A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO JACK RUSELL TERRIERS

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it's not quite as good as his mothers

...then rescue a Jack Russell Terrier

If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want...

... then rescue a Jack Russell Terrier

If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies

... then rescue a Jack Russell Terrier

If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores

... then rescue a Jack Russell Terrier

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually ..

... then rescue a Jack Russell Terrier

BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness...

Then buy a Cat!

Now be honest, you thought I was gonna say... marry a man, didn’t you?

No offence to cats, it was an email lol.

He is after bringing a girl into the mix, in the hope of getting a one and only litter of pups (why?? I'm baffled)

I am not 100% convinced to the cause to be perfectly honest.

Castiel will be 6 months old at the end of the month.

any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

kev has a problem ....Barney is a lone dog here at Chez chaos as i know call it....when we are out he is brilliant with other dogs and makes friends......his best mate biskit at mums he is brilliant with....

today we went to ladies house and her dog...tilly was back after a long long stay away and barney and her got on ok for aroiund 3 minutes, good bit of sniffing each other and the usual jr behaviour licking bits - no details then a massive fight breaks out...we seperate em and we get em in the garden....i sit down and give em both attention...barney stands over tilly, tilly is much smaller than barnes (we think size issue ere) and with me in between em ww3 breaks out with barney appearing to growl first....so here i am in the middle of it with these 2 fighting over me and under me.....one does draw blood and its mine.... we separated em and i got barney back in the car....

drove home....no problems - no radio on and i just stayed quiet..

he went straught to his sofa

now introduction was gonna be easy we thought...both are JR, both are "Done" the last thing we expected was this...as tilly lives with another dog normally so should have been ok....

i havent told barney off..but he is very quiet at the moment.....i have to remember he is a rescue dog.....he is a master escaoe artist - he should be renamed BIG X after the great escape genius.....he also shows these signs of agression...he goes for the neighbours dogs when i attempted introduction......

so pieces of barnies former life are starting to come together - he was abandoned because of escape techniques...aggression to other dogs(except biskit - he is a puppy though??)

any ideas on what i can do to enable these 2 get on.....im in northampton and my lady in Bletchley - introduction aint gonna be easy !!

cheers

kev

i found this forum whilst researching on the internet and would love your advice.i have a four year old border collie who is well behaved and unaggressive. i would like to get him a companion and have to get a smaller breed due to space. i am considering a jack russell as, as i understand it they require plenty of exercise which i already provide my BC with. i work from home as a registered childminder my BC does not come into the childminding areas whilst i am working, he also has his own section of the garden to run free in at all times. He is crate trained and i would do this with the new addition also. i would be getting the JR as a puppie so it is brought up in the family environment that i work in. i feel confident with training, i've had my BC since he was five weeks old and he is very gentle and loving. my main concern is that i have had contrasting views from other dog owners with the majority saying that they would not want a jack russell because of they're fiestiness. i believe that a dog is what you make it and so if trained properly from puppyhood to understand its place in the "pack" surely i should not have problems. i would just like the oppinion of other jack russell terrier owners because after all who knows better! :-)

Roxy seems to have gone a bit backward on the socializing front and keeps on growling at dogs and people.

For my bday i had a BBQ and the whole family came over but we have 2 babies in the family and 2 children. Roxy seemed fine with everyone until one of the children was running from my cousin who was playing with him. She started barking and growling at him and so obviously the boy ran which made me more aggressive. My dad who is a loose cannon decided to lock her in her crate for the whole thing which really annoyed me because i know she is fine with people if shes allowed to sniff them. So after about 10 minutes of her whining and me feeling guilty i let her out but i put her on her extendable lead. She met the boy again and after meeting him she was fine. WHenever the boy got up he ran which set her off again. Litterally the whole day was spent with me trying to let roxy learn to sniff people and get rewarded for it and then my dad would go mad whenever she growled and barked and she was put back in the crate.

It irritated me because i dont want her crate to be a place of seclusion which it was before and shes done so well with not weeing at night or in the daytime inside anymore if my dad enforces that "you get locked away if you bark" then thats not good. So this is something i need advice on as i dont know what im supposed to do to stop her from being aggressive. It worried me as she seems way more upset with children than adults and this is something i want her to be trained out of. (I watched panorama about them putting dogs down and it scared me!)

