Tips on training an older Jack Russell Terrier

Hi and thanks for your question – yes any dog would benefit from obedience training – in fact every dog should have a period of dog training whether this is simply undertaken by yourself or through a dog training school or a visiting dog behavior expert. Obedience training is a great way for your dog to bond and learn her role within her pack and what is expected of her and what she should expect from you. Of course it is a little harder to train a dog that is older and this can also be made more difficult if the dog is a rescued dog. The reason for this is that older dogs often have behavioral problems that have taken root over a period of time (this does not sound as if it is the case with your dog though). Rescue dogs can also show behavior problems if they have been badly treated – the benefit of having a dog from birth is that you know exactly what your dog has been through in their short life – but we strongly advocate people taking on rescue dogs as the majority are very well behaved and any obedience problems can soon be solved. But in answer to your question – yes obedience training will help your dog to learn new commands and will also strengthen your relationship. I would recommend taking your dog to training classes as they are a great way to get access to a dog trainer and to also enable you to speak to other dog and puppy owners about how they trained their dog new commands.