Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 5 month old JRT named Jake that will not come unless I have a treat and then only when he has "nothing better to do". I've worked with him quite a bit getting him to come and then treating and praising hime when he does come. He can hear perfectly well (I tested him with a squeaky toy behind my back when the my other dog wasn't around and he responded). He is a smart dog and will sit and lay down on command (again only when treats are involved.)I'm still working on the housetraining...

Any ideas as to how to get the dog to come consistently? I'm worried that one day he will not listen, run out in the road and get hit.

Well, you are fighting a bit of breed trait ith a JRT and age as well. Your pup is young and it's impossible for pups of that age to be 100% reliable on any command. Add to it the breed- he's an independent thinker. These dogs are Einsteins when it comes to learning a new behavior, but keepi that behavior when there are distractions and better things to do, that's incredibly tough.

One thing you might want to try for your treat motivated pup is to use the treat, but in a bit of a different way. YOu can try clicker training, that way your pup works for the click that signals a treat is coming. Another way I've done this with my obstinant pup is to say, "Fine you get the one treat for doing the command when you see the food, but you get 15 treats if you do the command when not seeing the treat (feed each treat seperately by hand)." That actually worked for my food motivated pup. Didn't work as well for my dog that didn't enjoy food treats.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thanks for the advice, sounds like I'm the one that needs some training. I will look into the clicker method.

I'm a bit afraid that as soon as the puppy exuberance goes away that the hormones will kick in. I don't know if I can stand a juvenile JRT that is looking for a girlfriend. Is 6 months the correct age for neutering?

BTW, this dog is technically an adoptee that I got from a friend who decided that he was a bit much. I've found that a lot of excercise and attention goes a long way with these dogs.

You are correct, attention and exercise does go a long way with most dogs- especially a jack russel.

You are also correct that 6 months is a good age to neuter you pup. "Wandering' hormones are apain and you don't want to have to deal with them. Neutering is not an instanct "cure" for the behavior nor a complete fix- training is still required- but it certainly does help.

It sounds like you are on the right path to a good life together. The puppy exhuberence is a tough stage. I find with my dogs the age of 3 years old is a bit ofa "magical" age for settling down. The jack russel owners I've had in class with me say 4 years is about their average for settli down a bit.

One thing- you might want to look at dog sports or tricks for this guy. They enjoy working their brains and getting rewarded for it. Might want to capitolize on that.

Good luck- you are doing great. Training takes time. Some people boast that they can train a dog in 30 minutes- I don't believe them. Maybe a boarder collie (but I doubt it still). Reliable training takes time and "proofing" for various situations takes even longer. Dogs don't generalize well and by that I mean "sit" in your living room only means "sit' in your living room. It does not mean 'sit" in the playground with kids running around kicking a soccer ball.

Keep training fun and upbeat. Reward lavishly and you will have a great companion.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

"Reliable training takes time and "proofing" for various situations takes even longer. Dogs don't generalize well and by that I mean "sit" in your living room only means "sit' in your living room. It does not mean 'sit" in the playground with kids running around kicking a soccer ball."

I must disagree with this statement, I trained my nearly year old JRT mix puppy to sit in our living room when he was 8 weeks old, he learned it within an hour and is a reliable sitter, throughout the house and out of the house, he's the only one in his obedience class that'll sit without putting into position, and he gets nervous when one of the bigger dogs starts staring at him, and stays sitting.

>>Thanks for the advice, sounds like I'm the one that needs some training. I will look into the clicker method.
>>
>>I'm a bit afraid that as soon as the puppy exuberance goes away that the hormones will kick in. I don't know if I can stand a juvenile JRT that is looking for a girlfriend. Is 6 months the correct age for neutering?
>>
>>BTW, this dog is technically an adoptee that I got from a friend who decided that he was a bit much. I've found that a lot of excercise and attention goes a long way with these dogs.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yeah, neuter soon, or you may NEVER have him totally housetrained, even if he is now. Once that testosterone kicks in with a small male terrier, uh-oh. And a JRT really only looks small. Think of him as a 60-pound dog who's somehow mysteriously compacted, because that's the power in that innocent-looking body!

For the recall, use a long line whenever you might need to call him, for at least 6 weeks. Meanwhile, train, train, train. Your goal is to try to help him forget that there is such a thing as NOT coming when you call. But he is a terrier, so he may never be reliable on the recall in the real world. That's okay--that's why God made leashes! Well, showed humans how to make 'em, anyhow!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

One thing I would like to add is that never should he have the opportunity to run out into the road and get hit. Personally I don't think any dog should ever be off leash outside but I know many disagree. It will mean setting up something that prevents him getting out the door when you are leaving.. Just a thought..