Introducing jack russell to hamster...help!

[PJRDaisy]

My partner are wanting to move in together, I have a dog and she has a Hamster.....We have moved the hamster in early to try to get dog and hamster to get used to each other!

Dog goes mental when hamster runs round her cage and hamster gets routed to the spot or runs and hides under her house. If the hamster is in her house the dog is transfixed on the cage.

We have tried holding the dog near the cage so she can smell and see but this doesnt seem to calm her down at all!!

ANy tips on getting the dog to calm down when around the hamster so we can all live together????

[LilacDragon]

If I am not mistaken - JRT's were bred to hunt rodents!

Chances of every having them be "friends" would be pretty slim. You might consider putting the hamster cage on a dresser or bookshelf where your pupper can't reach. Maybe in a room where you can shut the little terror (sorry, I meant terrier!) out so that the hamster can run around in a ball or whatever.

[borzoimom]

My daugher had several guinea pigs, and when they would whistle, I swear it was a borzoi magnet. I always made sure our guinea pigs were up out of harms way, and actually letting him sniff the cage just made it worse.
I used the ignore method with my dogs. I had two at the time, and getting near the cage was off limits. The guinea pigs were happier and I had less of a worry on a accident...
It is normal for a smaller animal to be worried about a dog or cat. And nooooo- they never reallllly accept them up to a certain point. I would worry more about " that one time" then the rest.
Place the hamster high enough to not be in head height of him. It will keep him calmer ( the hamster) and the dog as well.

[PJRDaisy]

The hamster is on a table out of her reach but she can still see the hamster, have had a bit of a break through, have been spraying the dog woth water when she gets excitied or tries to jump up and it seems to have calmed her down, which in turn hasa made the hamster happier and doesnt seem all that bothered!!

[Karen]

That's probably as good a solution as you can hope for. They'll never be buddies, but can learn to coexist if the humans in the household are vigilant!

[Genny]

Terriers were bred to chase and fhunt rodents. I don't think that you'll have very much success at teaching these 2 to get along. Beleive me, I've had tons of animals and tried to get so many to get along with rabbits, hamsters, birds, guinea pigs, hedge hogs. The best dogs I've ever had that get along with the animals are my 2 maltese mix dogs, my poodle and our chow that we used to have.

I'm not saying every every dog of those breeds will be good with animals, but mine were. I'd make sure I never left the dog and the hamster alone. He might hurt it by just trying to play with it, but you never know.