I've had my Jack Russell for over 8 years, and for the first year, the barking nearly drove me insane. Every sound, every squirrel, every leaf that dared to move outside the window. I tried everything the internet recommended and most of it didn't work because it wasn't written for this breed.

Here's what actually worked:

1. Figuring out the three types of barking

This was the game-changer. My dog wasn't just "barking" — he was doing three different things, and each one needed a different response:

• Alert barking: "I heard something and I'm telling you about it." This is the watchdog instinct. You can't eliminate it, but you can cap it.
• Demand barking: "I want something and I'll yell until I get it." This is learned behavior — I'd been rewarding it without realizing.
• Boredom barking: "I have nothing to do." This isn't a training problem — it's an enrichment problem.

Once I could tell the difference, I could respond differently to each one. Before that, I was using the same approach for all three and wondering why nothing worked.

2. The "quiet" command with a real reward

I taught "quiet" by letting him bark 2-3 times (not suppressing the alert — just capping it), then saying "quiet" and immediately holding a high-value treat at his nose. Small piece of chicken, not a dry biscuit. The instant he stopped to sniff the treat, I marked it with "yes!" and gave it to him.

Did this 5-10 times per session, 2-3 times a day for a week. After that, he'd stop barking when I said "quiet" because the command predicted something better than barking.

The key thing I learned: you have to let them bark a couple times first. If you try to prevent the bark entirely, you're fighting the instinct. If you let them alert and then cap it, you're working with it.

3. Killing demand barking by doing nothing

This was the hardest one. When he'd demand bark (usually wanting attention while I was working), I started doing literally nothing. No eye contact, no speaking, no moving. Turned away. Waited for 10 seconds of silence, THEN gave him what he wanted.

The first three days, he barked MORE. Way more. That's called an extinction burst and it's normal — he was trying harder because it used to work. If you give in during the extinction burst, you've just taught them that persistence pays off. I held firm and by day 4, the demand barking dropped by maybe 70%.

Bonus: the boredom barking fix

This one wasn't about training at all — it was about mental enrichment. I started giving him a frozen Kong during my work calls, doing 10-minute scent work games (hide treats around the house for him to find), and adding a flirt pole session in the afternoon. A mentally tired JRT doesn't bark at walls.

Anyway, that's what worked for me. Every dog is different but the breed-specific approach made a huge difference compared to the generic stuff I'd been trying. I actually put together a full guide on all the JRT behavior stuff I've dealt with — barking, digging, recall, leash pulling, the whole thing — if anyone wants it, the link is in my profile bio. Not trying to spam, just figured it might help some of you who are where I was a few years ago.

Happy to answer questions in the comments — what's your JRT's worst barking trigger?

Hi all,

I just found this sub and I'm so happy I did. It's lovely to find a community of people who love these little shit head dogs as much as I do. ❤️❤️

Lilly was my ride or die my entire adult life. I originally got her for my mom, who said, "that is the ugliest dog I've ever seen." So she became mine.

We did everything together. She taught me true unconditional love. In turn, I tried to teach her to lay down. Only one of us was a good teacher.

When my husband and I moved in together, he accidentally hit her with a dog toy when it bounced up and hit her in the eye. She faked being hurt for weeks because he carried her and babied her over it. She got to eat a lot of snacks in that time.

She also bit my stepdaughter when we all moved in together. My husband wasn't well versed in dogs with strong boundaries, my stepdaughter was three and I was at work. Lilly made sure to bite hard enough to make her back off, but not enough to break skin. It was a learning experience for everyone.

When my stepdaughter got lice at the age of 7 and we had to do the treatments, Lilly would get so upset at her crying (she was so very tender headed) that she would lick inside her mouth to get her to stop crying. They became inseparable from that moment on.

Lilly got sick when she turned 10. It was truly out of nowhere. This dog barely even had diarrhea, and her favorite snack was horse hooves after the blacksmith left the barn. We found out her liver wasn't working right, so we got her medicated and things were alright. For the next five years, we regularly thought she was going to die. I'm finding that to be a common thread with these little jerks. You almost accept it's time for them to pass, and then, whether fueled by spite or tears, they make a miraculous recovery.

Lilly bit the FUCKKKKKKK out of my finger a few months ago. It was my fault, but goddamn. She was choking on a chew stick and I went to fish hook it out and she clamped tf down. Her dementia might have clouded her mind, but that jaw strength never left. Fun fact! Unless absolutely necessary, doctors don't like to do stitches on dog bites because the don't want to close in bacteria. I wish I had known that before I incurred $2k in medical debt for a tetanus shot and an antibiotic. 😵‍💫

I make dice for D&D and other TTRPGs. The scar goes up the side of my pointer finger and I can feel it in the middle of my finger. It makes sanding and polishing miserable. I'm really thankful that it's there.

We recently let Lilly escape her mortal shell to haunt other planes of existence. Hence why I'm thankful for the scar. I miss her antics. I miss her being pissed that a car is driving in her neighborhood. I miss her snapping at me. I miss her dirty beard after she eats watermelon. She was disgusting. It genuinely looked like she murdered someone. I love her so much.

I don't have any regrets of letting her terrorize other entities in whatever new form she chooses. It really was the kindest and best time for her. She wasn't in pain, she wasn't sick. But the dementia was taking my best friend from me. And that hurt to watch more than anything. Well, maybe not more than the hole I feel on my chest in the shape and weight of her. That HURTS.

The other day, I had a dream she kept sticking her nose in my mouth. She would do stuff like that back in her hay day. Why? Because she was a pest. I recently realized I had that dream exactly one month after she left us. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I'm just hopeful. But I do know I miss that little puppy.

Hug your dogs for me. I will always have such a soft spot for JRTs. They're the best dogs. ❤️

He was strapped in via a seat belt clip on his harness before anyone says anything.

He wasn't too happy going back to the shelter, but their vet had to do a final check and sign off.

He’s a little silly guy that just makes us laugh all the time.

Do you practice on unstable surfaces with your dog?

I built this balance training device to help boost Steve’s confidence on unusual surfaces. We have been practicing it for 3 days with and without treats and I feel like he enjoys it because it stimulates his brain, balance, confidence, and patience all at once! He takes long naps afterwards. I think it’s almost a perfect game to play indoors you just need to put it on a nonslip surface. Now when we go for our walks he goes too fast for me to keep up 😆😆😆

Feel free to drop any kind of pic of cutie boy/girl. It fuels me.

My lovely lady cannot accept that my son has friends. She's fine when it's just that family. She's walked daily, comes to work with me, get more love and exercised at work, and eats great.

HOWEVER she destroys blankets and pees when my 10yo brings over porter boys.

How to I help curb this behavior?

I've been seeing a lot of posts from this sybreddit so I thought I'd share some photos on his birthday

🐾💕

We all have humble beginnings

She’s not thrilled to audition for the role of Toto for Halloween….

Mick (Misty) enjoying her love of her life balls and orange blanket, show us your jack and ball life if you want :)

The roommates older dog wants nothing to do with her

I’m just chilling and Indy lies down without flexing. Why is he ALWAYS flexing??? Leave some gains for the rest of us.