How To Train A Jack Russell To Listen? Complete Guide

Jack Russell is a lovely, small terrier where many people love to raise as their pet. They originated as hunting dogs, and they are very active and energetic. Sometimes they become aggressive and disobedient due to many reasons.

So, it is very important to train your Jack Russell to listen to prevent their destructive behaviors. Therefore, this article is all about the way of training a Jack Russell to listen. 

So, how can you train a Jack Russell to listen? First of all, you should understand the dog whether it is stubborn or not. Then you can adjust the techniques to train according to your dog. Also, it is important to recognize their behavioral problems arise if you do not train them to listen. So, if you see that the dog is; barking excessively, jumping up, being aggressive, etc., you may; start its training as soon as possible. Try with positive training and reward it with some treats when your JRT does something good. And make sure not to do things like; letting them feel dominant, demonstrate dominance over other dogs, become the pack leader, etc. 

Accordingly, in this article I have covered, is your Jack Russell stubborn, what are the behavioral problems that arise if you do not train your Jack Russell to listen, tips for training the Jack Russell to listen and finally, I have given an idea on what you should not do while training your Jack Russell to listen.

Let’s get started!

Is your Jack Russell stubborn?

Jack Russells originated as hunting dogs. It is a small terrier that is loyal to its owners. If you search for an intelligent, active, energetic, and clever dog, Jack Russell is the best choice for you.

But, sometimes they become aggressive and even seem they do not listen to you in such situations. So, some people think that they are stubborn. Then, how to train a Jack Russell to listen if they are stubborn? Here, let’s see whether Jack Russell is a stubborn terrier.

Jack Russell wants to spend more energy per day. So, exercises are essential for them. They are likely to be always engaged; if not, they will get bored easily. That will turn them to be very destructive.

So, when considering the qualities of Jack Russells, they are not very calm and quiet terriers that can keep alone with small children. They are very close to being stubborn.

Yes, there are some Jack Russells who are bossy and stubborn. But, you don’t have to worry here because; you can make it listen to you through better guidance and practice.

Their origin has gifted them a sense of responsibility, decision-making abilities, taking risks, etc. So, he is not ready to listen to everything you say to him.

So, sometimes they refuse what you say. But, remember that it is not a problem for them; you have to train them to listen as soon as you bring it to your home by creating a strong relationship with it. Then, you will not face such problems. 

Sometimes, you may recognize that the dog will show destructive behaviors like; barking continuously, digging holes, being aggressive towards other animals, etc., without listening to you.

That is because they want to be active and always engaged by being around their owners, and your attention is important to them. Do not misunderstand them as dogs who are always stubborn.

You should understand the difference between these two before going to train the dog to listen to you. If it is stubborn, it will not come to be around you. So, understand the feelings and qualities of your dog first.

What behavioral problems take place if you do not train your Jack Russell to listen?

Raising a Jack Russell does not only limit to; grooming, feeding and giving treatments for the diseases of the dog, etc.

You have to be a good pet parent to your dog by making it listen to you. If not, it will show more problematic behaviors. What are those behavioral problems?

1. Excessive barking

Barking is not a new thing for dogs. It is a common, natural behavior of all dogs. They use barking as a means of communication.

But, if your Jack Russell excessively bark without listening to you when you command it to do something, it will be a problem because Jack Russells are noisier than other terriers. You will have to control it; if not, the neighbors will complain against you. 

2. Jumping up

When Jack Russells are overexcited, jumping up is common to them. But it is a problem for many people because; most of them get scared when dogs jump up.

They tend to jump up even at your guests without obeying your commands if you do not give them enough training to listen to you.

So, it is better to release the share of their excitement through your training and games without letting it be destructive to your guests.

3. Biting

Playful biting is commonly seen among many dogs. But if they bite your guests and strangers, it is a problem. So, it is better to stop biting your dog during puppyhood.

There, you should shut the mouth of your Jack Russell for a moment and say “no” when biting. Then put a chewable treat in its mouth. It is the best way to make it listen to you if it is biting. If not, it will continue with its unsuitable behaviors.

4. Chewing

If you do not make your Jack Russell listen to you in its early stage of life, it will show this destructive behavior. There, it will chew your furniture, shoes, and even the shoes of your guests.

So, it is a big problem for you because; you will be complained about by anyone that comes to your house. Therefore, it is better to make it listen to you in its puppyhood and stop this behavior. 

5. Digging

This also comes as a natural habit of dogs, especially as a hunting dog Jack Russells commonly shows this behavior. But, this is not good for both you and your dog.

It will damage the nails of the dog and may cause injuries, and on the other hand, it will damage the beauty of your garden; you also may get injured by trapping in the holes, etc., are some of the problems that emerge with this unsuitable behavior of your dog.

Therefore, it is better to stop this behavior by training it to listen to you. Then it will be a well-behaved dog.

Likewise, there will be much problematic behavior in your dog if it does not train to listen. So, it is very important to train a Jack Russell to listen. 

