Training your Jack Russell
Training Your Jack Russell to Come When Its Called
Training a Jack Russell to come when it is called is a vital, and potentially life saving, part of any successful dog training program. All properly trained Jack Russell’s must learn to respond instantly to the owner’s voice, and the sooner this lesson is learned the better.
The advantages of teaching a Jack Russell to come when called are obvious. For starters, coming when called will help you regain control of your dog incase of collar break, snapped leash or other similar equipment failure. This is particularly important when you are out with your Russell, especially in an area with lots of traffic. It is vital that the Jack Russell respond to your voice and return to your side, even in the absence of collar and leash, and even if there are lots of other things competing for its attention.
Vital Skill For All Jack Russell’s Alike
Coming when called is also a vital skill for every working dog. Whether your JRT’s Jack job is herding sheep, guarding livestock, or sniffing out bombs and drugs at the airport, the working Jack Russell must be under total control at all times, whether on leash or off.
Even if your Jack Russell’s only job is being a loyal companion, it is still vital that he or she learns this important basic obedience exercise. After the first obedience lessons, such as heeling, stopping on command, sitting on command, etc. have been learned, it is time to start incorporating the come when called lessons into the daily training sessions.
One note about Jack Russell training – it is all too easy for training sessions to become dull and routine for both handler and Jack Russell. A bored Jack Russell will not be receptive to learning, just as a bored handler will not be a good teacher. It is important, therefore, to always incorporate fun things and play into every training session.
Be Sure to Play & Train
Incorporating a few minutes of playtime before the lesson begins can do wonders for the attitude of Jack Russell and human alike. Likewise, ending each training session with a few minutes of free playtime is a great way to end on a positive note and to help the Jack Russell associate obedience training with fun and not drudgery.
Use A Loose Leash to Train Your Jack Russell
The command to stay and the command to come when called are often combined in obedience training lessons, and they do go naturally together. Start with the Jack Russell on a loose leash, ask your Jack Russell to sit and then slowly back away. If your dog begins to get up and follow you, return to him or her and ask him to sit again. Continue this process until you can reach the end of the leash without the Jack Russell getting up.
After you can successfully reach the end of the leash on a consistent basis, try dropping the leash altogether. Of course you will want to do this in a controlled environment like a fenced in yard. After he or she has mastered the stay command, it is time to add the come when called command.
Take up the leash again, and with the Jack Russell on the end of the leash, say “come” or “come here”. It is often helpful to use a lure when teaching this behavior. The lure provides a visible item for the Jack Russell to focus on. Teaching the Jack Russell to come to the lure is a good first step in training your dog to come when called.
Repeat this procedure many times until the Jack Russell will consistently stay and then come when called. Once your dog has mastered coming when called while attached to the leash, slowly start introducing the concept when the leash is removed. As before, these training sessions should only take place in a controlled, safe environment, such as a fenced in front or backyard.
A well-trained, obedient Jack Russell should respond to the call to return to its owner no matter where it is and no matter what distractions may occur. It is therefore necessary to test the Jack Russell with distractions of your own.
Invite Distractions
If you have a neighbor have them bring their dog over. Have him, and the dog, stand just outside the fenced in area and repeat the come when called exercise with your Jack Russell off leash. If the other dog distracts him, put the leash back on and repeat the process. The goal is to have your Jack consistently pay attention to your commands, no matter what distractions may present themselves.
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