Hi everyone, I live in Australia and have a 7month old male Cooper. I have never owned a JRT before. I did my research into the breed and he suits me perfectly. So full of love and he has a great personality. I love him so much. My question is, He likes to lick everything and by everything I mean everything. Is that a normal trait of a JRT? He also loves people and meeting new people, but he is a bit a jumper and gets crazy excited, I’ve tried to get him to stop doing it but he still does. Is that normal for a pup? Also his recall is not the best because he gets so excited on walks as he smells everything and has to wee on every plant bush and tree. He has not been nurtured. Thanks I’m advance.
My pup Cooper
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Hi. Welcome to the forum.
Licking is a self soothing exercise for dogs, so the behaviour itself is normal. Have a stuffed Kong or Lickimat or other wet food dispenser avail and give him that to satisfy his need to lick.
Normal for dogs, never mind puppies. Teach him to Sit when he greets new people - 4 paws on the ground, equals, chance to meet/say hello. 0-2 paws on the ground, equals no meeting.
The thing to bear in mind is that many other people have a tendency to encourage jumping up in dogs. "Oh, he's all right! I don't mind." Be ready: "You might not, and I can see you're strong enough and steady enough to take him jumping up on you, but I don't want him doing that to my frail, 90 year old Granny, who's unsteady on her feet. If he knocks her over and she breaks a hip..."
At the risk of sounding like a spelling snob, do you mean neutered?
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I'll chip in on the recall, because it is an important thing to learn.
At his age, you want to make returning to you the best thing ever. In a very few months adolescence will kick in and he may well regress, so the better the foundation now, the less hard work for you then.
A few tips - if you have fallen into the common trap of calling him repeatedly and he isn't complying, you have shown him that responding first time is optional - not what you want. So start again with a new cue word or even a whistle (shout out if you would like more info on that), and use it once only. Also use a long line (only ever attached to a harness, not a collar, to prevent injury to his throat) so he can't fail. In training, choose your times to practise recall carefully.
By that, I mean practise in low distraction areas like your garden or even the house, before slowly building up to harder places.
Reward him really well for recalling - if you want him to come to you rather than chase a rabbit, you are going to have to make coming to you a really, really attractive proposition. So the reward should be something like chicken or frankfurter sausage and deliver several small pieces quickly. To a dog, several tiny pieces is higher value than one piece of equivalent size.
When he recalls, play a little too, and release him. Coming to you shouldn't mean going on lead and end of fun.
At his age, you want to make returning to you the best thing ever. In a very few months adolescence will kick in and he may well regress, so the better the foundation now, the less hard work for you then.
A few tips - if you have fallen into the common trap of calling him repeatedly and he isn't complying, you have shown him that responding first time is optional - not what you want. So start again with a new cue word or even a whistle (shout out if you would like more info on that), and use it once only. Also use a long line (only ever attached to a harness, not a collar, to prevent injury to his throat) so he can't fail. In training, choose your times to practise recall carefully.
By that, I mean practise in low distraction areas like your garden or even the house, before slowly building up to harder places.
Reward him really well for recalling - if you want him to come to you rather than chase a rabbit, you are going to have to make coming to you a really, really attractive proposition. So the reward should be something like chicken or frankfurter sausage and deliver several small pieces quickly. To a dog, several tiny pieces is higher value than one piece of equivalent size.
When he recalls, play a little too, and release him. Coming to you shouldn't mean going on lead and end of fun.
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Jumping is an effort to get attention ... denying that attention provides negative reinforcement. You're not punishing him, but you're not giving him what he wants. At the door, waiting to go out, new people arriving, whatever ... We cross our arms and turn on our backs, don't look at them. When they stop the behavior, we ask to sit ... and then give them the desired attention when they sit calmly.
