Jack Russell Info Please

Thanks Steve. Hopefully we find training a bit easier than you did. When we got her on Saturday morning she did not recognise the sit command at all. In two days she now sits before i even tell her to (obviously I have a bowl of food in my hand) and she knows not to cross the line into the kitchen. All this done with no nasty training techniques - it makes me sad to see dogs flinch at the tiniest things, so unnecessary.

Ensure you give her a bone (UNCOOKED!) once a week or so, most butchers do doggy bones for $1 - and don't worry about getting a small bone they can handle big ones :)

Hi Mike,
Thanks for that. We figure it's going to be a long slow process to get her out of her shell (we know there is a real jack russell personality in there somewhere that just has not had the chance yet) but are prepared to put in the time and effort. Our yard is mostly lawn with a border garden so were thinking of getting those blue shell things and making a sand pit for her to dig in. We also had the bivvy bag out yesterday in the sun showing some friends and discovered that she was very interested to see what was on the inside of it.
We've tried the ball rolling past her feet and she barely glances at it. We noticed that it needs to be fun that involves us (ie. following into the bivvy bag etc).
I also discovered she has a huge appetite for raw chicken wings from the local butcher - I think we are fortunate that she is so responsive to food - will hopefully make it a bit easier to train.
Jodi

I feel for you Truckster. There's nothing I hate more than a dog that does not know how to stop barking at the birds overhead or a leaf on the breeze (or the owners that have no interest in doing anything about it). We had a Jack Russell neighbour until recently - he used to sleep at our place and go home to get fed - I think he knew where the interaction and fun came from and where the food came from. Smart dog.
Our new little girl has sniffed right along our fence line with the neighbours dogs barking all the way along on the other side. She did not flinch or bark back - in fact I wondered if she was deaf. My only concern is the seperation anxiety - we have no idea how she will cope with being on her own during the day as she is so clingy when we are home. Have advised the neighbours (both retired) and asked for feedback about her noise while we're not there. The lady with the dogs next door is even happy to have Patsy (our girl) over the fence into her place during the day if she needs company.

Only a complete bleep would bait a dog.

ed

Hi Thylacine - i do agree with you. Taken in context I think Trucksters comment was more an expression of frustration than a statement of what he actually intends to do!

Yeh Bruce,
I have a similar problem here.
In a dual occupancy house nearby there are 3 shyte zus upstairs and we have only just managed to train the owners into controlling them after numerous complaints and finally a letter to the council.
Now downstairs has a JR and it is worse than the 3 upstairs ever were, so here we go again.....

These dogs are company-loving dogs. They are not meant to be left on their own all day in the backyard, then left out there while you are home too. My dog will bark as all dogs do but we are onto her as soon as she does, to see what its all about. When she barks, i have been told, by neighbours that they know something is happening, be it a dog or stranger around.

Dogs that bark and are ignored will bark non-stop at anything just to get the attention, and if you have that sort of dog for protection of property you are out of luck because the shell-shocked neighbours won't take any notice by now anyway.

ya dont mince ya words eh truckie

I think Truckie was talking about the owners....

hahaha. Fair call. Some owners deserve all they get!

too true.....lol

You know me #1, say it how it is... bleep em.

Thylacine - would u like a tissue bumpkins?

Truckster invest in a Wedge Tail Eagle they dont mind small dogs as an appertiser.

Cheers
Spango

thats where we got ours from - pearcedale.

Truckster how is it now? Still clingy? Did it bark much when you left it home alone for the first time? how did you get past the clingy thing?

yes how do you get past it... Ive been home 20 mins and the bleep in thing hasnt left me alone.. throw it out the back it just howls and bleep in barks... Scream at it to shut the bleep up and it eventually gets the message... Im tihnking of taping its mouth shut.

and the heaps of bleep over the fence havent shut up yet either... Just threw 2 buckets of water with ice in them over the hounds, they went yelping away, but straight back 2 mins later barking...

Teehee. I feel bad for those dogs. Maybe you should tip the iced water over your neighbour. I reckon the poor dogs are bored out of their brains, needing attention and have probably never been trained.
Maybe the neighbour drinks so much so he can't hear the dogs???

Oh. I feel for you. Even though our 'fostered' JR was not ours we miss him terribly. Thankfully he is still alive, happy and healthy. We moved house (only 6km away) and had to say goodbye. He has a good life. Five acres of semi cleared land, horses to chase (and believe me he does) and a dam with ducks to harrass all day.
We missed him so much that we were prompted to get a dog ourselves in the new place. A lot of thought went into it as we knew the nature of our fostered friend and had to think long and hard. We did not want to do the wrong thing by the dog and end up with a bored dog lacking in attention, training and love that would p*ss off the neighbours every time they, or anybody in thge street, made a noise.

Point taken. That is my concern. I think when camping in a new environment with lots of exciting new things to check out (particularly from dog perspective) that the lead will have to stay put!

