October 29th, 2009
A recent article in The Pit Bull Lovers Gazette focused heavily on the in’s and out’s of dog training.
Over the years I have noticed that the majority of Pit Bull owners love to train their dogs. From the simple to the complex training seems to be a high priority for the majority of folks who love this breed.
I became so obsessed with training my dog Angel that it landed me in the professional dog training industry and I do not regret my decision to make dog training a career at all. Thanks Angel.
I wanted to share with you, from my experience, what seems to be the way to go regarding training Pit Bull Terriers.
Pit Bulls, by and large, respond very well to what I call positive drive training.
I’m sure others have used this type of training before me, I am not a pioneer by an stretch.
What is positive drive training? Glad you asked this very important question.
Positive drive training uses your dogs natural instincts (drives) to help them learn, perform, and maintain their behaviors.
Pit Bulls have a lot of the same drives as other breeds. However, one drive that stands out amongst most Pit Bulls is prey drive.
Prey drive is the instinct to chase, catch and kill prey. You can see this drive show itself in a game of tug of war. After you let the dog have the toy they shake it and run with it (killing behavior).
There are other drives involved in tug of war but we won’t get into those. Suffice to say, you want your dog in prey drive.
If your dog doesn’t have prey drive (rare amongst Pit Bulls) then you can use food instead of their toy to train them.
I prefer toys because the toy keeps their focus longer, they work harder for it, and you can’t fill them up with fetch or tug.
The Training Game
I use a game I call the training game to teach my dogs and clients dogs obedience and even complex tricks.
The game is simple and is based on one or two of the toys your dog loves. For example, my girls Angel and Honey both have a love of tug of war. Angel on the other hand is a real fetch freak as well.
In order to teach her a new behavior I excite her for her toy, show her what I want, then let her have the toy.
In short, the game of fetch becomes the reward for performing the behavior. You do not always have to use treats to get your dog to do something.
BACKFIRE PROBLEMS: Sometimes the drive for the toy can override their senses making it near impossible to teach them something because they are so focused on the toy. Lower the value of the toy and try with that instead.
If your Pit Bull loves tug of war, play that game with them and require obedience before the game starts and ends.
For example, you and your dog are playing tug. You ask your dog to let go of the toy, they do, reward with another game of tug.
Play the game again, if they let go say, “good dog!” then have them bite after the toy but make them miss. When all four paws are on the ground say, “sit!” when they do, reward with a game of tug.
I use tug almost exclusively when training competition dogs and my own dogs. Fetch is used when the dog shows more interest in that game. However, I have yet to see a Pit Bull that when done properly, was not into a good game of tug of war.
Over time your dog will learn discipline and obedience through playing these games. Then, when it really counts, you ask for something, you get it because obedience means play time for your dog.
I could spend another two hours and 2000 words or more on this subject alone but alas, time doesn’t allow that.
If you are interested in learning more about training your Pit Bull using these methods you can find more information at PitBullLovers.com and in The Pit Bull Training Handbook
Have a great day,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Web Site Online
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Tags: Add new tag, pit bull terriers, Pit Bulls, training | No Comments
February 21st, 2009
Uptown Hounds of Lexington Ky is by far the most impressive dog boarding and training facility in Lexington, Ky and surrounding areas. They have training (by yours truly as well as other trainers), boarding, daycare, and grooming. I started working out of Uptown Hounds last summer and the decision to move my training operation into their building was a no-brainer.
Beautiful and squeaky clean are two descriptions that I use quite often when describing their facility. I describe Uptown Hounds like this, “Once you walk in the front door you will say, “Holy *&^&!” It is that nice. Beyond that top notch facility you have a top notch staff with owners who really care about your dog.
We have created fun training programs, their staff are all certified pet care specialist, they put their hands on your dog (in a good way) and your dog is given the 5 star luxury treatment at a great price.
My favorite part is Uptown Hounds does not discriminate against Pit Bulls. They welcome all dogs of all breeds. I was truly impressed by their willingness to work with dogs that most dog boarding facilities turn away.
If you are in or around the Lexington Ky area you should stop in for a free tour of the facility. I will likely be there training and or just hanging out in the Cafe drinking a cup of coffee.
Check Uptown Hounds out by going to Uptown Hounds Luxury Resort for Dogs in Lexington Ky.
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel, Honey and Patch
The Most Complete Web Site Online
The Pit Bull Training Handbook
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Tags: Add new tag, boarding, kentucky, lexington, Pit Bulls, training, uptown hounds | No Comments
November 2nd, 2008
There is little doubt that obedience training is a priority for Pit Bull owners. Having a well behaved Pit Bull Terrier is more important now than it has ever been if you ask me.
I get a ton of training questions on a daily basis. Unfortunately I have very little time to answer each and every one of those questions so in an effort to help Pit Bull owners I put together a free 5 day training lesson package.
