Vikki

by Vikki
(Belton, MO)

I have two Jack Russell's, one male and one female. The male is 6 y/o and the female is 5 y/o. The female is very sweet natured, but loves to hunt for squirrels, rabbits and birds. These animals have always been intact whenever she has brought them to me. However, I came home tonight and found a headless squirrel in my bedroom. It appeared that she had chewed the head off and then vomited it up. Neither have ever done anything like this and I found it very disturbing. She went so crazy a couple of days ago chasing something small in my back yard, that she hit her tooth on a rock under my deck and knocked it completely out, root and all! Is this normal behavior for this breed?

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Oct 06, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		chasing animals
by: Paul ,,Sussex,,UK

Hi Vikki
My 4 jacks will chase anything that moves and treat it as prey. We go out in the woods every morning for at least 2 hours and they almost always kill 1 or 2 rabbits for their dinner. Very often one will bite open the rabbits head and eat it's brains. I know this sounds pretty gruesome but jacks were bred to kill rats and other small rodents. So don't worry if you're dogs show a bit of aggression, they make up for it by being cute and cuddly while you're sitting watching the telly.
Cheers,Paul.
Oct 06, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		it sounds pretty normal
by: Anonymous

It sounds pretty normal. I have two terriers. One Jack Russell and one Rat Terrier mix. They both loooooove to hunt! That's bread in to their breed so it's completely normal.

In jack russell competition, they actually don't mark off for scarring or injuries acquired from hunting because it's assumed that the tenacious attitude of the Jack Russell will get him/her in trouble like your dogs' lost tooth. I wouldn't worry about it too much except for the possibility of your dog getting sick from the squirrel. If you are up to date on all the vaccinations, she should be fine. You might want to talk to your vet and make sure she is properly vaccinated against whatever she could get from little critters.

P.S. I had to start walking my bigger dog with a Head Collar (Premier Gentle Leader) because their squirrels in the fall drive him nuts!

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