Is getting another Jack Russell a good idea with my energetic dog?

Hi, Jack Russell terriers need to have a lot of training and exercise. I would start by making sure he gets at least a half hour of exercise twice a day. Even though he's 7 years old, he can still learn new tricks! Jack Russells are very smart and can learn new things all the time. Agility training is also a good thing to try. You can look for some local groups who have agility courses and train him with this. I would also take him to the vet for a check up to make sure this new behavior isn't a sign something is wrong with him. If he has a clean bill of health, I would try the methods I suggested. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I normally recommend getting only one puppy at a time - so in your case, I would get the first puppy and wait until he's a year old or so to add another pup to your household. This way, you can concentrate on socialization, housetraining, basic obedience, etc. for each puppy individually. It's very hard to give two puppies at once as much attention as they need at this age! And yes, I would recommend getting a female puppy next if you already have a male. Male/female pairs are more likely to get along well vs. two males.

Jack Russell terriers do love chasing things! But with training, many can live harmoniously with cats. I would work on solid basic obedience with soekie first- So she reliably responds to basic commands like sit, down and wait. And I d exercise her away from the cats a lot! Then when you introduce her to the cats do it at a time when soekie has burned a lot of energy prior, out playing/running/ fetching etc. keep soekie on a leash so the cats are safe and give soekie commands like sit or down when the cats are close so she re focuses her attention to what your asking her rather than being too focused on cats. When she listens to you give her lots of treats and positive reinforcement. When she is able to focus well on you and relax in presence of cats you can try this same thing with her leash on but just dragging behind her- so you can grab it if neccessary to keep cats safe. Also reward her when she relaxes her body language around the cats. Do short sessions and end while things are still going well. Hope this is a good starting place for you. Let us know if you have more specific questions that come up!

This is one of those situations where it could go either way. Some dogs desperately need a playmate and will do infinitely better with one. Others will just end up feeding off the energy of their mate and you'll have two troublemakers on your hands. My opinion is that if you plan to get a second dog, you would be better off obtaining a young adult dog that is already house / obedience trained so that Lirril might imitate some of the behaviors you'd like to see. The behaviors you are describing are overall extremely normal for a 10 month old puppy, and you likely are just going to have to double down on your efforts with training. You also need to make sure that all other members of the household are on board with any training methods you are using. The weakest chain in the link is the only one that matters unfortunately, since repetition and consistency is going to be the key to having a well-trained and obedient dog.

Occasional coughing in a young dog is not necessarily a cause of concern, just like occasional coughing in a person is not always problematic. As long as buddy is still eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating normally, I wouldn't worry terribly about what you are seeing. If he is playing and moving around with energy, it is unlikely that the coughing has anything to do with exercise intolerance or an underlying cardiorespiratory disease. This could not be ruled out however without some imaging at your veterinarian. Jack Russell Terriers can also be prone to having a collapsing trachea, a condition that can cause coughing during periods of excitement. Depending on the extent of the collapse, the coughing could become more frequent and more severe. This is another condition that could not be verified without x rays. I don't think that this is something that currently requires a veterinary visit, but I would mention it to the doctor at your next wellness visit.

Having Poppy spayed does carry many health benefits, and I do recommend to have this done, but it may not stop the excitable urination. Very excitable dogs, young dogs and very submissive dogs will urinate. The best option is to ignore her when you come home until she calms down. Then give her calm attention. If you’re going to get her excited, make sure to do it in an area where it is OK if she urinates. If she is still a puppy, she would likely outgrow this. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Yes, Lily is too old to have another litter. It's never recommended to breed a dog older than six years of age due to the increased risk of dystocia and the effects it has on the dog. I would not breed her again, and I would recommend spaying her to prevent her from developing a pyometra in the future.