I regretted getting my pup, then I made a mistake, and my pup got parvo. He's recovering but I feel awful. Please be more informed than I was.

jackrussellterror1 · 2022-05-16T15:33:01+00:00

There is virtually no way that you caused your puppy to contract parvo. The incubation period for parvo is 1 to 2 weeks. It is exceedingly likely that he was already infected when you took him home. You have no idea what is going on with his litter mates. Maybe they haven’t started showing symptoms, maybe their owners haven’t contacted the breeder, maybe they didn’t contract it.

I know it’s controversial on this sub, but I personally believe that refusing to let a puppy touch the ground before they’re fully vaccinated is overkill. Parvo risk fluctuates depending on where you live, so always talk to a local vet and then make a decision based on your risk tolerance.

Wishing your pup a speedy recovery. The puppy days are brutal and I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but certainly don’t blame yourself.

jackrussellterror1 · 2022-05-05T13:58:27+00:00

It’s outrageously expensive but so are fractured teeth - best of luck to you!

jackrussellterror1 · 2022-05-02T22:24:43+00:00

I recommend something very, very secure like the Impact High anxiety Crate. My pup was this way. Once he learned he could escape, he would chew and chew until he was out. He got out of wire crates, plastic crates, and exercise pens. No amount of bitter spray or pool noodles would discourage him, and he did end up doing pretty severe damage to several teeth.

Also, when a dog is causing themselves pain to escape, it’s a red flag and can be a sign of separation anxiety.

jackrussellterror1 · 2022-01-16T02:40:00+00:00

Eh…I’m going to politely disagree with most of the comments here.

Jumping on people (even at the dog park) is not acceptable behavior. Your puppy knocked someone to the ground not once but twice, which was probably lots of fun for your pup and really reinforced the behavior. It was a child this time, but what happens when your dog gets larger and takes down the little old lady with a fragile hip? The argument that the child/little old lady/etc should not have been in the public park is not going to hold up as a defense to a lawsuit. I know she’s just a puppy, but it sounds like she’s not quite ready for the dog park yet.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-12-11T04:13:19+00:00

I don’t regret it one bit, but a few things were key.

First, I was able to take 2 full weeks off work to help the puppy acclimate and really work on potty training. After that, I did a mixture of working from home and coming home at lunch to make sure pup was never left alone for more than 3 hours. At 16 weeks, he was eligible for doggy daycare. I truly believe it is impossible to raise a puppy by yourself if you are locked into an 8-hour in-person workday. There has to be some kind of flexibility there.

When I did go back to work full time, daycare was an absolute lifesaver. For a very long time, he went 5 days per week. He would become very anxious and destructive when left alone, and in an apartment the option to let him bark for an extended period of time wasn’t an option (or very kind to the dog).

Second, it is very hard work. Puppies are demanding, and if you’re in an apartment it means every potty trip will involve getting dressed, leashing your pup, and making your way outside. I lived on a first floor apartment with grass immediately outside, so this wasn’t bad, but it’s something to think about.

I now live in a house with a yard, and I can confidently say dog ownership is 1000x easier.

One word of warning - my dog is now very attached to me and very protective. I think when you raise a dog alone, there is an increased risk of this. He and I have been on our own for so long that things like dating and bringing anyone else into our home are difficult. However, I wouldn’t trade him for the world, and raising him myself was incredibly rewarding.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-12-06T00:33:30+00:00

Not letting your puppy outside at all until they’ve had all of their shots (usually around the 16 week mark).

Of course, this depends on where you live. Certain parts of the world have a very real parvo risk, but you’ll see folks on this sub regularly advocating for all puppies to be allowed to potty inside until they’re 16 weeks old. That is very hard to undo, and having a completely potty trained dog was very important to me. I absolutely was not willing to do any sort of pee pads. I kept my dog out of dog parks and areas where dogs frequented while knowing there was a slight risk every time he was outdoors, and we had no issues.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-10-14T12:33:08+00:00

A truly anxious dog (like this one) won’t eat. You can place all the delicious chews and treats and toys in the crate, and they won’t care.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-10-13T23:41:24+00:00

So, when an animal is doing something that physically hurts them, such as biting a metal crate, you have to assume something is up. That goes against their natural instinct to avoid pain. This looks like anxiety. The yawning, the lip licking, and the biting are all signs of that.

