I have a 4 month old pitbull puppy. I read that I should use positive reinforcement when raising and disciplining. So when she pees on the carpet, I pick her up and bring her outside. I just got her about 2 weeks ago, so I am trying to train her. I never strike her or pop her nose. One of my challenges is...
shawnkd from Lafayette, LA
I have 2 Pit Bulls and one of them used to nibble on my fingers and I didn't like that. What you need to do is be sure that they have enough bones to chew on. When I say bones I mean bones like go down to the meat market and get some pigs feet or a leg and boil it in some beef bulon re chicken until it is done and then put it in the oven until it is dry and hard. This takes about 1 to 1 and a half days. Your dog will love it and she will stop bitting at you. Also Pits don't like to be left alone at all. If your dog hasn't already started to eat wood, it will. They have anxity and they hate to be left alone. If your dog is a female than I suggest that you get a male, but dont get two males because they will fight each other when they get older. If your dog continues to bite then teach it discipline.
By Melissa and Ju;io
I've had nothing but pitbulls all my life, i've gone through about 4 now along with some other off breeds like german shepards and even a doberman. The pitbull terrier has proven to be the best breed in regards to atheletic ability, intelligence, and loyalty.
The bitting behavior exhibited itself in all the breeds through the various puppy stages. It was up to me as the master/dog owner to correct this behavior or any other unwanted behavior. In all the breeds that i owned i found that just establishing yourself as the pack leader/master in a no nonsence manner quickly helped me gain control of the puppies attention. No beating or pain stimulation was required. Firm strong commands along with deep eye contact is extremely effective.
A tug on the nape of the puppies neck as a mother dog would do to get the attention of a stubborn pup along with the voice commands where the extent of any physical contact with the dog. This by the way was done not in a manner to induce pain.
Sometimes when the puppy still didn't get the point that the biting was unwanted i would give a loud yelp to let the puppy know that it applied too much pressure. They don't know what there limit is until they are taught. This would startle the pup and also gain his attention. This should quickly be followed with a corrective verbal command. At all times stay firm with the voice and eye contact.
My current pitbull who is 8 months can be corrected with a glance and subtle change in voice. And keep in mind with all this, make sure to give lots of love, positive reinforcement along with a stern discipline will quickly get your dog in line. The dog wants to please you and you will find that the sooner you take a no nonsense approach to training your dog, the sooner the dog will be a able to co exist with you and be what you need him to be and enjoy each other's company. (06/30/2006)
By bloodborne
Puppies of any breed share that trait, to get excited and start ot nip at the hands, feet, clothes, etc of people around them. This is not unique to this breed. This form of excitement, I agree is painful, you should try to focus that energy and excitement elsewhere. If it is mild, try getting the puppy to chew elsewhere by offering a favorite toy or chewy instead of your hand. If that doesn't work or if your puppy is biting with pressure, ignore it. Be firm and let the puppy know that it is nor acceptable. At that point in it's life the puppy is developing and is looking for it's place in the "pack". Do not feel bad, in the wild, wolves "discipline" pups to establish their heirarchal role. You should think about enrolling in a reputable puppy training course to properly socialize and make her comfortable arround changing surroundings. Remember, as Pit Bull owners we have to be at the forefront of the cause. Our Pit Bulls have to ambassadors for the breed, to show the public that it is not the breed, but irresponsible people who make them bad. (07/01/2006)
By Jose
I have a 12 week old Blue Pit Bull Named Tequila. Many have voted against me having her since I am just 21 and everyone knows the responsibility of having this controversial breed. Me and my dog have a great relationship and I have never wished to not have her right by my side. I have found that she does require lots of patience and training but the rewards we both share.
She has so far been raised around two miniature yorkshire terriers and a year old cat in which she does Phenonminal communicating and playing with. She understands that these animals are smaller and you can tell by the way she plays with them. She is extremely submissive.
As to her biting: it was only a problem twice. After she bit me (it hurt), instead of showing her aggresion I said "ouch" and completely ignored her. I did this by playing with the other dogs and not even looking at her. She was completely devastated! Tequila did it again within a few days and I practiced this "discipline" again. We have not had one incident since.
I also do a lot to socialize her. She is put into different situations ever day. She goes where I go, Period. She's always around other animals and different children. Kids are definately her favorite, although, she doesn't quite understand that she has trippled her weight in a month so I keep an eye out for her clumsyness... :)
There are so many different things you can do to help the temperment of this breed. It just requires some research. Simple things like playing with her food while she's eating or taking it away and giving it back or hand feeding her at times will help. This all takes time. There are some really great websites and books out there. You just have to want to learn and look for them. (07/07/2006)
By Danielle
My puppy is 6 months old and had the same problem - it usually fades out as they get older. Sometimes "negative" reinforcement must be used. People are people, and as much as we may want our doggies to be little people, they are not.
They love a pack mentality, because that is how it is in nature. You have to assert that you are the "leader of the pack". Your dog won't "resent" you or act "abused", they'll be thrilled.
Having a dog as the "alpha" in the house usually results in an aggressive, noisy, stubborn dog that is almost impossible to train because they won't do anything unless they want to.
For chewing, if she jumps, what I do is clap at my dog, and she's associated that with "no". When she jumps, step back so she falls back on all fours and say "No!" very sternly, or clap, or both.
Over time I stopped using no, and just clap, and she associated that with "no" no matter what she's doing.
They are frighteningly smart dogs. I've had 5 danes, a dachsund (downsizing, haha) a doberman, and a lab- this is my first pitty, and as much as I am in love with danes, I find them to be a lot quicker to pick up things, and out of all the dogs I've owned, met, or experienced, I find this to be the smartest breed I have ever encountered!
Pitbulls are *verY* loyal and love to please. The first thing I would do is to make sure she understands that you are the head of the pack- this doesn't entail anything mean, but one thing I urge you to look up is the "Nothing In Life Is Free" training method.
You can find stuff about it all over the place on line, depending on how stubborn your puppy is and how out of hand, it might take awhile, but if you have a bit of patience,
fixing the problem now will be MUCH easier on both you and your dog if corrected now, rather than when she's big enough to cause some accidental damage with those teeth of hers!
Thanks, and good luck! (07/09/2006)
By Christie
What you should do is, everytime your puppy jumps on you, you should turn away and ignore it. Do that often so your puppy will think that if he or she jumps on you then you are going to ignore him or her. After doing that it'll calm down then you call it to you. Just repeat this because I own a pitbull too and thats how I do it. Hopefully this works for you too. (07/25/2006)
By Teddie.
I have a two year old female brendal and at first i had the same problem but i would spray her face with water and that really helped. She is really well trained. (10/31/2006)
By Stephen Hinnant
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