As a new owner of a wild and entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, you probably are enjoying the ride and loving every minute except for 1 thing that I know I struggled with in my early days as well.
It took way longer than I expected to fully potty train my Jack Russell Terrier, not to poop inside the house than I anticipated.
Relax, it probably sounds much worse than it really was.
Nonetheless, I am smart enough to understand that your Jack Russell pooping inside the house may be a pain point other of you who have recently adopted a JR are also dealing with.
Ergo, this discussion has sparked, and I am going to do my best to break down what I believe you need to know to effectively get your Jack Russell Terrier to stop pooping inside the home and doing their pooping business outside where they should be.
- My Jack Russell Terrier Keeps Pooping Inside
- Understanding The Potty-Training Process With A Jack Russell Terrier
- How To Fix The Issue And Stop A Jack Russell From Pooping Indoors
- With Some Patience, Your Jack Russell Will Learn To Poop Outdoors
My Jack Russell Terrier Keeps Pooping Inside
When you first get your Jack Russell Terrier home from the breeder or the adoption, it can be easy to get lost in the cuteness and personality of your new dog and forget about some other important basics.
Sure, things such as socialization are essential.
But you also need to remember that the potty-training process begins immediately once arriving home.
Not the next day.
Right away.
This is part of a basic training and discipline routine and schedule.
This will ultimately make your Jack Russell begin understanding the rules of the home much faster and acclimate to potty training much faster.
On the flip side, I have also been in the situation where I thought I was doing an excellent job with potty training my Jack Russell only to still find some poop inside the home.
It was not necessarily every day, but it still occurred much later into my ownership than I anticipated.
It was also somewhat odd and new because I could not pinpoint what I was doing wrong.
Clearly, this makes it frustrating as a new Jack Russell Terrier owner.
You can be stuck searching for answers and remedies to get your Jack Russell to stop pooping all over the house and consistently poop outside.
Trust me, like I said, I have been there and am having this discussion with you based on actual experience and going through the process with my Jack Russell (Luna).
Before diving into specifics about poop and how to prevent it indoors with a Jack Russell, I want to give a quick overview of the potty-training process in general next.
Understanding The Potty-Training Process With A Jack Russell Terrier
I will not elaborate too much or take this discussion too far off track.
Mainly because I have a complete guide that will detail the potty-training process for you and your Jack Russell Terrier.
However, something you need to understand about the Jack Russell Terrier when it comes to pooping inside is that small dogs, in general, have meals move through their system relatively quickly.
Especially if you are anything like me and had owned big dogs in the past.
Jack Russell Terriers need the ability to go outside often, and they are also highly regimen-based dogs.
This means that the more routine and consistency you can have for them and have built into your schedule, the better.
They need to understand when they are allowed outside to go poop and when certain things occur during the day.
Trust me, it makes a massive difference with this dog, and they are more intelligent dogs than given credit for.
So, in plain English, begin the potty-training process before even picking up your Jack Russell at the breeder.
You can do this by having a solid plan and a solid schedule that includes time on walks, providing exercise, and when and how exactly you plan to let them outside to go poop each day.
Then stick with it.
How Many Times Should A Jack Russell Terrier Be Pooping?
This question is a bit more challenging to answer than you may believe because this changes as your Jack Russell Terrier gets older.
When you first adopt your Jack Russell Terrier, you will likely be feeding them 3-4 times per day, eventually getting cutting down to 2x per day.
When you are feeding them multiple meals with more frequency, they should also be going outside to accommodate this eating schedule.
When my Jack Russell Terrier was a puppy, she would typically poop 3-4 times per day if I was patient enough to wait for each poop outside.
And if I wasn’t patient enough?
Then I would deal with the same frustration you are dealing with your Jack Russell Terrier pooping inside the house instead.
As your Jack Russell Terrier matures and grows, you will cut their feedings down to 2x per day.
Now, Luna (my Jack Russell Terrier) is consistent with only pooping 2x per day.
