Ernie is my little Jack Russell Terrier cross who was born on 5th October 2006. His mum is a very soft coated (sort of like Tibetan Spaniel) Jack Russell cross (far left on photo) and his dad a pure broken coated Jack Russell (2nd in on the left). His dad is very laid back while his mum is the more outgoing one. As you can see from the photo Ernie has the markings of his mum with the fur of his dad. He has a mixture of the two personalities, he can be absolutely crazy when hes doing something he loves but extremely laid back when not. It makes him a very interesting dog to work with!
I got him very unexpectedly. Id always wanted my own dog to train in flyball, so when there was news of 2 Jack Russell puppies in need of homes desperately, we took one on (far right is little Ernie) while my nan took on his brother (1 in on the right is his brother). The breeders drove all the way from Wales (6 hour drive approx) just to give us the puppies. And I got my perfect puppy, my first dog and my absolute best friend.
He wasnt easy and still isnt. He very much thinks he owns the world and if its not going his way, well he doesnt like it. Any bigger dogs that try and play with him he HATES and will snap! This has caused some clashes between Indi and Ernie. If either Sherman (mums dog) or Indi sniff him his teeth go right up, its almost amusing as he never actually does anything. Indi finds it amusing and pesters him, which is why they clash. He loves the girls though, Lola (mums dog) and Kez are the only 2 dogs in our house he will play with! He will play with small dogs on walks too, and sometimes big dogs if he gets to know them. When we first got him though we had lots of problems as we didnt understand what he was like. He had no recall around other dogs at all, and got a bit aggressive sometimes. He was my first experience of a ‘problem’ dog and even though he still has issues every now and then he taught me a lot.
Sometimes he is ridiculously laid back, at the end of a walk, doesnt matter how far we’ve gone he will walk really slowly all the way home. If I let him off lead at a park on the way home, well hes running about again, but as soon as were on the pavemement heading home hes slow. He also hates lead walks in the rain, hes ok if hes able to run, but if hes on the lead he is VERY reluctant. If were at a dog show though, and hes out and about on the lead all day hes ahead of me making friends and having fun all day! Yeah, he has attitude alright.
Sports-wise hes an interesting one! He has competed in flyball… but he did it his own way. We competed in starters, and we did it by me running alongside the jumps, the ball being thrown in front of the box and then running alongside him back. You can do anything in starters flyball! We got a 4th place and 3rd place before he decided the competition environment wasnt for him. We only lasted another year in flyball anyway. Agility-wise, he is amazing in training! Well, he doesnt quite understand he has to actually run up the A-frame and waits at the bottom for me to help him up! But he is fast at everything else… in training. In competition is another matter. Hes not a fan of the competition environment when it involves running! He will do it, but slowly, and then he’ll suddenly get a spurt on, miss a jump because hes running too fast, we go back and hes slow again! Hey its only fun. We’ll keep trying, because he can do it in training! And obedience? Well he is actually good at that in competition. His fault is, he doesnt like heeling! He will heel, but sort of a mile from my leg instead of nice and tight. Hes Ernie, he does it his own way!
He LOVES tricks though. He is fast at them wherever/whenever he does them! Leg weave is his favourite, but he also
loves begging, jumping over my arms, jumping on my back, spinning and just playing with me. Tricks taught him everything he knows. It was tricks that taught him that I was more fun than anything, tricks taught him to be confident in himself and to trust me. He would not be the dog he is today without them. He can still be nervous of motorbikes, fireworks, loud noises, scary people… but he wouldn’t be my dog without his share of phobias! Once he knows someone, he loves them! He gets all excited and wiggly when he sees people he knows while on walks, its so cute.
Ernie is my absolute best friend and the dog that came into my life and completely changed it for the better. He introduced me to the world of dog training and clicker training, I would not be sitting here writing this if not for him. I have made many mistakes with him, but through them all he has taught me so much and continues to teach me. He was the first dog that was ever truly mine and for that alone we have an incredible bond. He was the first dog that I trained from start to competition and won something with. Okay, so he may never be an obedience or agility champion but for every rosette I earn with each of my dogs I know I wouldnt have been able to win it without him.
He is unique and an absolute star. He drives me crazy, but also makes me smile everyday. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. 
