You can’t expect a Pitbull to figure out what you would like him to do (or don’t want him to do) unless you show him what your expectations are. And your Pitbull won’t be trained properly or be willing to heed your commands unless you use efficient training methods.

Pitbull training can be started at any age, the sooner the better. You can start simple training with your puppy as soon as he or she has settled into his/her new home. Adult Pit Bulls are as well receptive to training,  although several might be less keen or quick to learn than a younger Pitbulls.

Done correctly, pitbull training should be fun, both for you and your pit, as well as exercising his brain and reinforcing the good quality relationship between you.

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A Well-Trained Pit Bull Is One Who:

• Doesn’t beg at the table
• Comes when called
• Doesn’t jump on people
• Doesn’t bother guest
• Doesn’t pull on the leash

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Pitbull Training-Positive Rewards:

In order to be valuable and to achieve the finest results, all pitbull training must be based around positive rewards. Positive reward training works for the reason that if you reward your dog with something he wants as soon as he does what you ask, he is far more likely to do it again. Rewards can be anything that your dog or puppy really wants and may well include; food treats, a favorite toy, playing a certain game or petting. If you are using food treats, you will need to reduce the size of your dog’s regular meals or use his full meal divided up into smaller portions, to prevent your dog putting on weight. Always combine the giving of a reward with verbal praise such as “Good dog”.

As soon as teaching a brand new command, you will need to reward your dog each time that he does what you ask right. When he has the hang of the command, it is a good idea to switch the way you reward by only giving the reward every now and then, because this will make your dog try harder for his reward. All the time verbally praise your dog, even if he is not being rewarded with a treat.

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Pitbull Training-Why Punishment Doesn’t Work:

Punishment must never be used in pitbull training. If you punish your dog, it will just teach him to be scared of you and might eventually teach him to be aggressive. He will mistrust you and your relationship could break down. If your dog is being what you consider to be disobedient or badly behaved the greatest thing to do is to take a ‘time out’. You should completely ignore him (and that includes looking at him) or shut him out of the room for 5-10 minutes. This works because dogs crave attention and being part of the pack and so removing this is something that your dog understands far better than being shouted at or hit.

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Pitbull Training – The Basic Commands:

The six basic commands you will need to teach your Pitbull in order to acquire a decent degree of control are:

• Look At Me
• Sit
• Down
• Stay
• Come
• Heel

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SERVAL SUGGESTIONS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

All the time Practice While Your Dog is Hungry – We’ll be using treats through our exercises and your dog will do best while he’s hungry.

Practice the training before your dog eats. If you’re concerned that your dog will gain mass, you can even use his dinner as his rewards.

• Use phrases such as “Good Sit” and “Good Down” – Use these “specific” phrases instead than just saying “Good Dog.” He doesn’t know our “vocabulary” and we need to teach him what the commands really mean.

• Use the word “Off” instead of “Down” – If you don’t you may well be confusing your dog. If you tell your dog “down” when you want him to “lay down” and “down” when your dog “jumps,” then you probably are confusing him. To decrease confusion, use the word “Off” while your dog jumps.

• Don’t Use “NO” Too Often – Be exact! We use “No” for so many things that your dog possibly will think it’s his name!

•Use phrases like “No Bark” and “No Bite” to help your dog understand.

• By no means Punish Your Dog for running from you – This is very crucial and can potentially save your dogs life.

• More Time Rewarding Than Punishing – 90% of your training should focus on rewarding good behavior while only 10% must focus on punishing bad behavior.

• No Harsh Methods – There are many training styles that focus mostly on punishment. This can have long lasting psychological effects on your dog.

• Every time Reward Good Behavior – If you dog is behaving correctly, be sure to let him know. Even if you didn’t tell him to be good. You don’t have to save rewards for training sessions.

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Pit Bull Training – Exercise 1 – Look At Me

This is the simplest and probably the most crucial exercise. I recommend that you practice this exercise to start with since it helps gain your dog’s attention, which is crucial for proper pitbull training.

To execute this exercise:

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Pitbull Training Tips - Exercise 2 – Sit

Getting your dog to sit is very crucial and must be practiced in many diverse Situations. Make him sit while someone comes to the door. Make your dog sit when He greets you. Make him sit when he meets small children. Starting early on can help prevent “jumping problems” and “safely” create your “rank” within the household.

To perform this exercise:

Note:

• If your dog moves back instead than sitting down, start over.

• If you feel your dog just isn’t getting it or getting frustrated, break the training down into lesser parts. For example: Reward him just for moving his head back.

Remember that pitbull training takes patience and devotion.

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Pitbull Training Tips - Exercise 3 – Down

To perform this exercise:

Note:

• Again if your pit is make an effort or is feeling frustrated break the pitbull training into smaller pieces.

• Remember to use the word “Off” when your dog jumps so that he won’t be puzzled about the meaning of “Down”

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Pitbull Training Tips – Exercise 4 – Stay

To perform this exercise:

Note:

• If your dog doesn’t stay, start over and keep practicing. Eventually your pitbull training will pay off.

