- White or predominantly white with tan, lemon or black markings, or any combination of these colours.
- The colour preferably confined to the head and/or root of tail, but a little body colour is acceptable
About the Parson Russell Terrier
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-16 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 6-8 kg
- Height
- Male
- 33-38 cm
- Female
- 33-36 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Parson Russell Terrier?
Athletic, energetic white terrier with a square build and weather-resistant coat, bred for fox hunting with exceptional stamina and endurance. Known for their bold yet friendly nature and ready-for-anything attitude.
Parson Russell Terrier history and origins
Developed in the mid-1800s by Reverend John 'The Sporting Parson' Russell in southern England. Created to be an ideal earth-working terrier that could keep up with foxhounds and bolt, but not kill, fox during hunts. Standardized and recognized by the AKC in 1997 as distinct from the Jack Russell Terrier.
Parson Russell Terrier appearance and size
Males typically stand 33-38 cm at the shoulder and females 33-36 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Working terrier with ability to go to ground
- Behaviour and temperament
“Originally a terrier bred to work fox, a confident, energetic and happy dog that has the ability and conformation to go to ground. Bold and friendly”
Quoted from FCI standard n°339. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Working terrier with ability to go to ground” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 5 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Parson Russell Terrier
What you get with the Parson Russell Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Working terrier with ability to go to ground”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Originally a terrier bred to work fox, a confident, energetic and happy dog that has the ability and conformation to go…”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 13.8 years across 2499 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “trimmed) coat should appear natural, never clipped”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Parson Russell Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Whether rough, broken or smooth naturally harsh, flat, straight, close and dense with good undercoat.
Weather-resistant.
Belly and undersides coated.
The prepared (i.e. trimmed) coat should appear natural, never clipped
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°339 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers: Males: Ideal height 36 cm Females: Ideal height 33 cm Most importantly soundness and balance should be maintained whilst taking into account that this terrier, bred to work fox, should be capable of being spanned behind the shoulders by average sized hands”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°339. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Parson Russell Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Parson Russell Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Parson Russell Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Parson Russell Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Parson Russell Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.