6 Reasons Why You & Your Jack Russell Should Attend Group Obedience Classes

Education begins at home, but it doesn’t end there. It’s important that you supplement your Jack Russell’s home schooling with a good obedience class - or several! Why is obedience school so necessary? Well, here’s a starter list:

1. You and your Jack Russell will learn more advanced commands. You’ve got a good start with “sit” and “let’s go,” but in class you’ll master exercises like “down,” “stay,” “heel,” “stand” and “come” as well - the vocabulary she’ll need to become a really responsive and trustworthy friend and partner.

2. Your instructor can address your specific needs. Books and videotapes are great, but they can’t stay after class to discuss your dog’s individual problems or strong points, they can’t demonstrate new moves to you, and they can’t tell you whether you’re holding your leash funny or giving your dog a confusing command. There’s really no substitute for the one-on-one attention and suggestions of a good instructor.

3. You ‘II learn from the other people and dogs in the class. Your classmates may have new ideas for you, or you may pick up tips just from watching them. And you’ll find that they’re sympathetic to your problems and proud of your successes in ways that your non-dog-loving friends may not be.

4. Your Jack Russell will get used to other people and dogs. This is a biggie. No amount of backyard practice can teach your dog to behave in the presence of other exciting people or pups. And if your dog is still a little worried about the world at large - and many of them are - obedience class will give her a chance to make friends and gain confidence. So even if you’ve already been through obedience class with another dog and know the ropes, it’s a good idea to take your new dog to a class of her own.

5. It’ll give you an incentive to train your dog. Let’s face it, sometimes it’s tough to get motivated for your daily training sessions when you know only a couple of exercises and you don’t have an instructor and classmates to keep you from getting lazy!

6. You’ll have a terrific time. Obedience class is fun! You’ll make new friends (I know several married couples who met in obedience class) and get lots of exercise, and your relationship with your new Jack Russell will soar to new levels. And who knows? You might just get hooked on dog training and find yourself with a new hobby.

Common Terms Used In Jack Russell Training

1. Bait: A treat used to get your Jack Russell to give you his attention.
2. Collars: A “puppy” collar is a buckle collar made from a wide piece of cotton or nylon fabric. A slip or chain “choke” collar is made from cotton, nylon or chain. The best chain collars are brass with very tight, small links.
3. Cord or Long line: A piece of cotton or nylon cord, very lightweight and small in diameter (in relation to the size of your jack russell puppy or dog) with a snap at one end and a handle at the other.
4. Correction: A physical or verbal restraint to your dog.
5. Free: Without restraint.
6. Leash or Lead: A leash is a six-foot leather line with a handle at one end and a snap at the other. It should be small enough in width to comfortably fit in your hand.
7. Praise: Positive physical or verbal reassurance to reward your Jack Russell.
8. Reward: An edible treat or tossable toy.
9. Show leash or Show lead: A lightweight lead. This type of leash comes in different materials, fabrics and lengths. Some show leashes have built-in collars while some are to be attached to separate collars.

#TITLE Makeing Your jack russell puppy Comfortable#/TITLE# The

#TITLE Makeing Your jack russell puppy Comfortable#/TITLE# The first nights in a new home for a jack russell puppy are much like a baby’s first few nights at home. The best way to get your new jack russell puppy to sleep through the night quietly is to:
1. Make sure his last play period is a good, hearty one that ends about one hour before you feed him his last meal, which should be about an hour before your bedtime.
2. Take him out to potty as soon as he is done eating and about fifteen minutes before you go to bed.
3. Leave a very small quantity of water with him when you put him to bed.
4. Try to make your bedtime and his getting-up time no more than six hours apart until he is four to five months old. With this schedule and proper containment, a healthy puppy should both sleep and housebreak easily.
5. Make him a proper bed. The Jack Russell’s “bed” can be a rug at the end of your bed (tie him to the bedpost), a box or crate or pen, or any other small area that restricts his movement. You want him sleeping while you are sleeping!

