Rob tells Sally, “Knee him in the chest. It’s the best way to stop him from doing that.”

Sally says, “Okay I’ll try it.”

Sally tries it and breaks Tank’s ribs in the process.

When it comes to training every one becomes an expert. Uncle Bob, Cousin Rob, Mom, Dad, Husbands and wives, they all offer training advice and suggestions.

There is only one problem with their suggestions.

Not a single one of them is a certified trained professional dog trainer/behaviorist/behavior consultant.

Think about it this way, would you take legal advice from someone who has not graduated from law school and passed the bar exam?

Would you take medical advice from someone who has not went though medical school and earned a PhD in medicine?

Obviously the answer to both these questions is NO.

Why is it that people take advice about dog training from people who have never had any training in the field then? Dog training is a complicated field. Despite what you see on those 60 minute highly edited dog training shows dog training is a professional field with highly trained professionals available to you.

I am bothered both as a Pit Bull owner and as a training professional by the lack of logic people show in regards to their dogs training. Of course not all people are like this but it is not uncommon and I’m sure at some point someone you know has offered you advice on a behavior/training issue you were facing with your dog who was not trained in the field of canine learning and behavior.

My hope is one day this trend will stop. That one day, like law and medicine professionals will be held to high standards and rigorous testing in order to receive our professional status.

The winds of change are blowing right now. Certifications by third party organizations are helping legitimize the training industry. Pioneers in canine behavior and training are helping usher in a new age of professional dog trainers who really do know what they are doing and use humane reward-based training methods to help owners like you and me find solutions.

Books, electronic books, video training, DVD’s, these products are awesome if they are created by actual professional dog trainers who have earned their certifications (or their “street cred” as I call it) but hiring a certified professional trainer to work with you and your Pit Bull personally is the best option. Hands down.

In my last article I said, “be careful who you listen too.” That advice remains. If they don’t have the education to back up their advice don’t listen to them.

Best Regards,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Helping Pit Bull Owners and Their Dogs Since 2004

Internet websites are popping up like crazy that offer “Fast Pit Bull Training” or “Training Your Pitbull the Easy Way!” When you arrive at these websites it is usually some story about how someone with a Pit Bull found these outstanding books/ebooks/videos/ that helped them “train their Pit Bull faster than ever!”

My concern is not with websites devoted to helping you learn more about how to train your dog my concern lies in who is offering you the help.

Training is a serious profession. Myself and others in the industry have spent years honing our craft. We take it very serious and the fact we go to schools that cost thousands of dollars, work towards certifications, and constantly attended continuing education workshops and seminars attest to our commitment.

My concern lies also with the information you are being given or sold. I have purchased many of the products on the web that are being sold to you. All in all, they stink. They offer you nothing that with about 10 minutes of searching online you couldn’t find for free.

Why pay $29.95 for an ebook by some guy who calls himself an “expert” yet you cannot find him actually training Pit Bulls? Does that make sense? That’s like going to a doctor for major surgery and finding out the doctor researched the type of surgery for 12 months and now they are going to operate on you. Oh yeah, and they are not a real doctor.

Now I know you may be thinking, “Jason you have an ebook too. I think you’re jealous/knocking the competition/worried/ etc… and that is why you are saying this stuff.”

Yes, I have an ebook. The difference here is I am a professional dog trainer who does train dogs and Pit Bulls. I hold certifications in my field. I attend seminars and workshops to keep my education top notch and then I share that information with you.

You can look me up and find my background, certifications, and what professional organizations I belong too. I do not hide behind a made up name either.

Finally, you don’t have to purchase my ebook package if you do not want to. You can find a ton of information for free here on the blog and at the main website.

Look it, the bottom line is training your Pit Bull is something that can literally make or break having a peaceful life with your dog.

You should listen to a professional more to the point a professional with actual hands on experience along with certifications. I don’t care if that is me or someone else so long as they fit that bill. So long as they are professionals and not some hack looking to make a buck with an affiliate product (a product they offer and make money from when they make a sale).

