People who love to exercise will enjoy these dogs the most. Dalmations were actually bred as carriage dogs, so running is in their blood. Despite their stubbornness, they are responsive to training and carry a strong desire to please. They will require a much slower, firm approach to training. You will have to be a little more forceful because of their excitability and nervousness. When training, be sure to use a harness, because Dalmatians have very sensitive necks.

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When you think about the birth rate of animals, it’s not hard to understand why animal shelters are always filled with animals waiting to be adopted. Over a seven year period, one female cat and her offspring will produce approximately 420,000 kittens and one female dog and her offspring will produce 67,000 puppies during a six year period. Since there are more animals looking for homes than there are people who want to adopt them, over 6.5 million animals are euthanized each year.

Given the statistics cited above, adopting an animal can be a kind and loving thing to do. However, before making the final decision to adopt, there are several things you may want consider.

Many of the animals awaiting adoption in shelters have had a very rough start in life. Some were abused, some abandoned and some were “turned in” because the owners didn’t have time for them. Many were left alone for long periods and some were never properly potty trained. In short, when adopting an animal you must be prepared to work with him. Your new dog may come to you cowed or with feelings of trepidation and may be overly sensitive to your tone of voice or to any commands you might give him. You will need to be patient and by all means, loving. When they finally realize that they can trust you, adopted dogs will reward you with more affection and loyalty than you can imagine.

Adopted dogs are also subject to all of the behavioral problems commonly associated with dogs in general. These would include digging, jumping up on people, jumping fences, barking and nipping. There are proven solutions to all of these “offenses.” If your dog is prone to digging, and always digs in one area, there are a number of effective repellent sprays that work well. If he digs under your fence, a little buried chicken wire works wonders in breaking that habit. Spray bottles filled with water should be kept at hand to combat incessant barking. A quick spritz in the face immediately following, or during, the offensive behavior will usually bring about a quick behavior modification.

If you are sure you can handle re-training an adopted dog, then you are ready to visit your local shelter. Just remember that Visiting an animal shelter can be an emotional experience for an animal lover. It’s difficult to see all the animals in their pens and not want to take them home.

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Jack Russell Terriers, also known as Parson Russell Terriers, love people and people love Jack Russels. They are entertaining, funny, bright, athletic dogs. Anyone purchasing a Jack Russell Terrier should be prepared for the training difficulties that lie ahead. They must be trained at an early age. Exercise is essential to the well-being of a Jack Russell Terrier. House-breaking will be a problem. JUST START IMMEDIATLEY.

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Have you ever seen a dog ignore his or her owner when given a command? It’s sad and almost painful to watch the person’s face redden and the voice progress from one octave to another as he or she yells, sit, Sit,SIT, SIT!

Perhaps you know someone like this; maybe it’s you. To communicate with your dog you must speak to him with consistent and precise words. The command ’sit’ is incorrect if used to stop a dog from barking, from running, or from urinating on your friend’s leg.

SIT: Sit is the most basic and easiest for any breed to learn. You will need three things: a six-foot leash, training collar, and a lot of patience. With the leash in your right hand, position yourself to face the same direction as your dog, with him on your left side. With your left index finger find the hip joints of your dogs hindquarters, near his spine, on the dogs back. You will find two indentions.

Hold them with a firm squeeze. As you say “sit” push down with your left hand and pull the leash up with your right hand at the same time. Stretch the sound of the word “sit” until the dog is actually sitting. Give the command with gentle authority and push on his hip joints slowly. When he properly sits, praise him.

HEEL: The first step in teaching the heel is to have your dog in the proper position. Place him in the sit position on your left side. Using the six-foot leash, hold it with both hands as if you were going to initiate your punishment. Always allow two or three feet of slack on the leash.

Once you are ready to go, give the command: “Ramsey, heel!” The name is important because it alerts the dog to move in a forward position. Move the left foot first. This is important because your dog is on your left, he will see your left foot move first, making him walk with you, which remember is the point of the heel. Now your dog will want to run ahead of you.

To solve this minor dilemma, allow him to reach the end of the leash. As he reaches the end of it, quickly turn right and make a complete U-turn. At the moment of impact say “heel” in a loud authoritative voice. Reverse naturally the other way and praise him when he catches up.

Sit and heel are the most basic tricks in dog training, but if you can teach your pooch these obedience commands, all the other neat tricks, like slipper fetching and shaking hands, will follow.

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