Two Fears Your Jack Russell Puppy May Have

Fear Of Other Dogs: You may find that your Jack Russell puppy is not social toward other dogs. It may be that either your dog was taken too early from his mother and litter-mates, or the litter-mates may have been much larger and stronger than yours, leaving your puppy socially apprehensive. Some very dominant puppies separate themselves from litter-mates and, on their own terms only, solicit play.
Some Jack Russell puppies have manifested their strong defensive drives in this nonsocial behavior pattern. These puppies can be helped by simply not allowing them to run away when approached by other puppies. On rare occasions, the puppy would actually attempt to bite the other pup. Most often, having the puppy confront the fear has been extremely helpful in resolving the defensive social aggression.
When adult Jack Russell s show fear of other dogs, there is a little chance that this fear can be resolved. Once seeded, this fear appears to overwhelm affected dogs. Since resolution is not always possible, management may be the way to go.
Keeping your Jack Russell on a leash in public will help. While on a leash, it is helpful to teach your dog how to focus on you in the presence of other dogs. He should not be allowed to run free off a lead in the park because at any minute a dog may show up and cause a fear response that may cause your dog to bolt into the road or simply run away. In a controlled situation, perhaps a fenced-in yard, you may be comfortable with him having an off-lead exercise. A fenced-in school yard with a gate that you can close will do just fine for short runs or fast walks. Always be aware of what is around you at all times to prevent any accidents.
The use of a head halter is often useful in controlling fearful dogs. A dog can feel secure when he is being controlled by the face. His options disappear, and he proudly follows his owner’s lead. This is how it should be. Training a behavior such as “Down-Stay” provides us with a bit of control around other dogs too. “Down-stay” is incompatible with running away.
Fear Of Being Inside A Car: Often jack russell terrier owners think that they own a dog that has motion sickness and that will vomit all over the interior of the family car. Sometimes they are right, and it is solved by the dog having an empty stomach and taking frequent short rides. Carsick dogs usually get over it quickly when you practice the short-ride routine.
Car phobic behavior may stem from a previous accident, a chronically nauseated rider, or perhaps something as simple as a noisy muffler or backfire. Bringing the dog to within sight of the car, giving him a treat, and then bringing him back to where he feels comfortable is a good place to begin this conditioning. Eventually, he may actually be eating his meals in the car.
The Jack Russell will graduate to eating in the idling car, and soon will be eating in the moving car. The meals are obviously removed from the car once the dog has shown no reluctance to jump in. If your dog has motion sickness, then feeding will not be the way to go. Veterinarians can offer a motion sickness remedy for those who are afflicted.

Do Jack Russells Have Emotions?

Trying to determine if your Jack Russell is experiencing anger, love, or any other “human” emotion is difficult. To date, no one has been able to provide convincing scientific evidence that we can distinguish one emotion from another by what our brains or hormones do. We obviously feel differently when we’re in a loving versus an angry mood; however, what our brain does to influence us to feel those very different emotions is less clear.
Nonetheless, we believe that our pets love us, they appear to be embarrassed when we dress them up in silly clothes, and they certainly look like they’re feeling guilty after doing something wrong. But do they know right from wrong, and when they do the wrong thing, do they really feel guilty?
What would it take for us to be convinced that our pet actually experiences a specific emotion? Is it possible that his appearance, the way he looks in his body language and behavior, leads us to confuse guilt with submissive, defensive behavior? Do we think that he’s experiencing guilt from the way he looks or from the situation that seems to call for guilt? Do we think that our dog actually feels emotions such as guilt, love, shame, hope, pride, relief, regret, or revenge? It’s an interesting question, and behaviorists are still working on it. But let’s look at it in terms of revenge.
When we think of getting revenge against someone who has “done us wrong,” we think of doing something to get back at the person. We decide on the appropriate revenge by imagining how it would make the person feel to have such-and-such happen to him. If we think it would really make him feel bad, and it would get back at him in an appropriate way, it makes us feel good, even if we just imagine it. We don’t actually need to get revenge, we just need to imagine his reaction if he were to get what he deserves.
Your Jack Russell probably doesn’t have the ability to imagine how you would feel if he were to soil your bed as revenge for leaving him alone all weekend. And he probably wouldn’t chew your favorite shoes as revenge for locking him in the bedroom and keeping him from enjoying that piece of chicken you had last night. The ability to look into another’s psyche to imagine one’s emotional response to a planned endeavor is what behaviorists call revenge. Revenge requires a “theory of mind” that jack russell dogs do not have.
jack russells see the world from their perspective. That’s why arranging their daily lives from their point of view works so well. Not only would it seem strange to understand why you won’t give him a dog biscuit before dinner because it would spoil his appetite, but it would seem even more strange if he is seen planning something later that evening to make you feel bad in some way for your stinginess. Yet we often find ourselves believing that this is exactly what our pet must have done when we discover that he’s chewed our best shoes. In reality, our pet’s behavior is probably caused by a disruption of his routine, an increased arousal or excitement, or a way to relieve discomfort or frustration.
Now that you understand your dog’s emotions, you can go about changing them to create a mood that is incompatible with the mood that drives his misbehavior. The concept is called the principle of competing motivations: A Jack Russell cannot be angry, fearful, or depressed and happy or exited at the same time!

