Jack Russell Training: Teach Your Jack Russell to Play Frisbee or Flyball
As dogs originally bred for hunting, Russells are known to be fearless, active, and intelligent dogs. Since they often have a lot of pent-up energy, they are best engaged in various activities to avoid potentially aggressive or destructive behaviors. Common activities for the Russells include playing frisbee or flyball.
Jack Russell training can pose a challenge for many, as most Jacks have blatantly strong wills. However, with patience, the right attitude, and the right technique, Russell’s training shouldn’t be difficult at all. As with any method, make sure you understand the true meaning of being a pack leader. A typical Jack Russell will instinctively try to mistreat his master, but as long as you establish early on that YOU are the leader of the pack, your Jack Russell will learn to be happy to obey your orders. Like any other dog, Jack enjoys being able to please his masters.
When it comes to Jack Russell training with a Frisbee, you must first introduce the Frisbee as a toy to your dog. It would be helpful to associate the Frisbee with a treat to get your dog excited about the activity you are about to present. Once your Jack Russell is comfortable with the Frisbee, start playing tug of war with your Jack using the Frisbee. This encourages the dog to have the Frisbee in his possession whenever possible. Eventually, every time you throw that Frisbee, your Russell will learn to be more than eager to get it back for you.
The next part of this little dog training is teaching your dog how to drop that Frisbee after retrieving it. You may have noticed how most dogs often retrieve items and end up just running away with them. For this activity, you will want your dog to give you back that Frisbee. Once he retrieves the Frisbee, remove it from his mouth and give him a treat. Don’t reward your Russell for simply chasing the Frisbee; Treat yourself only when you return the Frisbee.
Flyball is a dog sport that involves having your dog run against other dogs along a course that includes a line of fences that leads to a box that throws a ball or Frisbee. The objective of your Jack Russel is to retrieve and bring that ball or Frisbee as quickly as possible. The same Jack Russell training method is used in this activity, except that some trainers choose to do it sequentially backwards. That is, your concern should be to get your dog to retrieve the ball or frisbee first and then come back to you as you go through the obstacles. Later on, it will be almost second nature for your Russell to go through all those obstacles to get to the ball or the frisbee.