When To Train A Jack Russell Puppy? Explained With Tips
Jack Russell Terriers are born hunters. So, most JRT owners often ask when to train a Jack Russell Puppy?. Jacks always have strong personalities and tend to be very energetic. They have remarkable skills in hunting like digging, barking, being aggressive, and chewing.
Due to these reasons, the way a Jack Russell Puppy behaves will be intolerable if the owner does not give the puppy proper training at the right time. However, a well-trained Jack Russell Terrier will be the most excellent companion ever.
So, when to train a Jack Russell Puppy? You should start training the Jack Russell puppy as soon as you take him home. It is recommended to start training Jack Russell puppies at the initial stage of their adoption since training is the essential part of adopting a JRT. If not, Jack Russell puppies can turn out to be very demanding. Most owners tend to be overwhelmed by these demands and abandon their puppies at a very early age. Even though Jack Russells are workaholics, they are incredibly trainable – which is indeed happy news!
By reading this piece of writing, you may understand whether Jack Russell puppies are easy to train or not and when to start their training. Then let’s focus on training your JRT puppy and the challenges you may face in their training.
Finally, I’ll provide you with some training tips to train your JRT puppy, and you can follow up on them. So, JRT lovers, let’s start the journey!
Are Jack Russell puppies easy to train?
It is a common question that many people ask before buying a Jack Russell puppy. The most straightforward answer that I can give to considerate pet parents is “YES!!” Jack Russell puppies are one of the easiest dog breeds to train as they love being energetic and active.
Their very enthusiastic and dynamic selves make them easily trainable. Moreover, they require daily exercise and a lot of it! Laying on the couch all day is not definitely on a Jack Russell puppy’s daily to-do list.
Also, Jack Russell Terriers are highly intelligent. It increases their ability to grasp all the instructions and information around them quickly. With that, you can efficiently train your JRT puppy.
However, the significant thing to remember here is the period you start their training.
When to train a Jack Russell puppy?
The best age to start training your Jack Russell puppy is when you take the puppy home. Puppy brains are indeed impressive, and therefore they can learn as many things as they want.
Most importantly, they have great excitement and curiosity to learn and adapt, making it easier to start training them at an early age. Puppy brains also tend to learn everything fast.
The first 100 days you spend with the puppy will be essential to form good habits that will carry on to adulthood.
So don’t be too late by thinking that your puppy is still small and it won’t grab the training quickly. Start today itself to train your Jack puppy.
How to train your Jack Russell Terrier?
The Englishmen developed Jack Russell Terriers around 200 years ago to hunt foxes. They trained this particular breed to be proactive in the face of danger and protect their farm animals.
Therefore, since then, Jack Russell Terriers have been a fast and energetic dog breed with hunting instincts and a loud bark.
Later on, the Australians developed the Jack Russell Terrier’s temperament, so their behavior became friendlier and much sociable.
So, by understanding the origin and purpose of this breed, I now provide you with some ways to train your JRT puppy.
Ball Dissection is one of the easiest and primary ways to start the training of your Jack Russell Terrier puppy. Jack Russells love to play, and this game will encourage them to learn new things.
It would help if you first bought a Hol-ee roller ball and then found some old blankets and cut them into strips.
You can roll some treats such as meat pieces on that strips and feed those treats with the holes of the ball. This game will make your dog enthusiastic and promote their ability to grab goals.
- Digging pit
Digging is one of the favorite behaviors of JRTs, and it comes from their hunting roots. You can use a digging pit as an excellent way to train your JRT puppy.
You can create a digging pit for your dog in a separate place in your garden. Then hide some toys in the pit and allow your JRT puppy to find them by digging.
You can conceal meat bones or treats as well in the pit, and it will become more interesting for your dog to discover them. By making a separate pit for your dog, you can save your garden and flower beds from the digging instincts of your Jack.
- Foraging Box
When you have no space to create an outdoor digging pit, a foraging box will be an excellent idea for you to train your JRT puppy.
Find a large box and then scrunch newspapers into small balls and put them into the box with your dog’s kibble.
Then let your puppy go inside, and it will be an excellent experience for them and support to last their meal hours longer.
- Swimming
JRTs love to swim, and you can teach your dog to swim by taking them into pools. But remember, at the initial stage, don’t take your puppy into large pools with deep depths.
Just try a kiddy pool, and when they learn better to swim, you can take your dog to the pool with you.
Challenges in training Jack Russell puppies
Training the energetic Jack Russell Terriers is indeed very challenging. There will be a few challenges to go through if you are training your Jack Russell Terrier.
- Excess barking
Jack Russells are one of the noisiest breeds, and they prefer barking most of the time. At the initial stage of training, you will face challenges with excess barking.
You should control it since it can irritate your neighbors. Determine the reasons for your dog’s barking and find solutions to minimize it.
- Aggressiveness
Aggressiveness is another common challenge in training a JRT. They are popular as aggressive dogs and should train at the initial adoption stage to minimize aggressiveness.
JRTs are aggressive towards strangers and other animals. Therefore, it will be challenging for you to adapt to their aggressiveness when training them.
- Biting
Biting is another challenge you may face when training a JRT puppy. Since they are experiencing teething age during this period, they will prefer to bite everything.
Your hands and legs can be easy victims for your puppy. So, you need to get rid of these behaviors when training your JRT.
- Making trust
You’ll face challenges in making your dog trust you at the initial stage, and building up trust in your Jack Russell is a bit difficult.
But when your dog begins to trust you, then it will be the loveliest companion for you ever.
Training tips for your Jack Russell
Since training is the most critical part of adopting a JRT puppy, I, at this moment, provide you with some tips to train your JRT puppy. Just try them out with your furry friend and experience the success.
- Be confident
Your Jack Russell will quickly learn to respond to you if you are confident and consistent. You should never give in and let them get their way.
Start by setting boundaries so that your Jack Russell Terrier would understand who is the master and to whom it should be obedient.
It will make the training sessions more accessible and comfortable for you and your puppy.
- Socialization
Jack Russell Terriers are very brave. Therefore they need to be socialized when they are puppies, not only with human beings but also with other animals.
Otherwise, they will keep chasing after people and other small animals such as cats. Early socialization is the best solution to avoid these troubling behaviors.
- Focus more on regular training and exercises
Jack Russell Terriers love a lot of exercises. They always burst with energy that they prefer to run around the back yard, dig the flower beds, or chew the furniture into pieces.
You can limit this behavior by taking them out for walks, playing with them in the garden, and keeping them active through various engagement activities.
- Rewards
Every dog loves rewards, and it applies to JRTs as well. Therefore, you can provide them rewards such as meat, cookies, or toys when they perform well in their training.
Training them accordingly will be an easy task when your dog identifies the behavior they get rewards for.
- Patience
Like human beings, puppies also need some time to grab the gist of everything you are teaching them.
Training them will become more complex if you get angry and mistreat your dog. So be patient, and they will amaze you!
- Make it interesting
Make these training sessions fun, constant, and tricky as Jack Russell Terriers are highly intelligent and in love with learning new tricks!
It is essential to keep them engaged with new and interesting activities. You can always come up with activities that will keep them mentally stimulated.
Final thoughts
This article has discussed answers for when to train a Jack Russell Puppy? In addition, we have examined whether Jack Russell Puppies are easy to train.
Moreover, we have explored details on how to train the Jack Russell Terriers along with challenges associated with training them.
Then we understood some exciting and valuable tips for training your Jack Russell Terrier. I hope this piece of writing has cleared the doubts you had regarding the training of your new Jack Russell puppy. So, start training your JRT puppy today!
Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about your favorite dog breed.
