How to Keep a Jack Russell Terrier in an Apartment

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JRTs (Jack Russell Terriers) are intelligent, curious, and highly energetic dogs. Their nature makes them a perfect pet for outdoor adventures and homes with large yards and open spaces.

But it certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t keep a JRT in an apartment. With time, patience, and effort, you can make a Jack Russell Terrier, an apartment dog.

How to Keep a Jack Russell Terrier in an Apartment

If you live in an apartment and are planning to get a Jack Russell Terrier, use the following tips. It’ll make it easy for you to train your dog to live in your apartment happily.

A Jack Russell terrier puppy chilling inside the apartment

Exercise Your JRT

As mentioned, Jack Russell Terriers are highly energetic dogs, and they need to exercise and burn off their energy. While living in an apartment, you won’t have an outdoor area. So, you’ll need to take your pup out for long walks daily.

If you’re new to a certain neighborhood, consider exploring the area for nearby parks where you can take your dog. It’ll allow your furry friend to stretch its legs and stimulate its body.

You can also play different games with your Jack Russell Terrier in a park, such as frisbee, fetch, and agility. If your daily schedule is tight and you can’t take your pup for walks daily, consider playing some games in your apartment.

Popular indoor games to play with your pup include hide and seek, find the treats, and tug of war. You can also take your bike out to circle the neighborhood a few times while your dog runs beside you.

Whatever you do, make sure that your JRT exercises daily. Otherwise, you’ll need to deal with unwanted situations, such as ripped-up shoes, sofas, and pillows.

Organize Daily Playtime Sessions

It’s important to keep in mind that Jack Russell Terriers can get bored, and it can lead to some unwanted situations. These dogs get bored when they feel alone or don’t perform enough mental or physical exercise to release the energy they have.

Additionally, these little pups also know how to show their frustrations. They start barking when they feel alone and continue to show this behavior until you give them the attention they want.

A barking dog in an apartment will not only make you uncomfortable, but it’ll also make your neighbors unhappy. Additionally, a frustrated JRT can also destroy shoes, clothes, books, and even furniture.

That’s why it’s important to spend some time with your JRT pup daily in the apartment to stimulate its mind. You can also provide your pup with some chews and dog puzzles to keep it busy.

Spending time with your furry friend will not only help it to release energy, but it’ll also allow you to bond with your pup.

Prepare Your Apartment Before Leaving

You’ll need to go out daily without your Jack Russell Terrier, and it’s advisable to take some precautionary steps before leaving. The following tips will help you prepare your apartment properly to protect your belongings and ensure your pup’s safety.

A Jack Russell terrier sitting in one of the couches in an apartment

Hide Wires

JRTs love to chew on different objects, and it’s critically important to hide chargers, wires, and other electronics before leaving the apartment. You can hide the wires behind furniture and place electronics in a place that your pup can’t reach.

Hide Dog Food

Make sure that your dog’s food is placed in places like cabinets or a refrigerator to make it out of reach. JRTs can also eat candy, nuts, chocolate, and many other items that humans eat, so you want to hide them as well. You don’t want to overfeed your dog as it can lead to many health problems.

Leave JRTs Alone

JRTs have strong hunting instincts, and they don’t behave well with other animals, especially when left unsupervised. If you have other animals in your apartments like a parrot or cute furry little cat, make sure they’re not in the line of sight of your JRT.

Leave Your JRT Contained

I recommend you leave your Jack Russell Terrier confined to a little space using infant gates before you go out. It’ll keep the dog from damaging your belongings.

You can also use a crate for this purpose, but you’ll need to teach your JRT to view it as a safe place to spend its time. Make sure that you choose a roomy crate that provides your pup with enough space to play and move.

Additionally, place a water bowl, along with some dog puzzles and toys in the crate before you leave your house. They’ll keep the pup occupied and prevent it from feeling separation anxiety. You can also turn on the TV so that the JRT can hear human voices, which will also help it to calm down.

If you have another JRT in your apartment, make sure that you provide both of them with their own separate spaces. You can use two crates to help them feel comfortable.

Take Care of the Diet

Jack Russell Terriers love to munch on delicious food, and it’s important to take care of their diet. A JRT might not be able to perform as much exercise in an apartment as it can in a home with a yard. So, you’ll need to adjust your pup’s calorie intake accordingly to keep it from becoming obese.

Generally, a JRT puppy needs eight to 12 ounces of food per day, but you should divide it into three to four meals. Once the puppy reaches the age of one year, you can increase the daily amount to 10 to 14 ounces by dividing it into two meals.

The food should contain 450 to 650 calories for adult JRTs. I recommend you stick to the lower limit if you keep a JRT in an apartment.

A Jack Russell terrier in an apartment

Potty Train Your JRT

One of the biggest challenges of living with a Jack Russell in an apartment is potty training it. The first thing you need to do is to find a suitable nearby potty spot. Make sure that you select an easily accessible spot because you’ll need to go there multiple times a day.

You’ll also need to ensure that you feed your JRT simultaneously each day and keep its water bowl topped up. It’ll regulate your pup’s body clock and help you predict the correct time to take it to the potty spot.

The first thing that you should do in the morning is to keep your JRT to the potty location as soon as it wakes up. You’ll need to take your dog out again to the same spot after feeding it the second meal. Ensure you stay consistent to help the dog naturally get into the habit of dropping outside.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some commonly asked questions about keeping a Jack Russell Terrier in an apartment.

Are Jack Russell Terriers Good Apartment Dogs?

Jack Russell Terriers aren’t good apartment dogs because of their energetic nature. However, they can live in apartments if you train them using the above tips.

Are Jack Russell Terriers Kid-Friendly?

Jack Russell Terriers can be good family dogs. But you must not leave your kids, younger than eight years, in an apartment with these dogs. Kids can be overly rough with a JRT, making it dangerous for them because of its hunting nature.

Final Words

Jack Russell Terriers are small but they are active and highly intelligent dogs. They thrive on exercise and activity and feel happy while running and playing around in open spaces.

It’s possible to train a JRT to live in an apartment happily but it takes time and effort. I hope the tips discussed in this guide will help you understand how to keep a Jack Russell Terrier in your apartment.