3/14/2005 11:16:00 PM|||Jason Mann|||In part one of Pit Bull Training - Myth vs. Reality we discussed finding your dogs motivation and using it to make training a positive and relaxing experience for both you and your dog.
In part two we're going to take a look at how to start training specific behaviors using positive training methods and your dogs motivator.
If you haven't found your dogs motivation yet, you will need to do so before using the information in this article.
Pit Bull Training 101 - Training the Sit Using Positive Methods
Teaching your dog how to sit has many advantages most dog owners simply don't see or never even thought about.
For instance, if your dog likes to jump on people teaching them how to sit and wait for you or your guest to pet them goes a long way to stopping the annoying jumping behavior.
In order for a dog to learn the sit properly you must first:
1. Start in a quiet area without any distractions. The quieter the better.
2. Know your dogs motivator. If you don't know this scroll down to part one to find out how to find it.
3. Stay relaxed and patient throughout the entire process.
Now that you are in a quiet area and you have your dogs attention by showing them their motivator you are going to lure them into the sit position.
You do this by:
1. Showing your dog the toy, ball, treat.
2. Lure them close to you with the motivator.
3. As they come in close lift the motivator up and move it slightly back.
4. The motivator (treat, ball, toy) should be directly over their head at this point with them looking up.
5. Now take one step forward while at the same time keeping your dogs head looking up.
6. They should scoot back and sit naturally at this point.
If they don't sit try it again.
The goal is to have them tilt their head back far enough to cause their butt to go down to the floor. If you do this correctly they will sit without much fuss.
As soon as they sit reward them by dropping the toy, treat or ball so they can catch it. Then praise them with a gentle, "that's good" or a "good boy/girl." You can pet them if they like that better.
Rewarding them as soon as their bottom touches the ground is the most important part of this entire process.
Don't get crazy and act like you won the lottery but don't act like nothing happened either. The idea is to make it crystal clear to them that sitting means:
1. They get their motivator and...
2. They are praised and get your positive attention.
If they do not sit. Do nothing. Do not give them their reward and do not correct them either verbally or physically.
Some dogs will scoot back on their bottoms instead of sitting. Lure them back to you and repeat the steps above until they sit.
IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT
I can not stress enough how important it is for you to reward them as soon as their bottom hits the ground. Remember to reward them as quickly as possible when they give you the behavior you asked them for. This goes for all behaviors you will teach your dog.
Repeat this exercise for several days. Do not say "sit" at this point. Walk them through the steps and reward them. Then praise them for a job well done.
After they start offering you the behavior (which is the goal of this type of training) then you can put the word, "Sit" in there. Show them the toy and as they start to sit say the word, "Sit" then reward as soon as their bottom hits the ground.
As time passes start adding distractions. TV, another dog, kids, people, etc...
It's very important you do not go to fast. Work up to high distractions slowly and always end each session on a positive note.
For instance, if you introduce a new distraction and they fail to sit every time. Remove the distraction ask them to sit and reward them.
Then stop the session and simply have fun!
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Have a great week!
Best Regards,
Jason Mann and the Terrible Two (Angel and Honey)
The Most Complete Pit Bull Informational Site Online|||111087206493372973|||Pit Bull Training - Myth vs Reality Part Two11/10/2005 04:05:35 AM|||pete|||Hey, you have a great blog here Jason Mann, searching for info on dog training and behaviour I just stumbled across you. Although Pit Bull Training - Myth vs Reality Part Two is not exactly what I am looking for it certainly got my interest. I see now why I found your blog looking for information on dog training and behaviour and am glad I stopped by even though this is not a perfect match. Great blog I intend to bookmark you, thanks for the read.