Re: Every day is worse than the day before....

In Reply to: Every day is worse than the day before....
Category:   Behavior Problems
Posted by:  Kristin Kudsk
Posted on:  March 30, 2002 at 07:22:01

: I'm pretty sure I have the problem figured out, but the question is what to do about it. My roommate and his 2 year old JR have lived with me and my 10 year old dog for 7 months in a city apartment. Initially the JR was fairly well behaved after a short ajustment period after moving in. The 2 dogs get along fine. They are playful and non-aggressive. Within the past few months, the JR has become very destructive. He chews on the carpet and has successfully pulled it out from the point where it is attached/tacked down at the front door. He chews on any kind of paper he can find, destroys the mail as it comes through the mail slot, urinates and deficates in any room in which the door has been left open, and has started nipping and biting, and bearing his teeth and growling. I know that he does not get enough exercise, and probably not enough TLC. I have tried to help out by walking him when I walk my dog, but he has taken to lunging at people on the street and biting/nipping at them. He seems to be overly aggressive and hyper. He has even bitten guests that have come into the apartment. His owner, my roommate, doesn't seem to pay much attention or make much effort. He is a sweet dog when he's in that mood, and I don't like to punish him. Any advice/suggestions (besides the obvious)?

Response:

Hi Kristin,

Thanks for being concerned about this dog. You are totally right this sounds like a dog that is not getting enough exercise or guidance.

A JRT needs more than just walks, these dogs need some hard exercise. In fact I just had a visit to my vet this weekend and he mentioned that on vacation he and his family stopped by friends that have a JRT. He said this dog played nons-stop with the kids all day long and even then was trying to jump onto a tree at the end of a long day. He was totally amazed at the energy level of the breed and its capacity to just keep going! I just smiled an laughed ;)

Anyway this boy needs some real exercise, at least 30-60 minutes a day of real exertion, like retrieving tennis balls, some hard running activity.

On top of that I would also suggest that this dog be neutered if he isn't already. This should help to lessen any aggression but what this dog really needs is OBEDIENCE SCHOOL!

With a combo of the right amount of exercise, neutering and obedience work he should be able to turn into a model terrier, or at least a close facsimile ;)

This dog also needs to be crated or confined when nobody is home to supervise him.

It doesn't sound much like his owner is committed to doing much with this dog unfortunately so it looks like it may be up to you. You should at least have a sit down talk with your roommate and spell things out for them.

I wish you luck, and I can totally understand your frustration.