House Training Your Jack Russell Terrier
Start Early For the Best Results
House training is one of the most important parts of training any Jack Russell Terrier to be a valued part of the family. As with many other aspects of Jack Russell Terrier training, the best way to house train a dog or puppy is to use their own nature to your benefit.
The great thing about your Jack, and the thing that can make house training much easier, is that your Russell is instinctively a very clean animal. Jack Russell Terriers would rather not soil the areas where they sleep and eat. In addition, Jack Russell Terriers are very good at developing habits regarding where they like to urinate and defecate. For example, Jack Russell Terriers that are used to eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on grass or dirt. It is possible to use these natural canine habits when house training your Jack Russell Terrier.
Set Up A Training Area
The first step in house training your Jack Russell Terrier is to set up your training area. A small, confined space such as a bathroom, or part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a training area. This method of training differs from crate training. Crate training is great for puppies and small Jack Russell Terriers, but many larger Jack Russell Terriers find a crate too confining.
It is important for the owner to spend as much time in the training area with his or her Jack Russell Terrier as possible. It is important for the owner to play with with your dog in the training area, and to let the Jack Russell Terrier eat and sleep in that area. The Jack Russell Terrier should be provided with a special bed in the training area, anything from a store bought bed to a large towel to a large box. At first, your pup may eliminate in this area, but once he recognizes it as his or her own space, he or she will be reluctant to soil it.
After your Jack Russell Terrier has gotten used to sleeping in the bed, you can move it around the house, relocating it from room to room. When you are not with your Jack Russell Terrier, he or she should be confined to the training area.
Setting Up the Training Area
The second part of house training is to set up the toilet area for your Jack Russell. It is important for him to have access to this place every time he or she needs to eliminate. It is also important for you to accompany the Jack Russell Terrier each time until he or she gets into the habit of eliminating in the toilet area. This will ensure that the JRT uses only the established toilet area.
Create A Regular Feeding Schedule For Your Russell
A set feeding schedule makes the house training process a lot easier for both you and your dog. Feeding your Jack Russell Terrier on a regular basis will also create a regular schedule for its toliet habits. Once you know when your Jack Russell Terrier is likely to need to eliminate, it will be simple to guide your puppy to the established toilet area.
Once the Jack Russell Terrier has established a toilet area and is using it on a regular basis, it is very important to not confine the Jack Russell Terrier without access to the toilet area for long periods of time. That is because if the Jack Russell Terrier is unable to hold it, he or she may be forced to eliminate in the training area. This habit can make house training much more difficult.
Stick with the House Training Process
After the Jack Russell Terrier is consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the training area, it is time to extend that training area to the rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The area should only be extended once you are sure of the Jack Russell Terrier’s ability to control its bladder and bowels.
When you first expand the training area to a single room, let your Jack Russell Terrier pup eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when supervised. When it is not possible to supervise your pup, place it back in the original training area. Then, after the Jack Russell Terrier has accepted the room as an extension of the original training area, the area can be extended.
You Can Speed Up the Process
If this process is too lengthy for your needs, it can be speeded up, but it is important to proceed cautiously. It is easier to take your time up front than to retrain a problem Jack Russell Terrier later. One way to successfully speed up house training is to praise and reward your Jack Russell Terrier each and every time it uses the established toilet area. It is also important not to punish him or her for mistakes. Punishment will only confuse him or her and slow down the house training process.
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