Dog People - Help us before we go mad!

I have a 10 month old Jack Russel Terrier. I love him dearly, and would never consider getting rid of him.

But he is in serious need of training. We have been trying to get him to stop chewing on things, using every method in the book. He gets excercise, has a million chew toys, and is yelled at and told NO! when he chews things he's not supposed to. Then we give him a chew toy and praise him.

But it's just not working. We've also tried Bitter Apple spray. That , he seems to LIKE. I've heard using hot sauce can work, but then I have heard some others say using hot sauce is cruel and evil.

He will pretty much take and destroy anything within his reach and it's quite annoying. Shoes, plush toys, bedspreads, you name it...

We don't know what else to do.

Will he ever grow out of this? Or will we forever have to keep EVERYTHING out of his reach. We can't even let him sleep with us at night, because he chomps holes through our blankets (thus far he's destroyed two $100 blankets)

Any advice?

Obedience classes. By far the best thing ever invented for dog owners. Even if your dog only learns a few things from the classes, it's well worth it, and you will learn alot about dog behavior and why they do some of the things they do. You'll also learn some things to expect from him in the future. . It involves a lot of time and effort on your part, but if you want a well behaved dog, it's worth it. I'm not saying that you can't do it on your own, but the classes make it much easier.

Chances are your dog will grow out of some of his distructive behavior, but if you don't train it out of him now, he;ll never get rid of all of it.

10 months is awfully late, but the "old dog/new tricks" adage is not nearly true.

You mention "every trick in the book" and it makes me wonder if you have been consistent enough. Find A method and stick with it.

You may be having some behavior problems because he is not getting all the exercise he needs. Quoting from a popular website about Jack Russels- "These little dogs require what may seem to be an extraordinary amount of human attention, outdoor activity, exercise, discipline and an understanding and acceptance of their hunting nature." (emphasis mine)

Some breeders and trainers reccomend at least 2 hours of active, outdoor play per day, spread over at least 2 sessions. Realize that this is a minimum, not a passable everyday solution.

What is the dogs environment like when he is home alone? (if he ever is) It may seem silly, but i have seen small hunters like JR's take well to having a parakeet in the house (securely out a smart and determined dogs reach). This gives them somehting to look at and obsess over, the movement and noise does them a world of good.

He is going to needs tons of stimulation- noise, movement, and interaction.

And lots of discipline. Not the smacking him around variety (you don't seem the type) but the military school variety- a firmish schedule, strong, consistent rules, definite boundaries and his space. Is he kennel trained? I know kennel training can come with loads of guilt when you hear the whine, but many dogs, especially small dogs, take very well to kennel training and gain an added sense of security when allowed to have "their space."

Good luck, keep at it, but remember, while you may be strongly attached to the dog, giving him to someone who can provide him with the stimulation, discipline and exercise he needs may make you both happier and healthier.

At 10 mos. he's a teenager, and as such still needs boundaries. He'll grow out of some of the chewing, but he's still a jack russel, and I hear they can be fiesty! As a dog owner (and not an expert) I would suggest keeping a variety of doggie toys at your disposal (meaning close by) to distract him when he gets into something. Also, rotate the toys he can play with on any given day. This reduces the likelihood that he'll get bored with his toys.

Chew toys that you can stuff with food are great. Stuff them with the best food. Put them in the freezer until you want to use them.

Everyhting I know I learned from http://www.wpr.org/pets/ You can listen to some shows online. They're great!

I believe KidCthulhu knows a thing or two about dogs as well. I don't remember why I know this...

I trained my dog not to chew, but instead lick... Now she licks everything and everybody unless they know the command to stop ("Enough" if it's you, "NoLick" if it's a thing). But I tought her when she was a little puppy.

I'm curious how much time you spend around your dog. It can be difficult to train a dog if all the people in the house are gone to work or school for good chunks of their waking time. It's very difficult to train a dog to avoid a behavior unless you consistantly catch them in the act - rubbing his nose at the torn-up shoes he finished eating three hours ago is a lot less effective.

I dislike any training method that involves pain - including hot sauce. I consider it important for the dog to consider me as a member of the pack - another dog with whom he can play - but I get to be the Alpha. Dogs respond well if their place in the social hierarchy is well-known and consistantly enforced (and they seem happy in any position, once they know what it is).

Where did you get this dog? Some dogs respond poorly to training because of past experiences with people (the terrier I got from the Humane Society was clearly beaten for digging under the fence. It took ages and very gentle discipline to teach her humans don't necessarily require escaping from).

Is he housebroken? How did you train that?

Or your dog could be stupid and more slow to establish cause and effect than other dogs.

Unfortunately, Jack Russel terriers are behavioral problems just waiting to happen. Actually, no so much on the waiting part.