Secondly. When she meets dogs she is 50% of the time calm and 50% of the tmie growling from the approach. On the 50% when she is calm she gets defensive when a dog sniffs her for more than like 3 seconds. Then she starts to walk back and then growls and barks. What im trying to do with this is try to get her to sniff and then move on. But usually its a case of the other dog being off lead and her being on lead so the dog will follow her and keep trying to sniff her or jump about trying to play which she just doesnt like.

Help? lol

My problem at the moment is that Bella is alright in open spaces both on and off the lead but she barks at most dogs I pass and gets very uptight when she is on the lead and has to pass close by other dogs and sometimes people. This is especially so when I am close to home. She seems to freak out when she suddenley approaches people and dogs and barks manically at them. She has never bitten anyone and is very affectionate with us but I would like to try and break this habit as it doesn't make for a relaxing walk. She has lots of energy and gets plenty of exercise. Also because of her pulling on the lead I am considering getting her a harness as I am worried that she could be damaging her throat.

Apart from this problem she is very bright and charasmatic dog and I have a lot of affection for her.

I would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks

Right I would like everyone's help and advice on something please...

I have a JRT Dottie (10 months) shes very playful but she has a bit of a dominance problem. When she plays with her friend a Staffy X Lab she jumps up at him and every time hes tired and wants to lay down she jumps on him to keep playing and playing and playing...she's so high energy and I feel she gets very frustrated.

I've been considering getting another JRT for a while and wonder if getting another (male, 1yr) would be a good idea. Some company for Dottie in the house. She's also very dominant in regards to whose "allowed" to come near me dog wise, so perhaps getting another JR to share me with could help.

I really would love to get another Jack and think it would be a really good way for Dottie to learn some new things (sharing toys, being possessive over me etc)

What do you guys think?

All advice is greatly appreciated .

Thank you very much.

Candice.

I wrote this bit of nonsense years ago, nothing changes !

Naughty , stubborn ,wayward , sharp
Chases cats with shrieking bark
Fearless , brave without a care
Takes a heart to surely share .

Never sleeping really sound
Ever ready paws to pound
Tireless , can we play once more ?
Watching for that open door !

Not a dog for faint of heart
But will love you, from the start
Rests his head upon your knee
Melts you , all your troubles flee

Loving ,funny , clever clown
Turns your whole world upside down
Always busy , hustle bustle
This is what is called Jack Russell !

What is a Jack Russell ? Poem by Kate Ramsden

She is 50/50 when meeting new dogs as sometimes she gives them a sniff and then can walk on and sometimes just barks at them right from the start. When walking i do distraction techniques so that whenever we come near other dogs i russle her treat bag and then if she lets them sniff her i treat her for it.

I dont know if this is the right way to do it. But recently theres not been many dogs out on the trail apart from the odd dog and this situation will be close proximity.

So what shall i do to let her get used to another dog? I plan to walk them together to begin with and then if it gets too heated in the house put them in separate rooms. Il take her crate for her to sleep in because she does this at home and its her little house. And if i slowly let them get to know each other a little at a time they might become tolerant of each other.

I know the puppy's mother well - she is a lovely, gentle, affectionate and sociable dog. The puppy's father is more of a working, farm JR, and a known "ratter" - is this likely to have an affect on our potential pup (a male)??

The puppy's have been well handled, seem very relaxed around visitors, including my kids. I believe it's how you treat a dog that shapes their personality - am I kidding myself?

Is a JR puppy safe around young children?

Any advice would be really welcome.

Thank you. JB

Pick your breed

Do your homework and read as much information as you can on its breed profile and traits

Make sure you can realistically fulfill its needs and that your lifestyle will also suit the breed...a high energy dog needs an active household ...and that you can sustain this environment this is important than the look of the dog which people tend to go for as you will create behavioural problems if the wrong dog is in the wrong environment and many are rehomed because a household started off doing long walks everyday then gave up...

Make sure you understand its a dog not a substitute child or a cuddly toy.

A dog is a life changing decision just like having a baby but unlike babies they will remain totally dependent on you for their lifespan...they will be a permanent part of your family ....if you do not see it this way you shouldnt get a dog...opt for a rabbit.

