Often (mis) regarded as a scary and terrifying breed of dogs, pitbull are muscular, playful and intelligent dogs. The misconception about pitbulls is because of the unsavory past of dog fighting. By training your dog properly, you can improve this negativity that has surrounded these big-hearted canines for years.
As opposed to their stereotypical image of aggressive dogs, Pitbull in reality are very social animals. They are fond of people and their top priority is to please their human friends. It is not just pits, if any other animal is not treated properly, there is a high likelihood of them becoming difficult to deal with and ill mannered.
Unfortunately for the pit bulls, they have a bad reputation when it comes to behavior. It is not their fault that up until few decades ago, they were trained to be war dogs. Before that, they were used as herd dogs. Years and years of breeding for duties like these, they developed aggression more than other breeds.
Untrained Pitbull is nothing short of a killer machine but the blame should be on the owner for that. If they are properly trained and handled these dogs can turn out to be fearless and brilliant canines, who will be an invaluable asset for their owner. That is why it is crucial to know how to properly train a Pitbull, so that they can develop the gentle and loyal behavior of the good dogs that they really are.
How to Train a Pitbull:
Listed below are the how-tos of training a pitbull puppy to grow up to become a wonderful dog;
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Ideal Age to Start Training a Pitbull
As early as 7 weeks old puppies are ready to start training, although to teach the puppies formal obedience, they need to be at least 4 to 6 months old. That age is the perfect time for training to teach the puppies formal obedience by using methods that are positive. It needs to be considered that a dog needs to be old enough to understand a behavior that is being taught for this training to be effective. A 7 weeks old puppy lacks the concentration that is needed to teach behavior like ‘to heel’, etc.
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Are Pitbulls Harder to Train as Compared to Other Breeds?
Firstly, pitbulls aren’t dominant naturally as a breed. They are overall a rather submissive breed. Some pits are often dominant, but on general, they are not by their nature. As far as the question goes, no, they’re not tougher to train and no special handling is required, apart from the correct technique to properly train them.
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How to Deal with Stubborn Pitbulls?
This is another one of misconceptions about dogs in general, and it has its roots in the mistakes made by the handler, allowing the dogs develop a behavior that comes off as stubborn. For instance, if a dog does not pay heed to your calls on the first few times and only response after you have called him several times, that is because he has been wrongly trained to respond after the 4th, 5th call. It has nothing to do with stubbornness of a dog.
If the trainer did not set the standard for commands to one response and result to one call, the dog will not quickly respond to your first command. The standard practice should be only one command given to the dog resulting in one reaction.
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House Training a Pitbull
House training a Pitbull is a fairly straightforward routine, but it needs to be done regularly. Start by taking your dog out a lot, then adjust is feeding timing. After that, give your dog around half an hour depending on his age before taking him out for a walk. Once they are outside, they will likely proceed to relieve themselves. Wait until the dog is done before heading back home. If it is taking some time, you can bring the dog back in, before taking him outside after few minutes.
What you are essentially trying to teach your dog is that going outside is a great activity. Avoid hitting, scolding or being angry at your dog when he is in the process of getting house trained.
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Tackling Behavioral Problems
It has been proven that annoying behavior in dogs is a result of two things; lack of mental stimulation and exercise, and lack of discipline and training. The solution is very simple, start taking your dog out for was there are longer than your usual routine. Make sure to carry extra water in summers. This activity alone will stop any behavioral problems in your dog.
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The Leash Pulling Problem
The problem of leash pulling has a simple answer, the dog should not be allowed to pull you. If you decide to go back home after just 5 minutes of walk, your dog needs to go with you. The ideal method to train your dog to not pull the leash is by changing your directions often. Keep doing 180 degree turns, the dog will learn to self-correct himself. As you make the turn, call your dog in a cheery voice. Get the exercise quotient of your dog every day for whatever time that you can get.
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A Lifelong Process
Training of your dog does not end, it is something that goes on for lifetime. Of course, you have the option to stop once your Pitbull has learned obedience. But in order to make sure that your dog stays reliable and sharp for the entirety of its life, the principles of obedience that you worked so hard to develop in your dog need constant reinforcement. Otherwise your dog has the tendency to deviate from the taught behavior and lose the sharpness.
It is estimated that more than 75% of dog biting incidents that happen in United States of America are from the dogs that are usually kept locked, have no training, and remain chained up for the most of their lives. The best thing that you can do for your Pitbull is to teach them obedience and train them to bring out the goodness that is inside the heart of a pitbull.
