the jumper!

Question
ok so my boyfriend has a jack russell terrier and he is horrible! the dog can't be left alone, If we leave him alone inside, he leaves us "presents" for when we get home, even if we walk him right before we leave and dont feed him before we go.  (it doesn't matter if we are gone 15 minutes or an hour) If we put him outside and we are still here/or if we are gone, he jumps. Continuously jumps against the door, it annoys roommates and is ruining the door. (we tried blocking the door so he couldnt get to it, he ALWAYS finds a way, he's smart, I'll give him that) So to stop the jumping we decided to kennel train him. He's fine in his kennel if he can see ppl or at night when we are all sleeping, but if we leave him alone in it, he wines, barks, scratches etc. We just got him neutered, but it doesnt seem to have calmed him (but at 3 years old and his breed, we didnt expect much)
So we finally broke down and got the bark collar, thinking it would solve our problems. Hes outside, the door is blocked off a bit so he cant do his typical energizer dog jumping, but hes trying to jump and he's WINING and squealing! he's apparently figured out the frequency he can get away with!! what do we do?? I am so fed up and frustrated. (i'm told he has separation anxiety,because he has always lived in a situation where he could be inside or outside when he wanted, and there was always someone with him, now our roommate has an indoor cat so its either in or out and he NEVER wants to be out, but we cant leave him IN alone) help.

Answer
Hi Jen,

With Jack Russells it's CRUCIAL that they get enough exercise. If they don't get the exercise they need, they will find other ways to expend it, like jumping incessantly, barking, digging and destroying things. It's boredom. I would strongly suggest getting him on a rigorous exercise "program" that will satisfy those JRT drives!! He should be taken out morning/noon/and night for a good long walk or for a good heart pounding run at the park or in the yard. If he sits alone all day long, he will have pent up energy and will try to get rid of it any way he can, ultimately making everyone in the house crazy. You can even put him on a treadmill if you can't get him outside. A good 20 minute run on one of those things can do WONDERS for his mood and temperament.
House training is hard and takes a lot of commitment and patience.
When he was a puppy he should have been taken OUT every hour on the hour and praised like crazy when he did his business outside. You can actually try again to teach him, giving him praise and treats when he does what he is supposed to. I say get rid of the cat but that's just me!!! Once he is trained, he should be allowed to be in the house with everyone else as dogs are PACK animals and thrive when accepted into your pack. He just sounds frustrated and acting out. I think making these minor changes (but major to him!) you will see an improvement in his temperament.  You're a good person to even be inquiring about how to help him, he's lucky to have you....
Best of luck to all of you!