Did you know that there are three different coat types for a Jack Russell Terrier? There are and all three are correct! Rough, broken, and smooth are all used to describe the different coats our breed can have. They may look different, but all three must still have a rough, coarse feel to them in order to properly protect the dog. Some people see an ungroomed Jack Russell and think it cannot be purebred because they have never seen one so hairy. That is not the case at all! Here is a collage of my own dogs....all four are JRTCA Jack Russell Terriers. 3 are registered and one is only 4 months old, so she will be registered in November. There is a smooth, a rough, and two degrees of broken coat in this collage and none of them are groomed.
Here is another interesting tidbit about coats...you might think those long haired, rough coated jacks would be horrible shedders and the smooth coats would be great, right? Well...true to their personality, not for a Jack! Those smooth coats shed WAY worse than any broken or rough coat I have had! And smooth does not mean they do not need groomed. Because they do shed, they really do need to be brushed to get that dead hair out. So if you are thinking you want a smooth coated Jack Russell Terrier because they will not shed, think again!!! If you are still determined, know that smooth is a recessive trait for the jacks, so that can make them hard to find or produce. I won't say *rare*, but they are not as common.
*Ignore Kermit's ears. He got REALLY sick a few years ago and has opted to wear them up since he was 5 years old. Sometimes you just gotta let the old farts do their thang!