CARE OF THE PUPPY JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
The Jack Russell Terrier is a healthy and easy to care dog, but puppies have special needs and this breed is not an exception. Both for the new owner of a Jack Russell Terrier puppy from Reis D'Aragón, and for the person who is thinking of buying one, this is a guide with information on its education, care, feeding, hygiene, care of the types of hair, etc., that will help take care of it and keep it in the best possible condition.
BEFORE YOU GET YOUR NEW PUPPY
Bringing one of our Jack Russell Terrier puppies home is very exciting, preparations begin before bringing the new family member into our home.
This is a list of what we think you should buy for your puppy:
- A harness suitable to its size, for the first outings we recommend it in preference to the collar, and a leash.
- A puppy that is teething need some chew toy, for a puppy they have to be soft chew toys. In our kennel we do homemade chew toys with strips of old T-shirts plaited and knotted at the ends.
- Toys that do not have small parts the puppy can accidentally swallow. They like very much toys that make noises.
- Some product or snack to help keep teeth clean and healthy gums.
- A first aid kit.
- A coat if the days are cold.
- A bed with a pillow and / or blanket. Jack Russell Terriers require small beds, approximately 45 x 60 cm.
- Cleaning products: A comb or brush, shampoo, nail scissors.
- Food and water bowls, made of ceramic or stainless steel with a heavy base to make it difficult knocked over by accident.
- A bag of feed of the same brand that we use at Reis D'Aragón to feed your puppy. The arrival at his new home is already a big change for the puppy, it is better to give him the same food and later we can change for the food type we decide.
- A carrier or transport cage.
SAFE HOME
Many common household items can be dangerous or fatal for a puppy if preventive measures are not taken. You have to be careful with coins, chocolate, poisonous plants, cables, medicines, cleaning products, garbage, chemicals, paints, etc.
Pay attention to the pool, also to open doors or gates and holes through which they can get out.
FIRST DAYS AT HOME
Try to take your puppy Jack Russell Terrier home when you have a few days off or at the beginning of a weekend, so you will have time to help him to adapt and start his training.
When the puppy arrives we will let him smell and explore at his own pace. Those are the first days the puppy spends away from his mother and siblings, for him it is a big shock. We will try to devote him time. As the days pass the confidence of your puppy will increase, forging a bond that will last forever.
If there are children, we will have to supervise their first encounters and teach both how to treat each other, we must educate our dog to interact with children, learn to control their bite and socialize, but we must also teach children how to treat the puppy and a series of basic rules of behavior.
If there are any pets at home, think it may need some time to adapt the newcomer, we have to pay attention to them so do not feel too jealous. At first we will keep them apart and we will feed them separately.
The first few nights the puppy may cry when left alone, but he has to get used to it.
Puppies sleep a lot, the whole family must respect its pace.
Until he has all vaccines put it is not convenient he is in contact with other dogs, or to be taken to places which normally are frequented by dogs.
HEALTH
As soon as the puppy is used to his new home he must visit the veterinarian. With prizes, pet and a positive attitude, we will ensure that the visit is not a frightening experience. Until he has all the shots you have to carry him in your arms or in a cage to avoid contact with other dogs.
In order to remain protected, every year the veterinarian will have to put a booster shot.
To stay healthy all dogs require some routine care, such as internal and external deworming, oral care and coat maintenance, which should not be neglected.
Choose your veterinarian carefully, treat any medical problem with him.
FEEDING
We have to select a dog food that is appropriate for the age and level of activity of our Jack Russell Terrier. Use a high-quality feed, the daily amount recommended is on the packaging, divided into 3 meals a day. So our Jack Russell will keep in good shape, we do not recommend leaving food available at all times.
Too rapid changes in diet or give him the leftovers of our food, can make his stools are softer, can make them feel bad, they feel upset stomach and even with diarrhea.
We should not our puppy gets used to receive remains of our food, some ingredients may be harmful to him and it is likely that he would not eat his food with what his diet would not be balanced.
Changes in food are not convenient, it can cause digestive problems and lead to allergies. Diet changes should be made gradually, over a period of several days we will increase the proportion of the new food and decreasing the old every day to end up giving only the new.
Not all dogs need the same amount of food, depending on their level of activity. If you find that he is overweight, he needs less food or more exercise.
He must have fresh water available at all time.
The bones can damage teeth and broken bones can cause internal damage.
EXERCISE
We must give our Jack Russell Terrier room to run. They love to play, especially with us. They need attention and spending time with the family. The excursions are a good activity that the whole family can enjoy.
Puppies are usually most active in the mornings and evenings. The exercise should be done before giving them the food.
If the weather is bad, we will shorten the walk, but do not go without it. Do not leave the collar put on at all times because it can damage the skin underneath.
The pads of the puppies have not yet hardened, they walk on all kinds of materials and we have to monitor them, checking with no wounds or any sharp object. If he lick or lift a leg may be it is because his paw hurts.
SOCIALIZATION
Like all dogs, Jack Russell Terrier need early socialization, socialization ensures that the puppy Jack Russell grows being a balanced dog.
The socialization processs beigins in our kennel, in its first days of life, playing with their mother and littermates. In their first months of life, they have to meet different people, sounds, places and experiences.
Puppies born in Reis D'Aragón have started their socialization from birth, interacting with people and other animals, meeting cats and Pyrenean Mastiffs from an early age and experimenting in a safe environment.
