In many ways, Jack Russell training is made harder because of their wilful character. But because they are such bright little dogs, they can catch on quickly to the training you are progressing with. All dog training needs to adapt to the personality of each dog, as they are such individuals!
Jack Russell Training
Most Jack Russell training involves house training and when you are out and about with him.
With house training you need to know that under no circumstances must the dog feel like he has the upper hand at any time. But in order to get to the magic time when he either lets you know that he wants to go potty, or waits until he gets an opportunity to be let out, patience is needed in buckets!
House training needs to be done first, as this is quite an easy way of establishing the hierachy in the home, with your Jack Russell placed firmly at the bottom! Once you have mastered this then you can begin taking him outside to meet the world! It’s best to establish his potty spot as soon as you can, actually as soon as he comes home for the first time.
Once this place has been defined, you need to keep that spot reserved just for him, don’t let him play there, this is a place strictly for his toilet.
It’s easy as you can wait until your dog wants to go, then say something like “Go Potty” in a firm tone when he starts to eliminate.
As soon as he is done, you Must give him a treat and lots of praise immediately afterwards. This is a positive reinforcing proceedure that will let him know instantly that you are pleased with him and he will be proud of himself.
Clicker training
It can be a real challenge to teach the dog if you are unused to training, but consider the completion of house training as a real achievement and it will give you the courage you need to encourage the right behaviour when outside and in the position where he can be exposed to many distractions.
There are various techniques used by dog trainers, dog clickers are fabulous tools to indicate precisely the behaviour that is requested. Since it is reward based training it is very much based on positive reinforcement. Traditional methods of praise and reward may not feed back to the pet with enough speed to indicate their success, but with a clicker, it is thought that the extra sensory prompt helps the pet catch on faster to the sought behaviour. It is also thought that because the clicker is a constant sound, the dog knows precisely that he completed the requested task, as the trainer’s voice can change quite a bit even within a half an hour, so consistency really helps to shorten the time spent training and lessens confusion for the dog.
Jack Russell Training is a rewarding time for both of you, but take your time and enjoy the process, just don’t forget the treats!