I have seen some incredibly irresponsible advice given by “experts” on the Internet. One guy, a breeder, encourages people to buy shock collars because, “The other training methods are time consuming.”

When I think about the people who take his advice and buy a shock collar I cringe inside. How many great dogs are going to be ruined by this one uneducated, uncertified, persons advice? I don’t even want to think about it.

All I wish is that you think about your decision when it comes to who you listen too and what methods you use. Despite what a lot of “trainers” are trying to sell you there is not an easy/fast/quick/brainless way to train your Pit Bull. It takes work. It takes educating yourself. It takes respecting your dog for the animal they are. It takes understanding that ANYONE can tell you how to train your dog and that this industry is not regulated in anyway shape or form.

Literally anyone can hang up a trainer shingle outside their door and start dishing out advice. That doesn’t make it right and that doesn’t make it safe for you to listen too. Being on TV doesn’t make one an expert, authority, or even a competent professional either.

In short, I encourage you to be careful who you listen to and make sure they know what they are talking about before you act on their advice.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Offering Pit Bull Owners Free Help Since 2004

1. Purchasing the dog.
2. Getting her shots and having her spayed.
3. Hired a dog trainer.

I was new to the breed. This was my first dog in over 10 years. I was a newbie all the way around but I knew one thing, training was just as important as vet care.

I am surprised that people thinking training is an added luxury to being a Pit Bull owner. Most people view training as an expense rather than a long term investment in their dog.

While you want to save money when looking for a trainer in the end price is the last thing you look at. First look at WHO you are working with and WHY they are qualified to train dogs. If they are not qualified and they are asking $5,000 for a month worth of training then yeah, that would be a rip off.

However if Karen Pryor or Dr. Ian Dunbar asked for that same investment it would be a worth while investment if you could swing it.

Think of investing in training not in terms of having your dog trained but rather having 13-14 years of fun, peace and stress free days with your dog.

Trained dogs are more fun to have around. They are more fun to take places. They are less work. They are a joy to have around.

Investing in training for you and your dog is smart. Plain and simple. If you try to avoid paying money for training or information to help you train your dog eventually you’re going to do one of two things (probably both) …

1. You’re going to try something that messes up your dog

or

2. You’re going to switch training methods because without hands on help you are not using the methods to their full potential so your not seeing any results in your dogs behaviors.

I’m not saying don’t research on the Internet and learn as much as you can from as many places as you can. What I am saying is by hiring a professional you shave months off your learning curve and you can see the benefits of training in a much shorter time.

Investing in training is unquestionably the best thing you can do for your Pit Bull Terrier. Price is relative to what you want from your dog.

For a couple hundred bucks you can hire a dog trainer to teach you and your dog basic obedience and if that is all you want, great, that is all you want.

For a few thousand dollars you can invest in a life long training program that allows you and your dog to use a training facility or get one on one training help for as long as your dog is alive.

There are thousands of options available that are extremely affordable. Like I said though, it is not the price tag you should be focusing on. It is the quality of training you are receiving for your investment that you should focus on.

One of the most affordable services a lot of trainers are offering these days (myself included) is day training. Day training speeds up your dogs training. If you’re obedience training your dog you can see results quite fast. Behavior issues may take a little more time to work with though.

Next time you find yourself saying something like, “I can’t afford dog training for my dog.” I would encourage you to re-phrase the question and ask yourself, “What do I need to do in order to afford training for my dog?”

Asking yourself that question leads to solutions. Saying you cannot afford it leads you no where.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Your Home for Pit Bull Information

I call training with your dog coaching instead of training. I refer to the process as “being your Pit Bulls life coach.” You help guide them in the right directions. You help instruct them during training and you help them learn how to be a better dog.

Reward based training is by far the most superior training available today. I instruct dogs and owners daily that have issues and in very short periods of time their dogs are well behaved and their lives are easier than ever simply because they stopped doing three things.

1. They stopped fighting with the dog. Pushing, poking, yelling, smacking, jerking, punishing the dog, these are all losing battles.

