Jack Russell Terrier Training Tips

Jack Russell terrier training is essential, especially if you adopt a Jack Russell when it’s a puppy. Like most terriers, Jack Russells were bred to hunt and kill rodents and they have a lot of energy. Because of that energy, they require a lot of exercise, training and mental stimulation to live peacefully in a family situation without driving everyone crazy with their antics.

During adolescence Jack Russells have loads of energy, and it’s almost impossible to train one unless it’s getting the proper amount of exercise; this means up to an hour and a half of active running each and every day.

If not allowed to run full bore and burn up excess energy, Jack Russells will find things to do – things like tearing up cushions on sofas and chairs, ripping up plants in the garden, and chewing on every shoe in the house. It’s easy to understand why an owner needs to be sure that a Jack Russell terrier gets a lot of outdoor exercise.

Jack Russell terriers are easily distracted, and without exercise, those distractions can result in non-stop barking, in the house and outdoors as well.

Jack Russell terriers were bred to be diggers as most rodents live underground. If you don’t want your garden or yard dug up every week, you might want to put a sand box in your back yard and let the dog’s natural instincts for digging take over. You may need to put some of the dog’s toys and bones in the sandbox to spur it’s digging activities.

To stop a Jack Russell from chewing on everything in your house, you’ll have to limit the dog’s access to certain areas of the house during the day when no one is home. When family members are home they can guide the dog away from items you don’t want it to chew on and redirect it to things that are okay to chew on.

The most effective way to accomplish this is to teach the dog a “Leave it” command by holding several treats. Give the dog a couple of treats while saying “Take it.” Then close your fist and say, “Leave it.” Wait for the barking to stop, then give praise and reward with a treat.

Once the Jack Russell learns to obey these commands, you can start practicing with objects the dog likes to chew but should not be messing with. These could be shoes, remote TV controls, or anything lying around the house that seems to be irresistible to the dog’s attention. When the dog obeys your command to leave the object alone, reward it with a treat or one of its chewing toys.

These dogs make great pets, but instituting Jack Russell terrier training and seeing that it has plenty of exercise, will make them a welcome addition to almost any family.

 

Treating a Dog With Bad Behavior

Dealing with bad behavior from your dog can be a problem that may seem at times to be too much to handle. Your dog may begin disobeying you in small ways, but that can easily transform into more aggressive actions and poor habits if you don’t put a stop to it.

The key to treating a dog with bad behavior is to learn what is causing your dog to misbehave and that can help you find a solution.

Most pet dogs like to be included in all your activities since they feel as if they are part of the family. Ignoring them or leaving them out of most of your family events can cause separation anxiety, resulting in unacceptable behavior.

Dogs going through their adolescent period will normally try to rebel against your usual routines. If your dog refuses to let you put on its leash or refuses to sit when commanded, it’s an indication that your dog is trying to better its ranking as an alpha dog. In other words, the dog is trying to one-up you in the game of “who’s in charge here.” Giving your pet firm commands while remaining calm will show it who’s in charge and help control its bad behavior.

If you’ve recently acquired a normally calm and friendly breed like a Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever and it suddenly attacks another dog or a person, the problem is not a simple behavioral issue. Aggressive acts and unpredictable behavior like this usually indicates poor breeding practices. It can also be due to several other reasons such as puppies feeling pain from teething, feeling threatened, feeling pain from an injury, prior abuse, or a female dog that is in heat. If your dog is a puppy and nips or bites at you, saying “no” very strongly will usually startle it into quitting the disagreeable behavior.

A dog with bad behavior is not appreciated by anyone. When dogs become overly excited, especially small dogs, they often tend to urinate uncontrollably. This may happen when you begin playing with your dog or when a visitor, whether a stranger or frequent guest, comes into your house. This behavior can typically be traced to the fact that a dog is not being walked and exercised enough and its stored up energy results in urination problems. If you punish your dog and it doesn’t understand what it did wrong, it may urinate out of sheer nervousness.

Begging stems from natural instinct, improper socialization, boredom or desire for your attention. To stop this bad behavior feed your dog on a regular schedule and don’t give it snacks in between meals. Always ignore your dog when it begs.

