Jack Russell puppies may be adorable, but they can certainly be a handful when it comes to getting them to stop peeing inside the house.
While I would consider them one of the more trainable dogs and a highly intelligent dog breed, my female Jack Russell Terrier struggled with peeing inside of the house in the beginning as well.
That is why I have decided to create this quick guide designed to help you stop your Jack Russell from peeing inside of the home and to help you expedite the potty training process with your Jack Russell Terrier.
Here is how I intend on breaking it down for you today:
- My Jack Russell Terrier Keeps Peeing in The House: How Do I Stop It?
- Top 9 Tips for Stopping Your Jack Russell Terrier from Peeing Indoors
- With Discipline and Consistency, Your Jack Russell Should Stop Peeing Inside the House
My Jack Russell Terrier Keeps Peeing in The House: How Do I Stop It?
I was in this exact same situation after adopting my female Jack Russell and was getting frustrated with how often she would pee inside the house.
After enough weeks had passed, she began getting better at peeing outdoors, and I began learning some of her cues that she would initiate that I was able to use during the potty-training process.
Obviously, this helped me to get her to stop peeing inside of the house.
My Jack Russell peeing inside of the house as much as she did in the first few weeks came as a bit of surprise because my yellow lab seemed to have learned to pee outdoors very quickly.
However, I learned that you can never compare two dogs like a Jack Russell Terrier and another larger dog breed, and every dog is unique in how they learn.
Especially with how they learn to pee outdoors.
Below, I have put together what I believe to be my top 9 potty training tips that will help you to get your Jack Russell peeing outside like a pro and to end the urination from your Jack Russell Terrier inside of the home.
Here are those 9 tips for you.
Top 9 Tips for Stopping Your Jack Russell Terrier from Peeing Indoors
Tip #1- Start Training Your Jack Russell to Pee Outside Immediately
I mention the importance of beginning things immediately with a new Jack Russell Terrier puppy all the time.
Socialization is one of those things I often refer too.
Still, training and potty-training not to pee inside of the home are also essential to begin immediately.
You want to begin the crate training and peeing outside training the day you arrive home with your new Jack Russell.
The longer you wait with a dog like a Jack Russell, the harder it likely will become.
These are smart dogs, but they are also stubborn, so you do not want them to get stuck in bad habits.
Begin crate training your Jack Russell the night you arrive home, and the first night you go to bed after adopting your Jack Russell.
Be sure that you begin rewarding peeing outdoors immediately and giving your Jack Russell easy to understand verbal praise and direction.
The sooner you begin taking your Jack Russell outdoors to pee, the quicker they are going to pick up on the training, and the faster they will stop peeing inside of your home.
Tip #2- Always Provide Enough Exercise for Your Jack Russell
This may seem like a silly tip, but trust me, it is essential.
The more exercise you can provide a Jack Russell Terrier, the better they can perform at anything.
They release pent up energy and are more prone to understanding training and commands.
Obviously, in most situations, they will also go potty outdoors instead of indoors during exercise.
When you adopt a Jack Russell, be planning ahead about providing some form of exercise that can include any of the following:
The more you can do with them, the better, and I promise it will make a big difference with how often they pee indoors vs. outdoors.
Tip #3-Reward Your Jack Russell Peeing Outside
Rewards.
Always reward your Jack Russell when they go pee outside vs. going pee inside.
I honestly still reward my Jack Russell often for going outside, and she is past 2 years old now.
Okay, I get it.
More than 2 years old may seem a bit extreme.
However, these dogs live 15+ years in many situations.
I do not see the harm in saying “good girl” and tossing her a small treat for going potty outdoors instead of going indoors.
She continues to get her behavior cemented and continues to understand what areas she should go potty and which areas she should not.
As soon as I learn how to do this with chasing animals or digging from time to time, I am going to be in excellent shape.
Lol, kidding of course.
Nonetheless, continue to reward your Jack Russell Terrier for peeing outside instead of inside, and it will continue to get better.
Tip #4-Do Not Punish Your Jack Russell If They Pee Inside The House
I know some people may not believe in my methods when it comes to positive reinforcement vs. disciplining.
Still, it is the way I have always operated with my Jack Russell Terrier.
If they have already peed inside the house, let it go and clean it up.
Unless you catch them in action, disciplining them is useless.
