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The
IrishJack Difference
The temperament of our Jack Russell Terriers and their great trainability make them very suited to home living, with children of all ages and other dogs and cats.
Our Jack Russell Terrier is a different breed than the Parson Jack Russell Terrier who are primarily bred to be hunting dogs.
The
IrishJack Directory
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Your First Month
Below you will find an overview of what to expect over your first few weeks with your new Irish Jack Russell puppy. Please print this page and stick it on your refrigerator door!
The key words are highlighted to help you find what you need.
Print out our list of supplies. This is really all you need for a very successful puppy shopping trip to your local pet store.
You can purchase most of your supplies from us when you are picking up your Jack Russell puppy, including the crate, collar, leash and the recommended x-pen. Click here for our suggested puppy supply list of all that you will need in order to provide a wonderful life for your Irish Jack Russell.
We have extensive experience with the right kind of collars and leashes, the proper food and best treats to pick out for your new life with your new Jack Russell puppy.
Housebreaking
We recommend crate training until you can fully and completely trust them around the house, even when you are not there.
Crate your pup if you are not 100% watching them. They are only babies and have no concept of going outside for the bathroom until you teach them. They will not make a mess in the crate.
The pupster must sleep in their crate at night until they are fully housebroken. They usually will miss their little buds the first few nights. This is normal.
At night make sure the door is on securely and give them a treat before bed time. Walk the puppy last thing at night and first thing in the morning. This is the beginning of the housebreaking process.
The key is to associate the door, with going outside, to the same spot and then when the puppy does their business, give them a treat, tell them how good they are and return to the house.
During the day, be sure to take your baby Jack Russell out, on the leash, at least every hour to an hour and a half. If there is a need to go in the middle of the night, that's normal for a baby puppy and they will let you know by 'chirping' at you. This should only last a few days or so when they develop a rhythm and will sleep through the night.
Growth of the IrishJack
VMF's Isabella
Isabella is the daughter of VMS's Poley and VMF's Cryssie
Isabella at four weeks
Isabella at five weeks
Isabella at seven weeks
Isabella as a teenager,
about 5 months old
Isabella at 3 years old
with her own puppies
If absolutely necessary (and if no one is available to walk them) set up an X-pen inside, on a tile floor, and leave the door off the crate with some newspaper down. This is also a good solution if you are home during the day and would like some time to do housework or take a nap..!
Just make sure you line the crate with some old sweaters and shirts from anyone who is in constant touch with them. Then when you are not around, the scent will be on the clothes and it will make them feel more at ease.
Feeding
» see our nutrition page for full details
Bathing and Grooming
You can give you Jack Russell a bath whenever they need it. You can find good quality shampoos at the pet store or from us when you pick up your pup.
You have to clip your pup's nails about one a month. Be sure not to cut too short or the nail will bleed a great deal. If this happens, just use a towel and put pressure on the nail for about ten minutes until the bleeding stops.
Vet Care
All the details that a vet will need are be on the health certificate you received from us. The health certificate contains the vital information for your new Jack Russell puppy and a record of all the vaccines and worming treatments. Call your vet to set an appointment for your new puppy. See the within three business days of receiving your puppy. Bring the health certificate with you when you see the vet.
Your puppy is on a vaccine and worming schedule with us. You and your vet will determine the best checkup and vaccine schedule for your new puppy.
The vet will know what all of this is, and set you up with a schedule for the next sets of shots and boosters. Vet schedules vary on the timing of the rabies shot and on spaying or neutering. It is best to trust your vet's recommendations.
Training
We highly recommended a basic training class. It is the key to a great dog!
To find a school, ask around! Your vet may have a great trainer, or your friend, or a co-worker... If that fails, your local yellow pages should have a selection of training schools.
The best class to start with is basic obedience. This class usually runs one hour per week, in a group setting, for about 6-8 weeks. This class costs about $100-150 (in our area)
Your trainer does not necessarily need experience with Jack Russells, but just make sure they know you have an IrishJack and not the more hyper 'Parson' Jack Russell. Training class is also a great way to acclimate the puppy to other dogs and humans.
This also helps in building a strong bond of
respect between
the Jack Russell, and you (the trainer). This is also
a fun event for all the
family and it is good for everyone to know the
commands they will
be teaching you at your school so that everyone
uses the same
ones at home. Many schools use choke collars for
training. This is
a great and humane method.
Try to pick a school that has group training. Your little one may be a bit apprehensive at first, but that will soon pass as they gain confidence!
Some Basic commands that are taught at a school are:
- How to walk on a leash.
- How to sit and stay.
- How to NOT run out the door of your home, or jump out of the car, without a specific command.
- A correction word (never use your pet's name).
Use your Jack Russell puppy as an excuse to get out for a nice walk in your local park. Jack Russells love to run and play with you and with other dogs. This is also great exercise for your dog (and for you!).
Once your Irish Jack has completed it's full training you can let them run on a 25' retractable leash. Allowing them to run before their training is complete will only encourage them to pull and misbehave. Also, we do not recommended a harness as this also teaches them to pull.
Playtime!
We also recommend that you 'rough play' with your little one too. Your Jack Russell will love to grab onto the other end of a soft toy or old t-shirt or knotted sock and play tug-of-war with you. This is good to start to do when you are training them as you can get them worked up and then you can stop the play; another way of teaching the puppy who the real boss is! It is also great for them as they get a great workout and it really tires them out too!
We do it here with ours, all 4 of them at the same time! They love it! So do we!
A favorite Jack Russell toy
is a tennis
ball
with a slice in it! Pick up a six
pack of tennis balls. Take a sharp kitchen knife
and (carefully)
cut about a 2 inch slice in the ball. What this
enables the
puppy to eventually do is to get the ball in their
mouth. This is
great exercise
for their jaw as you will hear the 'clicking' of the
ball as it compacts and expands again in their
mouth. They also
will spend many hours pulling the 'fur'
off the ball and they will
eventually will rip it into pieces. We keep
a laundry
basket
full of the pups favorite toys right in the kitchen so
that they
have 24/7 access!
Best of luck to you and your new owner!
We are always just one phone call (or email) away with any and all questions you may have for the life of your Jack Russell.
We love our IrishJack puppies...
...We know you will too!
Irish Jack Russell Terriers make the BEST! and cutest pets. Our excellent temperaments and trainability make us really great with children of all ages. We are also great with cats and with other dogs... even the big ones.
We accept reservations on all expected arrivals from Ireland from qualified owners on all of our available and upcoming Irish Jack Russell puppies from Ireland. Please call or email us with all of your questions.
