Pitbull Training

How I Tamed the Dog That Couldn’t Be Broken

by MrPitbull

Over the years I have owned and trained dozens of Pitbulls. During this time I have discovered that there are two ways to go about training a Pit Bull. One involves a tedious process, which takes weeks, even months of effort. The other involves about 10 or 15 minutes in about three sessions. Now you might ask; who in their right mind would choose the first method, which incidentally, most often leads to frustration and a dog that is at best only half trained? You would be surprised at how many people choose the first method which consists of Reward and Punishment as to the Dog training method. They reason; that is the way it has been done since the dawn of time and that if it worked with Lassie, it will work on their Pitbull. And frankly, if you are very persistent, it will work much of the time. But yet, if you are like me and most people today, where time is of the essence, a method of PitBull training that is faster, easier, and, more humane, has to appeal to you as it did me.

A while back I bought a 14 month old Blue Pitbull who I would name Bra'tac ( Bray Tack) you can see him on my website here: Master Bra tac. When making the purchase over the Internet, I inquired as to his disposition, and was told he was OK toward people but; "He is a handful". I soon discovered how true that statement was. Take a look at him on my site if you think I am kidding when I say he is the most powerful Pitbull I had ever seen, and still is. Basically, he was almost uncontrollable. All he wanted to do is sniff the ground in front of himself. The fact that I was on the other end of a leash with my feet dug firmly in had little effect in slowing his forward progress. So out came the pronged choke chain (I laugh when I see these on dogs now). The only thing that did was wear me out even more, as it barely slowed his pace.

It was then that I dug into my collection of Dog Training videos, and found the one I was looking for by Ed Frawley of Leerburg Kennels. The video is entitled E-Collar for Pets (I have no affiliation). The video touts the advantages of training a dog with an electronic collar. Some refer to them as Shock Collars while others like to refer to them as Static Collars. The video in a very straight forward manner shows how to use a dog training collar, and how very little stimulation is actually needed to get results. I decided to follow the instructions to the letter, and that Bra'tac would be the ultimate test subject. After adjusting the shock collar to the proper fit, I went through a series of tests to determine the right amount of stimulation for the electric collar (and yes I tried it on myself). You want just enough that you can see it gets his attention when you press the button. If the dog yelps, it is too much, back off the settings on the shock collar. Once I established the proper setting, the rest was a piece of cake. In three sessions, of no more than10 or 15 minutes, Bra'tac the Blue Pitbull beast that couldn’t be broken, was responding to my commands without hesitation. In fact, he could be in the yard with a female in full heat, and the minute I go to his kennel and call, he is there pronto.

Since then I have put the electronic dog collar to work training my Pit Bulls to do things that I had given up hope on. In another article I will share further experiences with dog training collars. In the meanwhile, I would encourage everyone to take a look at the video. Additionally, if you are hesitant as I was to use a Training Collar, Go to Cabelas and read all the user reviews. Doing so helped me decide to try it, and I am very glad I did.

Electronic Dog Training Collars

Sharing fun time with my dogs is something I look forward to everyday. Sadly I can’t spend every second with them as I am confident they would like. Other duties and obligations stand in the way, as I am sure you too are aware. Therefore making the most of the time we spend together is always my goal. To accomplish this, I employ several routines during play time, which we (me and the dogs) both look forward to. One of the dogs favorites is the “flirt pole” exercise. If you are not familiar with a flirt pole, the best way I could describe it is; it is a carriage whip. At “Tractor Supply” you can pick one up for $20. I believe they call it a “Lunge Whip” for some reason. Purchase the longest one (6 ½ feet I believe) they have. The overall length is about 12 ½ feet including the rod and the rope (whip). Tie something on to the end of the whip. I use any one of a number of rope type of toys. Even a simple rope with a loop for the dog to grab is sufficient. Some will use a piece of leather or animal hide (properly tanned of course). Then all you have to do is spin the whip in a circle just above the reach of the dogs. In time you will develop the technique where you remain stationary while holding the pole upright as you spin the whip in a circle. You will not believe the fun you and the dogs will have as you endeavor to keep it just barely out of their reach as they endeavor to be the dog that brings it down. Some dogs never really seem to catch on were as others devise near flawless techniques. In the end, win or lose, all the dogs have a blast trying to catch it.

Now once they catch it, your ability as a dog handler will be quickly put to the test. As you know, once a Pitbull has something between his teeth, they don’t like to let go. Now try it with six or eight dogs and see what happens. The one dog that brings it down has about a ½ of second to enjoy the victory before everyone else grabs hold. Prying the rope from their mouths after all the excitement and anticipation is next to impossible. Now if you have one dog you can wrestle it out of their mouth. Any more than that and you have your work cut out for you. Instead of frustrating yourself and the dogs, this is the approach that works… guaranteed. Take your electronic training collar and after adjusting it to the individual dog’s proper shock setting, take a single dog out and begin the exercise. When the dog catches the flirt, praise him for his endeavor and allow him to enjoy the fruits of his labor for a few seconds. Then instruct the dog with the firm command “Let Go”. When he of course refuses, you say “let go” again, and this time you give a little electric stimulation with the dog training collar. Within minutes, you will say; “let go” and the flirt will be lying on the ground guaranteed. Do the same with each dog and after all have been trained, run each through the exercise one more time. Then bring them all out, and determine which dog or dogs under the added excitement of “peer pressure” forgot everything he had just learned and retrain him with the aid of the electric dog collar, with the presence of one or two dogs that need no further training. Once he quickly responds to your commands, bring them all out again.

