Pitbull Training Tips

Establish Your Role as Pack Leader

• By nature, dogs seek a leader. If they cannot find a leader in their current pack, most will take on this position themselves. Allowing a dog to have this much control and this much dominance is almost always a recipe for disaster, especially in pit bulls. Pit bulls have strong personalities that can easily get carried away if not put in check. If the pit bull feels as though it is your leader and not the other way around, it will never obey you and you won’t be able to discourage that alpha behavior. Therefore, you must show your dog that you are the alpha in your pack. Do this by taking your pit on leashed walks and always keeping it next to you. Never allow the dog to lead the way, as it will think that it is the head of its pack. In addition, the Dog Breed Info Center website states that you should not allow the pit bull to sniff or eliminate on the walks, unless you want it to do so.

  Always eat before your pit bull and make it wait for your permission until it does so. Walk through doors and up and down stairs before your pit bull. If the dog is lying in your path, make it move and do not walk over it. These exercises will teach your pit bull its position in the pack. Once your dog understands that you are the boss, it will respect and obey your commands.

Exercise

• Pit bulls are extremely active dogs that have lots of energy. They must exert this energy for their physical and mental well-being. The Pit Bull Lovers website states that pit bulls need jobs that challenge them both physically and mentally. If your pit bull is content and stable, it is more likely to be a well-behaved, balanced dog. To exercise your pit, walk with it daily on leash. You could also enroll it into agility trials or participate in flying disc training and competitions. If your pit bull doesn’t have an abundance of nervous energy racing through its veins, it has a much higher chance of being happy and obedient.

Socialization

• The For the Love of Petbulls website states that socialization is one of the key aspects of pit bull training. Socialization occurs when a puppy is introduced to new people, animals and situations. The thinking is that the puppy will become comfortable with these situations and not fearful of them as an adult. Many aggressive pit bulls are the way the are because they were not socialized when they were younger. As a result, they are fearful and anxious toward them and ultimately aggressive. Allow your pit bull puppy to interact with humans and when it has had all of its shots, encourage it to play with other dogs. While a socialized pit bull typically gets along better with other dogs than a non-socialized pit would, you should not completely trust it with other dogs. Never leave your pit bull alone unsupervised with another animal.