How NOT to Train a Jack Russell Terrier
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10 Tips for Training Jack Russell Terriers
Everything I have read about publishing successfully on the internet advises that I should write about what I know. Well, despite the fact that I have read just about everything there is to read about training Jack Russell Terriers (JRTs), I have yet to be able to put that vast knowledge to any productive use. But, I love mine (Oliver) anyway.
What I am, apparently, an expert at is How NOT to Train a JRT, so here goes. My Top 10 List:
10. No matter how much they whine at first, DO NOT let your Jack Russell Terrier get in the habit of sleeping outside of his or her kennel. You will have the most excrutiating time trying to get them to return to it later. Also, unless you want your Jack Russell wedged as a permanent fixture between you and your spouse at night in bed, DO NOT let your JRT sleep in your bed. You have to be firm when training your Jack Russell.
9. DO NOT let your Jack Russell Terrier get in the habit of standing on top of you with his or her paws on your chest. As much as you might love playing with them on the floor, they will very quickly begin to feel a sense of dominance. Pretty soon, they are the boss. It is hard enought to persuade your Jack Russell that you are the boss anyway, DO NOT help.
8. If you must (rather WHEN you must) discipline your Jack Russell, DO NOT immediately follow the discipline with love and affection. As guilt ridden as you might be for having to tell your dog "NO!", DO NOT confuse your Jack Russell with mixed emotions. Your Jack Russell needs to learn the difference between praise and discipline. This is essential when training your Jack Russell.
7. DO NOT let your Jack Russell demonstrate dominance over other dogs. There are several well-trained, considerably larger dogs in my neighborhood, but Oliver firmly believes he is twice the size of all them (put together). Luckily, those dogs are well behaved. As much as your Jack Russell will love to show off that he set another dog running with his or her fierce bark, you must correct this behavior. It will help when he or she comes across a dog who is not so well trained. It is essential that you socialize your Jack Russell during their training.
6. DO NOT let your Jack Russell Terrier get accustomed to being on the furniture at will. Train your Jack Russell that you determine when it is okay for him or her to be on the sofa, or on the bed, or on the kitchen table (no joke). It is easier to train your dog properly first than to try to retrain your dog later.
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5. DO NOT let your Jack Russell ride in the front seat of the car with you. There are plenty of good dog seats that buckle easily into your rear seat's seat belt. USE THEM. Trust me, if you don't, you will have a co-pilot sooner than you think. I mean it, hands on the steering wheel and all.
4. DO NOT respond to your dog's begging for table scraps. All it takes is once, and your quiet meals at home are history (dinner parties, history; holiday meals, history; barbecues, interesting). Our Jack Russell would voluntarily start doing tricks at the prospect of a human treat. BE STRONG.
3. DO NOT let your Jack Russell become the pack leader. As much as it has become normal to have 1 pet, dogs are still pack animals. They instinctively behave as they would in the wild, as they would in a pack. As much as you want to spoil your JRT rotten, you have to be the alpha dog, otherwise your dog will walk you, not the other way around. Quite literally, your JRT will become the leader of the house: playing when they want to, waking you up when they want to, tagging alone when they want to, you name it.
2. DO NOT forget that your Jack Russell is still a dog. As loveable and fun and fantastic as they are, they are not human, but trying convincing them of that. If you can remember your JRT is not human, it will be easier teaching your JRT that he or she is not human. This is probably the toughest one. Remember, your Jack Russell is a member of the family, but not human. If you treat your dog like a human, it will think it is human, and a dog cannot have a full life living as a human.
A Jack Russell and a Vacuum. This is not my JRT, but mine did do this too.
