Jrt behavior problems!

[stevieleigh76]

Hi All, (sorry this will be long)

I'm Stevie, Female, 24 from Rossendale. About three years ago my Mum was approached by her brother asking if she could look after his friends dog - a 7 year old JRT, she was quite an elderly lady who needed to go into hospital for surgery but would not go in unless she knew the dog was being looked after. Unfortunately the lady died and we had no way of contacting family members to see if someone wanted the dog and no one had reported him lost so we decided to keep him, however in my Mums eyes she was "STUCK" with him. I moved back in for a while to save and absolutely fell in love with him (and named him Todd) - he was such a good dog (well for me he was not for my mum) she was always shouting at him and it wasn't fair so I said that when I got my own place I would take him. Meanwhile I vowed I would take him for walks - I met up with my friend who has a German shepherd (bitch) at the park and Todd just went completely nuts trying to bite her - barking all the time he just wouldn't shut up, we called it a day and started meeting up regularly to socialise the dogs - we were eventually brave enough to let them off their leads and Todd just chased her and was so aggressive she tried to hide behind me but every time she came near me he was attacking her. We didn't go again!

One day my Mum let Todd out for a wee and he ran off (he did do this from time to time) but this time he never came back, my Mum "saw" the dog warden pick him up in the back of his truck and didn't do anything to stop him.

Todd was taken to Manchester Dogs home & I had to wait 2 days as they closed at 5pm and I finished work at 5:30pm I barely slept for those 2 nights and cried constantly my mum told me to leave him there and he would be re homed she said I didn't know what i was getting myself into and how much responsibility he was, I couldn't believe she would say such a thing and completely ignored her! Saturday morning myself and a friend drove to Harpurhey to collect him. I was in tears we couldn't find him, he was definitely there as I called and they said they'd picked up a JRT from that area. We got to the 3rd row of kennels and the girl unlocked the door - i was scanning so fast, there was a dog in the corner lifeless and shaking so she had to run for help, at this point i was hysterical, when I came to the end I saw his little face through the railings and I said "that's him" - it would have been £100 to collect plus £5 a night he was in there which I would have paid happily to have him home but there was a problem... his chip...

He was still registered to his previous owner and I couldn't claim him, I was told if i didn't know her name and address then I had to wait 7 days to re adopt him - I was heartbroken and broke down crying in the reception, I was NOT going to leave him here for another week!!! I phoned my mum who had to phone around for the information and we eventually got there.. we immediately brought him home, i had his chip changed to my name and address - he caught kennel cough so I took him to the vets which cost me a hell of a lot for his antibiotics and consultation.

Myself and my partner moved in to our house in February and brought Todd (10 years old in July) With us and he has been fine, he has always had a short temper anyway but is very lively and can run for hours & loves cuddles! He is absolutely fine sat in his bed in the living room - he doesn't bark or make a single noise - he doesn't beg for food, he is a wonderful indoor dog, BUT as soon as I get his lead he goes crazy he barks runs around (i know he is excited) but when we are walking he pulls so hard and barks at anyone, if we go to the park and he sees another dog he pulls until he is choking himself and is nearly blue in the face (i bought a harness instead which is miles better)

I thought the park was empty one night on our walk to I let him off (he cries when he is on his lead) and he spotted another dog and was so aggressive he kept chasing this dog with his teeth out trying to bite it. I was so embarrassed, the other dog owners looking at me trying to get my dog under control and he just won't come back to me no matter what I do.

I feel as I am being judged as if he behaves this way because of me even though I haven't brought him up and I don't know how he has been treated in the past.

There is a new doggy daycare centre that has just opened around the corner and everyone i know was saying how good it was (there are two girls that run it and they're fantastic) I took him to see if he could socialise with other dogs. The girl who assessed him said he is not an aggressive dog he is very nervous and anxious (he hates the car too).

He went to doggy daycare for 8 hours whilst I was at work and when I collected him she said he was fine - ??!! this leaves me confused!!

My boyfriends sister brought her 1 year old Staffy around to see us and Todd just went nuts again, the Staffy was cowering behind us.

He is really possessive over his toys and anything you go to pick up and one of my sisters children picked up a stick and Todd barked and jumped to grab the stick scratching all of my nephews stomach and once at the park Todd chased a little child with a ball.

I really don't know what to do to curb this behavior (he is house trained, can sit and lie down and give his paw).

He is crate trained - he goes in a night time for bed and doesn't make a sound.

I know it's a long message but I wanted to get in all the info I could.

Please, please can you help?!

 

[goldenbear2013]

You have one very possessive dog on your hands! You are his and that's it! and he will do everything he can to make sure he has you all to himself.

Anyone he isn't used to, and other dogs when you are around are a threat to him, as he will feel like the attention is being taken away from him and he doesn't like one little bit.

JRT's are notoriously stubborn and possessive so training from a pup is vital otherwise you will end up with a devil dog! Obviously you didn't have him from a pup and there are some things that are instilled in him that need to be rectified. Never say you cant teach and old dog new tricks because you can.

Doggy day care is great as he gets to socialize with other dogs and learn to be around them more without feeling the need to attack them because you are there.

he isn't scared or nervous he is possessive and despite him being tiny he could do some serious damage. My friend has a JRT and treats him like a spoilt child and because I don't do as he wants me to when i'm there he ended up biting me! More than once!!!

