Traning JRT recall

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Scoti1420

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Hi everyone,

I've got a coming up 3yr old Jack Russell who I've had for about a year. His recall is okay - I don't get the sharpest reaction but it mostly works. When I got him, he would run off a couple times every walk, and now he only does it once every two or three weeks.

I've currently got a training lead on his harness which is helping us, but it's heavy enough that he does still know he's on the lead. If I walk him without it now, I can get him back most of the time, but he does occasionally just completely ignore me.

How do I bridge the gap? He is perfect on the long lead but I think that's because of the weight. He is so much better off lead now but I can't quite get the recall to click all the time
 
my family have jackrussels for decades and the only thing I know about them is that if tyhey want to head off somewqhere they will. Ours have always had good recall 99% of the time, but the 1% of time they really want to go, nothing can stop them!

we even have one that passed all its dog training levels, and will still gallop off with a guilty look if something catches her eye
 
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Hi, watching this with interest as we are on our third BT. First two were like your JRT, good recall most of the time but when they went, they went. Always seemed to know where we were and would come back in their own time which I found quite stressful at times. Stanley is coming up to 6 months and I have put a lot of effort into recall training and up to the last week, he has been brilliant but now adolescence has kicked in he'll ignore me if he sees another dog, go and say hello and is then happy to come back. This is not good enough and sometimes I'm not quick enough to put him on the lead. He ran over to say hello to a runner this morning and jumped up continuously whilst runner tried to jog away, I was rather cross as he knows not to jump up! Grrr!
 
If you find out let me know! They are little monsters when it suits them, couple of mine are not even food orientated so can't use treats ����
 
mine will cock a deafen on many occasions but hardly ever runs to far, I did train her to come out with me on the horse so I really needed her to be quite obedient, I used to take tiny bits of ham or chicken with me and randomly call her back to me and treat, thing is because sometimes they really ignore you by not even looking where you are, always said the word biscuit when treating and I can now call her name and say do you want a biscuit and it will get her attention.

my dog is massively food oriented so she is easy to train with treats I do also find mine really learns certain words easily, when I took her hacking I taught her wait so I could get her to stop if she ran to far ahead, I still use that now on foot and she knows to wait if I say so.
 
One of mine is now called buster biscuit! Call buster on it's own and he totally ignores it, add biscuit and he will come 90% of the time ��
 
oldie48 said:
My BT is not food orientated unfortunately and although I am sure I must look slightly demented with my enthusiastic high energy praise, I am clearly not as exciting as another dog!
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ha ha I often just run in the other direction hoping she might want to follow doesn't really work and it just makes me look silly, I often stand there pretending to eat I must look like a complete nut job, with my dog it's not even other dogs it's a scent of something she picks up.
 
Good luck!




We had a pair of JRTs at the same time as several other, bigger dogs, Rottweiler, Labradors, Border Collie, and x-breds. They were more trouble than all the rest put together. They took every opportunity to escape that they could. They were actually quite good at recall on walks but dreadful if they managed to leave home alone. We once caught one of them climbing up a car parked next to the stable building. She went from the bumper to the bonnet, onto the car roof, from there onto the stable roof, over the apex, down the other side, onto a stone wall and away. She completely ignored any calls to return until she felt like it. Her sister was the digger - we had to reinforce all the gates, so that she couldn't dig under them.
 
Pinkvboots said:
ha ha I often just run in the other direction hoping she might want to follow doesn't really work and it just makes me look silly, I often stand there pretending to eat I must look like a complete nut job, with my dog it's not even other dogs it's a scent of something she picks up.
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Really I should have known better as he's our third BT but he is just so much fun (most of the time )and we both adore him. I take him to dog training with an excellent trainer but I suspect we give her much amusement as he is a bit of a law unto himself. There isn't an aggressive bone in his body and he's actually very bright but he just has the attention span of a gnat and wants to be everyone's friend! I also run in the other direction, peeping my whistle and to be fair, he does race after me. He also does all the training work at home beautifully and is a real joy to walk most of the time but I think I have come to accept that with terriers there is just a wild part of their brain that is terrier land and it's difficult to access but I will keep on with the training!
 
With MILs BTs, as they would run up to other dogs and people walking we got a stooge person to go for a walk and then really bellow at them and be very scary so they would decide strangers were not all good fun. It did work, with recall training and treats, so both stick and carrot.
 