They will not even understand that they are being disciplined for peeing inside and be confused.
Not to mention, it will weaken your bond.
Always let it go, clean it up thoroughly, and move on.
In all honesty, it is likely your fault they peed inside and not theirs, and you should be letting them outside more often or being more diligent with your training to ensure they are not peeing inside of the house in the first place.
Tip #5-Remember Too Take Your Jack Russell Outside Often, They Have Small Bladders.
This is the part of getting my Jack Russell to pee outside that I struggled with the most.
I had compared her to my larger older dog that can hold his pee for much longer than she can.
This was a big mistake.
A Jack Russell Terrier is a small dog with a small bladder, and enough water is bound to need an exit sooner than later.
Make sure that you understand this and that they are small dogs with small bladders, and you let them outdoors to pee as often as possible.
Pushing your luck too often or waiting too long is not only borderline cruel but bound to cause them to pee inside of the house at one point or another.
Tip #6-Always Clean Up Your Jack Russell’s Pee If It is Inside the Home
Cleaning up the pee after your Jack Russell urinates inside of the home is important.
You need to clean it up completely, so they are not smelling those previous pee spots inside of the house and attempting to return to them.
This tip does not need much further explanation.
Make sure to let your Jack Russell Terrier outdoors often, clean up their pee mistakes inside, and move on and tighten down on your potty-training efforts.
Tip #7- Don’t Underestimate the Power of Crate Training Your Jack Russell to Help with Urinating Indoors
Crate training is critical when you are attempting to ensure that your Jack Russell Terrier is not going to pee inside of the home.
This forces them to be uncomfortable with the idea of peeing indoors because dogs naturally do not like to lay or be around their around urine or feces.
Make sure you are crate training your Jack Russell to avoid peeing inside of the home.
This is also important because this is the 10 hours when you and your Jack Russell need to be getting rest and adjusting to sleeping habits.
It is also good for your Jack Russell to get crate trained to get over the hump with issues such as being left home alone or separation anxiety.
Utilize crate training to ensure that you are getting your Jack Russell Terrier on the path towards only peeing outside and ending the urine issue inside of the home.
#8-Remain Consistent To Get Your Jack Russell To Stop Peeing Inside Of The House
Consistency is especially important when attempting to house train your Jack Russell to pee outside instead of inside of the home.
You cannot try and cement one message to a Jack Russell without the message remaining the same.
It is part of training a Jack Russell Terrier from every angle.
Consistency is extremely important.
Make sure that you are going outside on a routine schedule, you are using the same rewards and praise and offering the same verbal cues to your Jack Russell to ensure they are getting the message clearly that they need to be peeing outside instead of inside the home.
#9- Give It Time and Keep Training Your Jack Russell to Go Pee Outside
My last tip is to simply remain patient while training your Jack Russell to go potty outside.
Remain diligent, consistent, loving, and offering praise.
It does take a little bit of time.
Offer your Jack Russell a place inside of the home where they can be without supervision that is preferably a hard surface for the urine in case, they do make a mistake.
Expect mistakes and do not get aggressive or mad over the mistakes.
Jack Russell’s are extremely loving dogs.
They need help like any dog learning the ins and outs of peeing outside and YOU need to remain the alpha, trainer, and patient with them during the process.
With Discipline and Consistency, Your Jack Russell Should Stop Peeing Inside the House
I know it can be a struggle, and I know it can be frustrating dealing with a Jack Russell Terrier peeing inside of the house and getting them to pee outside instead.
I have been through it, and I never have this issue anymore.
It took a little bit of time and patience, but it gets so much easier every day.
A Jack Russell makes for an excellent family pet and is one of the most loyal dogs you can choose to adopt.
Do not let a few stories about a Jack Russell Terrier going pee inside of the home deter you from adopting or make you think they are anything short of an excellent loving pet.
Luna and I certainly wish you the best of luck with your Jack Russell Terriers and the peeing training process, and the entire journey you have ahead of you.
Does Your Jack Russell Terrier Struggle with Peeing Inside of The House?
Did you have any issues with your Jack Russell Terrier going pee inside of the home?
What did you do to get your Jack Russell Terrier going pee outside faster?
Did I leave any tips off this list?
Be sure to share those thoughts, stories, and concerns by dropping a comment below.
As always, Luna and I appreciate you stopping by and reading today, and we will see you again next time.