Anyway training. if you can put him back on a regular lead, better yet a rope lead that loops round his neck and tightens when put under strain (when he pulls basically). When he walking with you gently tug the lead to correct him when he pulls, if he comes back to heel, reward him with a treat or however you see fit. Keep talking to him, to keep his attention on you and put your hand on the side he is on, on your hip and if he comes into line with it again reward him. Every time he pulls or moves in front of you again a gentle tug on the lead.

If you want to let him off the lead to play but are nervous to do so, then you can buy a long lead. These range from 7 meters plus (not the retractable ones) and you can let it drag on the floor, if you see another dog and he looks like he is going to run at them, put your foot on the lead and when he bolts it will stop him in his tracks. This is also very good for your recall training with him. as you can slowly reel him, gently tugging the lead towards you (so he starts coming towards you) and calling his name and giving your recall command (eg. come) and when he finally does come back to you give him lots of love and praise. Kneel down for this so you are closer to the ground and have your arms out wide (unless you have hold of the lead obviously)

In your home, if someone comes round and he misbehaves in any way then remove him from the room and put him in another and close the door. Leave him to calm down and then let him back in. If he misbehaves again repeat the process. You could also keep his lead on him, so if he looks like he is going to lunge at your guest or their dog, then you can just put your foot on the lead or get hold of it so he cant actually get to them. Tug him back to you and tell him NO, then remove him from the room and repeat the process.

Your last resort will be to muzzle him. He wont like it but it will stop him from potentially biting and also pop a yellow ribbon on his lead so other dog owners know not to approach him. http://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk/

Now the key thing here is consistency. If you do not follow through and keep up your training and discipline actions he will continue to walk all over you, as that is what he is doing now. Doesn't matter how long it takes before he gives in (this could be hours so brace yourself) you must keep it up until he becomes submissive and doesn't want to bite other guests or walks to heel or whatever it is you are doing at the time.

You need to teach him that you rule the roost not him, and anything that you deem unfit behavior is corrected instantly.

Also, if you do not correct him within the first 3 seconds of the action you are wanting to correct he will not understand what it is that he has done wrong. Your corrections must be instantly otherwise he wont know what's going on.

A long reply to a long message but I hope I've helped and no doubt you will get even more advice from others on here to help you.

good luck and let us know how you get on.

Sophie x

 

[stevieleigh76]

Thank you so much Sophie!

Your reply is much appreciated, and is extremely helpful.

I will definitely take on board your comments. It's just hard when I don't know exactly what i'm doing haha!

You've made me feel so much better about the whole situation, i just want to give him the best life possible.

Will let you know how I get on.

x

 

[goldenbear2013]

You're most welcome.

if you feel like you need a little more help, maybe look into having a behavioral trainer come to your home to help you. they will show you all sorts of techniques on how to train and discipline your dog, but you must chose carefully.

My friend paid £400 for a trainer to help with her JRT (the one I mentioned who bit me!) and nothing worked! Her methods were not as forceful as they should of been and my friend didn't follow through, so her dog is coming up to 4 years old now and gets his way constantly, to the put where I have stopped going round! Not good!

Keep me posted x

 

[jordandiesel]

I think there is definitely a lot of work to do with him but the fact he can sit on command is a positive as this is an invaluable thing you can teach your dog. JRT's typically have "big dog syndrome" and will often bark and even act in an aggressive way to larger dogs if they are not handled correctly.

As an owner of rescue dogs, I totally understand your frustrations as from a "well behaved dogs owners" point of view, all they see is that you have done nothing to control your dog and haven't socialised him from a puppy although you know this isn't true they don't know this.

As I cannot see his demeaner, I couldn't say whether he is nervous or aggressive. However, I think a really good place to start would be to take him out for a really long walk so he's knackered and get a friend with a similar sized stable dog (not over excitable or nervous) to do the same and then meet in a neutral territory (a park neither have been to before) and see how they get along. I think with such an old dog who will be set in his ways, its going to be a long road but I do believe you will get there.

Another tip would be to not be giving any treats or playing ball with Todd while other dogs are around as it gives him something to be possessive over. When at the park I would suggest purchasing a training line (you can get one for £7 or so from pets at home) its black and I think about 10 meters. Always have this lead on Todd as it won't affect his ability to run but it will give you much better control. For example, if he starts to act aggressively to another dog you can pick his lead up easily and bring him back to you.

I hope this helps, if you need any further help feel free to message me.

Jordan

 

[stevieleigh76]

Hi Jordan,

I know what you mean, he's always barking at any dog - he's as sweet as anything when he't on his own though, it baffles me.

Also my partner is brill with him, he is allowed in the livingroom when we come home from work (not on the couch or upstairs) I feel he is trying to push his luck though.

My partner insists that he stays outside during the day, i wasn't too happy with the idea but we had to compromise - anyway, we bought a nice waterproof and windproof kennel with two compartments and all he does is stand outside the back door waiting for us to open it.

When we're at work i worry as I had a phone call from a lady asking me if i'd lost a dog (my worst fear) he'd gotten out - chewed through the fence so we've had to buy a 6m lead and he is on that now and I constantly worry that he will choke himself or get tangled up - i've read a lot of websites that say it only makes them naughtier if they're tied up and leaves them vunerable but I don't know what i am supposed to do, at least he can get fresh air, drink his water and do his business when he wants and if he needs to go in his kennel (which i've filled with a big fluffy bed and blankets) he can do.

Until we secure the garden properly this will have to do for now.