Well time has finally arrived and Max has started his way on learning technical training, instead of what I have taught him at home. I have been training him the basic commands like sit, stay, wait, and lay down since he was 8 weeks old. My husband and I thought it was best for both of our sanity if we put Max in some really training classes and get him out and socializing with other dogs that are around the same age as him. He has most of the commands down like sit, wait, and lay down but when it comes to the call back he does terrible he only returns when he wants to and this is just not working for us. I thought also it would be best if he could learn his in home manors since this is something that he sometimes does poorly with. So Each week I will be reporting back on how he did in his class for that week and what we learned, in hopes that it might help some other Jack Russell owners out. There are 8 weeks to the classes so I am hoping to see some improvement in Max.

Week 1:

Ok well here is the first start on trying to get Max to be a well behaved dog. We went to the class and another dog was graduating. I hope to see Max there at the end of it all, but do not know if we are going to have to do some extended training past the 8 weeks.

We went in to the circle that they have for all the dogs, which is pretty much like a pin to keep them in a specific area. Max saw the Pit Bull that was in the class and right away started barking uncontrollably. The trainer just told me to keep covering his eyes and that if he could not see the other dogs then he would know that he needed to stop barking to do so. I found this to be quite an ordeal because he would not even stop when I did this, instead would stop barking when I had his eyes covered and then start barking again and soon as I let him see the other dogs. The barking was bad and I am not quite sure why these dogs got a rise out of him, but my mom’s dog he could be around and he would never bark. The trainer after seeing what a hard time I was having told me to turn Max around and have him face away from the other dogs kind of like a time out. This seemed to work a lot better for him then the covering his eyes thing did.

The trainer then instructed us that we were going to be taking the dogs for a walk around the store on a loose leash. In my head I was thinking this not going to work because I can see Max nipping at some of the other dogs, so instead the whole time was on a tight leash, and pretty much running in place. I was a little disappointed because I had never seen him act this way, but I knew that this is a new place with new dogs and so I could not expect for him to act perfect otherwise I would have never needed the training classes.

Clickers and treats were then handed out and she showed us how she wanted us to load the clicker to give our dogs a better understanding that when we clicked the clicker they would get a reward. Everyone else’s dogs were clam and doing exactly what the owners were wanting them to do, but Max was still barking away. The trainer told me not to worry and that next time he will be use to this and less barking will be going on.

So this week is mainly loading the clicker and teaching Max when I click the clicker he will be getting rewarded for whatever he is doing at that time. So far he is doing a lot better at home.

When your Jack Russell is a pup you will not be able to get them into dog training classes until they are at least 8 weeks old and are up to date on their shots. Also there is the factor of price when it comes to dog training. It is always a good idea with this breed of dog to get started on training the first day that they arrive in your home. You cannot coddle this breed of dog because they will learn that it is easy to manipulate you to do what they want. Training these dogs does not have to be a harsh form like swatting them with a newspaper or even yelling NO at them all day, instead there is a kinder gentler way to train these dog when they are puppies.
First rule never yell at your dog by name, if you say their name in a angry tone they will associate their name with angry and then when it comes time for you to train them the call back or getting them to return to you by their name they will refuse and instead do the opposite of what you want them to do.

Also never hit your dog in any way this will only have a negative response. In time after you do this to much to them you will in turn have an angry dog that will destroy anything that resembles something that you might have hit them this, or even worse them attacking you.

Jack Russell’s are a show dog; they love training and do not mind doing it one bit if you show them love when they have done something that you have asked of them. It mainly comes down to how you would like to be treated would you like someone to swat at you and scream at you all day for something you have done wrong, doubtful.
Potty Training- When bringing you pup home for the first time, the thing that you should have planned out is where you want them to potty outside. You need to before even stepping one foot in the door take the puppy to the spot that you want them to use as their own personal restroom. This will give your puppy the idea of where they need to go every time they are outside. Jack Russell has a high sense of smell and they use their nose for everything. Once they go potty in the spot that you allowed them to they can smell this and will continue to do this over and over again without too much trouble. You must make sure that you always take them to this spot because if you do not them they might make a restroom out of your whole yard. This is also why it is very important to use pet cleaner on the rugs if the dog has an accident because they can pick up on were that spot is and continue to do this in your home. (I will explain more later in the blog.)

Dog Treats And A Clicker- Clicker training is a great way to get these dogs a good start. Clicks are a plastic box with a bendable piece of metal inside, when you press down on this metal it will make a clicking noise. I do want to warn you that clicker training only works if you are willing to do the training part. You cannot press on the clicker and have the dog do exactly what you want it to; they do not know what a clicker is you have to show them. When you click the clicker make sure that you have plenty of treats. You will click the clicker and then give them a treat and keep doing this until they recognize that you clicker give you good things to eat, this is called loading the clicker. Some people get worried about this because they think that if you use this method that you will have to constantly give your dog treats, but this is not true. Once the dog gets the idea of what you want them to do, you can slowly wean away the clicker and then the treats and they will still follow your commands. Dogs are like humans they need rewards to make whatever you want them to do worth it. Say for instance if you work you probley would not want to work for free instead you do it to get a paycheck that is your reward, a dog feels the same way. You can practice loading the clicker and then once they know what you are going to do click the clicker and wait awhile before giving them the treat, this teaches them to be more patient in the long run, but also teaches them even when they have to wait a reward will come. Also some things that you can teach your Jack right away are sitting, you will tell them to sit and once they do you can click the clicker and reward them with a treat. I found some other ones that Max really responded to were sit, lay down, down, and up which is jumping up for a treat. He started doing these when he was 8 weeks old and so as you can see they are very intelligent dogs, but they need your guidance. Use the same words for everything you train them because if you go off of that, you Jack Russell might get confused. So say you use the word down to get them off the couch, and then you must use that every time because if you even say get down they may become confused as to what you are telling them.

Proper Training MUST start when they are puppies.