First and foremost doing your research before you get a Pit Bull Terrier. If I had a penny for every email I received that asked, “Jason, I just bought a Pit Bull Terrier. What do I do now?” I could buy my own Movie studio.

Training. This is by far the single most responsible thing Pit Bull owners can do. I am not talking about taking Jr. to puppy class and that’s that. I’m talking about 10-12 years of daily training.

Behavior problems, not disease is the leading cause of death in dogs under the age of 3 years old. (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior)

Veterinarian care. Why people do not take their dogs to the vet is beyond me. If money is an issue then you do not need a dog. Sorry but that’s responsible Pit Bull owner 101 stuff. Which leads me too …

Financial stability. If you rent, if you don’t have money for dog food, if you can’t afford vet care, if you are struggling to feed yourself then for the love God do not get a Pit Bull Terrier.

The average dog cost $800-$2000 per year in vet care and food costs alone. Add training, collars, leashes, treats, and toys and you can estimate another $500-$1000 on top of the average cost.

Spay/Neuter. If you are not competing in working dogs sports or showing your dog in conformation spaying/neutering your Pit Bull should be a priority. When you do that is not as important is getting it done.

Proper housing. Whether you allow your dog inside or not is your choice. However if you keep your Pit Bull outside provide them with adequate shelter. Do not chain them to a barrel with a three foot chain and expect them to be comfortable.

Common Sense Approach to Health. Are you looking for a 5 lb weighted collar for your dog because you think it will make them stronger? If yes, then you’re not using common sense. Putting weights on a dog only serves to break them down. I’m not saying that weight training is cruel or that you shouldn’t exercise your dog. What I’m saying is use common sense when it comes to your dogs health.

Advocacy. Years ago I wrote an article about Pit Bull ownership and in that article I stated, “It is every Pit Bull owners duty to help preserve the breed through responsible ownership and advocacy.”

I still believe this. If you own a Pit Bull Terrier it is your responsibility to present a good image of the breed. It is your responsibility to your dog that you provide for them and not just basic care but the best of the best.

It is your responsibility to educate yourself on the origin of the breed, the history of the breed, the many uses of the breed, and when confronted with an idiot who wants to hate on you about your dog it is your responsibility to set the record straight.

Maybe my view on a responsible owner differs from Jane Q Pit Bull owner. Maybe what makes a responsible owner is more than what I’ve mentioned here. Or maybe people will see this post as a load of bull poo. In any case, respecting your dog is the most responsible thing you can do. How you do that, well, that’s entirely up to you.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
PitBullLovers.com – Gear, free articles, and free video training available.

The face of the American Pit Bull Terrier has changed dramatically since their creation centuries ago. Only a few decades ago they were the icon of freedom for the United States.

In the past “bulldog” meant tenacious, courageous, loyal, tough as nails, and steadfast.

Why did the face of the breed we love so much change from loyal and steadfast to “inherently more dangerous than any other breed of canine?”

I have an opinion about that and as with all my opinions it is quite strong. ASPCA, HSUS, PETA, and other animal “rights” groups paint these dogs as horrible. They paint their owners as thugs, gang members, and criminal types. They advise city councils to introduce breed specific laws for Pit Bull Terriers in the hopes they will rid their communities of these types of owners.

Sensational, biased, unsubstantiated media reports fuel the flames of the breeds viability. Seizing a hold of stories like the Vick case like a Pit Bull grabs their favorite tug toy. Demanding they are reporting fair and balanced news but when other dog fighters are busted, all their dogs killed, where is PBS then? Where is the press conference then? HSUS and PETA love Michael Vick. They plaster his face all over the news for their causes. Send them $19 and they will help other dogs in similar situations live! Which by the way is not true. They do not help a single dog or shelter with your money.

American Pit Bull Terriers are with a doubt a superior working canine. There in lies the problem. The key word there is, “WORKING.”

Pit Bull Terriers have taken the same turn as the German Shepherd and the Doberman before them. High quality, well bred, working dogs turned into couch potato’s.

American Pit Bull Terriers are not right for everyone looking for a dog and thank goodness there are some breeders who actually turn down people who want to purchase dogs from them. Sadly this trend is rare. Want a Pit Bull? All you need to do is fork over $3,000 for a “blue nose” from “I breed fat dogs with no use” kennels and presto you have yourself a bonafide “pit bull terrier.”

So will the American Pit Bull Terrier recover? Your guess is as good as mine. Only time will tell. My hardened perspective says not in a long time. I truly hope I’m wrong. I do know one thing, animal rights groups are sure not helping and they certainly are no friend of American Pit Bull Terriers.

