So You Got a Jack Russell Terrier…

September 29, 2026

As a professional organizer, I spend a lot of time thinking about how our homes support the lives we actually live. And if you share your home with animals, they’re part of that equation too.

Our pets affect our routines, what we keep by the door, how we arrange our yards, what cleaning products we use, where we store food, and sometimes even how securely we need to contain the trash.

And then there are Jack Russells.

I got my first Jack Russell Terrier more than ten years ago, and one thing became apparent very quickly:

These are not ordinary dogs.

I mean that with all the love in the world.

We recently got back from Ruckus in the Rockies, my first-ever JRT trial, held in beautiful Florence, Colorado, the antique capital of Colorado! Being surrounded by Jack Russells racing, hunting, jumping and generally doing all the things they were bred to do reminded me just how unique these little dogs are.

Then a friend of mine adopted a one-year-old Jack Russell.

Naturally, I couldn’t help myself.

I immediately started giving him unsolicited advice.

After more than a decade of living with these hilarious, smart, stubborn, athletic little dogs, I’ve learned a few things, sometimes the hard way. So if you’ve recently brought home a Jack, here are some things I wish someone had told me.

Get Pet Insurance

This is probably the least exciting advice on this list, but it’s one of the first things I told my friend.

Jack Russells get into stuff.

I’ve had Trupanion pet insurance for my dogs, and for me it has been well worth the cost. I’ve used it when my previous Jack needed leg surgery after a terrier-induced incident, after she survived a terrifying dog fight (which I’m honestly still traumatized by), and later when she developed kidney disease and heart problems. There were several other incidents along the way, too.

Hopefully you’ll never need it.

But…you got a Jack Russell.

Warn the Kids: These Dogs Hunt

I told my friend this immediately: warn your kids.

My last Jack caught at least half a dozen rats while we were walking around the neighborhood.

She was on a six-foot leash.

I didn’t even know the rats were there!

I screamed every single time.

Eventually, to my horror, I learned that she wouldn’t release a rat she’d killed until I praised her with a cheerful, “Good job!”

My current girl is no slouch, either. The family I adopted her from in Austin told me she once killed an opossum that was bigger than she was.

Jack Russells were bred to hunt. Chasing animals isn’t necessarily your dog being naughty. You’re living with a dog whose genetics can be screaming GET IT!!! while you’re screaming something entirely different.

Which brings me to recall.

Practice Recall. And Then Practice It Some More.

Get a little treat pouch and fill it with really good treats.

Not boring treats.

I’m talking Real Meat treats, tiny pieces of hot dog, or whatever makes your dog look at you like you are suddenly the most fascinating person on Earth.

Practice the basics regularly:

Sit. Stay. Come. Touch. YES! Treat!

Practice when nothing interesting is happening and then gradually introduce distractions. Make paying attention to you incredibly rewarding.

And regardless of how good your Jack’s recall becomes, I would never personally trust mine off-leash near a road.

A squirrel can make years of education temporarily irrelevant.

Know Where You’re Going in an Emergency

If you don’t live somewhere with a 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic, figure out your plan before you have an emergency.

Find out whether your regular veterinarian provides after-hours emergency care. If not, know where the nearest emergency clinic is, how far away it is, and what you’ll do if something happens at 10 p.m. on a Sunday.

I’ve made many trips to emergency vets over the years, and I have been incredibly grateful to have access to them.

This is one of those little pieces of household organization that doesn’t seem terribly important until suddenly it’s extremely important.

Keep your vet’s information, insurance information and emergency-vet information somewhere you can access it quickly.

Find a Trainer Who Understands Terriers

I’ve done a lot of different kinds of dog training over the years, from purely positive-reinforcement training to working with a trainer who trained Mastiffs as guard dogs.

The class that helped me understand my Jack the most was called Terrier Basics.

Terriers are intelligent, determined and highly motivated by things that may be considerably more exciting than you are.

If you’re struggling with training, find a qualified trainer who understands terriers specifically and can help you choose appropriate training techniques and equipment for your individual dog.

Whatever Walking Equipment You Use, Have a Backup

I learned this one from experience, and I cannot emphasize it enough: always have a backup connection.

I’ve had prong collars pop apart while my dog was wearing them. Not once, multiple times. I’ve also had a leash unexpectedly detach from a prong collar, also more than once.

Both are absolutely terrifying.

Before it happens to you, it’s easy to think, How would a prong collar just come apart? How would a leash possibly unclip itself? I would have thought the same thing. But I’ve personally experienced both failures multiple times, with different dogs and different equipment.

That’s why I will never use a prong collar without a secondary attachment to another collar or harness. You can use a safety clip or small carabiner to connect the prong collar to a backup collar, or use a double-ended leash with one end attached to the prong collar and the other attached to a separate collar or harness.

I also prefer leashes with locking clasps. I like my Ruffwear Front Range leash for exactly that reason, and I’m a big fan of Mendota leashes as well. I even got Mendota to make me a custom double ended leash.

It might feel like overkill, right up until the moment your dog’s collar comes apart on a walk.

With a Jack Russell, especially near a road, that backup connection could be incredibly important.

Terrier-Proof Your House

If you’ve ever childproofed a house, owning a Jack Russell can feel vaguely familiar, except your toddler can jump four feet in the air and has a prey drive.

