Jack Russell pup, help!

We've inherited a Jack Russell pup, he's about 7 months old.

He can't sit. Or stay. Or even respond to his name (his old name, or the new name we've given him). He's basically been left in a backyard/small enclosure alone his whole life. It's really quite sad.

We've taken him on for this week (DH is keen to keep him).

How do I whip his butt into gear? He's done a bit of barking today, which is a HUGE hate for me. I can't stand yappy dogs.
He's come inside a few times. He was great with my parents dog (a 12 year old jack russellxshi tzu x maltese).

If we are going to keep him, what should I know?? He's a pure-bred, but he has no papers or anything.

Also, he's trying to mount everything. It's gross. He doesn't understand 'No' or a firm voice so he just keeps coming back for more.

I know Jack Russells need intense training and it's so sad to see this dog who can't do anything.

He was a hyper little thing when we got him last night and we've taken him on a huge walk and he's alot better. He has tons of energy.

The last thing I wanted 5 months before giving birth was a puppy, but we've saved his life.

Take him to puppy school. Jack Russells are strong minded beings. They need consistent training. If you're not able to train him, you can contact a dog rescue place to take him.

Oh how sad :(

At 7 months it may be a bit harder to train, but maybe start small with treats. When you get his attention with a treat wave it over his head towards the back of him and after a while he will sit because he will be trying to follow it, makes sense? Reward him when he does sit, but occasionally with a pat or a 'good boy' in place of the treat.
As for the barking, that's a bit harder. Maybe try a spray bottle of water set to 'stream' and spray him with it every time he barks.

HTH :)


ETA: If it doesn't work out I agree with what LionsandBears suggested

I would a) desex him. This would help with the mounting.
b) crate train him. Give him a lovely place of his own. If you're going to keep him inside, put the crate next to your bed (cause you know, there's heaps of room what with cots and H etc!) and teach him that it's a safe place. You could let him in there when he triggers for barking, but make it nice with blankies, toys & food.
c) more walks!
d) i know it's a bit cold, but freeze some food inside a block of water. It'll give him something to do - getting the food as the water melts. Or try a treat ball - you can make one from any thick box, just make a hole not-much-bigger than food treats.
e) puppy school!
f) contact a local vet for some help :)

well done on rescuing a little man!

I'd be looking into a good reputable dog obedience training school. I used to run puppy classes for many years and the oldest we would take them was about 16 weeks (or sometimes even younger for large breed dogs). Puppy schools are also more about socialisation than obedience, so not really the right place for your little one.

A good obedience school should use only positive reward training, and many will now refuse to work with check-chains. If you can find one that has qualified DELTA trainers then that would be great.

Jack Russell's are extremely active, so you're doing the right thing by taking him for a nice long walk. They also never tire of chasing a ball and can run off a lot of steam simply by throwing a ball in the backyard for them.

The mounting thing is often a dominance behaviour (which is why many female dogs do it too). Try to establish the rank in your house quickly and it may minimise that behaviour. Things you can do is to make sure your family always eat their meals before the dog (in the wild the lowest ranking 'family member' always eats last), try to get everyone in the house to stay higher than the dog (so when playing don't lay on the floor and let the pup climb all over you), and when going in and out of the house make sure that you (or any other family member) goes through the door first. Just a couple of ideas :)

Best of luck with everything!

Thanks for the link L&B!

Unfortunately there's no puppy school here. It's a community of barely 400 people. The closest town is 1 1/2 hours away.
We love the name we've given him. His old name was Nugget, but it's so much fun to call him and yell out "Moses!!". It's a crack up.
DH grew up with a dog called Abraham (long story) so we're keeping with the theme.

Thanks Tasha! I'm going to start with basic 'sit' tomorrow. He's has a very short attention span, it seems.

Those are some great idea's Kaz! Going to investigate and if we really are going to keep him then we'll get him desexed immediately.

I gave him some treats today (cause he's really skinny) and he just walks around with the food in his mouth and then drops it somewhere. The only thing I got him to eat was some toast and his wet food.

