Following the tips in this article will help
you discover how enjoyable it is to train
the American Pit Bull Terrier.
American Pit Bull Terrier's are one of those
breeds of dog that excel at most anything they
take part in.
When it comes to training this is especially true.
A few things to keep in mind when you begin to
train your American Pit Bull Terrier:
1. They are not "hard headed" dogs. Surprisingly
most American Pit Bull Terriers are what some
trainers refer to as "soft."
This means they are easily upset by harsh corrections.
So approach your dog with this in mind until you
know more about them.
The reason most are sensitive to corrections is
they are very people oriented and want nothing
more than to please you.
2. They are smart.
American Pit Bull Terriers are not hard to train
by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, some are
hard headed and take more time, but on a whole
they are easily trained.
Keeping these two things in mind let's take a look
at basic obedience and a few ways you can approach
each behavior to make training both successful
and fun.
Basic obedience starts with the following behaviors:
1. The sit
2. The Stay
3. The Down
4. The Heel
5. The Recall (or come command)
For this article let's start with the recall because
it's the most important behavior out of the five behaviors
above.
The Recall:
When you begin to train your puppy, young adult, or adult
dog to come to you there are three golden rules you should
never break.
They are:
1. Never under circumstances call your dog to you to punish
them. This defeat's the purpose and you will have to retrain
the recall again.
2. Always end on a positive note by letting them go play or
do whatever they want once you call them to you.
3. Never start with them off leash.
Number three can be bent a little with smarter dogs but
in the beginning you should start with a long 30 foot leash.
Using a 30 foot leash gives you the ability to bring your
dog to you if they fail to come to you.
You should note jerk or pull them to you. Instead encourage
them to come to you by slowly reeling them in using the leash.
Training the Recall:
Before you read the following tips remember your dog is on
a 30 foot leash at all times through out these steps.
1. Using a treat or favorite toy get their attention.
2. Show them the treat or toy and encourage them to come to
you.
It's important you do not say, "come here" or "come" at this
point in time.
Shake the ball or show them the treat as a way of getting
their attention.
3. When they have gotten all the way to you, reward them by
giving them the toy or treat.
4. Let them wonder off again and repeat steps one through three.
As time passes and they start coming to you again and again
you can then use any word you want them to come to as you
treat.
For example, you could say, "Rover, here." Show them the treat
or toy and when they come to you reward them and praise them.
Once you can reliable call them to you while they are on the
leash, try taking it off and repeating the steps above.
You should also start without any distractions. This goes for
all behaviors you will train your dog.
Once they can work without any distractions you can gradually
introduce more distractions such as taking them outside or
turning on the TV.
Let's move on to the Sit and Down.
The Sit:
Teaching the American Pit Bull Terrier to sit is quite easy
and most people start with this behavior for that reason.
How to teach the sit:
1. Without any distractions (no TV etc...) stand in front
of your dog.
2. Have a tasty treat or food item (like a piece of hotdog)
firmly between your fingers.
3. Hold your fingers slightly in front and above your dog.
4. As they notice your hand they will look up at it.
5. Slowly move it backwards keeping it just out of their
reach.
6. This action will cause them to tilt their head back
and their bottom to go to the ground.
7. As soon as they sit, give them the treat and praise.
You might have to try this several times before you get
they get the idea but eventually it never fails to work.
Once they get the idea you can put the word "sit" to
the behavior.
When their bottom touches the floor you say, "Sit."
Then reward them and praise them.
Teaching the Down:
The Down is nothing more than having them lay down on command.
You accomplish this much the same way as you did with the sit.
How to teach the down:
1. Ask your dog to sit.
2. With a tasty treat in between your fingers put your hand on
the floor and directly in front of them.
3. They will look down at your hand.
4. Start to slide it away from them.
5. This will cause them to lower themselves down to get the
treat.
6. Keep moving the treat slowly away until they lay down.
7. Treat and praise.
Once again, it will take several times for them to get the
idea and lay down.
Another thing you should consider is some dogs will stand
up instead of staying in the sit.
When this happens try doing it from the standing position.
If that doesn't help try it from the sitting position again
and start over each time they stand up.
Training the American Pit Bull Terrier is a rewarding
experience.
While it takes time, patience, and consistency the results
are worth the effort.
