The pitbull is a gorgeous and gentle giant with an outwardly menacing appearance that gets a bad rap.The pitbull is stocky, strong, and sometimes downright scary but the truth is a well-bred and properly raised pitbull is a friendly pet.There is one step in changing the public opinion or perception of the pitbull as a vicious dog. For this, you can seek professional help and attend an obedience class. Consider getting a canine good citizen certification.The canine good citizen program was initially developed by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The program involves testing your dog on several skills, and if it passes the test, the dog gets a certificate from AKC. To pass the test, your pitbull must know some basic obedience skills, to be able to walk through a crowd silently, accept being petted by strangers, and not react to other dogs it passes. If you are not based in America, then try to find out which organization in your region provides a similar certification program for your canine friend. Any dog can benefit from the canine good citizen program. For pitbulls, it can provide proof that you have a well-behaved and friendly pet. You can show this certificate to neighbors or potential landlords to prove that your pet is a good dog. You must also sign on to the responsible pet owners pledge. This will be helpful, especially if you have a heavily built, muscular pitbull at home as your dear pet. As more and more people find a friend in this canine, there has been a growth in this breed’s popularity. The term pitbull is used to describe the descendants of bulldogs and terriers in the United States and in the United Kingdom. The term pitbull is used as an abbreviation or short form, and it refers to the American pitbull terrier breed.You will stop pondering how to raise a pitbull puppy after reading through this interesting article. Do be sure to check out our other articles to find out fabulous facts about the American bulldog vs. pitbull and Akita pitbull mix, here on Kidadl.Training Your Pitbull Dog To Be A Good Family PetWhen you finally settle down and decide to buy a puppy and not just any other puppy at that but a pitbull puppy, it is important that you also take ample time every day to train your puppy. A pitbull has a nasty reputation as a ferocious dog, but the truth is that when properly trained, well-bred, and socialized, pitbulls can be friendly people dogs. Though pitbulls are not for everyone, due to their high energy levels and strength, they are gaining popularity. So, if you decide a pitbull is a good fit for you, you will find them extremely intelligent and eager to learn. Pitbulls often excel at obedience training and dog sports.It is also important to train them properly to become good family pets. What is it that you expect from a good family pet? First, your dog should be friendly with family members, including children, the elderly, and other pets. Secondly, they should not be wary of strangers or visitors. In the first case, if this criterion is not met, then there is no point in having a pet at home, and in the second case, what is the use of such a terrific watchdog if doesn’t allow anyone into the home? Therefore, it is important to train your pitbull dog to be a good family pet.The Pitbull is a medium-large-sized dog. It is a strong, powerful, energetic, and agile dog. This dog isn’t just a loyal dog but it is also known for its determination and eagerness to learn. With adequate early training, they will develop a playful, friendly nature and good temperament. Unfortunately, many people know about pitbulls from news stories about dogfighting or pitbull attacks. This is one of the reasons to make the extra effort to train your pitbull. A well-trained pitbull can be an ambassador for its breed and show the world that pitbulls can be wonderful pets with a loving home and training.Training A Pitbull PuppyTraining a pitbull puppy is just like training any other puppy. Pitbulls are very intelligent, and when appropriately raised, they become gentle and gracious. The earlier a pitbull puppy starts training, the better. They are better to be trained early because once a little puppy develops its own personality (which it will do anyway), it will become harder for you to train it in the desired way. In any case, the thing to remember is socializing at an early stage in life is beneficial.Start training your puppy from day one. They are smart and are eager learners. They will be happy to learn, especially if they know that they will be rewarded. These puppies will grow into muscular adults and require vigorous exercise levels every day. They do best with an hour of purposeful activities to help stimulate their minds. This is important because their pent-up energy, if not properly spent, will lead to aggressive behavior.Your dog must respond to your commands when you are at the dog park just as well as it does in your living room. This type of training is referred to as proofing. It is important to remember, however, that each dog is an individual. It can’t be emphasized enough that aggression towards other dogs is not equal to aggression towards humans. Just because your pitbull is intolerant of other dogs does not mean it is going to be aggressive toward people. So do pitbulls turn on their owners? No, pitbulls are a highly loyal breed.Socializing Your PuppyIf you have finally decided to have a pitbull as your pet and with full confidence bring it home only to find that it is wary of visitors, you might regret your decision. However, if you don’t want to find yourself in this situation, make sure you are like any other dog owner, and take charge of the situation like a dog trainer. Start socializing your puppy from day one. The more a puppy gets socialized, meeting different people under different circumstances, the better for you and them. Through early training, you can be confident of your dog’s social skills by the time it grows into a muscular adult.Start socializing training for your pitbull puppy as early as possible. If you have a pitbull puppy, then make socialization your top priority. Your pitbull puppy must learn to be comfortable with various people as well as different situations from a very early age. See that you expose it to children, men, women, and other animals. Get your pet used to being handled. Keep things upbeat, and allow your pitbull puppy to approach new things in its own time. Do not force your dog to do anything because even if the pitbull agrees to it as a helpless puppy, the use of force may cause it to retaliate in the long run.This early socialization part is the most important component of your puppy’s training program. As we know, these are very high-energy dogs and need everyday exercise sessions. These sessions can not happen indoors without proper socialization of your pup. When outdoors, our canines must learn to follow the rules in a social setup. So are pitbulls