What if my Jack Russell doesn’t see me as the leader?

Then he will make himself the leader. Every pack needs someone to be in charge, and if it’s not you or someone else in your family, then your Jack Russell will put himself at the top. It is his instinctive nature to see to it that there is a definite pecking order within his “pack”— namely, your household. If your dog sees himself as the leader, he will start bossing you around and trying to run the household. He will growl at you, snap at you and possibly even bite if you don’t do what he wants. In his eyes, you are his follower and should heed his commands.

He will assert himself in all types of social interactions and activities. He won’t let you move around when he is sleeping in the bed with you. He won’t let you displace him from the sofa or from his bed. He won’t let you near his food bowl. He won’t allow people to stand up after they have
been sitting in a chair. And the list goes on.

What is temperament and why is it important?
Temperament is the dog’s nature and personality, and is often inherited. Dogs can have dominant temperaments, medium temperaments or submissive temperaments. Dogs with dominant temperaments are harder to train and sometimes have problems with aggression, especially toward other dogs. Medium temperaments are the easiest to train and live with,
while submissive temperaments can be very sensitive and sometimes fearful.

Temperament can also be affected by early experiences. A puppy who is handled often and is well socialized will have a more stable temperament than one who grows up in isolation.

Why do dogs have different temperaments?
The domesticated dog is a descendent of the wolf. Dogs inherited temperament traits from these ancestors. Wolf packs need leaders in order to function efficiently in the wild. The top wolf makes decisions for the group. In wolf packs, leaders and followers are determined by the individual wolf ’s temperament. Domestic dogs like your Jack Russell Terrier see their human families as packs. The goal is for your dog to view you as the leader, not himself. Otherwise, behavior problems can surface.