Among a wide range of dog breed mixes, Jack Russell terrier and Labrador mix have been in the trend for a while. If you look at the size, appearance, and temperament of both dog breeds, they are a bit different from each other, but when combined, the mix of these two dog breeds makes a compelling breed called Jackador.
Another name of Jack Russell Terrier and Labrador retriever is Jackador. Have you wondered why this dog is liked by most people nowadays? The breed comes in multiple colors, giving you an option to choose the one you want, which increases people’s interest. Also, the dog isn’t a giant dog breed, making it more of a family dog due to its small to medium size.
Want to know more about the breed? You’ve come to the right place! Let’s get started!
| TRAITS | FACTS |
| Weight | 25 to 50 lbs |
| Height | 16 to 20 inches |
| Family dog | Yes |
| Grooming | Easy |
| Coat Colors | Black, cream, brown |
| Shedding | Yes |
| Hypoallergenic | No |
| Life span | 10-14 years |
| Cost | $400-650 |
| Other names | Jackador, Jacklab, Jackdor, Lab Jack, Jack-a-Dor |
| Guard dog | Yes |
History of the breed:
Before getting into the dog breed, the foremost thing one should learn is sufficient information about the parent dog breeds. The Jack Russell Lab mix is a unique hybrid with two very different parents. The history of both parents, Labrador retriever, and Jack Russell, will help you learn about their traits which are somehow passed on in the Lab and Russell mix. That way, you will expect similar things from the dog which its parents are famous for.
Let’s have a look!
Labrador retriever:
An island in Canada, Newfoundland, is where the dog breed Labrador retriever originated and later on, in the 19th century, it was shifted to England. The Labrador retriever is the most famous dog breed in the USA because of its beautiful appearance and loving personality. The dogs are pretty intelligent, which makes the training job relatively easy for people.
The primary purpose of the dog in past years was to help the fishermen during fishing. Now, most Labradors are family dogs, but a significant number of them serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, or guide dogs.
Jack Russell Terrier:
In the early 1800s, the man who originated the dog breed Jack Russell Terrier was known as John Russell; hence the name was decided. He bred this dog to scare away the foxes with the barks of the dog. The initial purpose of the dog was to tackle different situations like hunting etc., due to their high energy and intelligence. In actuality, there were two dog breeds of similar traits except for their legs. One was Jack Russell Terrier with tiny legs, while the other was Parson Russell Terrier with large portions. Here, we will talk about Jack Russell Terrier.
Appearance of Jack Russell Lab Mix:
To depict the physical appearance of the dog, specifically the mixed-breed dog, is quite a challenging task! You know that a mixed breed is a hybrid of two distinct dog breeds with different traits. Why is that so? Let’s find out the answer!
Unlike purebred dogs, with some parents having similar traits, here, there is a chance that the hybrid may take most of the characteristics of any of the two parents. For a better explanation, a jackador can be more like the Labrador or Jack Russell, and it’s all a matter of genes and luck. We can’t decide that! But in general, the Jack Russell Lab mix has traits of both the parents and is a mix of them.
The jack Russell Lab mix is a muscular dog with a strong body, high stamina, and endurance. Their ears are triangular, but they vary in the aspect of folded and straight.
Size of the Jack Russell Lab Mix:
Jack Russell Terrier is more miniaturethan Labrador retriever, which means most of the chances are that Jackador will be a small-sized dog ranging from the Russell Terrier to the Labrador. But in few cases, the dog can get most of the Labrador and grow into a large-sized dog. The same is when the Jack Russell parent is more significant than the regular Jack Russell, and the hybrid will be more giant. Even within the same litter, the size may vary.
If we talk about the weight of the hybrid, then it usually ranges from 25 to 50 lbs; however, the dog’s height can be anywhere between 16 to 12 inches depending on the fact that from which parent does it inherits the most.
Coat of the Jack Russell Lab Mix:
As both the parent dog breeds have water-resistant coats, so does the mix. This means they love to swim and can be physically active by swimming. The length of the skin is short, but the texture is most likely dense.
As mentioned earlier, the Jack Russell Lab mix comes in various coat colors, moving towards the coat color. Isn’t it exciting? You bet! The Jack Russell Terrier dog comes in coat colors, including brown and white usually, but the Lab has many options such as Chocolate, Yellow, Black, and white. Luckily, the Jack Russell Lab mix most of the time inherit the coat color of the Labrador, which means it can come in cream, brown, or black color.
