[MaisieAndGem]

Most terriers have strong prey drive, given that's what they were bred for. This means their instinct to track and chase moving creatures can be an issue without intervention.

However, with time and training, any dog can be taught reliable recall and tolerance. I own a terrier myself, and while she has also learnt not to bother the chickens and the cats, she definitely still tries to chase possums, rats and the like. However, if I give the command, she will stop mid-chase and return to me. She still has the instinct but will reliably ignore it when asked.

 

[MaisieAndGem]

@Wranglercmd just a reminder this is a non-adversive forum and the promotion of e-collars are not allowed. This way may have 'worked' for you, but there are many other ways to train reliable recall which are a lot more pleasant. Also, obedience is not a genetic trait but a learned ability. Genetics and prey drive play a part in trainability but not obedience, which is the end result of said training. My terrier was hard to train given her short attention span and high prey drive, but she is still obedient given the time I have put into her to find a method that worked for us.

Tagging @JoanneF and @LMMB for their input on the e-collar matter as well.