How to Groom Your Jack Russell Terrier

Jack Russell Terriers come in three coat types: smooth, broken, and rough. The smooth coat is exactly what it sounds like: a short, smooth expanse of fur that lies flat along the body. The difference between rough and broken, however, can sometimes be harder to see. A JRT with a broken coat has a smooth under-coat with longer, wiry "guard hairs" that lay atop the under-coat. Rough-coated JRTs have a thick, dense, sometimes fluffy under-coat, and longer guard hairs than the typical broken coat. These guard hairs are what give the JRT its signature scruffy look. We have some of each type, and there are times when I truly believe that the smooth coat JRTs shed worse than any of the others.

On the whole, I'd rather spend an hour a day vacuuming the carpets in the house than spending several hours a week hand-stripping a rough or broken coated JRT. The vacuum cleaner is a lot easier on the fingers! But, there's no denying how great a terrier looks when it's been well-groomed and hand-stripped.

Hand-stripping is the "preferred" method of thinning the coat on a Jack Russell that is to be shown in the conformation ring. Unlike using a stripping comb or clippers, hand-stripping leaves the coat in its natural state. A comb will often leave behind broken hairs, and clippers leave the coat with an unnaturally smooth look.

However hard hand-stripping can be on your hands, I can't argue with how good it makes a dog look when it's done well. When doing it for the first time, though, it's best to work in small sections. First, your hands won't be up to stripping the whole dog at once, and your dog probably won't want to sit still for it either.