Managing Jack Russell Terrier Behavior

The crux of the problem when confronting Jack Russell Terrier behavior is that this breed wrote the book on strong willed, stubborn as a mule, defiant as Napoleon, hard to catch for a whoopin little rascal you ever saw in your life.

And in the early puppy years, they can run fast. They were bred that way, remember, to chase fox. And don't think they don't know when they've messed up...they know alright...that's why they're running. (typical Jack Russell Terrier behavior)

But there are some very efficient ways to master Jack Russell Terrier behavior. And also some very interesting ones.

In Anna Katherine Nicholas' great book, Jack Russell Terriers, she tells of a man who had a dog in a kennel that would wake him up at 1:30 a.m. every night barking his head off.

A platform to hold a bucket of water was constructed over the area of the kennel in which the dog usually chose to bark.

Through a system of hinges, ropes, and pulleys, a mechanism was devised so that the dog owner could pull a rope from his bedroom window, dumping a bucket of water on the dog when he started to bark.

The bucket was suspended such that once it was dumped, it uprighted itself and the owner could fill it again remotely by turning on a garden hose.

After two appropriate dunkings, the dog's barking behavior was apparently eliminated.

While this approach is inventive, it doesn't work well with those of us who are not good with pulleys, ropes and hinges.

But trying to stop a dog, and especially a dog that is extremely territorial, from excessive barking, can be quite a challenge as it is a natural Jack Russell Terrier behavior response to sound an alarm when other dogs or people approach their territory.

It is advisable, as good owners and good neighbors, to try and curb problem barking before it becomes a bad habit. And as I have mentioned before, START EARLY because these dogs are smart and they WILL learn, but only...if YOU are consistent.

But once punishment is administered, make every attempt from that point on, to punish ALL undesirable barking. Don't allow long periods of barking to go unpunished.

During this period of training it may be necessary to keep the dog inside while the owner is away, unless the dog can be, in some way, punished while the owner is gone.

But don't over-punish and harm or break the dog's spirit. Remember, Jack Russell Terrier behavior is rooted in a breeding as a high-spirited hunter and diligent protector of his territorial space.

My dog Jimbo listens... most times to me. But it took us some tangling and battle of wills to get here.

He loves to please me. And when the temptation over-rules his respect for me, I don't mind so much because he makes up for it in loyalty and affection that is hard to find an equal comparison. His whole life is me. If I go out, he's there at my feet. If I come in, there he is again, his eye ever watching and ready to defend.

This is Jack Russell Terrier behavior at its best.

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