Until Next Time,
Jason
Author – The Pit Bull Training Handbook
Pit Bull Lovers – Fighting to Keep the Breed Alive

Recently one of these folks has been sending me an email every now and a again to remind me that “Pit Bulls are killers!” His emails contain links to stories like, “70 year old man bitten by Pit Bull dies 3 weeks later from his injuries.”

As with all emails like his I take a two step process and I suggest all Pit Bull owners and advocates take a similar approach.

Step One: Present the UNDENIABLE FACTS that Pit Bulls are not inherently more dangerous than any other medium to large breed dog.

Step Two: Smile knowing you’re right.

One of his last emails to me said, and I quote, “I am tired of Pit Bull advocates ignoring statistics and the pain these animals cause to humans through their incredible strength and ferocity.”

I do not ignore statistics and most Pit Bull advocates will share mountains of statistics with anti-pit bull fanatics. Problem is, they don’t care.

I’ve been called “radical” for my stance on Pit Bulls by the anti-pit bull crowd. I’ve been called a “fanatic” myself. Yes, I am a Pit Bull fanatic and frankly I am not afraid to tell you that in public. I love Pit Bulls (DUH! Pitbulllovers.com!)

So when some tart comes along telling me about the latest “mauling” I reply, prove it. Prove that (A) the dog was in fact a purebred Pit Bull Terrier and (B) the dog was completely, without ANY human involvement, responsible for mauling someone.

You know what? Most never reply simply because they know that (A) is hard to prove and (B) is impossible because at every step of a dogs life a human being is responsible in one form or another for that dog.

One final thought, Why is it that the majority of professional canine experts all agree that Pit Bulls are not any more dangerous than other breeds? Think about that for a bit. The people who actually work with these dogs on a daily basis completely disagree with the anti-pit bull stance. Weird huh?

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

With that said I think it just as important to mention that not all Pit Bull Terriers will end up in a dog fight with their housemates.

Owners need to take precautions and as a professional dog trainer I tell every dog owner with more than one dog the same thing. Having multiple dogs creates tension in the household and unless you are experienced at handling, training, and caring for multiple dogs you do not need to have multiple dogs.

So what is the answer to, “How do you stop two Pit Bulls from fighting?”

You separate them at all times and do not allow them to share space again. You cannot train this behavior out of them. Using idiot “training” methods (forced based “whispering” or compulsion) will only create more problems and anyone who suggests you can “fix” the problem is showing you right off the bat they lack experience with real dog aggression.

Let me back track for a second. Real dog aggression is when one or both dogs want to kill each other. I’m not talking about a squabble over a milkbone. I’m talking about an intense, fight to the death, experience here.

You should always consult a professional, certified behavior consultant or behaviorist before starting any behavior modification program with your dogs.

Until Next Time,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Site Online

My dogs, poor sensory overloaded four leggers, were drooling most of
the day waiting for their “piece of the pie.” You see, being the guy
I am my dogs are just as much part of my family as the two leggers
are so each of the dogs gets a plate made just for them based on
their personal likes and dislikes.

I wanted to share this with you along with a training tip because
a lot of times we are so busy on the holidays we leave out our
little four leggers.

My dogs get: (Raw meats mind you, nothing is cooked)

1. Turkey neck split between the 4 of them.
2. Turkey liver, sliced and diced Kentucky style.
3. Turkey heart. They love the heart.
4. A chicken thigh (bone in).
5. A cut of ham.

Each dog gets a little more or less of the above foods of course
but for the most part I try to keep it as equal as possible depending
on how much the dogs weigh. The heart is so small they only get
a tiny bit but they liver they love. I call it “Pit Bull Pâté” because I make it into a little spread that goes on their chicken thigh.

Now that we’ve covered the dogs meal I wanted to share with you a little training exercise I do with them to help proof some behaviors they already know like stay, down, and take it.

Before I give them their plates I put the dogs in a stay and then one by one on put the plates on the floor about 4 feet apart (my dogs have food issues so they need space).

After that I put the dogs into a down and one by one I release them with their different “take it” cues to go to their plates.

Simple? Well yes and no. Yes it is simple to do when you have one dog but not was easy with 4. Especially given the food that is on the plate. My dogs love liver, heart, and raw chicken. Making this simple exercise much more difficult for them because they are hungry and their are good eats on the plate.

However, from a training stand point training each dog separately and then putting them together as a group makes this exercise quite easy to set up. People are amazed at how well they behave but only if they knew how many times they go to the food during training. lol.

That will be our little secret okay? ;o)

Have a Grand and Safe Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,
Jason Mann and the Moo Crew.
The Most Complete Pit Bull Site Online
The Pit Bull Training Handbook