• As soon as you can take one step, take another and so on. (You only need to hold the leash higher than your dog’s head until he understands what you want him to do after you tell him to “Stay”)

• Please all the time practice on a leash when outside.

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Pitbull Training Tips – Exercise 5 – Come

To perform this exercise:

Note:

If he does not get nearer to you straight away, do not pull him to you but hang on until he eventually decides to come to you. When he does come, praise him, no matter how long it takes. Punishing him, no matter how cross you are, will only make him scared of you and less likely to come.

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Pitbull Training Tips - Exercise 6 – The Heel

To perform this exercise:

• Pitbull Puppy Training
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• Pitbull History
• Pitbull Training

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You see, the confusion starts with the fact that many dogs are called Pitbulls when they actually aren’t. That was perpetuated by misinformed members of the media and the public. How many Pitbull breeds are there? Well, surprisingly, there’s only one breed with “Pitbull” in it’s title.

You see, when Pitbulls started getting a bad reputation, which, by the way, is mainly undeserved, people started to fear anything that looked even a little like a Pitbull. People also started to confuse the American Pitbull Terrier, or APBT for short, with various other dog breeds. So, dogs that weren’t actually Pitbulls were soon mistaken for them. For example, American Bulldogs, Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are all confused, on a regular basis, with American Pitbull terriers.

Those are all at least breeds of dogs, though. The confusion was intensified by the addition of descriptive words like “Blue”, “White”, “Red Nose” and more. It’s enough to make anyone dizzy with confusion.

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Where These Names Came From:

There is no clear reason for the start of the name issue but, in general, a lot of it has to do with the lines of Pitbulls. There’s a big difference between breeds of dog and lines within a breed, but people who aren’t involved in showing or breeding the dogs don’t often understand that.

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Defining Pitbulls as a Breed:

American Pitbull Terriers as a breed are defined as muscular dogs that are usually between thirty-five and about sixty-five pounds. Pitbulls that are to be shown have to have certain physical characteristics. For example, show Pitbulls have to have black noses. Where, then, does the “red nosed” Pitbull come from?

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Defining Pitbull Lines:

Pitbull lines, or lines of any dog breed for that matter, refer to the specific bloodlines of a dog. Certain lines are bred for certain characteristics. Some are larger than others, for example. Some are also stronger than others. Breeding Pitbull lines specifically for fighting is popular even today, when dog fighting is illegal. Such dogs are usually larger and have worse temperaments than dogs that are responsibly bred.

One of the main reasons to breed different lines of dogs is color, though. People like a wide variety of colors in all things, including their pets. That’s why different lines of Pitbulls are often different colors. For example, the Sorrell line is characterized by a black nose and muzzle, but a fawn colored body.

On the other hand, a Pitbull that is from the Colby line is a completely different color. Colbys are generally black with a head that is totally white. Sometimes they also come in fawn and white. The point is, though, that Colbys and Sorrells are very different types of American Pitbull Terrier, but they are still all American Pitbull Terriers.

Are different colors worth more money? Well, that all depends on who you are and what you want. For example, red nose Pitbulls can’t be show dogs, so they aren’t worth much to people who do dog shows. Pitbulls in the show ring have to have black noses. On the other hand, though, many people who are just looking for a great dog as a pet like more colorful dogs and will pay more for a red nose, blue nose or other color of Pitbull.

The Point:

If you have an American Pitbull Terrier, regardless of what color it is, it’s an American Pitbull Terrier. There’s no such breed as a Red Nosed Pitbull, White Pitbulls and Blue Pitbulls don’t exist as a breed, either. They do exist as color types within the breed, though.

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How That Information is Valuable:

If you’re looking to get a Pitbull, that information is extremely good for you to know. After all, you don’t want to get confused by all of the hype and confusion yourself. If you’re looking for a show dog or a good dog to breed, that’s especially important. After all, Pitbulls have to have specific characteristics to qualify in the show ring or to breed other show dogs.

Also, though, you don’t want to buy from a confused breeder. Pitbull breeders should know the breed. They should not try to tell you that a Red Nose or any other color is a different breed of dog. If they do, you should definitely get your Pitbull somewhere else.

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A Word of Caution:

Pitbull lines are bred, as mentioned earlier, to have different characteristics. Color is not the only characteristic that can vary from line to line. In fact, color should take a back seat to almost everything else, if you’re trying to pick a good pet Pitbull. You should always begin by making sure that the dog is healthy, hasn’t been mistreated at all and has a good temperament. It’s great to have a pretty dog, but it’s much better to have a well-mannered and well-adjusted dog.

So, now that that confusion is cleared up, don’t let anyone tell you your dog isn’t a Pitbull, just because of the color of its fur or nose. It’s a bit like the fact that we are all human beings, even though we may have different skin color, eye color or hair color. It’s what makes us unique and interesting and the same is true for our dogs.

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