Originally posted by Twisterdog
Jack/Parson Russells were never really meant to be pets, honestly. They are working dogs, bred for hundreds upon hundreds of years to do a job ... find, hunt down and kill small animals, and do it all independently of any human assistance, intervention or commands. Therefore, they are fast, high energy, high prey drive, stubborn and often times aggressive. This is not their fault at all - that is how people bred them to acheive the desired results ... fewer vermin. My son calls Jack/Parson Russells "dogs on crack" ... and I think he hit the nail right on the head. They MUST have training and an owner with a stronger will than they have. SOMEONE is going to be the boss in a terrier's pack, so if it's not going to be you, it WILL be them.

The behavior you descibe is not what I would call unusual whatsoever for this breed. Sounds to me like a JRT that has been allowed to get away with what he wants to, until it became too much for his owners to handle. That is exactly how I got Basil ... he growled and snapped at his timid owners, and he got his way. He scared them, and he ended up at the pound. He doesn't scare me, and we have reached an agreement ... I'm the boss. Period. You MUST be more stubborn and more dominant than the dog, or it will walk on you with all four feet.

Terriers are not for the faint of heart, but if you have the will and the intelligence to own them responsibly, they are the best of pets.
Shanna, you really hit the nail on the head here. Millie was a bit of a rebel rouser when we first got her. She tried to dominate my husband, but I never had any issues with her. She respected my position as alpha, thank goodness, or we would have been in for a REALLY long haul.

I blame it all on Fraiser and Wishbone (the TV shows). I actually cried when Wishbone came on. I knew that between the two shows it wouldn't bode well for the JRT's of the future. We've all seen what can happen when a smart dog is cast in a hit TV show or movie. Suddenly BYB's spring up on every corner. Then you have all the temperament problems compounded by ignorant people who don't know how to (or care to) bred a good quality dog.