FIVE Training Tips Every New Pit Bull Puppy Owner Should Start With
As a new or aspiring pit bull puppy owner, knowing where to start can be challenging. People make puppy parenthood look easy and fun, and most times it is, but it can be difficult to know how to prioritize everything from safely and gradually exposing your pit bull puppy to other dogs, people, sights, and sounds to training your pit bull puppy to become a well behaved adult.
In this blog post I discuss the first five commands you should start with to properly train your pit bull puppy.
Come When Called
You have several options for teaching your dog to come. I recommend using food during mealtimes, taking your food into your hand and calling your dog’s name in an exciting voice. They should come running to you and when they do, you reward them with the food. Then, you can toss a little food away and the moment your dog eats the food, call him again and reward him once he reaches you. Repeat this until your dog’s food for that meal is gone.
2. Sit
The next command for communicating with your dog is to sit on command.
This is one of the easiest commands to teach your dog and you can start with the sit command at any age. During your dog’s meals, take his food into your hand, flatten your palm, and hold it over your dog’s head. Once you do this, he will sit. Reward your dog the moment her butt hits the ground. Be sure not to reward him if they jump up for the treat as it can teach the jumping behavior.
If your dog breaks the command, then start over and try to give the reward before your dog jumps up
3. Down
Getting your dog to lie down is one of the most important behaviors to teach calmness and it’s very easy.
The first thing you want to do is put your dog on leash and lure him into a down by bringing a high value food to his nose and bringing it to the ground. Your dog should follow you and lay out. The moment your dog lays down reward.
Repeat this over several repetitions. Once your dog is laying down with the lure consistently, fade out the lure and start asking your dog to lay down using a hand signal and the verbal command.
4. Leash Walking
Leashing walking is another important skill to teach your dog early on if you want your dog to be calm as an adult. Believe it or not dogs don’t instinctually know how to walk on leash and leash walking is one of the biggest problems many pit bulls have later in life.
To teach your dog leash walking, if they aren’t used to a leash, attach a leash to their collar and let them drag it around the house. Be sure to take the leash off if you’re not watching them or when they’re in their crate to avoid injuries or accidents.
Two times a day for 5-15 minutes grab the leash and walk your dog around the house. During your dog’s meals is the best time to do this because you can use their food as a reward. Reward them for following the leash and keeping a loose loop in it. When they pull against the leash, stop walking until the come closer to you then proceed walking. After several practice sessions your dog will learn how to follow the leash. You can then start to practice outside in low distraction areas and scale up as your dog masters location without distractions
Teaching your dog to follow your lead on leash and stay by you is key to teaching your dog to be calm and well behaved.
5. Leave It
Leave it is also arguably equally as important as teaching your pit bull to come when called. Using the “leave it” command, you can stop your puppy from eating something toxic or even being too close to something that could harm them like another animal. All pit bull owners should teach their puppies to leave it!
There are several ways to teach the command. The easiest way is to take some of your dog’s kibble or a high value treat into each one of your hands. Open your hand and when your puppy goes for the treat close your hand and say “leave it”. Do this for several repetitions and your puppy should quickly learn the meaning of the word “leave it.” Practice each day for five minutes and as your puppy begins to master “leave it,” ask your puppy to leave it in more distracting environments and begin translating the command to other items.
Conclusion
Teaching your dog to come when called, sit on command, lay down, and walk on leash are critical to teaching your dog your expectations and to be calm regardless of what setting they’re in. For more tips on how to train your pit bull, download a free copy of my ebook, How To Train Your Bully Breed.
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