Part 2: Care and Needs

Jack Russell Terriers, as I said in the last post, are energy balls disguised in fur. So, they need lots and lots of exercise, meaning an hour in the park AT THE BARE MINIMUM, but ideally Jacks should get about 4 hours of exercise each day. This will help to burn off some of that extra fidgeting and, sometimes, aggressiveness. It's pretty obvious when these dogs want to go out: They will whine, bark, and howl until they get what they want. Once your dog comes back into the house, how will you deal with all that dirt on his paws from digging (that's another story)? Because of their small size, they can usually be washed in the kitchen sink, but don't use dishwashing fluid for bathing; it may work for seagulls rescued from an oil spill, but it ain't gonna cut it for these guys. Instead, many hair care companies make special shampoos just for dogs, and there are different kinds of them for long-, medium-, or short-haired canines. Surprisingly, JRTs can range anywhere from short-haired to long, wired-haired, so you should choose what shampoo you get carefully. Finally, these little guys are chewers, so you should always have bones or other chew toys on hand. This may OR may not stop puppies from chewing things.