The Jack Russell is a fairly small dog, but it has such a high energy level and dominant personality that can sometimes land it in trouble. As the owner of this animal, you must be prepared to cope with a variety of behavioral problems. The recognition of these problems is the first step towards taking corrective action.

1) Chasing small animals.

The Jack Russell is world famous for chasing small animals. They just can't seem to control this natural instinct. But don't get angry the next time your Jack Russell goes tearing after some small bird or bunny. It is just being itself. But this natural instinct can give rise to several problems for the pet owner. For example, you may find it hard to control the animal when taking it for a walk. It just seems to want to run after everything! Even smaller dogs are not spared.

2) Digging holes.

Because of its natural urge to chase other smaller animals, the Jack Russell also loves to dig holes, just to seek out the next game. If it does this in public places, it will leave unsightly holes. If it does this in your garden...well, you know what's going to happen to all your plants. Again, this is completely natural behavior. As far as the dog is concerned, it's just following its instincts.

3) Aggressive behavior towards strangers.

This can be good or bad. It's good when the animal is performing its duty as a watchdog. But this behavior can be problematic if you are taking it for a walk in the public garden, and it starts to get aggressive towards other people and animals. Sometimes, such behavior may even spark off a fight, which leads us to the next point.

4) Getting into fights.

A Jack Russell starts out in life thinking that it rules the world. And why should it think otherwise? After all, it seems to have infinite energy and aggression. Other dogs and animals fear the Jack Russell. So perhaps it's king after all! But this type of thinking leads to problems such as getting into fights. Try leaving two Jack Russells together alone and observe what happens. Their dominant behavior will probably lead to a dog fight, and you certainly want to avoid this embarrassing behavior in public places.

The only way to avoid this is to start training your Jack Russell from young, when it is still a puppy. Somehow, it has to learn that when there are other human beings around, it is not the boss. You are the boss. After a while, the animal learns that it doesn't has to take the lead and jump at everything in its path. It will then give up control and leave the leading to you.