Last night was Max’s second night of training. He actually did better on walking around the store with me when he did not see any other dogs, but once the dogs began arriving he started barking all over again. He just kept going and going and would not do all the things that he has learned at home. He is doing great with the clicker training at home and he could sit and wait and all of the things that they were talking about last night, but he would not show it by looking at his behavior. I told one of the ladies there that he did not bark at home, well because he does not. He never makes a sound unless he hears something outside and she acted like she did not believe me. I could not blame her because of the way he was acting it was hard to believe it myself. There was another Jack Russell at the class as well last night and you could see that mine had never spent time around other dogs compared to that Jack Russell. It made me kind of sad to see the other dog being able to go around the other dogs without barking or snapping at them, but Max he was not having it. I am not sure but I think he was looking for some kind of attention from these actions because he would have never done this before. Like I had stated in another part of my blog he was around my mother’s dog and never did any of this.


He went on so long during the class with his barking that the trainer thought that it would be best to put a muzzle on him to calm him down and give the other dog owners a chance to hear what she was talking about. I do not like muzzles, but I thought it was in the best interest of everyone including Max. He had the muzzle on and I felt so sorry for him because he was crying the whole time, but I tried not to show it the best that I could because I did not want him to get a reaction out of me. He did start to sit once he got the muzzle on and he was listening to me a little more, but when we went for a walk around the store customers that were walking around looked at my dog like “he must be a biter.” It made me feel bad for Max because he does not bite at all, but there was nothing that I could do.

Loose Leash

Last night the thing that we were suppose to learn was how to get our dogs to walk on a loose leash. I thought that would never happen with Max. He was normally the one that was pulling me around by the leash. Last night there was a change in him though. She gave us each a section to walk down and told us to practice by ourselves on how to get our dogs to walk on a loose leash. When he was not around the other dogs he did this perfectly. I learned how to stop and let him loosen the leash himself before I started to walk with him again. The trainer even said that she saw great things from him when he was walking, but once he saw her dog, that she uses to train the other dogs he went crazy and stopped listening to me again and even found a way to start barking through the muzzle.

Needless to say I am feeling less and less confident about Max learning to be around other dogs, but we

Shall see. There are 6 more weeks of training and if he does not get along with the other dogs, then I will just feel like it was a waste of the money. Right now the only thing I can say is that I get the papers that explain what the training in tales for the night like a direction sheet, but that could have been given to me without having to find a babysitter and spend money on that and the training classes as well. I am hoping that he will come around so I can view what the trainer is showing us. Oh and because of Max’s constant barking I have no idea what we will be learning next week.

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.

Before I bought my dog Max I did not know all the things that I would need for him. I thought he would be like my mom’s dog which is a Havanese and I thought that he would not need a whole lot, since he dog only need food a collar, and a fence to keep him happy. I did find first hand that Jack Russell’s need much more than that to keep them completely satisfied in the home. So instead of you having to learn the lesson that I had to learn, I will give you a list to what to get before you even bring a Jack Russell into your home.


Fence- This is a must and you also have to make sure that it is buried under the ground because Jack Russell’s are diggers and they will make their own way to get outside of the fence. Also make sure that the fence is at least 6’ high because not only are they diggers, but they are jumper and will try and jump as high as they can to get out the fence, do not let their short stature fool you.
Food & Water dish- Make sure that these dishes are heavy duty do not get anything that is made from cheap plastic they will tear these all to shreds.

Dog Collar & Leash- I found that the best collars are not the ones that are made from any form of fabric the best kind are made out of leather. This will allow you more time before the collar starts to unravel from all the tugging that this dog might do. I also found if you can afford a harness for the dog instead of using the collar when it is on its leash this will give you better control over the dog as well. The leash can be any kind of leash, but I do suggest that you do not get the retractable leashes until the dog has been trained and can walk with a loose leash.

Chew Toys- Chew toys are a must for these dogs, they will chew on everything and anything that they can get their mouths around. So it is best to give them something that is made out of harder plastics or even try and find plenty of ropes to keep them busy and stay away from the $.99 toys at Wal- Mart because those will be gone in one day. Also keep in mind when getting toys you want to make sure that you get a variety of toys because of these dogs being so intelligent they need constant stimulation and a variety, otherwise they might get bored and start looking for other things around the home to give them entertainment.

Dog Food- This is pretty much up to you if you want to go with wet or dry dog food, but I would suggest that you choose the dog food that is a little softer as these dogs tend to have a hard time chewing anything that is hard. Some people suggest that you opt for the healthier option which is all natural dog food and I pretty much think that it is up to the owner. All natural is better for your dog yes, but it can also be a lot pricier and the dog may not even like it.

Dog Training Classes- Be aware that you might not do this right away, but it is highly suggested that in the future before your puppy turns a year old that you get them into training classes. Jack Russell’s have a hard time socializing with other dogs and because of their strong will might try and run your household if you do not practice the proper techniques to get them to do what you want them to.

Dog Bed- This is a must because even though it might seem like you are pampering your pet, the more you let a jack sleep in your bed the less they will listen to you when you tell them that they are not allowed to. It is best in the begging to get them their own bed for them to sleep on, so that you never run into this problem.

Crate- This may seem like it is cruel to do to a dog, but for a Jack this is necessary, if you do not crate train these dogs they will turn your house upside down while you are gone. You need to teach them from the time that they come home, that the crate is not a place for punishment and that is a place just mainly for them to take a break in and come out when you come home. The crate should not be overly large because otherwise you might find your Jack defecating in his home, it is better to get it a little on the smaller side because they will not defecate where they sleep.

Having a Jack Russell is not cheap, but how can you put a price on a love that will last you a lifetime?