Ever wonder why some people seem to have a “magic” touch with their dogs? Have you ever seen a country dog being told what to do and it does it without question and the owner doesn’t use any leash or special collar to get their dog to do what they ask? Do you think these dogs are smarter than yours? I can tell you right now it’s not that they are smarter than your dog. No… the secret is in how to raise their dogs as puppies.
How are YOU LIVING?
Here’s a day in the life of the average new puppy owner.
- They wake up and their dog has used the bathroom in the house.
- They try and try to house train their dog but alas, the dog is now 3 months old and still goes to the bathroom in the kitchen or on the sofa.
- They try to train their puppy using a leash, but the puppy eats through the leash and escapes. They spend the rest of the day chasing their dog down and then scolding it for being bad.
- At night they put the puppy in a “secure” room only to find it has chewed everything in that room to pieces.
- 5. They feel like they are raising a wild lion cub instead of a domesticated Pit Bull Terrier.
Do Any of these Sound Familiar to you?
If they do here’s how to stop them and the answers to the questions at the beginning of this article.
You see, it’s not that they train their dogs better or they know more than you about dog training. Their success lies in the fact their dogs respect them. Read that again, it’s that important.
Notice I did not use the word, “love.” Their dogs respect them and this is how they can call their unleashed dog from 200 yards away with a simple whistle or by calling their name.
While the average owner struggles to train their Pit Bull puppy, these owners have never even asked their dogs to sit, much less put them on a leash.
How you live with your puppy is how you set up a great relationship for the future.
Living with a puppy requires one thing.
The Pit Bull Training Handbook
Pit Bull Puppies and Rules
Here are the standard new Pit Bull owner rules that I share with people who are having problems with their new pups.
These rules are not the “word” or the final solution, but they help. They help a lot actually.
Rule #1: Pup is always supervised. I’m amazed at how many people email with questions about their puppies and somewhere in the email they always say, “We let pup out at night and they go to the bathroom in the floor, how can I stop this?”
Answer: Pup should not be allowed freedom at night. They should be put in a wire kennel (not a shipping crate) and stay there until you let them out in the morning. Then you attach a leash to them and take them outside. When they are done going to the potty and you can’t supervise them, put them back in their wire crate.
Why? A dog that is always under supervision can not crap in the floor or pee on your favorite chair.
Rule #2: Pup should always be on a 20 foot cotton leash when out of their kennel.
Why?
Having them on a 20 foot cotton leash has a two fold effect.
- It helps them learn to accept the leash for later.
- It gives you control of your puppy at all times.
Establishing Rules will Eliminate 90% of the Problems New Pit Bull Owners Face
Rule #3: The puppy is fed on a tight schedule. Free feeding a puppy is bad news and without this set schedule of feeding potty training will be a lot harder.
Set up three times a day to feed your pup and take up the bowl when they are done. If they do not eat 20 minutes after you set the bowl down, pick it up and put it down at the next feeding time.
Rule #4: Love is held for last. The needs of a puppy (and even adult dogs) are always the same.
In my book, The Pit Bull Training Handbook I touch on this subject a bit more so here’s a shorter explanation.
Your Pit Bull puppies needs are:
- Water
- Shelter
- Food
- Exercise
- Attention
Notice that attention is last.
Puppies will come to respect you if you respect them by serving their needs in order of greatest importance to least importance. Attention and love, being the last of the bunch. Yes, Pit Bulls thrive on attention. This is a good thing, however, too much attention and not enough of the other needs results in bad mannered dogs.
These Rules are Only Four Out of Many that Should be Established
These four rules are only the start. Some people think of these rules as “restrictive” or “harsh.”
Maybe they are restrictive, harsh, not by a long shot. Would you rather have a loving, respectful bond with your puppy or would you rather your puppy run over you like a mannerless wild beast?
Rules are how you establish yourself as the leader. The MAIN person your puppy should listen to and more importantly, respect.
If you raise your puppy by being a fair leader, establishing rules, and enforcing them without anger or prejudice, your dog will not only respect you, they will love you too.
Finally, if you think setting rules for your puppy is, “harsh” or too restrictive, next time you get frustrated and can’t figure out why your puppy pooped all over your carpet even though you just set them outside think about this article.
It was the lack of rules that caused the abundance of poop on the floor.
