Jack Russell Shedding

by Stephanie
(Curacao)

Is it normal for a Jack Russel Terrier to leave a lot of hair behind? I have to clean every day twice.

Editor Comment, Jack Russell Shedding

Hi Stephanie,

A Jack Russell is what is known as a double coated breed. There are also 3 types of Jack Russell coats. All three types continuously shed:

• Rough Coat: Jacks with a rough coat have a very dense undercoat.


• Broken Coat: Part rough and part smooth.


• Smooth Coat: Smooth coat Jack Russell dogs shed more than the other two types. If you have a smooth coated dog, then what appears to be excessive shedding is normal. Continuous shedding is expected.

Jack Russell hair also works into fabrics and are known to be difficult to pick up. Unfortunately this is a year round problem when you have a Jack.

I'd suggest brushing your dog daily in order to catch as much hair as possible before it shed, particularly if you have a Smooth coated Jack Russell. One tips is after brushing, go over your jack with a soaked and squeezed magnet cloth.

Rough or broken coat grooming is a bit more difficult. Here you'll need a slicker brush to start, a wide toothed comb, and a knife with a dull blade such as a McClennan knife. You'll want to pull the hair away from your Jack, and then cut the long hairs that have stopped growing, but have not fallen out. Ask your groomer for instructions. You can also save some time with an electric clipper.

Last, consider a good dog vacuum (the Kenmore Intuition is the top rated dog hair vacuum in Consumer Reports for pet hair), and see if a hand held tool like the Pledge Fabric Sweeper is of help (under $6 so worth trying).

Best of luck. With regular grooming and care, you should be able to establish a grooming routine that works well for you and that keeps your Jack's coat looking great.