Jack-Russel Terrier won't behave. Help!?

Question

We adopted this dog like two days ago and it simply does not listen. She is about a year old and a stray her whole life, so I'm not expecting magic right away but I need help training her. Here are the problems:

1.) She bites EVERYTHING including people's hands. When I walk her she gets mad about the leash, choking herself and biting my ankles and shoes.

2.) She is pooping and peeing indoors.

3.) We have two cats (seperated from the dog for now), and every time they interact the dog wants to chew on them. Whats the best way to teach her this is wrong and introduce them at the same time?

Thanks so much, I know there's a lot here so any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

I am sorry to hear that. Don't give up on her! We too adopted a puppy that has had some behavior problems. First off, being a stray means it was never trained properly so it is living on pure instinct. That also goes for the house training issue. Does your puppy have free reign of the house? Limit the area the dog has to a room that is close to family activity, but easily cleaned. Lay paper on one area of the floor, and slowly intoduce the dog to that area. If you catch the dog in the act put her on the paper, and in time she will learn to relieve on paper, and then you can move to outdoors. Dogs learn "bite" control as they grow, but being on her own she hasn't learned to control that impulse yet. Provide her lots of toys to chew on.
Couple key points:

Never make her "come" in order to dicsipline.
If you don't catch her in the act it is to late to disciplene.

Also I would reccomend crate training, though given that she was a stray it will be a little more difficult. I wrote an article on my blog:

http://homemadedog.blogspot.com/

About a program called "Sit, Stay, Fetch", that I have had a lot of sucess with. Even if that doesn't help, or you aren't interested in something like that, there are some great books out there. Feel free to contact me through my blog on questions, or if you need ideas.

Much of the behavior will calm down as the dog gets adjusted. It sounds a lot to me like anxiety. Your vet may be able to help as well. Remember that the dog is also trying to determine it's place.

As far as the cats. If they are separated, but can still see each other eventually they will learn to co-exisit. I went through a similar case where I had taken in a stray cat, and had a dog, and after a week or two they learned to tolerate each other. Just don't let them together unsupervised.

She also isn't used to a leash. I would actually walk her a bit "inside", for a few short periods so she becomes acustomed to it. Always have small treats ready for when she does something good, like going to the bathroom outside, or walking politly. Dogs thrive on positive behavior.

Good Luck! And thanks for giving a dog a home!

Answer 2

GOD BLESS YOU for adopting a Jack Russell terrier.

Some equipment you will need to invest in
1) medium sized dog crate
2) easy leader head collar (looks like a bridle for a horse, but made for dogs)
3) find a toy that just makes her CRAZY (J.R.'s like squeaky toys)
4) a few yard sale towels (old towels that can still be used for rags) or cut up an old blanket to fit the dog crate.

FOR THE BITING...
This nipping is puppy behavior. When she does this, grab her muzzle quickly, and very firmly, look directly into her eyes (almost nose to nose) and in your best growly voice say "NO BITING!" It may take a little while but she will get the idea that the biting is not appropriate.

FOR THE HOUSE TRAINING...
This is where the crate comes in.
1) set up the crate with a soft blanket or towel, and a small dish of food and water.
2) think of a name you want to call the crate, for my border collie it was her "nite nite", you could also call it "bed" or "home" or something similar.
3) each time you put her in the crate say the word,(nite nite or whatever) and toss her toy or a treat to the back of the crate, she will follow, praise her when she is in the crate and close the door.
4) When you are not able to directly supervise her she needs to be in the CRATE. The first thing you need to do when you come home after being away for a little while, is take her out of her crate and take her outside to go potty. When she is doing the deed, say GOOD POTTY, and praise her. She will soon associate the word POTTY with what she is doing, and will get to the point where she will do it whenever you tell her to. IF she only pees and doesn't poop on any given trip to potty, then she needs to go straight back to her crate.

WALKING ON A LEASH
This is just going to take time and practice. Enroll in an obedience club in your area. AND use the head collar instead of the traditional neck collar. They are much more humane, and you have much more control.

CHEWING THE CATS
If the cats are not concerned about it, this is a grooming behavior. She may be biting their fleas. If she is trying to take chunks out of the cats, then the NO BITING that I discussed first is the way to take care of that. Substitute a chew toy for the cat. Cats can pretty much take care of themselves in the presence of a dog. I have seen a German Shepherd who was terrified of cats because when he was a puppy he got slapped on the nose by a very persnickety feline.

Answer 3

How old is she?

Biting - Say "NO!" and try distracting with a treat. When you have her attention, give praise and treat. If she's persistent, grab her muzzle, hold firmly.

House breaking - crate train her. Feed/water at the same time daily. Take her out immediately after meals. Do NOT leave her unattended. If you are keeping a vigil eye, you'll start to recognize the signs that she has to go out and you'll also be able to catch her in the act and take her out immediately.

