Jack Russells love to bark! But, unlike the barking sound some breeds make, golden retrievers for example, a JRT’s bark can be quite ear piercing and not many people, no matter how much they love dogs, would be too happy about having to put up with the sound of a Jack Russell barking all day, or every time a car goes by, nor should they have to.

While your Jack Russell’s loud, high pitched bark will alert you to intruders or let you know when someone is at the door, his barking becomes a nuisance when it’s excessive and unwarranted.

Yelling at a barking Jack Russell doesn’t work. Why? He’ll think you’re joining in on the fun and could bark longer, and louder.

In fact, because he thinks he has your approval and input, he might enjoy barking all the more. Jack Russell Terriers seem to have a way of interpreting events unlike any other dog!

Stop Your Jack Russell Barking on Command

While it’s important to let your dog know that you appreciate the alert he’s giving you when someone’s at your door, you must let him know that you have the situation under control once he’s done his job and that you’ll take care of the situation – in a peaceful way.

To begin training your Jack Russell to stop barking, grab his leash (always keep it on hand) as you’re heading towards the door.  If he starts to bark, say in a very firm, deep voice, “Stop barking” or, “Enough”, then clip on his leash.

If he continues after the leash is on him and you’ve given him the command to stop barking, divert his attention by giving him a toy or a treat.  Do not raise your voice during this process and don’t get angry.  If you want your dog to stay calm, you must stay calm.



What if He’s Barking at the Unknown?

Dog’s often bark at sounds that you and I as human beings can’t detect.  If you cannot hear what your dog is barking at and you cannot get his attention, ignore him or distract him.  If he’s barking for attention, do not coddle him.

Coddling him is like rewarding him for bad behavior.  If you can’t ignore the barking, stand directly in front of him, look him in the eye, and say “Enough” in a calm manner.

Standing directly in front of him blocks his view of whatever imaginary thing he’s barking at and is the quickest way to get his attention.

Startle Him With a Shake of a Can of Pennies

Here’s a good one that works wonders. Get a can and fill it with pennies. The rattling sound is startling to a dog’s ears. The trick is, when you shake the can, he can’t know the sound is coming from you.

He has to think that his barking has caused this terrible noise to come out of the blue.  He’ll know (or think) that the correction was as a direct cause of his barking and not from you.

When All Else Fails… It’s Time Out!

When all else fails to get your Jack Russell’s barking under control, give him a time out.  His time out can be in a corner or in his crate.  After he quiets down, let him out of his cage and praise him.  But first, make him sit at your feet before allowing him the full transition of coming out of the cage and just going about his business.

The reason you want a transition period is so that he doesn’t go right back into his barking and hyper behavior.  So let him out of his cage and immediately give him the command to sit at your feet.

Praise him for doing so, and don’t let him get up for at least a minute or two.  Once he remains at your feet without getting up, you can give him the release command. Excessive Jack Russell barking can definitely be controlled by using the right techniques.