2. They focused on their education first. Before you can educate another you must first be educated yourself. If you are unclear about what you are doing your lessons will be unclear. Only when you are firm in your understanding of the “why and how” of a subject are you able to teach it to another.

3. They dropped the ego. Once they dropped their ego from the process their logic took over and it made sense to them. No longer fighting with the dog, focused on their own understanding of what they were doing, their ego was easy to drop because the results were there.

One thing I cannot stand is when people tell me, “That positive stuff didn’t work with my dog.” That is because you are doing it wrong. Guaranteed.

I find it ironic how people train dogs using reward based, scientifically proven, dog-friendly training methods and compete in some of the worlds most challenging dog sports winning national and world titles.

No, reward based training works. Not only does it work it is by far the most suitable for Pit Bull Terriers because their personality and athletic make up are a perfect match for the methods.

Fast effective Pit Bull Training starts with understanding reward based training. Once you “get it” training is so simple you’ll laugh at how hard you were working before.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – The Most Pit Bull Friendly Site on the Web

As they pass you your dog lunges, whines, barks, and growls at the end of the leash. Straining every muscle in your body you hold her back. This time that was the extent of it but what happens if you were walking around a corner and there happens to be a dog just on the other side?

Leash aggression has many causes. A few common causes are:

• Barrier aggression – The tension on the leash puts your dog into fight or flight mode.
• Fear aggression – Your dog has had a bad experience in the past and is overreacting to a normal situation (also referred to as reactive behavior)
• True Dog Aggression – Your dog is out to kill the other dog. This is the most severe of all the causes.

Deal with leash aggression can be time consuming and quite frustrating at times. Your main goal with any behavior training is to first identify the triggers or causes of the behavior.

Is it only when your dog is on leash they act up?

Is it only small dogs? Is it woman? Is it men? Is it large dogs
and men with hats?

Of course you will not be able to identify all your dogs triggers right from the start. Pay attention to your surroundings when your dog acts up. Take mental notes of the situation and remember then. You will start to notice a trend for certain triggers as you encounter more situations that cause your dog to act aggressively on the leash.

Even more important than figuring out your dogs triggers is to teach your dog an alternative reaction to the things that trigger your dogs leash aggression.

Most of the time owners and trainers alike focus on how to “stop” the behavior from occurring or how to “correct” the behavior when it does occur. You should focus more on getting your dog to react differently when they encounter situations that trigger their aggression.

Let me explain …

In the above scenario the lady walking towards you with her Yorkie is a known trigger. You know that this could be a moment your dog acts aggressively on the leash.

Your time for action starts the moment you notice the lady and her dog. You say, “Sparky, let’s play!” and you start to feed your dog rapidly. Moving around having them chase your hands in order to get the food you have secretly stuffed in there when you saw the lady and her dog. As your dog becomes eager and focused you praise your dog. You move away from the distraction at the same time not drawing attention to the lady and her dog.

The lady and her dog pass without incident.

How did this happen? You put the word, “play” on cue. Play means to turn around and start chasing food lures and your dog has learned that this is extremely fun.

You did this of course over time in low distracting environments. You’ve worked on it for weeks and finally it has proven effective during a real life scenario.

Will this happen for every dog that is leash aggressive? No. However it can happen for the majority of dogs if the proper foundation is set up and is trained for consistently over time.

If your dog is demonstrating true dog aggression this type of distraction training will be more difficult and may not work effectively. Again, true dog aggression means your dog wants to kill the other dog. Not scuffle or act out but will, without a doubt, kill the other dog if they are allowed near them. In this case you should consult a certified professional dog behaviorist (not a dog trainer) who is educated in applied animal behavior.

On a whole though true dog aggression even when talking about Pit Bull Terriers is quite rare. Often reactive or fearful behavior is mistaken for true dog aggression.

If you have a Pit Bull Terrier that is demonstrating leash aggression issues it is always best to consult a local certified applied animal behaviorist for specific hands on help with your situation.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author The Pit Bull Training Handbook