Pit training

[Guest Anonymous]

A few months ago I adopted my newest Pit from a local animal shelter. He's my 3rd but he's the youngest I've adopted and although he's probably 1.5 to 2 years old he has tons of puppy energy. He's a good boy but hasn't yet developed much in social graces. When we are out in public and he sees another dog, he pulls and barks and whines and wants to go running off to them. I took him for a temperament evaluation at a doggy day care last week and they said he wasn't "aggressive" but he's "dominant" and that he plays just fine. So back to the "in public" thing. He's hard for me to hold onto and he likes to twist and pull back his neck in an attempt to shed his collar.

What's the best thing to do while he's learning social graces? Would a harness instead of a collar be beneficial. The owners of the other dogs are petrified when he does that.

[abker17]

My border collie mix use to do the same thing. I'm still working with her, but she's a whole lot better. What I did was when we went on walks, I would bring along some really yummy treats, like cheese or bits of hot dog and when we would see another dog I'd get her to focus on me and the treats instead. Sound really happy while you're feeding the dog the treats, and try your best to keep her focused on you. Eventually he should learn that ignoring the other dog gets him rewarded. Also gentle leaders seem to help because you can control the dog's head. Good luck, I hope this helps some!

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks so much! Yummy treats is a great idea.

[rotten_two]

yes a harness could be very beneficial here. not only will it prevent the strain and stress on his neck if he does pull but it will make it easier on you too. i suggest something like the sense-ation harness. it works in the same way a snout collar works except it is over the shoulder. my female rott only weighs 80 pounds but if she sees something she wants and starts to pull i would swear she is 180! we got her a sense-ation harness and suddenly i have power steering and i don't worry as much that she will hurt herself.

www.softouchconcepts.com

[Guest Anonymous]

that sounds good. I need something that he can't wriggle himself out of. Would the Sensation Harness help with that?

[pLaurent]

My pit bull was also 2 yrs old when I adopted her. She had no training or manners, so the first thing I did was get her into obedience school since her pulling nearly dislocated my arm!

This is great for socialization and desensitizing to the presence of other dogs. Of course, the training is great too, because a dog can't lunge after other dogs if he/she is in a "heel" or "Sit/stay!"

Pit bulls are smart and easy to train and I highly recommend obedience school. :D

[courtnek]

I have no-pull harnesses for both my dogs. they are harder to pull out of than a standard collar, but because Pits are so strong you might want to look into a heavier-duty one than the ones I got. Good luck.

[piperstubbys]

Sensation harness is great, just make sure you get one that will be nice and snug on him. And the treats are great!

[Guest Anonymous]

for all the advice on handling Parker (the Park City Pitbull :) ) pulling and yanking when he sees other dogs.

I've been looking around for snug and heavy duty harnesses but i can't seem to find any. They all look so weak!

Keggie

[rotten_two]

www.softouchconcepts.com is where you can get the sense-ation harness. it does have a plastic buckle that clips under the chest (or at the side depending how you set it up). the part that the leash hooks to is metal and that is where all the pressure will be absorbed so i think if you got it with the proper fit it would help. they only come in 2 colors (black and purple). if you have questions please call them and ask about the fitting -- they will customize if needed!

[pyrless]

Hi! I like the Comfort Wrap harness, i have the Large one for my Pyr and it is hella tough thick webbed nylon, it is also adjustable separately in two spots-the part that goes between the dog's front legs and the part that wraps around their back. It comes in alot of colors too! It is also really easy to put on, they kind of "step into" it. I love the harness for pullers 'cause it redistributes the weight at the end of the leash and gives you more control so you can teach leash manners AND they don't try to choke themselves! :wink: For my Pyr I used the "change directions" method-if she started to pull one way, I would turn around and go the other way. Mind you this looks a little ridiculous 'cause at first you are just going in circles! But she caught on in a couple days, and now trots along beside me. (she's 90 lbs.) Good luck!! :D

[gooeydog]

On a regular harness, he's likely to only pull harder, as it'll be more comfy for him to do so due to his weight being distributed more onto his shoulders. It also gives less control over a dog's head, which can make keeping them calm if another dog comes up even more difficult. If you don't mind him pulling, a regular harness should be pretty hard to get out of, and is safer for that.

If you prefer him not to pull, you'd be better to try either one of the no pull harnesses (though I wouldn't trust some to hold a squirming APBT) or perhaps a martingale collar or limited slip collar so he can't pull his head out. Both our APBTs are collar slippers (the older one is a regular houdini at it, doesn't matter how snug the collar fits), and they wear martingale collars to keep them from doing so.

[Malamum]

I second what Abker said on the treats and training the dog to focus on you rather than the other dog.

I just wanted to add one extra thing..... you need to (well I have found this anyway) get your dogs attention before he sees the other dog. Once he is focused on the other dog and going ballastic it will be very hard to divert his attention - even with yummy treats. When we are out walking I am always looking ahead for approaching dogs to make sure I see them before my dog does. I then move off the path a bit and get him focused on me and the food rewards then the other dog can pass by with any reaction from my dog.