Tips to Train a Jack Russell to listen

Jack Russell is a commonly raised pet dog which many people love. So, it is very important to train it well to have the best pet dog that listens to you.

So, here let’s see how we can train a Jack Russell to listen with more details. 

1. Begin the training process as soon as possible

You can own the best and well-behaved Jack Russell if you start to train it to listen to you at its puppyhood or as soon as it reaches your house. You can start with the critical skills that you expect to see in your pet, like; stop chewing, biting, digging, etc.

There, you should make it understand the rules well and make sure to be on alert whether it follows them. As Jack Russell is an intelligent and clever terrier, it will understand them well. So, you can have the best results if you start to train at its puppyhood.

2. Provide positive training

Positive training is important to get the maximum of your effort. As an example, you can give a treat that it likes most when it is done with something good. It will motivate the dog to engage in more good activities.

And praise is the best motivation for them because they do not like yelling; instead, they will listen to you well when you talk with lovely words and praise its good habits. 

3. Consider the limits of your dog

Here, you should remember the limits of your dog according to its age. That means, if your pet is still a puppy, it has limits to learn. It can’t spend its energy on training as an adult dog.

Especially as you are starting to train your Jack Russell to listen in its puppyhood, you should consider how much it can learn for a day and how fast it can learn.

This does not mean that you should choose only a few training tricks but make sure not to overload it. If it is overloaded, it will not learn anything. So, your patience is very important here.

4. Keeping the rules consistent

This is very important to train your dog to listen. Here, you should be consistent in your rules. That means if you do not want your dog to do something, be consistent with it.

When you change the rules from time to time, it will be confused about what it can do, and it can’t do. As an example, if you do not like your pet to sleep on the couch, always do not let it do that. 

4. Maintaining the control

If you notice that your pet is careless about everything you say and continues its irresponsible behaviors, do control yourself without panicking and yelling at the dog.

Keep your patience and try to change the mind of the pet by getting it to walk or something. 

5. Seek assistance from a professional

If your dog still does not listen to you after following all the training tricks, you can have the advice of a professional trainer.

But, find someone who has patience and understanding about both you and your pet.

What should you not do while training your Jack Russell to listen?

Not only the things to do, but you also should have a clear idea of what you should not do to train a Jack Russell to listen well.

So, here let’s focus on the things that you should not do when training your Jack Russell. 

1. Do not let the pet feel dominant

It is not a good idea to let your jack Russell stand on your top with its paws on your chest. If you let them do so continuously, they will feel dominant over you, and they will be your boss soon.

Then, it will be hard for you to train it to listen to what you say.

2. Do not mix your feelings

When you train your Jack Russell to listen, it is better if you do not follow the training trick with love. That means, if it does not follow what you say, do not delay to say “no” for its bad behaviors.

If you tell it with love and keep guilty feelings with you, it will mix your feelings, and your Jack Russell will be confused. It will not understand the difference between praise and discipline.

So, be firm on your training and do not mix your feelings. 

3. Do not let your dog be comfortable on your furniture

As soon as you see that your Jack Russell is sleeping on your furniture, prevent it from doing it because it will give them the feeling of dominance.

Train the dog to prevent such behaviors and listen to do only what you say at its puppyhood. If not, it will be difficult for you to change its behaviors later because it will not listen to you if it does not train it in your early life. 

4. Do not yell at the dog

Yelling is not a good way to train the pet. Pet is not an outsider for your house anymore. It also likes to hear good words and appreciation from you.

That is why they always try to get your attention through their behaviors. So, when training the dog to listen, do not yell at him. It will be aggressive and careless if you always yell at the dog. 

5. Do not treat your dog like a human

When making the dog listen, you should remember that it is not a human. That means; if you treat the dog as a human being, it will also adapt to that and try to be treated as a human being.

It will create many troubles for you because; if that sense gets rooted in the dog’s mind, it will control you instead of you control it.

If you want to make your dog listen to what you say, keep the limits and treat it only as your pet, not as another human being. 

Conclusion – Train your Jack Russell to listen

We have discussed; how to train a Jack Russell to listen with more details. I think this article will be very important for all the Jack Russell owners as I have covered some important areas like; is your Jack Russell stubborn, what are the behavioral problems arise if you do not train your dog to listen, tips to train the Jack Russell to listen and finally, I have given an idea on what you should not do while training your Jack Russell to listen.

Jack Russell is a small terrier which many people love to raise as their pet. Therefore, it is very important to know about the way to train a Jack Russell to listen. But you should first understand whether your Jack Russell is stubborn. Then you can decide the tricks to select for your dog to make it listen.

There, you can; begin the training process as soon as possible, provide positive training by considering the limits of your dog, etc. If not, it will come out with destructive behaviors like; barking excessively, biting, chewing, etc.

And make sure not to; let the pet feel dominant, mix your feelings, let your dog be comfortable on your furniture, etc. Then you can have the best pet who listens to you well.

Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about our four-legged friends.

Cheers from Shaggy and Lenny!