From The Shooting Times in the U.K.:
What then, exactly, is a real Jack Russell terrier? I asked Eddie Chapman, renowned in the hunting and working terrier world for his expertise, not only as a terrierman — having worked for some 15 packs of hounds — but also for his determined efforts to retain the essence of the genuine working Jack Russell. ...
To answer my question Eddie cupped his hands to the size, as he saw it, of a vixen’s chest. “The real Jack Russell must have a shallow, narrow chest similar in size to that of a vixen,” he said. “Most working Jack Russells are 12in and under in height. Above that height means that they are restricted to where they can work. The dog should weigh a pound to an inch.”
The Parson Russell terrier is bred for showing, not working. It is taller than a Jack Russell, has a longer head and larger chest and is adapted to the show bench rather than the hunting field. As such it does not, in my opinion, deserve to be associated with Parson John Russell. The West Country terrier that was bred to work with hounds and bolt foxes is now eligible to sit on the benches at Crufts and to be preened, polished and shampooed for the show ring.
- Related Links:
** Cracking Tired Chestnuts About Form and Function
** Never Too Small a Chest
** The Limits of Flexibile Chests
** Form for Function: Span Quarry, Not Just Dogs
** The Good Stuff
** A Wrench that Doesn't Fit
** Out of the Ring and Into the Den
** Artificial Dens, Big Dogs and Fair Chase
** The Measured Size of Red Fox
** Measurement Informs, Exaggeration Deforms
** What Flint Can Tell Us About Working Terriers
No comments:
Post a Comment