Why Protein Is The Most Important Food For Your Jack Russell Terrier

Protein is the most expensive ingredient in dog foods. Its source often determines the quality of the food. Animal sources are superior.
Unfortunately, there’s not enough meat around to satisfy all the pet dogs in the world, so the producers substitute vegetable protein.
The difference between vegetable and animal protein? Vegetable is often harder to digest, and more of it has to be consumed to meet your jack russell terrier’s needs. More food equals more stool. The best advice is to find a food that uses more animal protein than vegetable protein and requires smaller rations to meet the MDR.
More protein is not always better. High protein diets are used for show or working jack russells. If your dog’s mellow or spends many hours alone, feeding a high protein diet will make her jittery and hyper. When reading the label, watch for key words like gluten meal and animal protein. These indicate animal protein sources. Words like corn, soy, and rice all tell you the protein is from vegetable sources.

Fun Games For Jack Russell Puppies

Here are a couple of games you and your jack russell puppy will find fun…
1. King of the Hill: This game can be as much fun for jack russell puppies as it is for people. All you have to do is put a leash on your puppy (and a couple of puppy buddies), take a treat and lead him up the ramp to the platform. Let him sniff the entire platform and get used to it, then lead him down another side. Repeat from all directions, then take the leash off and toss a toy onto the platform and watch him figure out the easiest way to get it! Several puppies playing this is a lot of fun to watch.
2. Playhouse: A playhouse can be used for children and puppies alike. The more inventive you are, the more fun both kids and puppies will have. If you are not handy with a hammer and nails, you can purchase plastic playhouses, or go to a piano shop and get a piano box. The easiest way to familiarize the puppy with the playhouse is to let him follow kids through it, so if you do not have any, borrow some from the neighbors! (This is good socialization for your puppy and the neighbors, and it ensures that they will watch out for your puppy!) You can also hide various toys in the playhouse when your jack russell puppy is not looking.

Taking Your Jack Russell Hiking With You

If you like the outdoors, then some of the best times you can have with your Jack Russell is by wandering around on roads and trails.
Curious, full of wonder and excitement, jack russells are the best companions. They’re not self-sufficient, however, so you need to keep some things in mind when it comes to hiking, backpacking canine style, and some hazards to watch out for on the trail.
First of all, have your veterinarian check your dog to ensure she’s healthy enough for these demanding excursions! Dogs should be conditioned (every day walks will do) before taking them out for a hike.
To me there is no more relaxing activity in the world than hiking in nature. Hiking, however, is a strenuous activity and not without risks, so if you’re going to take a hike with your dog, you need to follow a few guidelines:
* The first priority is to determine if your JTR is healthy enough to hit the trail. If you’re not sure, go to your vet. Ask the vet to check your dog’s heart, blood, and respiration. If all is well and your dog is game, take him on a short hike near your home. Does he run out of energy? You need to do some conditioning: Jogging, tennis-ball fetch, and swimming are great ways to get your dog in shape.
* Aside from conditioning her heart, you need to toughen up those toes. But watch those pads! If your dog is out of shape, her pads will wear quickly and might even bleed.
* Before you go out on the trail, make sure your dog’s ID tags, rabies inoculation, and license are up-to-date. For extra precaution, you can have your veterinarian embed a microchip in your dog’s shoulders that can be used to track them if they’re ever lost or stolen.
* Respect all trail restrictions. If an area is blocked off, don’t go there. If the trail requires all dogs to be on leash, comply. Even if it doesn’t, leash your dog if she won’t stay with you. And always have a pooper-scooper of some sort to pick up after your dog if he goes to the bathroom on a trail other people will be using.
When You Arrive At Your Hiking Site
You may get to an area and find a “No Dogs Allowed” sign. Quite a disappointment, but it’s there for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that other dog owners didn’t follow the rules and ruined it for everybody. We don’t make the rules, but we should follow them.
Most dog-friendly parks will allow dogs that are under voice control to hike off leash. Polish up the Let’s Go, Come, and Down commands reviewed in Chapter 2, and never let your dog off leash if you have the slightest doubt that she will obey.
If you have a jack russell puppy, introduce her to short trail hikes after she’s had all her inoculations. Keep her on a 10-foot leash and call her back to you for a treat every few minutes. Also, introduce the command “Wait” to mean “stop in your tracks.”

