Project Pit Bull^TM
Natural Ears vs. Cropped Ears, which is better?

Out of all the conformation questions I receive this one tops the list. Cropped ears seem to be the norm for show dog owners and frankly the question has a simple answer. It depends on your preference and your idea of what an American Pit Bull Terrier should look like.

My dogs ears were cropped before they came to live with me. If I had to decide on the crop or not now I would go with natural ears. Natural ears are making their way to the show ring and judges are putting up dogs with natural ears in greater numbers. This is something I like to see.

Cropping a dog's ears hurts. I have heard the debate from both sides about the issue of pain but I have also seen a dog with freshly cropped ears yelping and screaming in serious pain from the procedure. If you want to crop your dogs ears it's best to do it young and make sure you have it done by someone who has cropped Pit Bull ears before.

On that note what is the right crop? The best crop is a medium crop. You will see battle crops (where the ears almost cut off completely) and poor crop jobs that are more suited for Boxers or Dobermans than a Pit Bull. The medium crop is the most used crop for Pit Bulls and in my opinion looks the best on the dogs.

Natural ears on the other hand are becoming more acceptable. I like natural ears for several reasons. First it cuts down on the "mean" factor of the dog. People are more likely to approach a dog with natural ears over a dog with cropped ears. I have two dogs with cropped ears and if I had a nickel for every time someone said it made them look mean I would probably be living on a tropical island in a mansion right now.

In the end it is your choice. Cropping the ears is a purely cosmetic procedure. It's like plastic surgery for dogs. Or at least that's how I look at it.

Whatever you do please do research and find a qualified, experienced, vet to do the procedure. You can not put the ears back so make sure you think the process through completely before you have your dog's ears done.

Pit Bull Health Tip of the Month:
Seven Solutions for the Summer Sun

Is it me or does it seem like summers are getting hotter? In any case you want to protect your pooch from the sun just as you would your kids or yourself. Here are seven easy tips for protecting your dog from the summer sun and how to ensure your dog has a fun filled summer.

1. Sun Screen Sun screen is a must have for the summer. I put sun screen on the top of the nose area and around my dogs bellies. Our breed has short hair so the areas that are particularly in need of protection are the stomach area's, groin areas (for females mostly), nose and the inside of the legs.

Apply liberally to these areas for best protection.

2. Shade If your dog's are like mine they spend a great deal of time lounging in the yard. If your yard doesn't have any shade you should put some in. Plan a tree, put up a shade screen, or put up a cover over the areas the dog lies in the most. This will give them a place to escape the heat and stay out of direct sun light after a long day of laying out.

3. Water Keep water in the shade to keep it cool. Remember to give your dog plenty of water during the summer months to prevent over heating and dehydration.

Pit Bull Training Tip of the Month:
Building Drive Your Pit Bulls Drive

Before we get into the how-to of building drive let's discuss what drive is.

Pit Bulls have many drives but some are more intense than others. The average Pit Bull has the following drives:

• Prey Drive
• Pack Drive
• Defense Drive
• Fight Drive

For this article we will focus on building prey drive because it is useful for training purposes. I will discuss the other drives briefly at the end of the article. For now let's stick to building prey drive.

First of all you can teach a dog to have drive. Some people will say that you can't make a dog like something. That is not true. Angel, who you might now is a ball freak never liked the ball as a puppy. She wouldn't play with it if it was the last thing on earth to play with. I sat for hours one day tossing the ball and trying to get her to fetch it. Nothing. She just looked at me like I was asking her to re-write the Bill of Rights.

Building drive is a game of patience.

So what happened? How did I turn Angel into a ball nut? I simply built drive by only playing with her when there was a ball around. If she got attention it was because I had a ball. If I didn't have the ball she wasn't given any attention. When I say attention I mean play time. I walked her, groomed her, paid attention to her but I did not play with her unless we were playing with a ball.

Over time she learned that the ball meant fun and she learned to like it. So much so that I created a monster. Believe me it's a curse and a blessing to have a ball freak. She's intense. So intense she scares me sometimes because I think she is going to do something crazy (hurt herself badly) to get the ball.

So what are the exact steps for building prey drive?

Understand these steps will work with a ball, rope toy, the spring pole, a tire, whatever you want to build your dog's drive for you can use these steps. The important thing is your dog has to be able to hold it in their mouth and carry it.

Step One - Decide on the motivation. As I said you can use anything you wish. This works great for the spring pole as well. Decide on a single toy/treat/reward.

Step Two - Start and Stop play sessions correctly. The idea is to keep your dog motivated for the item at all times. Start by playing with your dog a little using the reward. Once the dog shows interest let them play for a moment or two and then take the item away and put it up. This is a step you will repeat everyday.

Step Three - Repeat Step Two but step it up a notch. Repeat step two but let your dog play a little longer and require the dog to work harder for the item. Play keep away with the item. Make your dog work for it. Once they do give it to them for a moment or two. Then take the item and put it up.

Important Note: Do not ask your dog to drop the toy but take it from them. Snatch it just as they are really getting into it. Then put it up. Later on once you have built the drive you can use a cue to get the item back. I use "out" which is the protection sports cue for let go.

Step Four - Require a lot of work. Get your dog excited. Play keep away and really make them work. Then let them have the toy for a little longer this time. Again snatch it up and end the game by putting the toy away. They should still be excited and trying to get the toy from you at this point.

Step Five - Reward, Reward, Reward. Any time your dog has this item praise them, play with them, encourage them to play with you. Then again snatch it up and put it away.

At this point you just repeat the steps. Making your dog work harder for the item and giving it to them longer and longer each time but always ending the game at the peak of their excitement. This will develop intense prey drive in your dog.

WARNING: I do not say this lightly. You can develop a dog that is so intense it becomes a burden. I can not take Angel out to parks when baseball games or basketball games are being played without having her freak out trying to get to a ball. She obsesses over the ball and gets pretty nasty with other dogs if they come near her while she is carrying the ball.

That is not to say she is posing a problem to anyone but me. It's frustrating because she becomes so focused she forgets I'm there sometimes. I like this intense drive and I handle it but be warned it does have it's drawbacks and downside.

I belive a dog with intense toy/item drive is the best kind of dog. You can train them for anything. Is it any wonder K9 Units reward with Kongs and balls? SAR dogs get a kong or ball. Drug and Bomb dogs get a ball. Organizations that train these dogs build drive. With that drive comes focus. With focus comes attention. And once you have your dogs undivided attention you can train them to do an amazing array of behaviors.

Another note, do not train new behaviors with the high drive item. They will be so focused they won't focus on what you want them to do. Use treats first and then use the high drive item to really amp up your dogs response to that particular behavior.

Good luck and have fun with this.

Resources:
Where to find Great Gear for Your Pit Bull