Health Issues Affecting Jack Russell Terrier Training

Few of the things that may possibly discontinue or impede jack russell terrier training are the health issues common to this breed. Even though jack russell terriers are known to be generally healthy with long lifespan, some lines are notable for having some health issues including:

Eye Problems.
One of the common health issues affecting jack russell terriers is lens luxation. Normally appears in dogs around three to eight years old, lens luxation is characterized by dislocation or displacement of the lens inside the eye. It could be an inherited disorder or brought on by injury or trauma to the eye. Luxation, particularly anterior luxation, may also lead to another eye disorder called glaucoma which can further lead to partial or total blindness.

Cataract is also another eye disorder common to this breed.

Congenital Deafness.
Hearing problems in dogs may either be inherited or acquired due to infection, injury or toxic exposures before or immediately after birth.

Musculoskeletal Issues.
A jack russell terrier may suffer from Legg Perthes, a disease in which the hip joint deteriorates due to the blood flow being interrupted. It can cause progressive lameness, stiffness of damaged limb and pain when moving the hip.

Patellar luxation (also referred to as luxating patella), a condition affecting the knees is also common to this breed.

Even though the stated health issues do not usually change a dog’s mental capacity, dog training can be quite hard considering their physical restrictions. Your pet with luxating patella may find it hard to learn and perform various tricks such as play-dead, crawl, roll over and others. He may not even play fetch with you due to painful hips caused by Legg Perthes.

If you own a dog with particular medical condition, the least you can do is learn more about the disease and find out what needs to be done to help prevent the disease from progressing if you cannot completely get rid of it. Be wary of your pet’s situation and be sensitive to his needs instead of pushing him to obey what you want him to do.