I may be wrong, but my method for introducing animals to new members is by keeping the new pup tethered and letting the "existing" pets come over freely. Cats have the ability to escape quickly, move out of the way. So, keep your JRT on a leash when you introduce her. Sometimes, I find that it's best not to make a big fuss, unless a particular pet is extremely aggressive or rough.

ETA: co-signing with Michael R on the training. Terriers are tough, especially for a new handler.

G'luck.

Answer 4

Enroll in a training class asap. You will learn how to work with the dog, and she will learn to look to you for leadership.

Make sure she gets LOTS of exercise. She has an excess of energy and can't possibly listen until she's burned it off.

1) Carry a squirt bottle around with you. When she bites, squirt her and calmly but firmly say 'no bite!'. Reward her with praise as soon as she stops.

2) Take her outside immediately when she wakes up, after she eats, before bed and every hour or so in between. Praise lavishly when she 'goes' outside. When she's indoors, keep her confined to a small, clean area when you can't watch her. If she's loose in the house, supervise her very closely and get her outside right away if she looks like she's even thinking about it.

3) Keep the cats in their own part of the house until the dog settles down. When you do introduce them, make sure the dog is calm and well exercised first. Hold him loosely and let him sniff the cats. Say 'gentle!', and praise him for being nice. Keep the interactions very brief at first.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I have a Jack Russell mix. She is having a bit of trouble with the pooping and peeing. I have a tie out that I use for her and I leave her out on it for about 1/2 hour at a time. She's good about peeing, but the pooping it seems like she waits to do until she comes in. They can be very loving dogs, but they do require a lot of patience. I would suggest the obedience school as well, because your dog seems to have some aggression problems.

Answer 6

he is a Jack Russell Terrier. and he was jsut adopted.

he is a scared smart dog but he hasn't had time to learn the new rules.


The biting is mostly because he is nervous - it took my dogs I adopted from the SPCA about a month to quit trying to eat everything.

your dog needs a lot of attention, and he needs to be trained. Dogs don't just know that you want them to go outdoors. and Jack Russell's are FAMOUS for being smart and needing a lot of attention. 5 children would be about right.


Until you make progress on the first problem ( biting everything) i would not introduce the dog to the cats.
===================
i am not trying to be insulting.
but you are complaining that the dog does not listen.
That is inaccurate.

The dog either needs to be trained, and/or needs to calm down and get comfortable in his new home.

Training takes 3 weeks for a SMART dog.
3 months for a dumb one.

You have a smart dog. Give him time and attention, lots of walks. wear boots when walking him, till he is a little calmer.


It really sounds like he is still scared. try not to yell at him.

Answer 7

I have a jack russell and you need to exercise them alot despite their small size. Walk her a good 2 hours before you socialize her with the cats. Let her see the cats at a distance first and slowly bring them together while the dog is on a leash. Give her just enough leeway to sniff. Jack russells are hunters of small rodents so..this is kind of their instinct. I got mine at 2 months and socialized her with my cats early on and they still play fight daily. But my cats have always had a safety zone they could escape to that my pup can't get to. If you can,always have a cat tree or block off a room just for the cats that just the cats can get into (like with a gate they can jump over but the dog can't..but if you do this, don't get a gate with both horizontal and vertical bars because JRTs are good climbers).
Their biting (and peeing in the house) is trying to show dominance. They are very dominant oriented dogs and will try to dominant large dogs too even females, and that's what she's trying to do to you. When she goes for your hand, try not to jerk it away or this encourages her. Pinch her on the nape of her neck whenever she bites to show your dominant over her. Make her gently lay on her back until she calms down.
Mine also wanted to bite the leash (and play tug of war with it) and bite my pants when I walked her. Whenever she does this, just stop. Stop walking and moving until she stops.
I know youre probably overwhelmed but give it time! When she gets used to the new environment her behavior should get alot better.

Answer 8

As for the peeing and pooping inside, my husband and I had the same problem just a few months ago with our new dog. We tried puppy pads inside and she didn't quite understand that she was suppose to go on them. So we took her out everytime she woke up (from a nap, sleep, whatever) a little after she finished eating, and after playing. Also we took her for long walks in the grass. Anytime she went outside we would say "good potty!" If she had an accident inside, we would take her outside immediately after. After about a week she learned.

Answer 9

Take the dog to an obedience school, or take the dog back to where you got it.

Right now this is WAY beyond your capabilities.

There's no MAGIC bullet for training a dog. It takes time, knowledge and patience.

Answer 10

NILIF (nothing in life is free) will help establish your leadership in a non-confrontational way. Basic obedience class is probably a must. See links for help with housetraining and other behavior issues. Have patience and good luck.