Is a Jack Russell Terrier a good dog for a family with young children?

Question
We recently adopted a 2 years old Jack Russell Terrier from a rescue center . They told us she had been brought up with young children and that she was very loving. The first week or so went quite well.  She is a very calm dog in the house. She doesn't bark and is very affectionate to visitors .As she gained confidence ,she has started growling at our two years'old son when he tries to handle her. She seems quite an anxious dog . She follows me around all the time,wants to be on our lap any chance she gets. She is terrible in the car. She is highly anxious when we leave her and poos and wees most days in the house when alone (and has had accidents even when we are in also).She has escaped a few times and doesn't respond well to command outside. We have made changes to try to change the pack order ,which seem to have worked and she seems more obedient towards our son ( we have a 5 Years'old daughter which she loves very much). But ultimately, we wonder if we made a mistake taking her. Are Jack Russell Dogs really safe around children and we are not sure anymore if we are able to help her, as we are  not experienced with the breed? We are thinking maybe we should give her up, but we feel very sad about it, because she is very sweet and loving.Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Answer

Connor Stephanie -

I hate to give you the answer you seem to already know. The vast majority of jack russells are high drive dogs since they were bred to hunt and be very aggressive towards prey. This also makes them a bad combination with cats many times.

For instance, my own jack just adores children, but is just way too enthusiastic to be great around little kids.  He loves them so much he knocks them over.  On the other hand he has been a doll with my toddler grandsons and lets them lead him around, etc.  On yet another hand, he's in trouble all the time. Connor escapes, doesn't listen at all if he's loose outside our dog yard, digs, goes in cabinets after mice (real or imagined) and hunts anything that moves.  He is also terrible with other male dogs.

Now - does this mean he's a bad dog ?  No. It just means he's the quintissential jack russell and would not be a good choice for a young family because he's so high maintenance.

In all honesty, this is exactly why there are so many jacks in the shelters.

Many, many people pick breeds that are just not a good match. Terriers are not for everyone. There are terrier people, and few people are terrier people. They are adorable, they are funny, and they are affectionate.... but they are high drive dogs, and that means they have needs beyond those that dogs like golden retreivers, labs, bichons, poodles, and the like.

As a person active in rescue, I always hate to tell people that they may have chosen the wrong dog. However, when a match is wrong everyone suffers - both the people and the dog.  Here's the best breed selection tool I have ever seen. It even said I'm a terrier person ! (imagine that)

http://www.glowdog.com/bestdog/

At the very least, I strongly recommend using a crate when you're not home, and obedience classes are essential.

Please let me know how you make out.

-Beth