Many people who are familiar with pit bulls only by hearsay are frankly afraid of these smart, strong and courageous dogs, considering them to be real killer dogs. Yes, they can become ruthless fighters, but also there are affectionate, good-natured and reliable dogs. It all depends on how correctly the pit bull training was conducted and what the goal of the trainer was. Therefore, to learn more about this breed will be very useful.
Who is this breed suitable for?
To begin with, we will decide who this dog is suitable for, and who better to choose a representative of a different breed. The existing stereotype that pit bulls are not suitable for families is very far from reality. In fact, these dogs are very fond of children and, with proper upbringing, will never cause them the slightest harm, will patiently bear tearing at the ears and even bites at the tail.
But it’s worth talking about activity separately. Pit bull is a sporting dog that needs high activity. In other words, if you do not have time to go with her after work, to help her get rid of excess energy, then acquiring such a dog will be a mistake. Usually it is a sedentary lifestyle that leads to the fact that the accumulated energy breaks out with aggression - the dog becomes either closed or snarls for any reason.
But if there are teenagers in the family or just active adults who will be happy to play with the pet in the park, run in the evenings or ride a bicycle, forcing the pet to run after it, then the choice is justified. Of course, one should not forget that pit bulls need very strict, and sometimes even brutal training.
Breed features
As you know, pit bulls are fighting dogs. This should be considered before starting them. It is very important to enable them to socialize. To do this, the puppy must spend a lot of time among other animals. Ideal if you have a cat or other dogs at home. Otherwise, an older pit bull will perceive any animals as prey and threat - still they were bred for fighting with dogs and even bulls.
These dogs are amazingly fond of praise. And for her, they are ready to do anything - how to tear a neighboring dog apart, and bring slippers to her beloved master. In combination with remarkable intelligence, this gives the owner a great opportunity to sculpt exactly what he needs from the puppy. Therefore, owners who justify the cruelty of their dogs with the peculiarities of the breed usually either improperly trained them, or even skipped this process, hoping that everything would work out somehow without their participation. Of course, this should not be hoped for. And in general, starting a pit bull as the first dog is undesirable - it is better to have some experience at this point.
Mistakes made during training
It is very important to know the specific mistakes that most beginners make when training pit bulls.
It has already been said that representatives of this breed are very smart. They all literally catch on the fly. However, this does not mean that a week of training will be enough for the dog to learn all the important commands. Not at all. Often there are very stubborn personalities who simply do not want to execute those commands that they do not like (for example, “Fu!”, When they have a delicious treat in front of them). Only the persistence and patience of the owner allow us to reverse this harmful feature.
The next mistake is excessive softness. Get ready for the fact that training pit bull puppies is a struggle for dominance. It is no coincidence that this breed is recommended to be planted only by strong, confident people. Everything here is exactly the same as in the relationship in the family. On the one hand, a dog, like a woman or children, wants to make concessions to it. But at the same time, he needs a strong leader who will confidently give orders and wait for unconditional obedience. Without such a person, the relationship will collapse, and the dog will simply be deeply unhappy, often taking out this misfortune in anger. So if you give an order, make sure that it is executed, even if you have to be tough. Believe me, this will benefit your pet.
Also try not to overly delay the training. Dogs grab everything on the fly, but too long a dog trainer tires them, especially when it comes to puppies. Try to keep the first lessons no longer than 10-15 minutes. Gradually, you can lengthen them, but not more than half an hour. In this case, begin each lesson in order to repeat the already completed material. It will also be nice to repeat it simply in everyday life - this is useful and also will bring a lot of pleasure to you and your pet.
At what age to start training?
The optimal age to start training a pit bull puppy at home is 2-3 months. But in general, it should be brought up immediately, as the dog appeared in your house. First of all, these are simple rules of behavior - the dog should eat only in its place, not climb on the sofa, not sleep in the chair, if you are not ready to allow her such concessions for life.
Like any dog, the pit bull has a rather selective memory. It is enough to allow him to sleep in your bed, so that he decides for life that this is his rightful place. It will be extremely difficult to prove the opposite - you will have to spend a lot of time and effort. So if you do not want unnecessary problems, immediately draw a line between allowed and unauthorized.
It is also very important to quickly choose a nickname so that the pet gets used to it as soon as possible - this is also a kind of training.
Suppress aggression to loved ones
Before you start training a pit bull at home, you need to suppress natural aggression in it - in many puppies it manifests itself from childhood.
Here it’s enough to show that you are the main and unconditional leader in building relationships. To do this, as soon as the puppy starts to growl unnecessarily (only when there is no reason for it!) Or bite, grab it, carefully turn it on its back, lay it on the floor and press lightly on its chest, pressing and not allowing it to turn over. In dogs, this is an obedience pose. Hold it for several minutes, without causing pain, but also not allowing you to jump to your feet. Such a simple exercise, which does not bring the dog pain, often allows you to show her that you are the leader of the pack, which means that any attempts to conflict with you are better left.
Training Rules
In general, in pit bulls, training and education are conducted according to the same rules as in other dogs.
First, try to master the simplest commands: "Sit!", "Come to me!", "Lie!", "Paw!".
After that, move on to the more complex: “Voice!”, “Near!”, “Fu!”, “Aport!”. Only when you are sure that the dog obeys implicitly, you can learn such a dangerous team as “Fas!”.
Moreover, it is desirable to do this in the presence of an expert, and the person on whom the team will be practiced should have appropriate protection - the powerful jaws of the pit bull jokingly can bite your hand or crush a bone in the leg.
We teach obedience
A lot of books have been written about the training of the pit bull. And almost every says that this dog is distinguished by its hard character and certain attempts to "seize power." As already mentioned, a pit bull will often test you as a pack leader for strength. It is impossible to show gentleness here - if the dog dominates the relationship, he will not get happiness, but bewilderment and, as a result, aggression are guaranteed.
This is especially often manifested during walks - the dog loses its head and does not want to listen to the owner. In this case, you should buy a collar with spikes directed inward. Choking is not suitable - the pit bull can twitch so much that it will damage the trachea. But the spikes will not be able to pierce the dense undercoat and cause the dog primarily discomfort, and not severe pain. Thanks to this device, it will be much easier to control the dog during walks.
Conclusion
From the article you learned how to train a pit bull puppy, and also got an idea of this magnificent breed as a whole. We hope that thanks to this, relations in your tandem will be built easily and without unnecessary problems.