You cannot take the puppy for a walk until he has all the shots, you can start teaching him cars, neighbors, etc. carrying him in your arms. Once vaccinated, you can take him out to meet other dogs. It is best to let the dogs to introduce themselves.
GROOMING: BATH
For the Jack Russell Terrier that live in our kennel, in general, it is enough one bath per month, but depending on their activity outdoors we may have to bathe him more often. It is best short and more frequent, than long and infrequent baths. He must accustom to the baths from puppyhood, trying to make it a pleasant experience.
We will have a big towel close at hand. We will use a shampoo suitable to the skin of our Jack Russell, we will find that the water is lukewarm temperature, we will soap up throughout the body avoiding the eyes and will rinse well to remove all traces of soap. We will drain with our hands the water remaining in the fur and dry with the towel. Perhaps after bathing our terrier decides to run like a bullet through the house.
For us it is useful to have dry shampoo on hand, sometimes it is a solution if we have a dirty Jack Russell and the bathroom with soap and water is not possible.
The nails have to be cut once or twice a month to keep his feet in good condition, but according to the type of surface on which he walk the nails will not grow as much.
Remember to keep clean the area around the eyes and ears, carefully.
GROOMING OF COAT TYPES
The Jack Russell needs a good brushing with a bristle brush or a special glove once a week to remove dead hair and dirt, so they will need less baths.
The rough or broken coated need a little more care than the smooth coat, they must be stripped twice a year.
A trimming knife helps to remove dead hair, held it with the right hand, holding it parallel to the dog’s body, take a few hairs between the thumb and the blade of the knife and keeping the skin area taut pull in the direction of hair growth, dead hair will come off easily. We can comb the hair in the opposite direction to see hairs that are long. If the dog is not used is better to do a little every day, instead of doing the entire dog in one go. Do not bathe the terrier before the stripping, we can do it later.
Repeated strippings get a better coat texture, it will remain tighter to the body, giving a clean, smooth appearance. We do not recommend to cut the hair, the process is easier than the stripping, but the hair will not have a good texture, the coat will be more raised or curved out of the dog’s body, they will have a more unkempt look.
TEETH CARE
The change of baby teeth for those of adult occurs at the age of 4 to 6 months, during this period he will want to chew more.
As for dental hygiene, in our kennell we recommend brushing his teeth two or three times a week or even daily, to prevent tartar buildup and maintain healthy gums. Gradually beginning as a puppy to get him used.
Bad breath is usually a symptom of gum disease by the buildup of plaque and bacteria in the mouth, see your veterinarian to do a check-up.
TRAINING
An important part is to establish the hierarchy, your Jack Russell Terrier needs to know that you have a superior position, it does not mean to intimidate or abuse it.
We will start teaching from puppyhood, with consistency. Training begins at the time of taking the puppy home, if not properly react, he will learn wrong things.
It is very important that we educate our Jack Russell to be obedient, patiently, in a positive way, rewarding and reinforcing good behavior regularly; deterring and ignoring the bad.
Your puppy is always keeping an eye on you, on your reactions, show enthusiasm to highlight his good behavior and minimize your reaction to his pranks.
You should act consistently, everybody living with the dog should allow or not the same, in order not to confuse the puppy.
It is no use in scolding him for something he has done, reprimands only work at the moment that he is doing it.
Do not forget that prevent unwanted behaviors preventing their development is easier that to stop them after that he has learned it.
During the first month you can start practicing some lessons, your puppy must learn the two most important words, these are “no” (meaning “stop what you are doing) and “good” (meaning “I like what you are doing), which are used to teach many other lessons.
You can start teaching him some other words:
- BALL. Repeat the word while playing with him.
- BEDTIME. Guide your puppy to his area with a toy or a prize, saying “bedtime” and calmly leave him with the toy or prize.
We have to teach him not to bite, puppies are biters and as a puppy it may seem funny, but he could end up hurting someone and you better cut this behavior. We should not tolerate it, when he bits us we scream “ouch” and ignore him for a minute.
He can attend obedience classes that also help to socialize puppies.
HOUSE TRAINING
Teach your puppy good potty habits is unavoidable.
- We will establish a schedule of walks, this habit should even stay on weekends, experts recommend after every meal, nap and long play sessions.
- We will observe our puppy to distinguish behavioral signs that indicate that “he needs to go”, watch if he start to make circles and smell, when we see these signs, immediately we will pick him up, carry outside and put it on the floor or training pad.
- We will reward and praise our Jack Russell Terrier when he has relieved himself.
- Avoid punish your puppy, only if you find doing his need at home, pick him up, say “No” and take him quickly to the training pad or outside, keeping calm.
- Be consistent, sometimes it may seem that our Jack Russell Terrier is not learning, but he will. Dogs do not like to soil the area they are taken up, this natural instinct helps in their training.
- If there are accidents clean up quickly using a cleaner to remove pet waste odor, since if a place in the house smells like urine, the puppy will be tempted to pee there again when he feels an urge.
It may happen that when we get home and greet him sometimes he has a small loss of urine produced by the excitation. We do not scold or punish, which only will serve to increase his nervousness. What we do is teach our puppy an alternative way to welcome, for example sit and give paw. On arriving home, we will greet our dog normally, we will bow, offer the palm for him to lick and ask him to greet in the manner that we have teach him.
TRAVELING IN CAR
Do not give him anything to eat from one hour before departure, in case he gets sick in the car.
They can travel in a transport cage, fastened with a belt in the back seat or in the boot (5-doors or state type cars).
Do not leave dogs in a parked car, they may suffer deadly heat stroke.
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