, they are very versatile and can be used for many different jobs. We have used them for obedience, agility, and ferreting and for beating a shoot. I have also heard of them being used to herd sheep. They are very trainable but need a firm kind hand.

A Parson can make a very faithful affectionate companion and are generally good with children. They enjoy home comforts but like the outdoor life as well. They make good alarm dogs letting you know if any one is coming (I do not need a doorbell). They can be naughty with other dogs so care should be taken when out on a walk.

Exercise
The Parson is quite an active dog enjoying walks; they like to chase rabbits and hares. They can go deaf when on the hunt so training is important to get them to come back to you. When you get home they will have a little 5-minute nap and will be up ready to go again.

Grooming
The Russell can have 3 types of coat rough, broken and smooth. All having dense double coats with the same harsh, weatherproof texture. The first is the most difficult to groom needing stripped by hand at least twice a year, they should never be clipped as this spoils the texture of the coat as the clipper cuts both top and undercoat at the same time. Broken coated dogs also need stripped but their coat is not as profuse as the rough coat so is easier to strip. Smooths are the easiest of all to groom just requiring a good brush once a week; I find this coat the worse for shedding. A weekly brush to all types of coat should suffice. Bathing is not usually necessary as the dirt, when it dries just falls off the coat and the dog will look spotlessly clean again (unless they roll in something smelly).

Housing
Parsons can live in or outside as they are hardy little dogs but they do enjoy being curled up next to you on the sofa or lying next to the fire. However if you are kenneling them they will need a warm, draft-free kennel with clean warm bedding and a good-sized run.

Health
There are a few hereditary problems with Parsons, Primary Lens Luxation and Hereditary Cataract, so always buy from eye-tested stock. Generally the parson is a healthy little dog living an average of 14 years and more if kept fit and fed the correct diet.
As with any dog, their teeth are very important so cleaning them once a week will keep any problems at bay.
Nails should not have to be clipped, if the feet are the correct shape and they are walked on a hard surface but if they get long, clip them at least every two weeks.

Feeding
Always follow the breeders diet sheet when you buy a puppy, you do not want to upset the puppies digestive system, you can gradually modify the diet to suit your own needs. The easiest types to feed are the complete diets, which contain the entire vital ingredients that your puppy needs.

Buying A Puppy
Always buy a puppy from a reputable breeder who has eye-tested stock, and always see the puppy with their mother. It may be a good idea to go to a show or phone the breed club puppy register for list of puppies available.