American Pitbull Terrier
Pitbulls of all kinds are known to be strong, big and often scary dogs, thanks to various art,movies and most importantly, their dog fighting history. Although it is correct to a certain extent, it’s not completely true.
Let’s be honest here – pitbulls are not that giant. They are something in between. It’s correct, that pitbulls are strong and can be aggressive, but not more than other dogs of the same type. It really depends on the training. And as such, it’s extremely important to know everything about it in detail, assuming you want your pet to obey you and to not be a threat to other people (unless you want it to).
Training
When you first think about training your pet (and it is something that should come to one’s mind at some point anyway), you see two possible choices in front of you:
- Give your pet to professional dog handlers.
- Train the pet all by yourself.
While it is certainly easier to do the first, it may be expensive and sometimes may take a lot of time. Also, the separation from your pet can strongly affect your overall relationship to the point, when your own pitbull doesn’t see you as an ally. It’s unlikely, but possible.
Otherwise you can gradually train the pitbull during it’s early years. This will create a strong bond between you, and perhaps you can learn something as well. It’s not that hard to train a dog, especially if it’s as intelligent as pitbull or german shepherd.
How to Train
Everything starts at the beginning. Same goes for dog training. And the better it is, the better your final result will be. You should start from changing yourself:
- Be responsible and punctual, you will have to always be on time for training your dog.
- Treat your pet as a human being, as a loved one.Attention! If you don’t – be sure to keep the dog on the chains.
It’s gonna turn into one of those aggressive monsters that attack people for no reason. Who wants this?
Next, think of what you should teach the dog first. Some good commands are:
- “Sit”. It will make training much simpler in the long run, as the pitbull won’t run away in the most unfitting moment.
- Walking besides the owner is something every dog should learn. Place this on the to-do list as soon as possible.
- “Come”. The command is self explanatory. Though if you live with the dog for long enough, it will probably understand this anyway.
- And finally, something to prevent aggression. Come up with you own word here, though it has to stop the dog from barking and/or getting too angry at something/someone. For example, “Stop it” would fit.
When you form the list of commands you want the pitbull to know, just have a go at it. Training is mostly the same for every command and dog breed:
- First, say that command.
- If the dog does what you want from it – it receives a treat.
- If you know, that your pet knows what to do, but doesn’t want to/didn’t hear the command right – repeat it after 5-10 seconds.
- If that didn’t help or the dog doesn’t know how to do – make it do something. Gently. Make it sit, etc. Then repeat until you have some progress. American pitbull terriers are smart – they will get it.
In the end, if you don’t understand something, or require help – ask professionals or search on the Internet. They are your best helpers.
Tips
- Use intonation to show some specific request for the pet.
- Walk your pet before training procedure, as this will focus it’s attention more on the subject. This works well for younger dogs.
- If you see that your pet loves one specific type of food the most – use it as a treat. The pet will do anything just to get that delicious food.
- Train one command at a time. When done – move on to the next one and so on. Don’t forget to practice from time to time.