smart? Yes, pitbulls are a highly intelligent dog breed. They are highly trainable and have the ability to learn complicated tasks and perform excellently as search and rescue dogs.Using Positive ReinforcementThe use of a leash is beneficial when training these dogs but you should definitely keep in mind that these dogs have a big appetite and love to eat. They love food that contains beef, chicken, and turkeys; their main meat sources. Use their urge for food for positive reinforcement. As dog owners, you should know how to reward your puppies with very small chunks of soft bites whenever they exhibit the desired behavior. For example, reward your pitbull with a treat for not barking at a mailman, not jumping on you after you return home from work, or even after potty training sessions.Like any other dog, pit mix breeds are heavily motivated by food or treats during training. As dog owners, you should think of other ways to reward your dogs for desired behavior like praise and toys. Ignoring your pet dog when it is doing an unwanted activity and paying full attention once it stops doing it helps in positive reinforcements since pitbulls are intelligent and understand you ignoring them. The correct timing of rewarding is also important to place emphasis on desired behavior from your pet. That way, you can teach it to behave in a certain way without using the leash training technique.Use positive reinforcement techniques when training your pitbull puppy. Due to their muscular build and strength, training that requires leash corrections or other punishments is not always effective with pitbulls. You will have far better results using a positive reinforcement technique that includes clicker training or other reward-based training. Most pitbulls are eager learners and will be happy to work for the rewards. As discussed earlier, praise can be a great reward as well. Your canine friend also appreciates a pat, a scratch under the chin, or other forms of physical affection.Did you know that the fierce-looking pitbull dog breed suffers from separation anxiety when left alone for a long time?Teaching Your Pitbull To Behave Properly With Other DogsIt is important to teach your pitbulls to behave properly with other dogs because pitbulls have a very long history of being bred only as fighting dogs, and they are thought to be not at all tolerant of other dogs. In such cases, you can keep control over your dog in the presence of other dogs. This can be done by teaching it to focus on you. This is the time when the ’look command’ becomes useful. Commands that can come in handy also include ‘stay,’ emergency recall, and ‘come.’ To make sure that your dog will respond to your commands in public or when it may be distracted by other dogs, you should take the time to practice commands in a variety of settings and situations. Some do well in households set up with other dogs. In contrast, others show aggression towards other dogs outdoors.Take your pet to dog parks and other places from a young age. This training method is helpful for pitbull puppy owners to teach them basic commands when around other dogs. You can take the help of a dog trainer to teach your puppy to obey commands even if they just involve small eye contact. In the case of behavior problems, you can seek help from professional trainers and dog obedience classes. The more a dog is exposed to other dogs from an early age and understands how to interact, the better. Plus, it will be really helpful for everyone as a family to be in a win-win situation when on walks.A well-trained pooch will be able to take cues from you rather than react to the presence of other dogs. If you are having any sort of trouble in any way, where you can not keep your dog from showing aggression toward other dogs, consider working with a professional trainer. When it comes down to it, pitbulls are really no different when it comes to training than any other dogs. The difference comes from people’s perception of pitbulls. A happy dog is a result of great raising.Training Your Rescue PitbullThe pitbull dog breed was a popular dog used in fights in England until it was banned from blood sport. This background of bloody battles created the bad reputation that the breed has today. When you come into contact with these dogs, you will be able to see that a pitbull is a sweet and adoring dog that is great with adults and children. Teach your rescue dog or puppy through advanced training and dog sports. Pitbulls are usually energetic and fun to train. Many pitbulls do well in advanced obedience and dog sports, such as rally obedience or agility. These activities are a good way to bond with your pitbull and have fun, and reinforce good behavior at the same time. Advanced obedience training and dog sports provide a perfect combination of exercise and mental stimulation that these active and intelligent dogs crave.If you get your hands on a rescue puppy, a pitbull can be tricky because of the bad rap around this breed. It is good to know the history of the dog and its parent dogs if possible but this is not always possible in adoption or rehoming scenarios. Therefore, it becomes important to take in a pitbull from a kennel foster when it is as young as possible. This reduces the chances of the dog having any bad experiences that could affect their behavior. So, are pitbulls mean, dangerous and vicious? Just like any dog, they can be but only if they are not socialized properly, are in the wrong hands, or are intentionally trained to be violent by the owner. Raising them this way can be dangerous and illegal.As we know already, it is important to understand that every dog is unique, and the pitbull is no exception. Moreover, we also understand that irrespective of the reputation and history of the breed, a pit bull dog becomes a family-oriented pet when properly raised. Just like for any other dog, early training is a must for this dog breed as well for it to become a family pet. A happy, friendly home with a positive environment helps any puppy to grow into an adult that reciprocates the same. So, it becomes all the more obvious for a pitbull puppy owner to create a peaceful place for the dog to live. Raising a healthy and socially accepted pitbull means providing it with a positive environment and a safe home. Also, as part of training, they should be provided with tasks that fulfill their physical and mental abilities. If you choose a pitbull, it becomes important to change people’s attitude towards this breed; a breed that is mostly misunderstood. So, take the time to train your pitbull, and you will have a happy and healthy member of the family who truly is an ambassador of its breed.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how to train a pitbull, then why not take a look at labrador pitbull mix or Pitbull Facts.
The pitbull is a gorgeous and gentle giant with an outwardly menacing appearance that gets a bad rap.
