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Before commencing any training with your pitbull you must remember the first rule - you are a person, your pitbull is a dog. You behave like a person, your pitbull behaves like a dog, once that is completely clear in your mind the rest will follow. Whatever theory of domestication you follow the fact remains that your dog’s train of thought is more like that of a wolf and not that of a human. Think through all the things your pitbull or actually any other dog does that makes you angry, we could probably even compile a top 5! Barking when shut away Growling when he can’t get his own way or keep his trophy Not coming back when called Chewing the furniture Weeing in the house As humans we expect the dog to do as we tell him, as dogs all of these things are natural normal behaviours that shouldn’t be the subject of conflict between him and his person. Some dogs will bark when shut away because they don’t want to be shut away, barking usually brings a person, even if it’s just to tell them to shut up - the dog learns that no matter how long you keep the barking up - a person will come. Growling is an excellent tool that usually stops a human dead in their tracks and means you can keep whatever is in your mouth at the time. It also works really well if the human wants you to move and you don’t want to! Not coming back when called is a totally man made problem - why come back if it means the funs is over - I’d rather run some more and if that invites my human to join in this wonderful game of chase then even better. Chewing the furniture ALWAYS gets a reaction as does weeing in the house. The truth is your pitbull doesn’t know the different between a carpet and a lawn, your pitbull doesn’t know the different between the wooden chair leg and the wooden stick they are allowed to play with. Dogs need to chew, it goes part and parcel of being a dog and subsequently they have no clue that the behaviour is wrong. Dogs that are continuously chastised for weeing in the house will sometimes simply learn that it’s dangerous to wee in front of you! Whatever the behaviour, the problem should not be dealt with as a text book case. There are no fast rules as to how any specific "problem" should be handled. In fact in many cases you’d achieve better success by changing YOUR behaviour! Whenever you are faced with a behaviour problem that you wish to change, the first question you need to ask is "what does my dog achieve by acting in this way" and then think about what YOU do next - the what happens next is the point at which the behaviour is learned, and once learned it is very very difficult to reverse it. Once you have figured out what your pitbull achieves you can then begin to work at changing it, by reacting in a pleasant or not so pleasant way that would make the dog think twice next time. Don’t hit him (unless of course you want a confrontation) but don’t give the dog a reason to repeat the behaviour unless it’s a behaviour you want repeated. Above all be consistent - remember he learned to bark in the night because it made you come running and this may only have taken one night to learn - you need to not come running for a lot more nights to teach him that the outcome is different now and barking does nothing more than give him a sore throat. Adding food to a food guarders bowl teaches him that your presence brings more food and doesn’t threaten the food he already has, getting a treat for coming back when called teaches him something nice happens when he’s recalled, give a treat and let him run off again is even better - he learns that being called isn’t an automatic sign that he’s going back on the lead now. In almost every situation it is easy to work out what the dog is achieving by his behaviour - trophy stealing makes someone chase him, growling makes people back off ... And then simply reinforce this by praising desired behaviour, ignoring undesired behaviour and make sure that your reaction is appropriate and consistent. Pitbull are very smart, intelligent dogs and sometimes, very stubborn. Trying to make a pitbull do something they do not want to do, sometimes can meet with their utmost resistance. Therefore the reward system works best with most Bullies. We strongly recommend a great deal of socialization with both animals and humans, doggie kindergarten, obedience school and when necessary meet their stubbornness with some of your own. When your pitbull joins your family, even if your family is only yourself, a pack is formed. The pack instinct separates dogs from cats. The pack instinct is why dogs wedge themselves into our families, rather than prowling along the fringes, like most cats. Cats are solitary animals who like to do their own thing. Dogs are pack animals who like to belong. That one instinct makes a tremendous difference in the way each pet should be raised. The pack has a "pecking order." At the top is the most dominant animal, the Pack Leader. He (or she) establishes all the rules and makes all the decisions, if you don't establish YOURSELF as the leader, your dog will feel compelled to assume the role himself. He figures that since YOU haven't assumed the role, HE has to do it. The training relationship should not be one of master and slave, however. The dog should be shown what to do and made to do it without any yanking, smacking, jerking, or other punishment. Firm guidance will lead to respect and trust; physical penalties will lead to disrespect and distrust. HOUSE TRAINING |