When attempting to train your dog, I always recommend assessing "what you are in for". Just as all dog breeds don't look alike, they also do not behave alike. Dogs were bred not only to conform to a physical standard but also bred to exhibit certain behaviors. What approach works with breeds leaning to one end of the spectrum of behaviors, may not be the best approach for another breed. So, to avoid stress and disappointment ...I find it useful to get into the mindset of what is ahead of me. The BARQ database contains over 70,000 entries assorted by breed.
petcalculator.com/jack-russell-terrier-temperament-personality-behavior/
Like human behaviors there is a mean where 50% of dogs are on one side of the mean and 50% are on the other. If we take the "bell curve" for all dogs as a baseline and then overlay the bell curve for a specific breed over it, we find among the 14 classified behaviors, each breed specific curve follows the same shape but shifts a bit to the left or the right. A score of < 50% means that the subject breed is exhibiting a more desirable trait then the average dog... A score of > 50% means that the subject breed is exhibiting a less desirable trait then the average dog...
So how does the JRT do related to your issues ...As for the jumping ... note the following:
Energy Level 79.1 percent
Excitability 70.1 percent
This by no means indicative of how any one dog behaves; it says that as far as "excitability" out of 100 JRTs, 70 of them will show an excitement level greater than the average dog. As for the recall part ... good news. Stubborness is defined as : "showing a dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something". Yes, dogs often find that they are more interested in doing what they want to do,then what you want them to do.
Stubbornness 39.1 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking 64.4 percent
The breed is more anxious to please than the average dog ... and his attachment to it's owner suggest that "your attention" will be a reward in and of itself. Some dogs are not really motivated by treats ... we have two GSD / Husky mixes and tossing treats on from of the beds is like "You don't really expect me to get up for that do you ?" But a call to the younger of the two will produce an immediate response (exhibiting the GSD side) ... the older one, it's "later for you dude, I'm comfy" ... all husky brain. See the pic below:
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Unfortunately, the JRT didn't make the list. The reason I chose to list this example.... is we have 2 mixes of the same breeds .... and it's the one that looks like a purebred shepherd that exhibits the most husky like behavior. So while the BARQ data is useful to the extent like whether to tell the dealer in Vegas to hit you when ya have 16 when playing 21, you chances are what they are.
But knowing that data, when training recall ... you can oft use the breed traits to make it easier to reach your goal. Long leash training is one way to do this. I have a foot 150 Surveyor's tape reel which I clip to their collars and let them wander out 30 feet or so... then try recall command. If the dog comes, a treat always is a reward by I'd emphasize your approval and happiness . Then go out to 50 feet ... 100 feet ... 150 feet and continue. With success , move to a fenced yard.
Not for the 'but" part
Prey Drive 82.1 percent
And there's ya biggest challenge The JRT ranks 7th among all 130 dog breeds in this respect. No surprise here, the dog was bred specifically for England's upper crust to partake in Fox Hunts. Huskies aren't far being at 19 or so... so yes, it's an issue I experience daily. Younger dog I can leave loose, she'll chase the squirrel and I got no control till the squirrel gets to a tree at which point she'll return ... older dog, can't be left loose; she figures is there's a squirrel in one tree, there must be one in every tree, and if gets off her "zip line" she'll be over the fence and gone.
I like think that if we got her younger, we'd have been able to have more control, but when I tell other husky owners that, they just laugh at me. I guess science has a hint as to why
Husky Attachment Attention Seeking 17.9 percent (Aka "later for you dude")
Within our extended family and friends, have known 4 JRTs, all of which were purebred pups raised from a few weeks old. Their behavior mirrored our Dobies and current younger dog ... they go for the chase but cease quickly not seeming to want to get far from their owners. I think it's that attachment aspect kicking in, so might want to emphasize that in the training. But there's may ways to skin the proverbial cat (pun intended) so the best approach is flexibility ... if the dog is out at the edges of the bell curve, and logic doesn't work, observe what motivates your dog, get as much advice form various sources as you can and change tactics.