Temperament of Jack Russell Lab Mix:
Whether you look at Labrador or Jack Russell Terrier, both are working dogs with high energy and stamina. This means the Jack Russell Lab mix will have the same traits and be a powerful and energetic dog. But to maintain their endurance and energy, it is better to keep their physical activity on track.
What’s next? The Jack Russell Lab mix can be a perfect companion of its owner, as it is one of the best examples of loyalty. They don’t have an aggressive nature which makes them ideal family dogs, but early socialization plays an essential role in maintaining their loving nature. The affectionate and caring personality of the dog makes everyone fall for them. Besides, they have remarkable intelligence, which makes it very easy to train them.
Physical Activity of Jack Russell Terrier:
It is critical to make your dog release its energy in many ways; also, the dog requires a specific physical activity to remain healthy and active. You can let them swim, take them out for a walk, make them run on the park track, go for hikes with them, or play fetch with them. But make sure you are letting the dog do some physical activity for at least 30 minutes.
What happens if you don’t do it? The consequences can be harmful! Your dog will start to chew on different things at your house or bring aggression in their behavior. This is the least you might you’re your dog to be, so never ignore its activity requirement.
Does the dog have an aggressive nature?
At some point, you might observe aggressiveness in every dog due to particular reasons. The same is the case with the Jack Russell Lab mix. The dog does not have aggression in its personality, but some causes may lead to aggression, which is prettystandard. Unlike some other dog breeds, the aggression of Jackador is never that much of a risk for you.
You must be wondering what reasons could trigger its aggression? We’ve got your back! In such cases, where the dog feels that someone will harm it or any family members, including the owner, it shows aggression to protect itself or the owner for safety purposes.
A better way to reduce the chances of aggression is early socialization with proper training, as this will make the dog comfortable around other people and make it learn how to react around them.
Can the dog have stubbornness in its personality?
We cannot say that all the Jack Russell Lab mix dogs are stubborn because the personality traits of every dog differ, even the one of the same litter. The hybrid has the sound characteristics of their parents inherited in it, but the bad ones can also appear.
This means that some of the Jackadors have stubbornness in their nature. Now, what are the consequences? It might be possible that they don’t follow your instructions right away due to their stubborn nature. You will have to put a lot of effort into training the stubborn ones.
Is Jack Russell Lab mix a good watchdog?
The Jack Russell Terrier was a guard dog and was famous for its hunting traits; however, the Labrador retriever features similar characteristics. This clarifies that Jack Russell Lab mix is a good watchdog, and guarding is its quality. The qualities like highly conservative nature, courage, and strength enhance its ability to protect.
What if the dogs are aggressive towards any invader or unknown person? As the Jack Russell Lab Mix is a good watchdog, it is possessive about its owner and the family members. If it observes any stranger entering the house, it can show aggressive behavior to scare them off as a danger alert.
Grooming of Jack Russell Lab mix:
Grooming the Jackador is not a tough job as they have a short coat, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it at all. It is recommended to bathe the dog for better hygiene. Besides, brushing their coat is necessary to avoid entangled hair.
Also, don’t forget to trim their nails whenever they grow more than average and brush their teeth. To avoid ear infections, try to keep them clean as much as you can.
How often should I bathe my Jackador?
As the dog doesn’t require much grooming, it is not necessary to shower it daily. When a dog owner daily washes his pup, it may lose some essential skin oils, which is not a good sign. Hence, always prefer bathing your dog just once a week.
Is the hybrid Jackador hypoallergenic?
NO! As both the parent dog breeds shed a lot, so does the hybrid. Hence, shedding can cause n allergic reaction to anyone who is allergic to dogs. If you are looking for a hypoallergenic mix, this one is not for you at all.
Health Concerns of Jack Russell Lab Mix:
Before going towards the health concerns, it is essential to know why it is necessary to know about them. When you plan on buying the dog, it is pretty critical that you know about the parent dog’s health. If, in any case, either of the parents is suffering from some disease, there is a maximum chance it will pass onto the hybrid. So, always get both parents checked that they are entirely healthy to avoid any genetic disease in the combination.
Although the Labrador and Jack Russell Terrier are healthy dogs, there is always a chance to catch some disease. Let’s look at the most common possible disorders in both the parent breeds that can be passed on to the hybrid. Some can be genetic, while others can be accidental or viral or due to any other underlying cause.
