weird JRT

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frankie7

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we have t-bone the jrt who is 2, he is 2nd hand and we got him at about 1.5 yrs. (he lives with Chimo the British inuit and they get on fine)

he has the strange habit of chasing light beams and reflections and goes mad when he can;t catch them and will like the walls / floor until we pull him away / distract him. is this a terrier thing or is he just odd? should we stop him doing this?

Also, since coming out of kennels last week, he is much worse with other dogs esp boy dogs and will go for them and growl and bark until removed from them. he does not seek out other dogs, just if they come close to him, he went for a really cute GSD puppy last night (a boy). should i just keep him away from other dogs or try and intorduce him to more and remove him before he goes for them? he does go to school but we are on holidays at the moment!

many thanks
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The chasing lights thing sounds a bit like what we would call obsessive compulsive disorder in humans.
How much exercise does he get? Sounds like he might need his mind occupied rather than just plain walking or running around, training will help with this.

Do not try and keep him away from other dogs, this will only make him more frustrated and likely to snap.

You need to borrow someone with a quiet, trustworthy dog (maybe someone from your training class) and you need to rebuke him sharply when he gives a 'look' at the other dog, you will soon come to recognise what I mean if this is repeat behaviour - ears forward, hackles up, unfocused on you.
Rebuking him once the 'attack' is ongoing or over is useless and heighten negative association towards other dogs.
Try some focus training - try and hold his gaze for as long as possible - the longer he looks at you, the more you can reward him. You could introduce a command like 'watch!'.

This may take his focus off other dogs and the lights - when I look up I get food/a treat, when I don't I get told off!


Would you consider neutering him?
 
thanks for your replies
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I am not sure how well socilised he was when he was young, he went to newcomers school and does obedience (came 2nd in a show in the summer but moved in the stay to eat some bunny poo!) he also does agility but gets snappy at dogs there.

he gets about an hour quick walking on the lead in the morning, playing in the garden for 45 minutes at lunch and then another hour or so in the evenings, off the lead.

I will try and correct him before he starts, he is quite good at watching so i will try and keep him looking at me, or if that fails, will a sharp NO! be ok?


Oh he is fixed, could not cope with looking at mutts nuts!!
 
Depending on his personality, I am sure a sharp no would be fine.
If he is a bit bolshy and ignores that, then I would combine the verbal with a check on his collar/chain, whatever he has on around his neck area! Just to give him a physical reminder, hey, I'm in charge, you don't need to protect me or defend yourself, that's my job. When he takes his attention off the other dog and back to you, loads of praise.
 
i've got 5 jrts. the 'chasing lights' thing isn't unusual, i had one dog who did it all the time but was a perfect little dog in every way. one of my bitches does the same thing now, she's actually Patterdale x something (no idea what, i thought it was jrt but looks more like foxhound now!), i think it's the hunting instinct tbh, the moment they see a movement they get excited.
i think lots more socialisation is the key to getting him better with other dogs. they do need a definite leader though, they're usually very independent-minded and confident and will try to rule the roost if you let them!
 
my jrt also does the chasing light thing. she got totally obessesed to the point where she wouldn't do anything else. we attached a houseline to her collar and basically removed her from the room whenever she did it. only for a min to two to break the concentration. she doesn't really do it now- and if she does she i send her to her crate to calm down then invite her out to play ball.
 
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