Jack Russells Punching Above Their Weight


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As a breed, a lot of people describe the Jack Russell as “confident.” Some say they “enjoy a spirited argument” or that they never back down from a fight.

They’re a working dog, and one line of work they’re particularly suited for is keeping larger — sometimes much larger — animals in line.

A Jack Russell can be a great help, for example, at herding cattle. Or big cats. Or even being a companion and dominant friend to wild animals much larger than themselves.

Yes, Jack Russell Terriers may be small, but they’re made to run with the big dogs…and more.

Have You Herd About This?

The Jack Russell was bred as a hunting dog, not a herding dog. And yet their confidence, speed, agility, and energy level are ideally suited to moving large animals around. Check out these herding Jacks in action.

This feisty little Jack can rival the legendary border collie with its quick thinking and action. Watch his owner put him through his paces — and watch as he puts the sheep through theirs.

Pigs are big, smart, and ornery. Watch this JRT run rings around them!

Yes, people do use JRTs to herd cattle, but these two just want to be friends.

Dot herds goats and sheep together. Looks like she gets their goat and gets them to chase her, rather than nudging them forward.

Big Besties

We’ve featured a lot of best friend pairs that consist of a JRT and a large predatory mammal. It seems to be strangely common. Is it only a matter of confidence? Or is there something else going on? In addition to predators, you can catch Jacks palling around with lots of creatures many times larger than themselves.

Check out this Jack who seems absolutely, tail-waggingly thrilled to be in the company of this fully-grown tiger. And when the tiger oversteps it boundaries, the Jack sorts the tiger out quickly. According to the poster, the two are cage-mates, who even feed together and miss each other terribly when the other is absent.

This Jack looks like it knows who is boss. The Shepherd looks like it knows as well!

This Jack Russell loves to mix it up with the resident Rottweiler. The pit bull they share their home with can’t be bothered to join the fun — and it is fun. Despite the barking and teeth, notice how the two take turns playing the “dominant” role, and they stop to take breaks now and then as well.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course. And this Jack just loves its horse.

And speaking of horses, Spanky’s owners described him as “a wild little stallion,” until he met Dally. They hit it off immediately, and now Dally not only rides Spanky around, but is the only one who can!

A Big Dog in a Small Package

The Jack Russell Terrier is a lot of dog in a very small space. We think it only makes them spunkier!

Does your Jack Russell have a Big Buddy? Tell us about it in the comments!

Featured Image: CC BY-SA 3.0, by Miyagawa, via Wikimedia Commons

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