Be prepared to put lots of time and effort long term into its training...good dogs regardless of their personality are made by competent consistant handling...behavioural problems are caused by humans and be prepared to do this for years with endless patience...a few visits to a training class does not a good dog make.

YOU MUST see mum and if possible dad and see the parents with the puppies...if mother is calm and friendly all good if she is nervous wary aggressive hyper...walk away.

Look at the surroundings they are in ..it doesnt have to be a palace but must be spotlessly clean comfortable and preferrably a home environment look for dog toys etc...this tells you reems about the person breeding them and their attitude. If you dont like the breeder for any reason ...walk away.

Ask lots of questions a good breeder who cares will answer them all also ask if anything happened will they take their puppy back and when (so will they take the dog back if it 6mths old or help you?)..again a good breeder will do this.

If the breeder tries to sell them to you walk away

If your breed suffers from genetic defaults or is suseptible to health problems ask to be provided with copies of health tests required for this breed...if the breeder cannot supply then you take the puppy at a risk and cant moan at the subsequent vets bill that may incurr at a later date

If its a KC registered breed and will have papers the breeder should fill the registration form over to you there and then and send a section to the KC to transfer it over to you leaving you with the rest...if your told it will be in the post ..its not legit...you should also be supplied with a copy of the puppies family tree and the KC reg numbers for everyone on it at point of sale. However even if you are paying extra for the puppy being KC registered...understand this does not guarantee good breeding or even a good breeder.

Assume your dog will cost you a small fortune in its lifetime for vets bills none of which will be preplanned ...vets are businesses and WILL require payment...get pet insurance and keep up the payments.

Dont gush over the puppies just sit quietly and watch them interact ...the one who rushes over and pushes for attention is confident and excitable and may need experienced handling when older the one whose shy and stuck in a corner will also need experienced handling the one who is minding his own business and isnt bothered about your presence and is pushing the others around is the independent one and will be dominent...the ones your after are the ones that are not showing any particular trait from the above but a mixture of the three.

if you pick up the one you think you want turn it on its back put your hand on its neck...if it lies still ok if it struggles a bit but settles down ok anything else you dont want....unless you really know your stuff and are confident you have the experience to bring it up correct

A healthy puppy is active, alert, and playful. It barks as much as the others and enjoys the company of its mother and its siblings. When you shop for a puppy, you want to make sure it has been well cared for by its breeders or pet store workers. You want to make sure it has a clean pen, isn’t in an overcrowded situation, and has a nice place to live. You want to check out its hair. Inspect the puppy from head to toe. Look for any spots where it might have lost hair or have rashes. A healthy puppy has all its hair, doesn’t have spots in which it doesn’t have any hair and has no rashes.

Look at the puppy’s face. A healthy puppy has wide open eyes, a wet nose, and is clean. You don’t want a puppy that has matted eyes or any discolorations around its face. Look inside its mouth, too. A healthy puppy has strong teeth. You want to make sure it has all its teeth. A puppy that doesn’t have all its teeth is one that has had some sort of disease.

A healthy puppy has a shiny coat of fur. If there’s ever a sign that a puppy is healthy and has been well taken care of, it’s a shiny coat. That means that the puppy has had proper nutrition and is mostly parasite free.

You also want to make sure your puppy is plump. A puppy that is too skinny or too overweight has not been properly fed or has some kind of condition that prohibits it from being a proper weight.

good luck!

Toby had a bit of an accident last night out on our walk. He jumped up to look at a horse peering over a fence and came down on the kerb which caused his dew claw to turn 180 degrees (upside down). It was very, very sore and I rang the vet straight away. I took him in at 9am this morning and, because he has major issues with being handled, it took 3 of us to hold him to get the needle in his leg to sedate him. They have taken the claw off and trimmed his other nails (thank heavens) and he has just come home complete with bright pink bandage and a bucket on his head! He is now fast asleep on a duvet in the living room. He goes back tomorrow to have the bandage off. They have given him mega jabs for antibiotics and anti inflammatories to last for 14 days because he is such a little monster to treat. The week after I was made redundant... what timing. Good in a way because I can be at home with him but I am absolutely skint at the moment waiting for my redundancy payments. They were brilliant and have told me to pay when I can and they are going to sort out the insurance claim for me (we are covered - hooray) still got £65 excess to find though :( So that is it really..... just another s**t day ....... lol

Sandra and a very sleepy Toby