A young Jack Russell may be leery of small
children and babies the first time that they encounter them, but
will quickly adapt. Once a Jack Russell has become accustomed to
the presence of little people he will often enjoy their company
and the enthusiasm that children usually show in playing games of
fetch and other activities that Jacks love. It's important to note
that a Jack Russell will not tolerate being manhandled or abused
by anyone, small children or adults. The Jack is unique in this
way as it has one of the most well defined senses of personal
boundaries of any dog breed, which is often unexpected because of
its size. A Jack will quickly and aggressively defend itself
against any form of abuse, even unintentional. Very small children
who are prone to pinching, grabbing or squeezing the dog should be
kept at a safe distance. Children should be taught from an early
age how to properly treat the dog and what type of interaction is
inappropriate.Jack Russell's are very
friendly and outgoing to both humans and other dogs, often ready
to play with other canine breeds upon first meeting. It is very
common though for a Jack Russell to exhibit aggression and
dominance toward other dogs of the same sex. The male Jack is
happy to play with other dogs, as long as they know he is the
alpha male. A very common mental quirk among Jack Russell's is
what's known as the Napoleon Complex. The Napoleon Complex can
best be described as the inability to recognize the reality of a
situation. The key trait of this complex is that the dog will
behave as if it is much bigger than it is, and refuse to accept
any type of dominant behavior from another breed, even if much,
much larger. Jack's who exhibit this trait are essentially
fearless and will try to press its own dominance onto another
animal, no matter its size. It's as if the jack doesn't realize
how small it is at all. Their alpha attitude quite surprisingly
can work to their advantage, and the Jack has been known to easily
scare of dogs and other animals that are much larger than it.