Just had a little conference with my veterinarian/fiancee about Jack Russel terriers. Very simply put, these dogs generally need to be trained within an inch of their lives. The simple home tricks of speaking loudly and sternly, bitter apple spray and the like are not sufficient for these dogs. You need a professional, not internet message board advice.

First off, if he's not already neutered get him neutered.

Then, what you need to do is go have a conference with your veterinarian. Find yourself a good trainer - and good for these dogs is not the "visit you at home a couple of times" or the "send the dog away to a trainer for a month" sort of setups. We're talking about you and your dog going to the trainer three times a week for a year.

While it is true that you can teach an old dog new tricks, we aren't talking about a trick. We are talking about modifying about every behavior he's got. You're already late starting.

I know this sounds a bit much, but I'm not kidding. Jacks are cute, but they are not generally well-behaved dogs, no matter what you've seen on "Wishbone". They have energy and aggression to beat the band, and short of extreme amounts of training, your only solution may be a cage muzzle.

First off I love Jack Russels and yours looks like a little bugger

You have to remember that he probably has a long line of ancestors that chased rabbits down holes for a living. Basically his instincts tell him to play with everything. Thats why the farmer my grandparents JR came from sent him and the rest of his family into the fields to catch rabbits. When my grandparents agreed to take him from the farmer they had the same problem as you. Luckily Grandad spent a lot of time in the garden and so Bonzo was able to run around a lot while Grandad tended the plants.

Also Nan being at home all day helped as Bonzo didn't get bored easily. If Jack Russels are left alone they get bored, think of ways to get your attention when you are not there (the destruction) then sleep, then when you get in they are full of beans!

You have a proper Jack Russell there and I am happy for it unfortunately it seems that his excitement isn't being tamed in a non destructive way. I have no idea if someone is with him during the day/night. If not then you may consider coming home during lunch to see him and play (he is young) The good thing is that when he gets older he will probably calm down. However Bonzo lived to be 16 proper years old!

Djeta Thernadier said:

I have a 10 month old Jack Russel Terrier. I love him dearly, and would never consider getting rid of him.

But he is in serious need of training. We have been trying to get him to stop chewing on things, using every method in the book. He gets excercise, has a million chew toys, and is yelled at and told NO! when he chews things he's not supposed to. Then we give him a chew toy and praise him.

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We have a high-strung chow/husky that chewed well after he was 12 months old. I have been told by others that know more about dogs than I do that this was normal, that some dog breeds have a longer "puppy" phase than others. Our dog did eventually grow out of it, but to help us before then, I did buy a book called "Better Behavior in Dogs" which is about correcting behavioral problems in a humane manner.

One thing that the author suggested (and this will sound sort of counterintuitive) was not to be liberal with your affection, to make the dog work for it. According to him, many bad behaviors are caused by too much indescriminate affection and when the dog wants the attention, he will do things that will guarantee to get it, such as chewing on something. We followed the author's suggestions:

1. When our dog chewed on something, I put him in his crate in another room before cleaning it up. This way, he couldn't see me clean it up (and get a "positive" response for his bad behavior) and it gave him a short "time out" away from us, something he did not want.

2. When our dog came to us for affection, we made him work for it by performing a small trick, usually making him sit. I would not pet him if he ignored the command. This took a lot of getting used to and I hated it at first, but this probably helped more than anything.

3. When I would leave in the morning for work, I would sit quietly for about ten minutes before I left (not talking to or petting the dog) and then leave quietly and calmly. This was to keep separation anxiety to a minimum, to let him know that it was normal for me to leave.

These sound sort of cold and they weren't a quick fix, but eventually he calmed down and stopped chewing on everything - except for the occasional tissue he tries to steal out of the bathroom. Every dog is different of course and if your dog seems completely out of control, going to a dog trainer might be the best solution. Also, I know around here (Chicago) there are "dog bootcamps" where you can send your dog for a short (I think it's around 4 weeks) training course.

I hope you find a good solution!

Djeta, feel free to send me a private message, and we can talk. I'd be happy to come over and take a look at the situation and give you some advice. My family have had JRTs for over 20 years, and they can be a handful and then some.

Does he have a crate? Crate training is a very good way to stop unwanted behaviors, when used properly in conjunction with a ton of excercise and lots and lots of basic obedience. Too often pups get in to bad behavior simply because they're left unattended. You wouldn't leave a toddler alone without attention or some way to keep them out of trouble. Don't expect your pup to have any more discretion.

I also strongly agree with the "Nothing for Free" school of training, as mentioned above. Jacks can be dominant little guys, and this method will really help establish your social positions without any cruelty, mental or physical. Using this and clicker training will turn obeying you in to the most fun game ever!

Well, keep everything chewable out of its reach, and wait for it to grow up a bit. Our own dog used to destroy happily everything she could, she loved eating wood so much she was compared to a termit.

Now, that's behind her. Dogs need to train their teeth when they're young. Like babies.