Jack Russell Terrier board and train in Gloucester, MA

According to the AKC, both breeds trace to Reverend John Russell, the "Sporting Parson" of mid-1800s England, whose terriers were fast enough to follow the hounds and fearless enough to dig in and flush a fox. The AKC adds that after his death the name Jack Russell was used loosely for all manner of working terriers. The Parson stands 12 to 15 inches and weighs 13 to 17 pounds; the Russell Terrier stands 10 to 12 inches and weighs 9 to 15.

For training, the two AKC pages agree more than they differ. Both rate energy 5 out of 5. The Russell Terrier page says these dogs are extremely intelligent but bore easily, so sessions must stay entertaining, and that the first tool a trainer needs is a good sense of humor. The Parson page asks for consistency, a gentle voice and positive methods built on praise and rewards, and recommends a leash on outings because the urge to chase may be irresistible.

Foundation covers basic obedience and leash skills, place, stay and recall, impulse control, and crate and household manners. For a young Jack Russell, the real gains of the week are a recall started on a long line, a place cue that holds while other dogs move, and a crate the dog settles in rather than tries to leave. Daily updates tell you how the work is going, and the go-home lesson hands you the release words, the rewards and the rules of each game.

Advanced suits the adolescent terrier that knows its cues and forgets them outdoors. The second week moves the work onto real-world outings, adds distraction proofing and neutrality, and ends with two scheduled coaching lessons. Neutrality for a terrier means watching a cat cross the road from the end of a leash without screaming or lunging. No honest trainer promises off-leash reliability around wildlife for this type of dog, and the AKC's advice to keep these terriers leashed on outings is advice we share.

The go-home lesson shows you the games your terrier learned, in the order they were taught. Play them daily in two- or three-minute bursts, and keep the release word sacred: the toy moves only when you say so. Practice recall on a long line where distractions are real, starting with quiet ones. The Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park is fenced, which makes it a safer place to practice calling a terrier away from play than an open beach.

Many terriers need more structured work than a household can supply. Dogtown Academy, $89 for a full day or $69 for a half, adds a training session, enrichment and play to each day, and the sniff room at $7 is scent work a digger understands. Canine Campus runs 2, 4 or 6 weeks of day training with nights at home, and private sessions start from $94 if a skill slips. Rockport asks for a leash or direct voice control, so read the town's rules before testing a recall there.