Anxious and aggressive rescue dog.

Hi Megallan,

It was nice of you to rescue the JR but I am afraid you judged the book by its cover. I think you got a totally wrong breed of dog!

Jack Russell Terriers are known for being energetic and hard-working companions. These spirited dogs need to kept busy, active and challenged all the time. They are small and have such a cute face but they are not lap dogs.

You said your JR doesn't like to be left out and urinates, has food agression and growls, jumps up people and barks like crazy... These are all typical behaviors for JRs. I don't want ot sound mean but you shouldn't got the breed if you wanted a dog that stays home quietly and meet and greet people nicely and does not bark much. No dogs are perfect but you could have avoided some of these behaviors if you got, for example, an old Golden Retriever, maybe.

It is all about finding a right kind of dog to make your life much easier and more fun to have the dog.

I strongly believe that you will be able to correct all those behaviors but it will just take a tremendous amount of time and effort.

Each of the behavior needs to be addessed separately on top of the daily obedience lesson to make sure that your dog listens and obey to you.

Good luck

Hi Megallan,

I disagree with you, MaxHollyNoah, I believe that every dog and ever breed for that matter can be a wonderful companion.
Not every Rottweiler is the same, not every JR is the same. You find Golden Retrievers with aggression problems, just like you find German Shepards that are shy.
There are Labradors that are great with children, others nip.
I believe that what it all comes down to is the owner.
If the dog had a rough upbringing the owner will need to spend a lot more time and effort to heal that and turn the dog into a great dog, but it will work.
It all comes down to how committed you are on being a great owner.

Of course, every breed is there for a specific purpose/.
Australian heelers (herding cattle), JR (hunting rodents), Greyhounds (speed),
Border Collies (herding sheep), Rottweilers (protection), Labradors (retrieving sucks from water)
So of course these breeds will display certain traits more commonly and frequently, but even that can be managed.

I often find that the smaller the dog the more common behavior problems are. I think that is because often owners of smaller dogs are not pack leaders. They want to spoil their dog and let them do whatever they want.
This might sound like they are "nice" to the dog, but in fact it stresses the dog.
Often smaller dogs feel like they need to protect their pack, because they think that's their task.
If a dog displays separation anxiety it is because they feel like they have to protect their family and because they don't know where they are they get stressed.
Imagine a parent that wants to protect their child and doesn't know where it is.

Anyway, I think your JR will turn out to be a wonderful dog and you said that you are willing to put some effort into it.

The first and only thing you have to worry about is establishing yourself and the rest of the family as the leaders of the pack. The dog will need to be the lowest ranking family member.
Once you are the pack leader all the problems that you have with him now will disappear.
I had similar problems with one of my dogs, who is very confident and challenging, but since she accepted me as the leader she is just fantastic.
She used to growl, dominate, ignore commands etc and now I have off-leash voice control over her no matter what.

What do you currently do in order to establish yourself as the leader?
Please let me know who feeds the dog, when and how, who walks the dog and how often. What is your daily routine.

Thank you!
John

Hi MaxHollyNoah,

I couldn't agree more, dogs and people need to match. If you are not into long walks and being active - don't get a boarder collie. If you want to go for long runs don't get a toy dog. If you are a very soft and shy person - don't get a breed that will constantly challenge you.

Every responsible breeder, rescue center should do personality checks of the people that want to get a dog and make sure they match the personality of the dog.

If you don't match your dog's personality you will have to put a lot if effort in.
People need to be more responsible;e and should do more research before getting a dog. Of course, if you have a border collie and live in the middle of the city and don't like going for walks...well obviously it's not a good match and it won't be easy for the dog to adjust. The result will be behavioral problems. You will be able to manage them but it requires a lot of work (and walks) on your side.
So basically what I'm saying is that you should be careful about what kind of dog you get and how it fits with your life style.
Working full time and taking on an active dog...perhaps not the best idea.
JR have a lot of energy to use up, they are smart little things.
Megallan, do you have a neighbor who could pop in and walk your dog during that day? Are there any dog sitters in your area? Can you take your dog to work?

John




P.S: MaxHollyNoah, it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with your foster dogs and you certainly know what you are doing.