Clodagh said:
With MILs BTs, as they would run up to other dogs and people walking we got a stooge person to go for a walk and then really bellow at them and be very scary so they would decide strangers were not all good fun. It did work, with recall training and treats, so both stick and carrot.
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I really like this idea and will give it more thought ATM everyone just goes gooey eyed over him (not helpful). thanks!
 
oldie48 said:
Really I should have known better as he's our third BT but he is just so much fun (most of the time )and we both adore him. I take him to dog training with an excellent trainer but I suspect we give her much amusement as he is a bit of a law unto himself. There isn't an aggressive bone in his body and he's actually very bright but he just has the attention span of a gnat and wants to be everyone's friend! I also run in the other direction, peeping my whistle and to be fair, he does race after me. He also does all the training work at home beautifully and is a real joy to walk most of the time but I think I have come to accept that with terriers there is just a wild part of their brain that is terrier land and it's difficult to access but I will keep on with the training!
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terriers are the most interesting characters they are very intelligent but as you said they a brain blip with concentration and all the obedience goes out the windows, my jrt will do lovely walk to heal sit stay and recall in our yard but out on a walk everything is far too interesting, I love boarders they have such cute little old man faces:)
 
Mine has a rubbish recall. She doesn’t ever go off lead as she’s just too precious to lose and although fine most of the time, can’t be trusted when there are bushes to explore. She’s not remotely food orientated, or toys. There’s nothing in this world more exciting for her than catching a small furry thing.She has a few long leads. One is 100m for when we go to the big field and she likes to run and we have varying lengths depending on where we are so she doesn’t really suffer because of it.
 
I have never owned a terrier so my advice is possibly worthless, but as with any training you need to find something that your dog absolutely loves. In terriers, I would imagine tugging a small fur covered tug might work - harnessing that instinct to kill. So I would fashion a tug covered in rabbit fur or similar and bring this tug out, at home initially, only for very short, high energy bursts of tug play. The pop it back in your pocket before the dog gets bored. Don't let them have access to it at any other time. Do this at home several times a day until the dog really looks forward to this exciting play, then put a name to it. Once your dog is (hopefully) obsessed by the tug, take it out on walks. When dog sees something more interesting than you, produce said toy, use your special phrase and hopefully dog will come back for a good tuggy session.

If a particular dog isn't interested in toys, then high reward treats can entice them back - something they never get any other time (cooked chicken or beef, small bits of cheese etc).

As I say, never owning a terrier I may be talking rubbish :)
 
Plus even high reward treats won't work if the dog isn't hungry. Using treats or food as a motivator won't work if the dog knows he is getting fed twice a day anyway.
I go out to work to get paid, if you're using food to train a dog then the dog must be in a similar mindset. Otherwise you are just throwing fivers at him on top of his normal pay packet for doing little to nothing.
But agree that with terrier its probably the prey element that will work for them.
Craig Ogilvie is a good person to explain toy motivation
 
oldie48 said:
I really like this idea and will give it more thought ATM everyone just goes gooey eyed over him (not helpful). thanks!
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It wqas exactly the same with MIL's dogs - oh she is so cute, come and have a cufddle - it really doesn't help! Then one day the puppy ran after a man for a mile to the far side of the farm with Granny in hot pursuit, he wouldn't stop for her to catch the dog - fair enough I suppose, but Granny is very elderly. That was when stooge person came in, as an act of desperation!

Flicky toy thing would work, if you can get their head out of the bush/hole to see it.
 
oldie48 said:
Thanks I'll also try that, I think rabbit fur might work well with Stanley.
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Until that is, he works out that he's being conned. My days of work-bred terriers are over — never again — despite the fact they have a zest for life which is a delight, despite the fact that they have an undeniable appeal, every single one of them, or all those that I've had have bone between their ears, not brains! Expecting anything other than a demented lunatic will lead to frustration, nails bit to the quick, and no hair! :)

Otherwise, grand little dogs and I love them, all of them providing that they belong to someone else! :D

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
Until that is, he works out that he's being conned. My days of work-bred terriers are over — never again — despite the fact they have a zest for life which is a delight, despite the fact that they have an undeniable appeal, every single one of them, or all those that I've had have bone between their ears, not brains! Expecting anything other than a demented lunatic will lead to frustration, nails bit to the quick, and no hair! :)

Otherwise, grand little dogs and I love them, all of them providing that they belong to someone else! :D

Alec.
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Ah sadly tis true although Stanley is very amenable to training, as in deed he is to everything that life brings him, but when the terrier mist descends he is in a world of his own. It was a beautiful frosty morning today, we have a very large garden with lots of local wildlife that visit us and today the smells were clearly perfection to a little terrier nose. Stanley was in heaven and I ceased to exist! I have attached a black spidery furry monkey thing to a very long schooling whip and we have both had a lot of fun this afternoon, Stan loves it but I think I'd look a bit odd if I took it on our walks.
 