1. DO (okay, 9 DON'Ts and 1 DO) love it. Enjoy your JRT, they are loads of entertainment. They are smart, tricky, full of life, friendly, and they think this world was made just for them. Here is an example: our first JRT (Maggie) completely developed her own soccer game. She loved to play catch with tennis balls (yes catch, I would throw--up, over-the-shoulder, fast-pitch, slow-pitch-you name it--she would catch). One day while I was cooking supper, she decided (notice I said she decided, see 3 above) it was time to play ball. So, she threw (yes, threw--she could throw the tennis ball by moving her head) me the ball, and I, being preoccupied with pots, pans, oven doors, etc., kicked the ball back to her. It got past her through an open door, and the game was on. She then became a doorway soccer goalie. If you kicked the ball past her, she got mad, if she defended the goal, she was victorious and would return the ball so you could try again. Any doorway was fair game, any hall, in anyone's house. It was great.
Yes, I love my JRT, and I would highly recommend them as pets, for the right family. But, I am not much more than an oversized play thing for mine, as my experience clearly indicates. So, learn from my mistakes and enjoy your Jack Russell
My Jack Russell Terriers
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Comments
Too funny. As a dog lover myself it is hard to not give in to their demands, but you have to for your sanity.
Thank you Whitney05 and Hoodala for your comments. I figure if I can't be strong I may as well try to help anyone else who needs it.
JRTs are such an extremely intelligent but overly energetic breed; most people have NO idea what they're getting into! Great hub about how to deal with them!!
Indeed, helenathegreat. I dare say I had NO idea what I was getting into, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Who were Jack and Russel and why did they have a terrier named after them?
Clever. I assume this question is posed jokingly, but if not, the Jack Russell Terrier is named after Parson (Rev.) John Russell, Devinshire, England (c. late 1700s-1800s) who bred a working terrier for fox hunting. If you have ever owned a Jack Russell, you know their fox hunting instinct is well developed, as evidenced by the holes in your yard. For more info, visit www.terrier.com.
Sooooooo cute and so true, I apparently too know how not to TRAIN A JACK RUSSEL.
Thank you, goofie96c. I bet you do.
We have a JRT.This was not by choice.See it was very cold in November in Florida, and I was painting the living room with a fire going. I have 3 daughters and saw something move near the fire out of the corner of my eye, I wrongly assumed it was a child and soon there was nothing between Petey and I but a can of semi gloss wheat paint and a roller.He proved instantly to be a sweet and lovable dog that fit right into my family.His owners claimed him 12 times, and each time they would claim him he would tear up their home escape and return to our family. I would be reading on the couch and he would spring in front of our door and he even eventually learned to hit the door bell with his nose.Its funny that the previous owners said he was a terrior, because he is such a good boy.He loves our 3 daughters and family as well as friends.He does think he is human but holds himself to the same obiendence as the children, which makes for interesting days.
I'm happy for you, and glad that "Petey" found such a loving home. One person's terror is another's treasure.
Those pictures are so cute that you have on your page. I think the title is well chosen because a lot of dog owners are not even aware that they are making serious mistakes somtimes.
Thank you, Urs Fehr. I agree. I sometimes wish my lessons weren't learned on the job.
I love the tips. I have an 18 month old JRT and she is house trained 100% but all the other things she needs trained on. Well I am STILL working on them. I have 5 acres and she loves to go outside and just run. She will run for an hour straight and then sleep for 2 hours. Funny how they ware themsevles out so much. Thanks for the tips on how NOT to do it though.
Thanks, Lisar. These are lessons learned over time, and I'm not sure JRT's are ever fully trained. I know more JRT owners who are trained by their JRT than JRTs that are trained by their owner..
I love JRTs!!! We named ours after an embalming tool :) She is recovering from a broken leg (I have a hub about caring for an injured JRT), but we have taught her a lot as she has been healing. But she still thinks she's the biggest dog on the block!
They do think they are the biggest dogs on the block. It's funny. We have neighbors behind our house with 2 big dogs, a boxer and a lab mix, Oliver (our JRT) just runs through a little hole in their fence and gives them all kinds of grief. Thanks, emmabalmer.
Our JRT is driving our neighbours nuts, He's always chasing and barking. What can we do to stop this.
