Training your Pit Bull doesn't have to be hard. In fact, training can be easy, fun, and stress free. The following article will share 5 easy to follow tips to help you achieve stress free training that gets results. Tip #1: Make it a game. If your Pit Bull loves to play fetch, then use fetch to teach them how to wait, sit, stay, lie down etc... The ball and the game become the reward. Tip #2: Start in a good mood. Never start to work with your dog if you are upset, frustrated, annoyed, or in a foul mood. Only do formal sessions when you are in a good mood so you don't get frustrated easily. Tip #3: The moment you feel yourself getting frustrated or upset ask your dog to perform a basic command they know well and end the session right there. This will keep you from getting angry and possibly upsetting the dog and interupting any progress you made. Tip #4: Use every day situations to train your dog. Many trainers encourage you to use treats to lure and reward your dog during training. This is fine during formal sessions but if you ever want a dog that works for you without the need of treats then you should start using things like going out side, feeding time, in and out of cars, walks and other situations you will encounter for rewards. One example is feeding time. Have your dog sit and wait while you put the bowl down and then say "Okay" to release your dog from the wait. This teaches three things at once and the food is the reward. TIp #5: Lower the bar. Dogs, like people, have their moments. Expecting them to be perfect all the time results in setting yourself and your dog up for failure. While training is supposed to be taken seriously, sometimes it's taken too seriously. Lower the bar and your expectations. If your dog understands a cue but fails to do it, try another cue and then go back to the one they failed to do after they have successfully completed the second behavior. This will help your dog stay focused and be successful. High expectations during dog training usually result in frustrated owners and confused dogs. |