Chewing on objects is part of the natural teething process in puppies. It may also be attributed to boredom, separation anxiety, undernourishment, or lack of sufficient exercise. If your adult dog is an obsessive chewer, you can put a little hot pepper sauce, or vinegar and hot mustard on items the dog should not be chewing and the taste will be enough to discourage that bad behavior. If your dog is chewing on items that can’t be coated with one of these substances, Petco and PetSmart have products to prevent unwanted chewing of objects.

Having your dog jump on you whenever you arrive home may seem cute, but most friends and guests won’t appreciate the enthusiastic behavior, especially if your dog is a larger breed. Consistently discourage the practice at the first signs of this behavior by voicing a firm “no.” To discourage such behavior, ignore your dog and avoid eye contact when it jumps on you. Tell your dog to “sit” and then reward it with a treat when it obeys. Daily exercise also helps to reduce the dog’s excess energy.

Treating a dog with bad behavior, especially an adult dog will be a lot easier if you think of your dog as being like a two year-old child. It needs to be trained and constantly reminded of what is proper behavior and what is not.

How To Manage a Houseful of Dogs

Being a dog owner is a wonderful, fulfilling experience. Just ask any dog parent. But maybe one dog isn’t enough for you and the idea of finding a 24 hour a day playmate/babysitter for your current pet is beginning to pique your interest.

Before embarking on a hunt for a second (or third) dog it’s best if you understand there can be some real challenges to raising more than one dog in your home. And you’re not alone in thinking that life might be better with two dogs. Many pet owners with two, or even several dogs in their home, say that more than one dog in the household makes their life a lot more interesting.

If you’ve definitely decided you want to add another dog as a companion, both to you and your current pet, I offer the following advice: When you’re deciding on which dog will be the new addition to the family, arrange a meeting between your current dog and the new one to be sure the dogs will get along well together. You’ll want them to romp and play with each other and not fight over who’s the “big dog”. If it’s possible, arrange for the dogs to meet each other away from your home. If you’re adopting a dog from a shelter, call and check with the staff to see if it’s okay to bring your current dog with you so you can determine if there’ll be any behavior issues between them.

If you don’t currently have a four-legged best friend you might want to consider adopting two puppies at the same time rather than raising one dog to adulthood and then later introducing another puppy or adult dog to the household. If you do decide to adopt two puppies at the same time, for example two from the same litter, those furry little adorable animals can be a major challenge. Think “training and housebreaking” times two, plus numerous other responsibilities that go along with raising a new puppy. Handling two puppies at the same time would analogous to raising twins.

Let’s assume you don’t own a pet and you’re going to adopt two puppies at the same time. You’ll have to buy two of everything the puppies are going to need; that’s two collars, two leashes, two sets of chew toys and two…well, you get the idea…two of every single thing you buy. You should also buy two separate beds and blankets, because as the puppies begin growing they will want a bed they can call their own.

If you choose to have more than one dog or puppy, each one will have an inbred need to demand your undivided attention at times. The best way to handle that need is to spend one-on-one time with each dog whenever possible. Focusing your attention on playing or training one dog at a time should prevent them from competing with each other when they’re together with you. If you don’t do this your dogs may become dependent on each other for companionship and you could end up being regarded as just the person who feeds them and gives them yummy treats. Remember, your goal when you had the idea of more than one dog in the house, was to provide companionship to you as well as to each other.

Whether they are puppies or adult dogs, they will need individual training sessions in order for the training to reinforce itself in their brains. A good way to handle this is to take only one dog out for a walk at a time, and then take the other one out separately. If you take turns this way your dogs will be able to bond quicker with you and will see you as master of the house and the one they depend on for every need.

You should always feed both dogs at the same time each day. As long as you feed the dogs identical food, and they finish eating about the same time as each other, there shouldn’t be any problems with one dog eating the other one’s food. Each dog will need its own food dish but usually don’t mind sharing a common water bowl.

I know people who are raising as many as six dogs at a time and when one passes away they just go get another one. A friend of mine lives on a 4 acre ranch and has five dogs of different mixed breeds. Those dogs are always happy, running around chasing each other or chasing anything that comes into their sight. If one dog doesn’t want to play when another does, it’s quite easy to find another willing playmate.