Stand outside with your JRT and use a leash to correct his behavior. As he responds appropriate, reward him. Also, let him meet the neighbors, arrange a play date. They are territorial, but let friends around. Let your JRT socialize with your neighbors and he won't bark at them. He may still run up to them for affection, but not to bark.
I got my first JR two months back. I have owned dogs all my life. This little boy is a complete terror and trying his luck no end. I have had a hard time trying to train him, he is now four months old. Toilet trained almost. Play biting still an issue,demanding attention still an issue, wrecking my garden still an issue...lol. I knew that a JR would be a tough nut, but I have huge respect for that type of dog. We are both still learning and have a long way to go, but at the end of the day we love each other to bits. I know he will look after me and the house when he grows up, and I will always look after him.
They are stubborn, no doubt. In my limited experience the boys are harded to train than the girls. But, they are well worth it in the end, and yes they are infinitely loyal. Enjoy.
Our JRT is always beating up on my artificial plants. Mostly when he alone in the house. It's like he doesn't like being alone sometimes, but he only left alone for like half an hour to an hour. And once we walk in the door, he'll run to us and whimper away like he knows he did something wrong. But the kids just love him and just love playing with him.
Yes, they can be mischevious when left alone, and, yes, they know exactly when they have misbehaved. You might try treating the plant with pet repellant or something like that. It sounds like your JRT might not be getting enough exercise to burn off that extra energy. Try exercising your JRT. Thanks.
Thankyou for your tips on training , or rather what not to do. I am planning on picking up a JRT later today and am a little nervous about the breed needing so much attention. I have 4 weeks off work to try to train this male pup 16 weeks old. Im told he is cage trained and mostly potty trained.me and my partner work 8 hours 8am to 5. No children and pretty much will devote a lot of time to our new pet.I live in a Private community on almost an acre, but no fences are allowed. We were thinking of getting an invisible fence, I know this will be expensive, but do you feel this is cruel or unnecessary? I've only owned a cat and it was definitely spoiled 17 years, he died last year.. Can you give me advise on food, walking on a leash, potty training, or anything else that would be helpful, as I am somewhat of a pushover and want the dog not to rule me !!
I have had no experience with electronic fences. However, I have considered one myself because I have lost a dog who was run over. I wish I could say cruel or not, but I simply don't know. As far as food, find a food without corn. It is hard to do, but both of my JRTs had corn allergies, and it is common. I use a mix of Nutro Ultra and Authority Oven Baked.
Leash walking is essential, and training your JRT to walk on the leash is difficult but worth it. They tend to want to track (sniff the ground and go fast) which causes them to choke themselves. Keep the leash/collar high on their neck to keep their head up so they won't want to track.
Potty training - our male took a lot longer than our female. He responded to rewards much more than punishment. A simple treat and "good boy" after he did his business outside was sufficient.
I am a pushover, too. My wife is the disciplinarian, so I can't help you there. But, best of luck. I love JRTs and I'm sure you will too. It sounds like you are off to an excellent start (investigating what to do, planning, etc.).