I have to say oldie48 that Stan the Man (accepting his heritage!) and from what I remember from his pics, is a shear delight — BUT, he is still juvenile and however we may hope that as they mature, they calm down — trust me in this, they don't, they only ever get worse! :D

It will sound as though I hate them, wouldn't it? I don't and on the contrary, I love them and their approach to life — just as long as they're someone else's. :D

I've no doubt that young Stanley is a grand wee man — for all that I say! :)

Alec.
 
I am very much a terriers person, I think they are absolutely awesome, but have come to accept that the recall issue is something that must be tackled with a multi prong approach....
First I use is the phrase "let's go!" Which is said every time we are doing something interesting (getting into/out of the car to go walking, going to the fields from the yard etc.) so the phrase is something that grabs their interest. In tandem with this I also teach them that I WILL leave them - initially I will pick somewhere safe like the garden and say "let's go!", give them 10 seconds or so to respond and then just walk in the house, shut the door and leave them there, eventually building up to places with more freedom.
Secondly I teach them the names of lots of small furry things (amazing how quickly they pick up the words for squirrel, rats, mice, rabbits :p), and if they're really distracted I will say "ooo, what's this, look squirrel" in an over excited voice - this does not really make them concentrate on you but it does get them to run in your direction
Third prong is loud angry, threatening them with their life voice, which usually works when all else has failed. Unlike the other two, this is used while handler is stood still, rather than walking away.

The absolute worst thing you can do though is repeat their name over and over, because they become really good at ignoring you really really quickly. If they are starting to cop a deaf'un you have to up the anti quickly or all is lost :lol:
 
Dabdab, some useful ideas here and actually I have used them all with previous BTs to some effect and tbh I wouldn't have got a third one if we'd not had some level of success. However, the big problem with all of the BTs that I've had is that walking nicely through the woods for eg if a squirrel runs out in front of them, BT is gone in a flash, with luck squirrel runs up an tree and BT has a good bark at it, worst case scenario is rabbit runs out in front and takes off taking BT with it. BT is totally focused on rabbit, with luck BT comes back and I just have to be patient. We haven't yet had issue with Stanley but I am pretty sure we will! In general all our BTs have had good recall in most situations and have been very trainable and wanting to please. Stanley has just jumped up as i have been typing, he is waiting for his walk, when told off, he immediately got down and is sitting with a sulky look in his basket, he's quite bright! Just love terriers!!
 
Ha, this all sound just like my Patterdale that I just posted about. Selected deafness, won't even give me eye contact when I wind him right up to me.
 
oldie48 said:
Dabdab, some useful ideas here and actually I have used them all with previous BTs to some effect and tbh I wouldn't have got a third one if we'd not had some level of success. However, the big problem with all of the BTs that I've had is that walking nicely through the woods for eg if a squirrel runs out in front of them, BT is gone in a flash, with luck squirrel runs up an tree and BT has a good bark at it, worst case scenario is rabbit runs out in front and takes off taking BT with it. BT is totally focused on rabbit, with luck BT comes back and I just have to be patient. We haven't yet had issue with Stanley but I am pretty sure we will! In general all our BTs have had good recall in most situations and have been very trainable and wanting to please. Stanley has just jumped up as i have been typing, he is waiting for his walk, when told off, he immediately got down and is sitting with a sulky look in his basket, he's quite bright! Just love terriers!!
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They are super cool, life would not be complete without a couple of terriers in it. Hehe, yes, the situation you describe there is the sort that results in my murder, death kill voice. I must sound super scary because that voice has a 100% success rate (with dogs, horses and humans actually :p), but I use it very sparingly.
 
DabDab said:
They are super cool, life would not be complete without a couple of terriers in it. Hehe, yes, the situation you describe there is the sort that results in my murder, death kill voice. I must sound super scary because that voice has a 100% success rate (with dogs, horses and humans actually :p), but I use it very sparingly.
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Haha, I need a tape of it so I can practise!
 
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