The Bright Side Of Jack Russell Behavior

There's no denying that Jack Russells can have an amazing personality. These dogs are known for being wonderfully social, playful, and affectionate with those close to them. They've developed a reputation for giving joyous greetings and constant devotion. Jacks love to run, play, and have active lifestyles without much sitting still. Their excitable nature can cause endless amusement - they'll often dig phantom holes or run around the room just for the hell of it.

The Bad News

Like any dog, the Jack Russell has a few unattractive characters as well. They were bred to hunt and as such can sometimes be quite aggressive, particularly towards other dogs. In addition, they can be quite fearless when it comes to confrontation, which is sometimes a problem when facing bigger dogs. In a similar respect, while they are very loyal, this loyalty makes them extremely protective of their owners when rival dogs intrude upon their territory.

Getting The Behaviour That You Want

However, despite the bad points, a Jack Russell can be an incredible companion and the positives by far outweigh the negatives. Furthermore, all of these negative attributes can be corrected through training and as long as you spend time with your pet you'll be able to promote more of the good tendencies and less of the bad ones.

All you need is proper training, a little of bit time, some patience, and disciplined consistency. You need to start moulding your dog from an early age - like the rest of us, once habits have been learned they're much harder to unlearn. Indeed, by putting your dog on the right track from the first day you bring him home, you'll increase your odds of him developing into an excellent companion and have longer to enjoy your time together.

The Significance Of Positive Reinforcement

The secret to stopping (and encouraging) any Jack Russell behavior starts and ends with positive reinforcement. In other words, it's very important to praise good behavior and reprimand any misbehaving. These attention-loving hounds bask in your focus, even if you're only giving them attention in order to punish them. So, if they misbehave try to ignore them completely and profusely praise them when they do something right. Eventually your dog will learn to equate good behavior with reward and bad behavior with unresponsiveness, which should encourage him to be good for life.

Leader Of The Pack

Owners must clearly establish themselves as the dominate members of the house, otherwise the dog will naturally assume he is in control, causing him to become completely wild and rowdy. The best way for your dog to learn his role is by feeding him after you eat and only greeting him when you want to. He'll soon recognize where he fits into the overall hierarchy and will obey you accordingly.

Obviously certain dogs may require the help of a professional dog trainer. Often standard obedience classes can greatly assist in a dog's behavior if you start him early enough, but some dogs that are well into adulthood require the services of a behavioral expert, depending on how pronounced his difficulties are.

In brief, while Jack Russell behavior may present certain challenges, proper training can address most of these issues. If you want your dog to be the best that he can be, follow proper training procedure, shower him with love and affection and he'll be well on his way.