The Puddin Jack Russell:
MYTH: PUDDIN' or PUDDING JACKS ARE TO BE DESIRED
FACT: A Puddin' Jack or Pudding Jack Russells is a negative connotation used to describe an unusually short Jack Russell Terrier. By unusually short, I mean, very stumpy, exaggerated twist in legs legs, head size and chest depth disproportionate to their overall body. Cute in their own way... but if you look closely, you will see clear evidence they are suffering from one of the following:Dwarfism: Underdevelopment of the body. May be the result of a developmental anomaly, of nutritional or hormone deficiencies, or of other diseases.
Cretinism: Rare birth defect when brain does not produce enough thyroid-releasing hormone or the pituitary gland at the base of the brain does not produce enough thyroid-stimulating hormone.
Achondroplasia: A failure of growth of cartilage in the young, leading to a type of dwarfism.
Chondrodysplasia: Abnormal growth of cartilage. Causes disproportionate dwarfism and occurs as an inherited trait.
*So if the breeder is offering "Puddin' Jacks” inquire further. Just make sure you see a wide sample of what they are breeding to make certain they are not purposely trying to breed down smaller than a healthy standard. When this is done, the structure and health of the dog suffers. Confirm that their dogs do not look like they suffer from dwarfism. Short legged is okay - But Puddin's are extreme.
Watch out for statements like: "Most Puddin Jacks Russell's have bowed front legs - This is normal for a Shorty Jack - Some are more bowed than others." - RUN when you hear a shorty breeder make justifying comments such as this. Yes, it is true that some of the short legged Jack Russells can have bowed front legs. We also sometimes refer to them as twisted, benched or Queen Anne style legs. The short of it (no pun intended) is that a short legged Jack Russell can have straight legs, some do have straight legs and some breeders understand why it is important that they have straight legs. If a Shorty Jack Russell has this "Puddin" look to it, they will be structurally unsound and prone to joint issues. Breeders that understand this will strive to breed this out of their lines.
Here are a few articles concerning the Puddin Jack Russell:
A "puddin'" Jack Russell is a dog that is an achondroplastic dwarf.
Puddin Jack = Canine Dwarfism
Some of the better breeders who are breeding the shorter style Jack Russell (9"-12") will tell you they have had dogs in the past with a severe twist in their front legs. They will also tell you they have either successfully bred this out of their lines, or have bred it down to a slight twist or are in the process of doing so. This slight twist in the legs, does not mean the dogs suffers from a type of dwarfism. If it is slight, and everything else about them is "proportionate" then it is not dwarfism but known as; Premature Closure of the Ulna. This is when the ulna stops growing sooner than radius, causing wrists to turn in and front feet to turn out. It can easily be corrected by carefully choosing proper mating partners. I have I have posted some pictures below of some of our own dogs - to show you what a more acceptable front end should look like:
We are not talking about or addressing other breeds; In some breeds an extreme front end with extreme benched legs is a desired look. We are specifically talking about the Jack Russell Terrier - our breed of choice. The Jack Russell Terrier can have straight or a slight "Queen Anne" look to the front legs - but we believe it should not be so extreme that it causes issues for the terrier later in life. *The three dogs here we bred and consider their fronts to be acceptable. Proof that shorties can be short and not suffer from twisted fronts.
How to recognize a Puddin Jack (coming when i find the time) Puddin Jack Russell Terriers - More illustrations (coming someday)