When attempting to train your dog, I always recommend assessing "what you are in for". Just as all dog breeds don't look alike, they also do not behave alike. Dogs were bred not only to conform to a physical standard but also bred to exhibit certain behaviors. What approach works with breeds leaning to one end of the spectrum of behaviors, may not be the best approach for another breed. So, to avoid stress and disappointment ...I find it useful to get into the mindset of what is ahead of me. The BARQ database contains over 70,000 entries assorted by breed.
petcalculator.com/jack-russell-terrier-temperament-personality-behavior/
Like human behaviors there is a mean where 50% of dogs are on one side of the mean and 50% are on the other. If we take the "bell curve" for all dogs as a baseline and then overlay the bell curve for a specific breed over it, we find among the 14 classified behaviors, each breed specific curve follows the same shape but shifts a bit to the left or the right. A score of < 50% means that the subject breed is exhibiting a more desirable trait then the average dog... A score of > 50% means that the subject breed is exhibiting a less desirable trait then the average dog...
So how does the JRT do related to your issues ...As for the jumping ... note the following:
Energy Level 79.1 percent
Excitability 70.1 percent
This by no means indicative of how any one dog behaves; it says that as far as "excitability" out of 100 JRTs, 70 of them will show an excitement level greater than the average dog. As for the recall part ... good news. Stubborness is defined as : "showing a dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something". Yes, dogs often find that they are more interested in doing what they want to do,then what you want them to do.
Stubbornness 39.1 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking 64.4 percent
The breed is more anxious to please than the average dog ... and his attachment to it's owner suggest that "your attention" will be a reward in and of itself. Some dogs are not really motivated by treats ... we have two GSD / Husky mixes and tossing treats on from of the beds is like "You don't really expect me to get up for that do you ?" But a call to the younger of the two will produce an immediate response (exhibiting the GSD side) ... the older one, it's "later for you dude, I'm comfy" ... all husky brain. See the pic below:
Unfortunately, the JRT didn't make the list. The reason I chose to list this example.... is we have 2 mixes of the same breeds .... and it's the one that looks like a purebred shepherd that exhibits the most husky like behavior. So while the BARQ data is useful to the extent like whether to tell the dealer in Vegas to hit you when ya have 16 when playing 21, you chances are what they are.
But knowing that data, when training recall ... you can oft use the breed traits to make it easier to reach your goal. Long leash training is one way to do this. I have a foot 150 Surveyor's tape reel which I clip to their collars and let them wander out 30 feet or so... then try recall command. If the dog comes, a treat always is a reward by I'd emphasize your approval and happiness . Then go out to 50 feet ... 100 feet ... 150 feet and continue. With success , move to a fenced yard.
Not for the 'but" part
Prey Drive 82.1 percent
And there's ya biggest challenge
The JRT ranks 7th among all 130 dog breeds in this respect. No surprise here, the dog was bred specifically for England's upper crust to partake in Fox Hunts. Huskies aren't far being at 19 or so... so yes, it's an issue I experience daily. Younger dog I can leave loose, she'll chase the squirrel and I got no control till the squirrel gets to a tree at which point she'll return ... older dog, can't be left loose; she figures is there's a squirrel in one tree, there must be one in every tree, and if gets off her "zip line" she'll be over the fence and gone.I like think that if we got her younger, we'd have been able to have more control, but when I tell other husky owners that, they just laugh at me
. I guess science has a hint as to why Husky Attachment Attention Seeking 17.9 percent (Aka "later for you dude")
Within our extended family and friends, have known 4 JRTs, all of which were purebred pups raised from a few weeks old. Their behavior mirrored our Dobies and current younger dog ... they go for the chase but cease quickly not seeming to want to get far from their owners. I think it's that attachment aspect kicking in, so might want to emphasize that in the training. But there's may ways to skin the proverbial cat (pun intended) so the best approach is flexibility ... if the dog is out at the edges of the bell curve, and logic doesn't work, observe what motivates your dog, get as much advice form various sources as you can and change tactics.
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