I have talked to a few people about invisible fence for a JRT, and they all say it doesn't work. Apparently their JRTs blasted right through chasing birds or cats, and then was trapped outside the yard. I read that the leading cause of death in JRTs is accidents, mostly cars. As we're in town, ours is never untethered outside. She has a zipline in the backyard, so she can run and play with the kids. She also loves hiking, and has recently taken up swimming.(which is the only unfenced area she gets to go offleash) It's the one thing we can't seem to break her of. If she knows she's loose, she's GONE. We have figured out that while hiking, we can trick her with a direct command. As it already takes no influence for her to dart down a groundhog, or other wild animal hole, "What do you smell?" is her command for checking whatever I point at. If she starts to dig, "Get it" is her command for trying to find it. If we're hiking or geocaching, we all get sidetracked by different things. I'll wander to look at rocks, the kids wander to water to throw things into, and the wife usually has Caper's lead in hand. Caper hates to be left out of any adventures, even if they're only 30 feet away. If we want to switch people without walking back, we can say "Get it" and point to our feet. She will sprint or climb to our location, and start pawing and sniffing right where we pointed. This was also how we got her to swim for the first time, but the item we pointed at were skipping rocks. The biggest problem I've seen with JRTs is definately lack of exercise, and they will let you know when that time comes. We started out crate training, but after she was housebroken, we got rid of it. She is left alone with rule of the house for at least 8 hours a day, and we have no problems other than the occasional trashcan robbery.(She won't tip it over, she reaches in and plucks single items out) We once had a short noticed overnight trip, and no sitter. We doubled her food, tripled her water, and took her for a jog around town before we left. We fully expected some sort of cleanup when we got home almost 20 hours later, but to our surprise, there was nothing. She chose going outside over her usual overlyexcited greeting, but I don't blame her after holding it for that long. I've rambled long enough. If anyone figures out a sure fire way to capture a JRTs attention and keep it, let me know.
PS- If you haven't played with your JRT and a laser pointer, you haven't lived.
Thanks, Caper. Unfortunately, I can't help with your JRT being gone when she knows she's loose. Our Maggie was the exact same way. It was a game with her - "you can't catch me". The only thing that kind of worked was not chasing at all. If we didn't chase her around, she got bored a lot sooner and would come back home faster. I'm convinced there's no adventure a JRT won't try. We never really had any problems leaving ours at home alone either, but we have a doggie door so they could be in an out as their pleasure. I'll try the laser pointer, thanks for the tip.
That sound like a real neat idea, with the laser pointer. Our JRT knows when the kids are coming hot myself a laser pointer and ty it out. me from school. He just waits at the door, and when the door opens. He'll run out and take off, and we usually have a hard time catching him. Lotsa of exercise too'...........Can't even keep up with him. So i'm gonna get a laser pointer and try that out. Thanks for the tips. I keep coming back in here and check out some new tips. Thanks Again!
oooops'....I must've hit my mouse pad and didn't know it.........lol. I was saying our JRT knows when the kids are coming home from school, he just waits at the door and he runs right out when the door is opened. Thanks Again!
Thanks for the great hub! I have a big hairy mutt myself, but lots of horsepeople I know have Jack Russells. Those little buggers boss the horses around! I don't think I could ever have the patience for one, but I love to have them to play with. In college, my trainer's Jack Russell was always the first to get to a pole after a jumping horse had knocked one down, no matter if it was way down the hill on the cross country course. That dog had a mission, and she wasn't going to rest until the offending pole was bitten, chewed, and mangled into submission!
Good luck with the laser pointer, Rose W., I hope your JRT has fun with it. I'm sure he will. I have not tried it yet, but it does sound like a good idea.
annemaeve, yes, JRT's are bred to work with horses (run along side their owners while fox hunting). I had an interesting experience with my JRT and horses a while back. I took her to the park which is near our coliseum. A rodeo was going on that weekend and the participants were practicing in the area out back. Well, she took off for that area and had a blast chasing horses around. I don't think the riders were thrilled (they seemed quite nervous), but she had a blast, and the horses just pretty much ignored her. It was TOO funny.
Wow, look what you started! I have happily ignored all those rules, but I live alone so who cares. Its me and Barnie against the world. He once beat up a rocweiller, but has a stray cat as a best friend. Go figure?
It is funny, our Jack Russell has a stray cat as a best friend too. He barks at large dogs, befriends the smaller ones, and loves our cat, Alfie. Go figure indeed.
I'll be sure to tell Barnie he's not the only JR cat lover.
Please do, so he knows he's not the only one.
working
Whitney05 says:
7 months ago
I remember watching Wishbone when I was in 4th grade. He was a very well trained JRT. I've never met one that trained and well behaved in my many years working with rescues and training dogs.
Great Hub. Good luck with your training.