The best answer I can provide to this question is that a Jack Russell Terrier pooping frequency often correlates with how many meals per day they are being fed.
Jack Russell’s have small and quick working digestive tracts, so after a feeding, it does not take them too long to have the urge to go outside and go potty.
How To Fix The Issue And Stop A Jack Russell From Pooping Indoors
Now comes the part where we need to begin discussing how to fix the problem of your Jack Russell Terrier pooping indoors.
Keep in mind, when I’m going through some of my tips, I am assuming that you have already been implementing the basic training regimen but continue to struggle.
Meaning, you thought you had things down and your Jack Russell trained not to poop inside the home, but recently noticed that your Jack Russell has reverted to some negative behaviors.
With that in mind, here are my top 3 tips you can try and start utilizing right away to get your Jack Russell back to being potty trained and keeping the poop outside of the house.
#1- Don’t Allow Your Jack Russell To Stray Away Inside The Home
I’ve noticed about my Jack Russell that she is way sneakier and more clever than you may be prepared for.
After having some formal training with potty training, Jack Russell’s certainly does not poop in the house right in front of you.
Most of the time, they use up time by following you around the house.
I realized that when I would find poop in the house during home, I would lose track of her, and she would find a room where I wasn’t around and do her business.
When your Jack Russell Terrier is young, try and shut doors to other rooms to force them to make audible noise or a whine to let you know they need to go outside to go poop.
Trust me, if they know the only other option is pooping in front of you, your Jack Russell is much more prone to let you know that they need to go outside or at least waiting until you let them out before actually pooping.
This tip helped me immensely, so I highly recommend giving it a chance.
#2-Increase The Frequency Of How Often You Allow Your Jack Russell Outdoors
This may seem common sense, but you would be shocked at how often pooping indoors for a dog like a Jack Russell is due to nothing more than owner neglect or forgetfulness.
Be sure you are allowing your Jack Russell outside often.
Sometimes, in my head, if I don’t allow her out about every 90 minutes, I realize I may have waited too long.
Especially if it has been a while since they have pooped or peed.
Doing so at least allows them to go outside first.
When presented with enough opportunities to succeed, the chance of failure and your Jack Russell Terrier pooping inside will decrease dramatically.
#3-Increase The Amount Of Exercise Provided To Your Jack Russell Terrier
Another thing I have noticed about my Jack Russell Terrier is nothing gets the bowels moving quite like getting them out and exercising.
This can be a walk, a run or any activity you choose.
Sometimes, your Jack Russell will begin exerting energy and getting excited at the idea of getting out and about.
This excitement, in turn, gets things moving for your Jack Russell and helps them remain regular and scheduled.
Not to mention, if you continue to provide the exercise close to the same time each day, your Jack Russell will grow accustomed to your routines and the timing, making it easier for them to understand when they will be outside and able to poop.
I do not think dogs ever prefer to poop inside of the home.
It is typically the product of opportunity and lack of chances to go potty where they should be going.
Be sure to provide them with what they need to succeed.
With Some Patience, Your Jack Russell Will Learn To Poop Outdoors
Like I said initially, trust me, I get it.
100%.
It can be frustrating to have Jack Russell Terrier that you believe was potty trained and then still poops inside the house.
Especially when you do not know what you have done wrong or how to fix the issue.
Remain patient and use some of the advice we have detailed for you today in this discussion, and keep at it.
With enough training, discipline, and consistency, you will have your Jack Russell Terrier only pooping outside in no time.
Luna and I wish you the best of luck with your potty-training process and hope pooping indoors for your Jack Russell Terrier is a quick fix.
Did You Struggle With Your Jack Russell Pooping Indoors?
Did you also struggle with potty-training your Jack Russell Terrier in the beginning?
Do you have any further advice for the community that you can share that may help others not deal with a Jack Russell Terrier pooping inside the house?
If so, 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.
Also Read: How To Potty Train A Dog That Is Used To Going Indoors