Walks are essential! It's a bit windy lately but he had so much fun and so did the rest of us. DD loved it and Beez had a huge kick-fest when we got back.
Moses kept trying to run after cars, unfortunately.

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Jack Russell's are extremely active, so you're doing the right thing by taking him for a nice long walk. They also never tire of chasing a ball and can run off a lot of steam simply by throwing a ball in the backyard for them.

The mounting thing is often a dominance behaviour (which is why many female dogs do it too). Try to establish the rank in your house quickly and it may minimise that behaviour. Things you can do is to make sure your family always eat their meals before the dog (in the wild the lowest ranking 'family member' always eats last), try to get everyone in the house to stay higher than the dog (so when playing don't lay on the floor and let the pup climb all over you), and when going in and out of the house make sure that you (or any other family member) goes through the door first. Just a couple of ideas :)

Best of luck with everything!

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Oh, good ideas!! He needs to know who's boss.

I 2nd the crate training. It is great.

Find his focus. What will he do things for? Our dog just loves food, she adores smackos (we are sure she is addicted to them). To generally will do anything for a smacko.

Consistency. Keep to what ever rules you decide on. It seems tough, but they need to know their place in the pack to be secure and for you to keep some control over them.

DH grew up with Jack Russells, he said to be firm but kind with them and that he will bond strongly with you for rescuing him.

Best of luck. I also agree with L&B that if you can't do it, then let a proper rescue place take him.

There's been some good tips here. Just on the food thing, he could be a bit out of sorts over the next few days as he settles in and it could make him be off his food. Good on you for taking him in :)

pp have given some excellent pointers. dog obedience is a must but my biggest thing with a jack russell would be being dominant. reward based training is all very well but with some dogs (like jack russells) are known to suffer from selective hearing/obedience, if you are "pack leader" they will listen. if hes not responding to no try a sharp "sshht" or a tap or the ribs with your finger tip. AND i cant recommend walking him enough, he is a high energy breed and will need a good walk (30min+) every day, better if its before a meal so the dinner is a reward. ideally one in the morning one at night, it takes 20min for the average dog to get into a good relaxed frame of mind and enjoy the walk. you want to keep walking for a bit after they hit that frame of mind. if hes not exercised enough you will find him misbehaving more and will be less willing to listen during training.

if you want more ideas i cannot recommend cesaer milan's books enough (or just watch the dog whisperer if you have foxtel/austar) they have been the only techniques that have worked on my crazy bouncing (no no really actually bouncing) cavalier x mini poodle, she even failed basic obedience training!

ETA: do as i say not as i do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p

i agree with the food reward thing. once you find a food they'll eat. get him desexed or give him a "sex toy" as my DH puts it. boof is desexed but mounts a monkey toy we gave him...its his toy LOL as for exersize a good walk/run a day is good. ours is to the letterbox and back. they are head strong and hunting dogs. but they can be really good too. boof growls at the kids when they invade his space but he knows "walk away" and will do so.

give him lost of prase and affection. and let him be part of the pack. i know my boofs spoiled and sleeps on my bed and will go where i ever i go too. give him time to ajust to being in a "pack" too. that is a huge change for a dog thats used to being a loner. its never too late (my boofs 8months old now)

GL hun.

I have a six month old long coat german shepherd pup. We take her to obedience training each week and one of the tips we have learned is to use a very gruff, loud 'uh uh' when she does something we don't want her to instead of 'no'. Apparently it is closer to the sound another dog would use. Roxy seems to respond much better to it. Pack order is really, really important, but PP's have already explained that. Roxy is not food driven either, which makes reward training a bit harder, but you just need to find something Moses really likes. Roxy does like liver treats, you can buy them in the supermarket, don't know if you can get them in your town?? The most popular treat at training is cabana, but Roxy is not so keen on that! Just a little bit so that the pup can send it down and continue to concentrate on what your instructing him to do.

Good luck, a puppy is hard work but so rewarding!