Jack Russell, What Can I do with it?

[Stéphane]

Hi guys,

I have a 6 year old JRT and I bring him just about everywhere, including hunting. Very tough and great endurance. Right now, he is more a pest than anything when I try to get close to a grouse and he just wants to kill it. I have to constantly tell him to stay and he is on edge the whole time. Once I shot (bow hunting, by the way) and I missed, if the bird takes off, so does he. If I make the kill, he'll go after the dead bird and try to eat it. That behaviour I can modify. It is in his instinct to go after anything he could possibly kill, but this where I need some guidance.

He is very easy to train, but I'm not sure what I can hope to achieve with him, or if I am being unrealistic. I was wondering if I can just have him find the birds and not scare them, and the other one is to have him retrieve them without eating them.

If hopeless, then I still have a great hiking companion.

Thanks in advance,

Stéphane

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2654.jpg

[betteroffishing]

i have a mature jrt as well and i assure you without spending thousands of dollars to proffessionally train this behavior out of your little terrorist err... terrior, you have a great hiking partner and not much more than that. hundreds of years of targetted breeding to create a killing machine with a taste for blood will not be easily be broken of that behavior . imho

[fuzzybiscuit]

I hear they are good for Cougar hunting.


Just tie him to a tree, sit back 75 yards and wait.:twisted:

[phoenix]

I can't take my little terrorist hunting either. She's a little bigger than yours but the same mentality. The last grouse I got with her nearby was a cloud of feathers by the time she "retrieved" it. To her credit she did make sure it was dead so it couldn't hurt me:mrgreen:.
Kim
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/elimsprint/P6080010.jpg

[moosecaller]

http://usera.ImageCave.com/moosecaller/IMG_0530.jpg

They're "JACKS" 'nough said!!!
Same with my two, one will edge the other on and vise versa

[d6dan]

i have a mature jrt as well and i assure you without spending thousands of dollars to proffessionally train this behavior out of your little terrorist err... terrior, you have a great hiking partner and not much more than that. hundreds of years of targetted breeding to create a killing machine with a taste for blood will not be easily be broken of that behavior . imho


x2 here also. I have a JRT thats going on 14 and she still loves chasing and killing the feral rabbits if she can catch them in the back yard. They were specifically breed to be a rat killing terrier, thats not afraid of anything..So with that said......Good luck.:neutral:.

[Paulyman]

You're Alpha, that is all you need to know. When you give a command enforce it.

[betteroffishing]

true in most cases pauly , but have you ever owned a jrt?? different ball of wax once the ocd kicks in.

[phoenix]

true in most cases pauly , but have you ever owned a jrt?? different ball of wax once the ocd kicks in.

OCD??? Ordinarily Crazy Dog??
Kim

[MRBucks]

OCD??? Ordinarily Crazy Dog?? Kim

Along the lines of that lol..
My Fox Terrier is the same way. Very obedient, unless he sees a squirrel, or a rabbit, then all hell breaks loose..

He is good at flushing California Quail..not sure what he would do if he got a hold of one though..it could be messy..

It seems a lot of Terriers have this certain point that they reach, then instinct overrides all training. You can actually see it in their eyes..Afterwards they seem all apologetic.."sorry couldn't help myself", kind of look..funny little dogs..

[Stéphane]

Well, you gotta have what it takes to live with a JRT. Thanks for the reality check, guys, but I was hoping to find someone who actually has reached new frontiers with his/her dog. As far as JRT are concern, Iggy is much more tempered than most of them (I had another one which was on the turbo boost most of the day), though he has is moments.

What I was thinking of was to use the intensity to search, and the obedience to just wait for me. I'm not convinced it is that crazy of an idea. This a dog that can heel on the street with me without a leash and will stay there no matter what goes around: squirrels, cats. When temptation seems too strong, a firm "hey", and he's back on track. So, I don't think it is impossible, but I would to hear from someone who got close to that.

[wolverine]

Give the poor guy his due... he's a JRT! It's not him it's his bloodline. That's what they were for. Killing stuff, and they do it amazingly well. Tenatious little buggers. He just can't help himself, it's the way he's wired.

[Lone Ranger]

My best friend growing up had a Cairn Terrier, a lot of the same traits as a JRT but once he hit about 2 he was much more mellow. He was a great hunting dog for us, albeit get it around water and its gone! We would have to tie him down in the canoe or else the little bugger would jump out when were in the middle of the lake and just keep on swimming. OCD for sure. LR

[Cyrus]

I have 2...one stupid the other very smart but he only likes to listen to himself...ya they like to kill but don't want to listen even though they know they are supposed to listen to you....

[duckhunt]

Jack russel terrorist

[JeffR]

Have you considered taking a tracking class? I just finished one in July and my dog learned a lot. For starters it is a great way to challenge your dog and drain off some of his energy, but you could also use it as a starting point to teach him to track bears, or whatever.

[Stéphane]

Okay, the spotting without the imminent attack might not work, so . .

Option B - Retrieving. I have a stuffed toy bird to practice with him. So I was shooting at my target with the bird at the foot of it. Pockets full of treats, I had Iggy fetching the bird on command. With a real bird, not sure the success will be the same, but I'll fight that battle later on, it was only day one.

Then it down on me that I still have to retrieve my arrows anyway, so it's a bit useless of a skill.

Option C - Fetch the lost arrows. I began with the aluminum, but my dog doesn't like to have metal in its mouth, not a very good idea.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2712.jpg

Oups!

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2713.jpg

Much better with the carbon ones, but I'm afraid he will damage them with his teeth, plus if they are stuck in tall grass, then he won't be able to carry them.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2714.jpg

Option D - Find the lost arrows. Hey, it's better than just being useless. He has a good sense of smell, this will be doable. After close to an hour of trying all sorts of thing, my dog was losing his focus, so I stopped, but I'm confident that option D will work well.

These can be hard to find at times.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2715.jpg

But Iggy spots them in no time . . . when the focus is on.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc77/yol68/IMG_2716.jpg