Hunting with your Jack Russell Terrier is not just a fun activity, it's a primal experience that taps into a deep connection between humans and dogs that has been around for thousands of years. Humans and dogs have been working together for hunting purposes for a long time, in fact some researchers now believe we have been hunting together for over one hundred thousand years.
Remarkably, a hunter-gatherer human with a dog is up to six times more effective at hunting than a human alone. That's right, six times! It's no wonder that humans and dogs have been such a successful hunting team throughout history.
So, what makes dogs such great hunting companions? It all goes back to their wild ancestor, the wolf. Over thousands of years of domestication and selective breeding, dogs have developed traits that make them better hunting partners for humans. For example, dogs have evolved to be more social and attuned to human communication, which makes them better at understanding and interpreting our body language, voice, and facial expressions.
In fact, studies have shown that dogs are able to read human emotions and intentions just by looking at our facial expressions. This is especially true for Jack Russell Terriers, which are known for their intelligence and attentiveness.
But it's not just about the science of it all. Hunting with your Jack Russell Terrier is also a great way to tap into your primal instincts and connect with nature. There's something special about being out in the wild with your canine companion, working together to track down prey.
Of course, hunting with your Jack Russell Terrier requires proper training and care. You need to make sure your dog is well-trained and obedient, and that you follow all hunting regulations and safety guidelines. But with the right preparation and attitude, hunting with your Jack Russell Terrier can be an exciting and fulfilling experience that brings you closer to your furry friend and the natural world.
So, if you're looking for a way to tap into your primal instincts and bond with your Jack Russell Terrier, consider taking up hunting together. It's a timeless activity that has brought humans and dogs together for thousands of years, and the JRTCA is a great place to start your trip into the wild.

Training a new puppy can be an exciting, yet challenging experience. It requires patience, consistency, and a deep understanding of how your own mind works. Understanding your own mind is the key to effectively training your new new companion, and it begins with recognizing that your puppy's mind is composed of three different developing areas of influence.
The first area of influence is instinct.
 Instinct is the natural, unlearned behavior that your puppy exhibits. It's a survival mechanism that helps your puppy navigate the world around them. For example, a puppy's instinct might be to chew on things to relieve teething pain. Instincts like marking in a male are hard to train over because they are hard wired so understanding your puppy's instinctual behavior is the first step in training them effectively.
The second area of influence is the conscious director.
 This is the part of your puppy's mind that makes decisions based on experience and learning. It's the part of your puppy's mind that does the training. Positive reinforcement is a highly effective method of training your puppy's conscious director. Positive reinforcement involves rewarding your puppy when they exhibit the desired behavior. For example, if you want your puppy to sit, you would give them a treat when they sit on command. This type of training helps your puppy associate good behavior with rewards.
The third area of influence is learned behavior.
 Learned behavior is the result of experience and training. It's the behavior that your puppy learns through repetition and reinforcement. Aversion training is another highly effective method of training your puppy's learned behavior. Aversion training involves using negative consequences to discourage undesirable behavior. For example, if your puppy chews on your furniture, you might use a bitter spray to discourage them from chewing on it in the future.
The key to effectively training your puppy is to use a combination of positive reinforcement and aversion training the carrot and the stick, metaphorically on the stick. By using both methods, you can write over instinctual behavior and encourage your puppy to exhibit desirable behavior. Positive reinforcement helps your puppy associate good behavior with rewards, while aversion training discourages undesirable behavior.
This training method can have many benefits for dog owners. Not only can it help you establish a strong bond with your puppy, but it can also help prevent behavioral problems in the future. By understanding your own mind and your puppy's mind, you can create a positive and healthy relationship with your furry friend.
This mind-altering concept of understanding your own mind and using a combination of positive reinforcement and aversion training can also be used to retrain ourselves. Just as we can train our puppies to exhibit desirable behavior, we can use the same methods to train ourselves to adopt positive habits and break negative ones. By understanding the power of our own minds, we can create positive change in ourselves and our little wolves.

 My thoughts on how to cope with the loss of a pet.

“We are like immortal beings to our dogs. We live our lives while they burn through theirs, fast and bright. We watch as they arrive, mature, grow grey, and pass. Hopefully, we have paid attention.”  - RHKohl

As dog breeders, Pam and I have spoken with many people who have lost a family pet and are looking for a puppy. In some cases, we think that the person we are talking to isn't ready for the challenge that a new puppy will bring. They are still in the first or second stage of grieving over their loss. We feel for these folks and with this in mind, we would like to give you our thoughts on how to cope with the loss of a pet and when you might be ready to look for a new puppy.

Perspective: Please, if you are having trouble dealing with grief and loss and cannot put things into perspective, then find a mental health professional.

My thoughts on how to cope with the loss of a family pet:
I think we go through the grieving process after the loss of a pet in three stages:

 • Denial – samudaya
 • Acceptance
• Letting Go - nirodha

I also think that we go through these stages in both our conscious mind and our id or unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is where your childlike nature lives. It's where artists and creative people spend most of their time. The unconscious mind is the crying baby in us. It's the angry Karen and it's the stage actor in each of us. The unconscious mind is also where we feel the loss of a pet most deeply. Thankfully, somewhere around the age of two (in most of us), the other part of our human nature begins to mature. This is when our conscious mind begins to gain more control over our thoughts and actions. We are then young adults, meaning we are learning self-control. This is when we become more self-aware and adult-like.

The problem is that when we grieve, we grieve as a child, in our unconscious mind. But thankfully, as conscious beings, we have a way out of the hopeless feeling of grief. The key here is to realize that we can use our conscious or adult-like mind to comfort and guide the child in us to accept what has happened. It might seem strange to say you can comfort yourself, but how many times were you told “control yourself” as a child? In reality, there is little difference.
Just a Note: Please be careful with sadness; if you stay here too long and do not accept the reality of things, sadness can turn into depression. If you can't get past the loss, find a mental health professional to help you through.

“Watch out now Take care,
beware the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you In the dead of night
Beware of sadness
It can hit you It can hurt you
Make you sore, and what is more
That is not what you are here for”

• George Harrison

Some things that might help:
• Your faith
• Remember to breathe!
• Stay in the moment and out of your head.
• Sleep (not too much - not too little)
• Eat well. • Get out and walk.
• Meet with friends.
• Meditate – Gil Fronsdal has a class online.

How to know when you are ready for a new challenge:
• If you are honest with yourself, you will know.
• You can talk about the pet without becoming overly emotional.

Additional suggestions to cope with the loss of a pet:
• Write about your feelings in a journal.
 • Create a memorial for your pet.
• Volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue organization.
I hope this helps in some small way.