Hello Mrs Al

Have you repaired all the holes in the fence yet..........LOL

xxxxxxx

yep it would seem so...lol

Hi steve, we have done some of the above without realising it was the right thing. We have a small rubber ball that is placed in her bed with her when ever she sleeps (along with some old tshirts that have been slept in when we leave in the morning). This morning was far better than yesterday. She is obviosuly trusting us more and getting used to our routine. Looking for tummy rubs and a stern word is all it takes to get her out of the kitchen - we no longer raise our arms when telling her off. She needs to be part of the 'pack' and know who is boss but we don't want her feeling threatened. That can only bring out the worst in a dog.
We have been giving her raw chicken wings in the morning and normal food at night after walkies. Last nights walk was like a different dog. Something changed yesterday - she's finally settling I think and is starting to smile more and investigate the things around her when we walk.

Hi Jodi,
She sounds like she is settling in. I forgot to mention a few things yesterday. Hopefully you will not need any of this stuff.

If you give her bones watch for constipation and any bloating. It is a very individual thing, some dogs are fine with them with others it is nothing but trouble (bowel obstructiions, bone stuck in gums). She may like chicken necks as well.

Dog packs are linear. Every dog has its spot, there is no such thing as two dogs on the same level. They just don't do equal. They are either accepted as above or below or they fight to find out where their spot is. I mention this if you have kids. In most homes the pack order is:

Wife
Husband
older children
dog
young children

Why is the wife on top?? Easy she controls the food.
There are issues this can causes as your dog finds her spot. Most of the time they will just slot in at the bottom and then work their way up (or stay at the bottom). This is built in behaviour, it is just part of being a dog. This is why young kids should be kept away while the dog is eating. You have given them the food and they will defend it from pack members lower than itself possibly in a very agressive way, particularly if they have been neglected in the past. This does not mean they are a bad or viscious dog, they are just being a dog as designed. But you as the pack leader will be able to do anything so don't assume if you can do something the dog will take it from anybody else.

I really suggest that you take your dog to training. They can help you deal with any issues that appear quickly before they get out of hand. You are giving your dog signals all the time by the way you behave and how you treat her. It is a good idea to know what you are saying.

You need to be the alpha with the dog at the bottom of the heap. If the dog gets to alpha, you can be in big trouble even if it is a JR. If there are any issues see your vet or training group asap. A good idea is to reinforce the hirarchy all the time. This can be easily done. Just get her to sit. Put her food down and tell her to wait, but don't let her eat then give her a command to eat. Make her wait at least 30 seconds. This reinforces your spot on top and many dogs will not eat until told. This can stop your dog being baited as they will not eat stuff chucked over the fence. Just remember to tell anyone who is looking after your dog what the word is. This is so common now that a lot of kennels ask if the dog has been trained this way.

I have learnt all this the hard way but am in no way an expert. So I suggest you get help asap from a proffessional if it looks like stuff is going wrong.

Steve

Thanks again. That would explain why I can approach her when she's chewing on her chicken wings but Jason can't - she doesn't get aggresive, she picks it up and keeps walking away from him.
We don't have kids. We are now a fur kid family.
I am taking her to the RSPCA on Saturday to get her stitches out - planned on asking them there about training etc (I prefer to do as much as I can through organisations like that as they put so much back in to the community with the moola we give them).

Thanks fozzy. I agree, we are very lucky and half the battle is already won with her personality - it's just time and guidance to bring her back out of her shell.
We have hilux and before getting her we did consider how our destinations would be limited (we normally get away every 2 - 3 weeks for a night or two). After we got feedback we decided to bite the bullet. Now just trying to suss out those locations we can go to in the beginning - ie. quiet and no dirt bikes. I have discovered that skate boards, babies and motor bikes spook her. She does not get nasty, just cowers behind my legs. Will have to introduce her to friends kids very very carefully.

>babies and motor bikes spook her. She does not get nasty, just
>cowers behind my legs. Will have to introduce her to friends kids
>very very carefully.

Do take great care with children. If she is frightened of them (and who knows how she was treated in the past?) although she may cower normally if in particular circumstances she feels threatened enough she may attack and this is perfectly normal behaviour for a dog. And even a JR could do some damage to a small child. Children will not, of course, realise that even something like, inadvertently, boxing the dog into a corner may stress it to the point of attack. Keep in mind also that a dog tied up by a lead can feel quite vulnerable because their movement is restricted and if threatened they cannot run away so have no choice but to attack.

Mike Harding

Thanks Mike. I do agree with you. Freinds have young children and I have no desire to find out if she will defend herself when threatened by a child.

I also discovered the hard way when younger about an abused dog on a lead. We got a Dalmation x from the pound years ago that had been terribly abused. She barked and got scary at everybody except my parents and sister (I was out of home by then). I was even a bit unsure about whether or not to go out the backyard when they weren't home (she wouldn't get to the adoption stage these days). Eventually we had a garage sale and Stephi was on her lead in the backyard. By now she was a happy dog and a friend's teenager approached her and ended up with teeth in face and stitches. Not pleasant for all concerned. Thankfully family friends were very understanding (dog lovers) and we never ever put her in a situation like that again. She died last year at the ripe old age of 16. Deaf and suffering from arthritis. When the vet advised that the drugs weren't helping her be comfortable anymore then she had to go to doggy heaven. She left behind an 8 year old dog who had become her pal, companion and daughter (alos from pound although never badly treated - taught her to play). A sad day for all but at least she jumped on the right karma train when Mum found her at the pound. She deserved all the love she got after what she had been through.

Thanks Sandy. We're waiting for the same thing to happen with Patsy (the name the shelter gave her). It kind of suits now. She gets called Pats more than Patsy though.