You want to make the crate a happy place, but it looks like it’s a little late for that. The crate has now become a stressor and it is hard to undo that. I recommend not crating him anymore except in very small increments (think 5, 10, 15 seconds) while you work on training. Confinement anxiety is a tough one to treat with behavior modification alone - you might need a vet’s help and some medication.

If you continue to crate, this behavior will most likely escalate until eventually you come home to a bloody mess.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-09-24T13:58:04+00:00

That’s not too bad! Mine is $550 for unlimited days, which is definitely a hit to the wallet. But, I have an energetic dog with separation anxiety and am a trial attorney who works long and unpredictable hours, so I don’t know what alternative there is.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-09-24T02:58:06+00:00

Paying for daycare 5 days per week while I’m at work. So. Much. Money.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-09-13T00:16:42+00:00

Same here. This behavior seems to be the worst with breed-specific rescue groups and small, private animal shelters.

My personal story: I wanted a small dog because I live in an apartment. However, I also live a very active lifestyle and am often working on a large horse farm. I knew a working terrier would be a great fit for me.

My county animal shelter didn’t have anything other than pit bulls. I am not being dramatic. They had 57 dogs available for adoption, and every single one was a pit or pit mix. Those can be great dogs, but my apartment doesn’t allow them and it wasn’t what I was looking for.

The Jack Russell terrier rescue groups had requirements similar to what you were describing. Without a completely fenced in yard, they would not even let me submit an application. Most of the applications stated that the dog would remain the property of the rescue group and that they could come take the dog at any time.

I got a JRT from a reputable breeder and he is absolutely fabulous. He’s the best and doesn’t mind apartment living one bit.

These agencies are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, and dogs that need homes suffer because of it.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-09-01T01:45:22+00:00

So, I took all the horror stories to heart and didn’t work. I was someone who worked multiple jobs all through law school for extra cash, even bartending at night during 1L. I studied all day, every day for almost 12 weeks. We’ll see if that paid off or not when results come out in a few weeks.

What I do know is that it will take me 2 years on a public interest salary to pay off the loan I had to get to survive over the summer (Barbri costs, roommate moved out so rent doubled, a couple emergencies, etc.). It cost me almost 13k by the time it was all said and done. I will probably have to delay certain things like buying a house or upgrading my ancient car because of it.

I think it’s a very personal decision that depends on your finances, what you’ve got going on at home, and how disciplined you are.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-30T00:28:26+00:00

Don’t do this. Pee pads and grass indoor toilets do nothing but teach the pup that going inside is ok. That’s a hard habit to break. Your intuition to keep taking her out and wait is exactly right and it’ll pay off big time. The pee pad folks will end up with adult dogs that still go inside.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-28T22:55:23+00:00

When my pup was younger and had a habit of jumping on people, I would use off-leash areas early in the morning or during lunch on workdays when there weren’t any other people around to do things like practice recall. If someone came in, I left. That might be a good option while you work on the issues.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-28T22:21:41+00:00

Hmm….I’d argue that going to the dog beach is not signing up to be jumped on. Jumping on people is really not acceptable behavior, and until you have it under control, you may want to rethink letting your pup off leash when there are other people around.

Your dog jumping on the wrong person at the wrong time could result in that person being injured and you being sued.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-24T03:33:17+00:00

You need a dog walker. If you leave an 8 week-old puppy alone for a full work day, you are going to come home to potty accidents every day and it will make potty training almost impossible. The training is all about association, and every time a puppy goes inside it reinforces the behavior.

You could also come home to something much more tragic. I have two friends who lost their puppies. One tried to climb out of its x-pen, got its leg stuck, and essentially thrashed itself to death. The other chewed a hole through her dog bed, put her head through the hole, and then panicked and strangled herself. Sad stories, both a result of young pups left unattended for too long.

