As with many other pets, a Jack Russell does not come with an owner’s manual 🙂
Sometimes they will display a certain type of behavior that we struggle to understand. If you just adopted a Jack Russell puppy I’m sure you’ve been in this type of situation.
I’m also sure that he has bitten you once or twice. But why does your Jack Russell bite you, and are they considered to be biters?
Join me as I take a look.
Why Does My Jack Russell Bite Me?
If your Jack Russell is still a puppy then he might bite you because he is going through the teething stage. During the teething stage, your pup might experience pain and discomfort caused by their adult teeth coming out and this will cause them to bite or chew. This is normal behavior and not something you should be concerned about.
An adult Jack Russell might bite your hand when he is excited and wants to play with you, or he might bite or nip you if you come close to someone that he is trying to protect.
Are Jack Russells Biters?
It is very important to note that Jack Russells are not biters and they are also not aggressive. They might bite you while they are going through the teething stage, or when they are excited and don’t quite know how else to behave. While there is not much you can do about a teething puppy, you can train an older Jack Russell not to bite you.
One of my Jack Russells, Vanilla, is very protective of everyone in my household. When he is lying next to someone, and you want to get closer to that person, he will bite your hand when you reach out.
He doesn’t bite aggressively though, he does it in a playful manner and it is just his way of trying to protect his human companion. Quite often when he bites your hand he will let go immediately and roll over to show that he does not want to harm you.
My youngest Jack Russell, Nestle, will bite your hand when she wants to play with you. As with Vanilla, she does this in a very playful manner and she never intends to hurt you.
While I personally don’t mind this, I’m was very cautious of the fact that they might hurt a child. Luckily, Jack Russells are very smart so I was able to train them to behave around children.
Once again, it is important to note that Jack Russells are not aggressive and they are not considered biters. Take note though that they are very protective of their owners and other people in the household, and they will protect them if they sense any threats.
More often than not they will bite or nip members of the family when they are puppies and going through the teething stage. And as I just mentioned, they will bite in a playful manner to show excitement or dedication to members of the family.
How To Train A Jack Russell Not To Bite
As I mentioned, there isn’t much you can do about a teething Jack Russell puppy that is biting you. This type of behavior will eventually stop.
However, if your adult Jack Russell is biting you then there is one simple trick that you can use to teach him to stop biting you.
When your furry friend bites you, hold his mouth shut for a few seconds and firmly say “No”. Then, let go of his mouth and give him a chewy treat or toy to bite on instead. This will encourage him to bite on these items instead.
Conclusion
Hopefully, now you know why your Jack Russell is biting you.
When a Jack Russell puppy is going through the teething stage he will experience some pain and discomfort. This might cause him to bite or even chew on whatever he can. This is quite normal behavior for puppies.
Adult Jack Russells might bite because they’re simply excited or if they’re trying to protect someone. They do this in a playful manner to people of the household, and it is not their intention to hurt you.
If you consider this to be unwanted behavior, you can train your Jack Russell to stop biting because they are very intelligent.
