Some Jack Russell Terrier Training Thoughts on Over-Exercising
The last thing that a Jack Russell Terrier owner expects to find in the morning is a puppy not ready for a long walk. The little one can barely contain its excitement over the walk, and seem to pack bottomless energy, straining to keep going beyond the alloted time. It is not out of the ordinary for a 14 week old puppy to still want more beyond the 1-hour walk held twice a day.
Yet, the inevitably plain Jack Russell Terrier training fact is that it is possible to overexercise this particular dog breed, which can lead to compounded loss of strength by the adult dog later on in life. The damage that can be inflicted may not be obvious for a while, but wearing out young dogs with long walks is not good. Smaller dogs attain maturity faster than large dogs; so a Great Dane will need to be exercised cautiously for its first three years, but a Jack Russell puppy’s first 9 months is the most critical.
A rough guide here is to imagine that a dog can have 5 minutes of exercise for every month of its age. This tells us that a fourteen week old puppy can have only up to 15 minutes a day.
One other important thing new dog walkers need to know is that while there is no secret behind well-behaved dogs in the streets, there is a technique, though, that needs practice. Now, all the things that need to be known about better dog walking starts with the fact that the owner-handler is the dog’s boss and he/she ought to decide the exact route of the walk. That there is a master-pet relationship between owner and dog is something that the dog will need to learn for its own good, and it surely needs to be present in a dog walk.
This becomes evident in some not too small details. First, when the dog becoems aware that there is a walk, it will surely be there by the door waiting. But it had better be obeying its master’s commands (e.g. sitting down, quiet), otherwise it cannot wear its lead and it will not be able to start the walk. That in itself is an obedience lesson already!
Next, once it is out on the streets, the puppy or the young dog (this step may take time to work on adults) will need to be shown that the owner-handler decides the route. How? Be unpredictable! Cross the street, go round a lampost or a bench, inspect some bushes, go on and off the pavement or sidewalk, etc. The walker will need to make the route unpredictable so that the dog will want to focus on its walker, instead of focusing on whatever disrupts its bored fancy, which can end up in the dog dragging the human. When it starts behaving contrary to its manners, stop, command it to sit, wait for calm, then start out again. This is actually one tip not only found in Jack Russell Terrier training, but practically in all dog training guides.
