Your Jack Russell Terrier may be great most of the time, until something aggravates them, or this could be a reoccurring, daily problem; but either way, the aggression that you’re witnessing within your pet needs to stop! The three best steps to stop Jack Russell aggression is to identify the cause of the aggression, discipline the aggression on the spot and then reconfigure your Jack Russell’s daily routine, so that their trigger is never set off.
Identify the Cause
If your Jack Russell Terrier is acting out, there has to be a reason. The Jack Russell breed is known for being loyal and loving, so the first step to stop Jack Russell aggression is to find the root of the problem! A common problem for a Jack Russell stems from boredom or lack of companionship. Since this breed is so intelligent, their brain needs to be stimulated or they will get bored and act out.
Another common problem for the Jack Russell breed is; despite their size, if they’re not consistently kept in their place, they will assume the role of alpha and subsequently challenge anyone they feel is threatening them. This type of aggression may be taken out on other pets, human visitors or eve their owners. In order to discourage this behavior, it’s important to establish the role they play in the household from day one and stick to it!
Disciplining Aggression
After you have identified the root of the hostility, in order to stop Jack Russell aggression, you must take action! Once the aggression occurs, you must first walk over to your Jack Russell; this is important because if you make the dog come to you, they will associate punishment with being called and this will not be good for the relationship you have with the dog.
After you have moved over to the dog, you should slap the dog’s chin. This slap is done just hard enough, with your hand and nothing else but your hand, to close your dog’s mouth. This slap should never be hard enough to move your pet’s head back, just enough so that their mouth closes and they get the message. Also, while you do this, you say, in a low, growling type voice, “No!”
Although it may take patience, this is a good way to discipline your Jack Russell without fear of hurting them.
Make Changes to Their Routine
The third step to stop Jack Russell aggression is to reconstruct the dog’s daily routine in order to avoid the situation that sets them off. Remember, just like people, dogs, especially the intelligent Jack Russell breed will have situations that annoy them, but when that annoyance becomes aggression it needs to be avoided as much as possible before it escalates. Now, by editing the dog’s daily schedule, this doesn’t mean that you should change your whole life around. For instance, if your Jack Russell is triggered by same-sex aggression, just keep him away from other dogs of the same sex and if you find that your Jack Russell is bored, make sure to take them outside more and let them burn off some energy. It’s the little things that can really make a big difference!
So, there you have it! The three steps to stop Jack Russell aggression are to identify the problem, enacting the proper form of discipline and then follow up by trying to avoid placing your Jack Russell in the situation that causes them to lash out. Also, always remember that when you make a plan to curb aggression, you have to stick to it and be patient!