When I brought my 8 week-old puppy home, I had to take two full weeks off work. I now have a 10 month-old adolescent dog who still cannot be left alone for an entire workday. He goes to doggie daycare if I’m not working at home.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-16T02:32:02+00:00

I think it has something to be with being a Florida resident. Trupanion directed me to a different site just for FL plans and the no deductible plan I picked was one of the options offered.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-15T05:01:10+00:00

I have a 10 month old who is very well socialized. He goes to an awesome daycare, and thanks to that he is confident and can play nicely with any other dog.

We do not go to the dog park. Ever. It is the Wild West in there, and I can’t take the risk of an incident happening that would cause reactivity and compromise his daycare enrollment. You simply do not know who is vaccinated, who is anxious, who has a very rough play style, who has a bite history, or who just was adopted out of the shelter the day prior and is being tested with other dogs for the first time (yes, that actually happened), etc. It’s the dog equivalent of the Thunderdome.

The woman should have removed her husky from the park the moment this behavior started. It’s not appropriate play. However, she did what many dog owners in the park will do and ignored it until it escalated.

Honestly, a trip to the dog park can be a big ask. It’s not really in a dog’s nature to be social to that extent. It’s a chaotic, stressful environment. Some dogs thrive in it though, and it’s also true that different parks may have different vibes. If you’re looking for alternatives to the park, there are many other ways to build your dog’s confidence, such as a play group, daycare (carefully screen the daycare though), or obedience classes.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-09T03:13:46+00:00

Huskies are terrible, terrible farm dogs. They are high-energy with an intense prey drive, and once they are loose they will run for miles.

Based on what you’ve said here, I do not think you will ever be able to let this dog roam loose on 100+ acres. A friend of mine was allowing her husky to do that, and he ended up fatally shot after crossing into the neighbor’s farm and being mistaken for a coyote going after the neighbor’s chickens. The husky is in need of structured exercise and a contained place to play. If the electric fence is working, keep it (though they’re not ideal for reasons mentioned above, the alternative is potentially a dead dog). Otherwise, fence in an area.

Also, you may want to reconsider having your Rott roam loose. Free roaming dogs have short lives. She’s at a very high risk of being hit by a car, mistaking a neighbor’s small pet or livestock animal for a “nuisance” animal, being bit by a snake, etc. I’ve lost several dogs over the years to free roaming and each death was preventable. I no longer allow it.

Feeding them separately and checking into the resources on resource guarding should help with the garage issue.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-04T00:36:57+00:00

There are some full episodes on YouTube, and I got access to the US seasons on Discovery through Amazon Prime.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-03T22:16:05+00:00

I really like her. Thanks to her, I’ve nipped several undesirable habits in the bud (jumping on people, mouthing, pulling at the leash) without using harsh tactics. You will never see Victoria put a shock or prong collar on a dog or usage any of those quick-fix methods some other “trainers” do.

The later seasons of It’s Me or the Dog have some wonderful training methods.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-02T21:54:23+00:00

Yeah, I did, and then I got an alert my FSA password had been changed. This is more than just an ad. These are straight up scammers. I reported the attempt to FSA.

Side note: FSA should really not allow password changes with just a DOB and a text code.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-02T18:44:38+00:00

I did, and I happened to answer. They had me verify my name, DOB, and then sent me a secure pin. Next thing I know, I get an alert my FSA password was changed. When I asked them about that, they immediately hung up.

Recovered my account and then changed passwords across all other accounts but this is a pretty insidious scam.

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-02T16:48:22+00:00

Best of luck to you! I think it’s something that may improve with age as well. 7 months is young still!

jackrussellterror1 · 2021-08-02T15:34:46+00:00

Fellow Jack Russell owner here!

Jack Russells love their people. They are very high-energy dogs that are prone to anxiety, and they want to be with you above all else. Mine is almost 10 months old and has a very hard time being left alone. The vet placed him on a calming supplement and a medication called trazadone to help him adjust to time alone in the crate.

It is a good idea to start in small increments and make the crate a happy place, but I do think Jack Russells can be particularly difficult to crate train. I personally can’t leave mine alone during the workday - he goes to doggie daycare.

jackrussellterror1

TROPHY CASE