Jack Russell Terriers
Eye diseases:
Cataracts, displaced eye lens (scientifically known as lns luxxation), extremely high pressure in the eye (glaucoma) are some of the chronic eye diseases that can happen to the Jack Russell Terriers and they can inherit the risk to the Jackador.
Patellar luxation
Lameness caused by incorrect lining up of kneecap, specifically in small dogs refers to Patellar luxation. The diseases can be transferred from the parent to the offspring during its growth but, it shows its signs at an older age.
Deafness:
When the Jack Russell Terriers get old, they have a risk of complete or partial deafness that can be linked to the Jackador as well.
Labradors
Heart diseases:
As the Labrdaors have large-sized years, and yet they are floppy as well, there is a great chance they might get infection due to improper hygeine. If the Jackador has similar ears, the risk is real.
Ear infections:
Chronic degenerative valve disease also known as CDVS, Heartworm disease, and Cardiomyopathy and a lot of other heart diseases are common in labs that can be inherited in the Jackador.
Cost of Jack Russell Lab Mix:
When it comes to the cost of the dog, the most crucial factor that affects the price range is the quality of a dog. Less experienced, unprofessional, or backyard breeders ask for a meager cost as they have not invested a lot of money for the dog’s care. Hence, we cannot trust the quality.
But on the other hand, reputable breeders take a lot of care of the dogs and own them as if they belong to them. Hence, a reputable breeder will more likely ask for the average price for the Jack Russell Lab mix dog. The average cost of the Jackador ranges from 400$ to 650$.
The lifespan of the Jack Russell Lab Mix:
This mixed breed is a healthy dog, and it has a higher lifespan than other hybrids but less than the Jack Russell parent. On average, a Jackador lives for about 10 to 14 years of its life. But most of all, the lifespan depends on how much care you give to your dog. The more care you will provide, the more years your dog will live.
Jack Russell Lab Mix with other pets:
It is pretty normal and safe to have a Jack Russell dog with other pets at home, let it be dogs or cats. But the only thing that matters here is that you have adequately socialized your dog to avoid dog disputes among other animals.
Jack Russell and Lab mix with children:
We know that the dog is non-aggressive and has a loving personality, but this doesn’t mean you can leave a kid alone with the dog without any concern. As the dog has a super active nature, it could accidentally harm the child. So, always supervise your kid while it’s playing with the dog to avoid any accident.
Also, if you want to supervise more minors, you can train your dog to act according to some rules around the children. They shouldn’t be allowed to jump or be clumsy around the kids for their safety.
Training the Jackador:
It is not that easy to train a Jack Russell Lab mix, but it all gets easy once you are done with the job. As the dog is intelligent, it gets all the tricks quickly, but its stubborn nature and high energy might be a little challenging for you. Make sure you train the dog on time, and then it will be the best dog for you.
If you have experience in training, it’s best to do it yourself; otherwise, you can hire a professional trainer to do that too, or take the dog to get group training sessions.
Diet of Jackador:
To maintain the dog’s good health and reduce the risk of diseases, a healthy, adequate, and quality diet should be the dog owner’s priority. It is doubtful that these dogs get obese, but there is always a risk of lack of physical activity or overeating. So, you should always make sure your pup has a balanced diet in an adequate amount to avoid the risk.
We cannot estimate an exact amount of the required diet for the dog as its size and weight vary due to a considerable appearance gap between the parent breeds. But on average, we will suggest you offer 1 to 2 cups of kibble to the dog daily. Still, it is always better to consult the vet in this regard. Make small meals and let the dog have them three times a day.
Never compromise on quality for just a couple of bucks! You might want to stick to your budget, but let us tell you that if you buy cheap or poor-quality food for the dog, you will pay a lot more afterward. What’s the catch? The poor quality food will disturb the dog’s health, and you will have to pay a lot of money to get it healthy again. So, always prefer a high-quality and hygienic diet for your little companion.
Bottom Line:
Jack Russell and Lab mix is a loving, affectionate, high-energy, intelligent, and powerful dog, and its size is perfect for a family dog. If you are planning on buying this dog, look at its features first, then find a reputable breeder. While if you are reluctant to pay the price to a breeder, then it is better to adopt it from a rescue or a shelter as it is a life-saving and budget-friendly option at the same time.
