As a hybrid breed, the Jack Tzu hasn’t had a lot of time to develop a history; and not much is known about his origin. Thankfully, we do know a lot of great information about his parent breeds, the Jack Russell Terrier and the Shih Tzu. By taking a look at where these two dogs started out and what inspired the creation of their breed, we can get an idea of why the Jack Tzu may have been created and what makes him special. The first parent breed, the Shih Tzu, is thought to be one of the more ancient dog breeds. Bred by the Tibetan lamas in Tibet, the Shih Tzu has always been thought of as resembling a tiny lion, in fact his name even means “little lion”! His big personality and fluffy coat aid in that persona and along his tiny tough nature, his gentle and loving side worked well for being a primary companion to the monks. However, he did get to use his intimidating personality to help act as a watch dog for the lamaserie and eventually earned him a place in the Chinese palace as a gift from the monks. After a while, once the end of imperial rule in China came about, the little lion dogs almost faded from existence. Fortunately, some Shih Tzus had been presented as gifts to foreigners and made their way to England. From there it was only a matter of time before the dogs were recognized by the American Kennel Club in the year 1969, and to this day the Shih Tzu is popular for his loyal and happy attitude, unique appearance, and big heart. The Jack Russell Terrier breed started out by being inspired by Trump. Not the president, but by Trump the terrier who was owned by an Oxford student by the name of Jack Russell. When Russell met Trump, he fell in love with the Terrier breed and knew he was hooked. Using Trump, Russell developed the Jack Russell Terrier to assist him in his fox hunting endeavors. This breed was well-known for a flat, compound chest and long flexible body that was perfect for diving down holes after foxes. Although the Jack Russell Terrier was eventually registered by the American Kennel Club in 1993, there was a group of people who weren’t too happy about it. The Jack Russell Terrier Club of the United States already had high standards for the Jack Russell Terrier and weren’t convinced that the AKC would meet those same standards. Thankfully for that group, the AKC could not use the Jack Russell name as it had already been trademarked by the JRTCA, so the breed is known as the Parson Russell Terrier on the AKC website. To this day, these amazing dogs are used as hunting, show, and companion animals all over the US. When these two parent breeds are combined, we can see why the Jack Tzu is so popular. They are a small, feisty, independent, and loyal breed who also has a loving and cheerful side that is hard not to love. The Jack Tzu is definitely a handful, but if you are looking for a dog that can do a number of different activities with you and will be your best friend forever, the Jack Tzu may be perfect for you.