Loss Of Vision Jack Russell Terriers

jack russell terriers who begin to have vision problems - whether it’s glaucoma or cataracts - can pose a problem for themselves and for you.
There are certainly veterinary medical solutions to some visual problems. In the meantime, you can try to substitute auditory cues, like words, phrases, or claps, for things you used to rely on vision to convey to your pet - it’s just the opposite of the hearing-loss problem.
If you used to get a kick out of tossing a treat to your Jack Russell and having him catch the treat in the air, or playing Frisbee with your dog (now he can’t see the Frisbee too well, so he’s getting hit on the head), try tossing the Frisbee or treat to his left or his right with a large motion of your hand so that he can see it a bit more clearly, just from the movement. Oftentimes, he seems less upset than you are at getting knocked in the noggin, but both of you will probably be happier if you toss to either side and then enjoy that special treat time you used to have when everything worked correctly.
As a jack russell terrier gets older, another thing to be concerned about along with sensory loss is the quality of their normally fun or exciting experiences. Now, when they go to the park and play, do they continue to enjoy these endeavors? Or, since they don’t experience these events with the senses that they used to have, are they still having fun? Actually, things can become dangerously stressful for your pet while you aren’t even looking.
As you leave him at the groomer or take him into the park to see if other dogs are around for him to play with, notice if he seems to enjoy the experience or if he starts trembling. Pay attention to any changes in behavior. Even though they may not make sense to you, they may indicate that his experience is starting to be different. He’s not smiling as much. He doesn’t spend as much time away from you as he used to in the park. He doesn’t want to walk or run ahead of you in the park like he always used to; now he’s hanging back and avoiding people who might come up to him and possibly hurt him with a too enthusiastic pat on the head.

Are Natural Diets Better For Your Jack Russell Terrier?

Homemade dog food is becoming a popular option, although hardly a new one, for many dog owners. Every dog alive today can be traced back to dogs who were raised on homemade natural diets.

The dog food industry, in comparison to dogs themselves, is young - maybe 50 to 60 years - although canned meat was sold as dog food at the turn of the twentieth century. Originally, the commercial foods were meant to supplement homemade food. With few exceptions, commercially made dry food is primarily cereal based with the major portion of the protein coming from grains and a dash of animal protein in the ingredients. An amazing number of dogs have been able to exist and adapt to these diets, which have made the jack russell terrierinto a partial herbivore instead of a carnivore. Canned diets, which usually contain more animal protein with a dash of cereal, are also popular, especially among toy breeds.

Some people successfully combine these two. Many dogs cannot thrive on commercially prepared rations. However, they exhibit disease states, often mistaken for allergies, which are deficiency diseases caused by cereal-based foods. Jack Russells in a natural state would eat meat. Their teeth are formed to tear flesh from the bone, and they would share a carcass with a pack of other dogs. The carcass would be that of a grass-eating animal - an herbivore. Along with the internal organs dogs would eat the predigested grasses and plants of the carcass. Those grasses and plants would consist of no more than 20 to 25 percent of the dogs’ total diet. They would raid nests from ground-breeding birds and eat the eggs, and they would catch the occasional insect. These dogs might forage on certain weeds and grasses. In formulating a more natural diet we have stayed within these boundaries - with the exception of the insects.

A natural diet follows as closely as possible what the dog would eat if still in the wild state. It takes into account the limitations of the Jack Russell’s short digestive tract, strong stomach acid and the enzymes the canine system produces to break down food. It consists of two meats: One is a cereal meal plus supplements, which makes up 25 percent of the total diet, and the other is a raw meat meal plus supplements, which is 75 percent of the total diet. The advantages of a natural diet are many. Health and longevity are increased, there is resistance to disease and the diet can be tailored to individual needs. This is crucial for some breeds of dogs, especially imported dogs or relatives of imported dogs, who have difficulty in digesting corn, which is in the majority of prepared commercial diets.

The diet allows individual ingredients to be substituted for your Jack Russell.