In a matter of no more than two hours, you can easily train a half a dozen dogs with the aid of the remote training collar, to quickly follow your commands. It may take several sessions to have everyone in line, so be patient; it works! I can have six or eight dogs participating in the exercise, when one of them catches the flirt I commend and allow about 5 or 10 seconds for the dogs to play with it. Then, I command “Let Go”, and every dog let’s go instantly. I walk over to the flirt pick it up and the dogs position themselves for the next go round. All it takes is about 10 or 15 minutes of play time and your dog will be completely tired and satisfied. As a side note: I always make sure that each dog has had the opportunity to get plenty of water before putting them up.

Another side note: If a dog tries to take the flirt from your hand (and they will) the same training is done with the command “Get Down”. Really, just about any behavioral element can be overcome with a little help from a well designed electronic dog training collar.

PitBull Obedience Training Made Easy

I will never forget my PitBull friend “Bauss”. He is the red nose you see pictured with Mrs Pitbull on the “Meet Mr PitBull page. He was a very quick study and always obedient. Whatever I would tell him to do he would do quickly. Well, except one thing; when we would go for a walk, he would always want to take the lead. I could not break him of the habit. Of course rule #1 of obedience training is; “never let the dog take the lead”. The one who takes the lead is the one in charge, the one in control. He was so bad; I decided before I lost my temper, I would not be able to take him on any more walks. Well about the same time, I obtained Bra’tac who was about 14 months old. There was only one command that I could find that he would observe and that was “SIT”! Other than that, I could not get him to obey anything else. That is when I decided it was time to seek professional help. Purchased an Electronic Dog Training Collar (as I detail in another story) and decided that if it worked on Bra’tac, it would work on Bauss. After spending a few minutes to adjust the sensitivity (again, if the dog yelps, it is up way too high), we set out for a walk around the block. By the time we had reached the half way point he was trailing just behind me. On the home stretch, twice he started to ease ahead as I slowed my pace. A simple voice command, with no stimulation of the shock collar, was all that was needed to send him to the back on the line again.

It takes about two… no more than three sessions, with a well designed dog training collar, for the dog to understand and obey without question the commands. To train a dog to that level of obedience is beyond the ability of an average dog owner without the aid of the dog shock collar. I cannot emphasize enough, if you are a dog owner; do yourself a big favor and pickup one or two good electronic dog training collars. In no time, you will have the best trained dog on the block without a doubt.

How to Stop Your Dog from Barking!

Yet another area where a little diligence in training can reap major rewards is teaching your dog to respect the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. For whatever reason (and if they could only talk) seems like every dog wants to be heard. There is nothing that is more frustrating for your neighbors, than listening to your dog barking for hours on end. I cannot believe how many people show no concern for their neighbors and allow their dog or dogs to bark at will. Especially when the problem is easily solved with the aid of well designed bark collars. It used to be, back in the old days, the real purpose of the “steel toe boot” (truth be told) was to keep ones dog in line. The garden hose was not invented (despite popular belief) to water crops, but was invented by a guy sick and tired of a barking dog. And the BB gun… I think you get the picture. There is absolutely no excuse in a modern society to ever own a dog that frequently gives in to the urge to bark, not when you can stop your dog from doing so, for under a c-note with an anti bark collar.

The Electronic Barking Collar is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. In a recent poll (just kidding) respondents picked the “no bark collar” as the most significant breakthrough in the history of modern gadgetry, soundly (pun intended) beating out “Sealy Posturepedic” and “Nytol”. Anyone who has ever had to deal with a barking dog can fully appreciate the advantages of a simple “no bark collar”.

Many avoid using dog bark collars because they reason that it is not humane or that it is somehow cruel. Now how they justify putting the entire neighborhood through unabated torment because they will not properly discipline their dog, I do not know. The simple truth is; a barking collar is without question a loving and humane way of training a dog to respect the rights of others to live in peace. Any minor and momentary discomfort the dog may sense when being corrected, cannot compare to the agitation he causes for the neighbors as he continues to bark at will. If you have not already done so, do yourself and your neighbors a favor and invest in an “anti bark collar”.

Thankfully, Pitbulls are not (at least mine never seemed to be) a barking breed. Now, don’t misunderstand what I am saying, for they will bark, just not as often as other breeds. Still, I have found it necessary on occasion to employ bark collars at one time or another on a few of them. The key is to make sure that you do not overdo the correction. Most bark control collars have a half dozen or more settings. Start out on the lowest possible setting and keep a close eye on the dog when they start to bark. If they continue barking, adjust the setting up to the next level. Once he starts to bark and you notice immediately that something gets his attention, you are probably on the right setting. It takes a few times before the dog associates the discomfort with the barking, yet once he does, he will quit barking. You will have to place the bark collar on him several times or more, and before long the barking collar will not be necessary very often, if at all. A quick word of caution, avoid the higher setting that could cause the dog to be hit hard enough that it inflicts a degree of pain. If the dog experiences pain, he may begin to yelp and the bark collar may continue to shock. You don’t want that!

Many are hesitant to employ dog bark collars because of preconceived misconceptions. If you are one who is tentative, do yourself (and neighbors) a big favor and go to Cabelas and read the “Bark Collar reviews”. One after another will say “I didn’t want to… I wish I would have done this long ago”. So too, the dog bark collar reviews can be very useful in helping you to decide on the right bark collar for your needs.

PITBULL KENNELS