Never underestimate how smart, athletic and determined these dogs are.

Something being “up high” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s out of reach. Pay attention to chairs, stools, furniture and other objects that can become a convenient launching pad to a counter or table. If there’s something interesting up there, a Jack may figure out a way to get to it.

Food needs to be securely stored, and trash cans should have lids your dog can’t easily open or knock off. Be especially careful with things that could be dangerous if swallowed: medications, chocolate, xylitol-containing products, raisons, onions, or other food scraps, bones and anything else that smells remotely edible.

And don’t forget the things that aren’t food.

Jack Russells are curious. They’re problem solvers. A bored terrier may investigate bags, boxes, cabinets, laundry, purses or anything else that looks like it might contain treasure.

I try to think about my house from terrier level: What can they reach? What can they climb? What can they knock over? What can they open? And what might suddenly become fascinating when I’m not in the room?

This is one of those places where organizing really does become a safety tool. Giving food, medications, trash and potentially dangerous objects secure homes doesn’t just make your house less cluttered, it makes it easier to live with a very clever little dog.

Because if you find yourself thinking, There’s absolutely no way she could get to that…

Move it anyway.

Secure the Yard

Jack Russells are astonishingly good at finding weaknesses in containment.

If yours starts digging underneath a chain-link fence, there are metal dig barriers you can stake into the ground and secure to the fence.

And here’s one of the less glamorous tricks I’ve used:

Dog poop.

If your Jack has selected a particular excavation site, putting some of their poop into the hole before filling it back in with soil can discourage them from immediately reopening their construction project.

At least for a while.

They’re terriers. I make no promises.

Brush Their Teeth

This is one I’m almost religious about now.

Every night, I use enzymatic toothpaste made for dogs and a little children’s toothbrush.

One of my dogs is still in the I will lick this delicious substance from the toothbrush, thank you phase.

The other lets me actually brush all of his teeth.

With my previous dog, I kept up with professional dental cleanings, but I didn’t brush her teeth every day. Looking back, I wish I had.

Along with good nutrition, exercise, veterinary care and a safe and loving home, regular dental care is one of those relatively small habits that can make a meaningful difference over a dog’s lifetime.

Your Jack May Have Opinions About Your Laundry Products

Here’s something that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out:

My dogs don’t want their bedding to smell like a dryer sheet.

I avoid fabric softener and scented detergent on dog bedding (and really all my laundry). I’ve watched my dogs actively kick freshly washed, lightly scented bedding away.

Eventually, I started paying more attention to fragrances throughout the house, too.

Candles, diffusers, essential oils and fragranced laundry products may smell wonderful to us, but dogs experience scent very differently. Some essential oils can also be unsafe for pets, depending on the oil, concentration and type of exposure.

My previous Jack was incredibly itchy for a period of time, and I eventually noticed that her itching improved when I stopped using so many scented products in the house. I’ve noticed sensitivity to fragrance with my current dogs as well.

Now I keep their bedding and immediate environment as fragrance-free as possible.

Organize Your Home for the Dog You Actually Have

This is where my life as a professional organizer and my life as a Jack Russell person really come together.

Your home should support the life that’s actually happening inside it.

If you have a Jack Russell, that might mean keeping a treat pouch hanging next to the leash. It might mean having a dedicated basket for dog towels. It might mean keeping your emergency-vet information easy to find, having a backup leash ready to go, securing the bottom of your fence, or making sure anything a curious terrier could get into is stored somewhere they absolutely cannot reach.

You may need a place by the door for leashes, harnesses, poop bags and treats. You may need a dog-medication station. You may need washable blankets on the furniture and a designated spot for muddy towels.

That’s organizing, too.

Good organizing isn’t about creating a house that looks perfect. It’s about creating a home that works for the people and animals who actually live there.

And when one of those animals happens to be a Jack Russell Terrier, you may need a few more systems than you expected.

You may also need patience, a sense of humor, excellent reflexes and an emergency-vet fund.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Last but not least, Join the JRTCA

If you have a Jack Russell, or you’re thinking about getting one, I also really recommend learning about the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America (JRTCA). The JRTCA is the national breed club and registry for Jack Russells in the United States, but what I especially love about the organization is its commitment to preserving the Jack Russell as a working terrier.

These dogs weren’t developed simply to look a certain way. Their intelligence, courage, athleticism, drive, sound structure, and ability to work are a huge part of what makes a Jack Russell a Jack Russell. The JRTCA has worked for decades to protect those qualities rather than allowing the breed to become increasingly standardized around appearance alone.

And you don’t need to hunt with your dog to belong! Pet owners are welcome, too. Membership helps support the preservation of the breed and also connects you with a wonderful community of people who really understand these funny, intense, incredibly smart little dogs. Members can participate in JRTCA-sanctioned trials, receive True Grit magazine, access member resources and certificate programs, and register or record eligible terriers with the JRTCA.

Going to our first JRTCA trial made me appreciate the organization even more. Watching Jack Russells race, go to ground, navigate agility courses, and use the instincts they were bred for gave me a completely different appreciation for the breed. I love that there is an organization actively working to make sure those qualities aren’t lost.

You can learn more about the JRTCA and membership at The Real Jack Russell website.