For more information visit Pit Bull University.
Like I said before, these are 5 free training lessons. Enjoy.
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel CGC/CTD, Honey and Patch CGC
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site Online
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Tags: obedience training, pit bull, training | No Comments
October 3rd, 2008
What I am about to reveal in this post is one of the most highly regarded, “secrets” to training your Pit Bull that I have. You may have even heard or read about it before but I guarantee you missed the power of this little secret.
What is this “dirty little secret?”
I’ll tell you more about that in a moment. First I would like to tell you about my book, The Pit Bull Training Handbook. I wrote this book for Pit Bull owners because there are a growing number of dog trainers in the world that will not work with Pit Bulls.
I know, amazing right, these people are stupid. I get referrals from other dog trainers in my area all the time because they refuse to work with Pit Bulls. It boggles my mind. But that’s besides the point.
I also wrote the book because I personally believe that basic training is the single most powerful way to build a bond with your dog.
The Pit Bull Training Handbook covers basic obedience, puppy manners, leadership, and more. What makes the handbook different is that it truly is Pit Bull specific. This is not a cookie cutter breed book that would work for any breed.
Many of the training concepts are well known but the focus on how to apply them to Pit Bulls is 100% unique.
You will also find things like how to train for the spring pole, how to build drive, and how to develop focus and attention quickly and effectively.
The techniques work for puppies and adult Pit Bulls.
You will also have the opportunity to become part of a growing community of Pit Bull owners by joining the Pit Bull Lovers Private forum. The forum is private, exclusive, and only customers of the Pit Bull Training Handbook have access to it. It is moderated and you will not find a bunch of “game dog” posts or people there. It is full of like minded people who simply want to train their dogs and present a great image of the Pit Bull to the general public.
I guarantee satisfaction and reveal all the steps that I use to train my own dogs and use in my professional dog training business to get results.
For more information about what is inside the handbook visit The Pit Bull Training Handbook website here.
What about that dirty little secret?
The dirty little secret is motivation. Yes, motiviation. As I said before you may have heard about getting your Pit Bull motivated but I guarantee you have never been told how to do that exactly. Well, I’m going to tell you right now.
There are many ways to do this. Pit Bulls, being “gripping dogs” are for the most part driven dogs. Most Pit Bulls have good prey drive and it is this drive you want to tap into. You want to tap into the drive to chase, catch, and grip things.
How do you do that?
Playing games!
Okay, stay with me here because this is the thing that separates the methods I use from the ones you’ve probably read about or heard about from others. One example of how well this works is in my own dog Angel.
As a puppy Angel was not much of anything in regards to drive. She was a “normal” puppy with a decent amount of drive but nothing to special. I started playing fetch with her using a specific ball. Each time we played it was the same exact ball.
Over a period of just a few days she started getting really excited for that ball. As I was teaching her basic obedience I used that ball as a reward. Her desire to fetch and hold the ball grew and grew.
Angel is 9 years old now and her drive for the ball is super intense and her focus is laser pointed. I can get her to recall instantly, get her to sit instantly, lay down instantly, and learning new behaviors is a snap because she is motivated to work for her toy.
You may be thinking, “Jason, this isn’t a secret! Motivation is all over the web in dog training books and well, it’s not nothing special.”
My friend, I guarantee you that you have not seen the exact motivational method that I am talking about here and while it is easy to dismiss, don’t. It is powerful. I talk about this method even further in the Pit Bull Lovers Private Forum which you will be able to access after purchasing The Pit Bull Training Handbook.
When you use a specific toy or type of food to build drive in your Pit Bull, motivation and attention are simple as apple pie!
Without drive you can not get motivation. Without motivation you can not get focus. Without focus you can not get solid obedience. I use this secret daily to “wow” dog training clients and to show them how their dogs, once thought, “untrainable” are in fact, very trainable and within a few minutes of seeing the results they are excited to train their dogs.
The key is to isolate the toy/food. In other words, it is the only toy or food you use while training. They do not get the toy/food at any other time. Your dog will start to crave their favorite toy/food and as a result you will be able to train without conflict.
Try this experiment…
1. Decide on a toy. A tug, a ball, or whatever. Tugs and balls are best from my experience.
2. Only play with your dog using that toy for 7 days. Play for a few minutes at a time.
3. Do not let the dog keep the toy. Once you are done, put the toy up.
4. Watch your dogs behavior over the next 7 days. I’m not a betting man but if I were I would bet you will see a change (for the good) in their motivation for the toy.
If you want to use food, follow the same process as above but instead of a toy, use your “secret” food.
Until Next Time,
Jason, Angel CGC/CTD, Honey and Patch CGC
The Most Complete Pit Bull Web Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: dog training, pit bull, pit bull training, Pit Bulls, pitbull, training | No Comments
