dog training

[tmlowe5704]

Does anyone here train dogs or know of good resources to help along the way? I am getting a 7 month old pit bull and want to begin training right away. I want to do the training myself so I will likely be looking for books or guides for the process.

It was left on a friend's door step and the vet okayed its' health but said it was likely that it came from a neglected home or was abused. She shows no signs of aggression but is very timid towards humans and was very gentle with my friend's shih-tzu.

[wolfy-hound]

Just because it is timid doesn't mean it was abused. Most dogs that act timid are only not socialized. Probaly kept in the backyard and wasn't exposed to anything.
First thing is be firm and consistant from the first. Don't feel sorry for her/his circumstances. Be in charge and when she/he behaves give your rewards and affections. Don't give her treats when she is acting fearful or bad. Reward good behavior(even if it's just lying around being quiet) and stop bad behavior immediately.
Remember too, no matter how much people say it, the dog doesn't know why you are upset if you come home and something is destroyed. I hear over and over.. "Oh he knew what he did wrong! He slunk around..." Yeah, he slinks around because youa re upset/mad. Not because he thinks "Oh yeah, two hours ago I chewed the couch arm up". There is no connection in his mind, and trying to say there is will do nothing for the relationship between you two.
Don't make it a person in a fur coat. It's a dog. Treat it like a dog, not like a baby. You'll get a great fatihful loving willing to please compainion.
NEVER make excuses for your dog behaving badly or worse, behaving in a agressive manner. When she snaps at someone and you say "Well, she was abandened" you'll only set yourself up for a total failure, and posibly a lawsuit when she progresses to worse behavior.
Any behavior issues that begin should be dealt with IMMEDIATELY, and if you cannot alter the behavior you should consult with a professional trainer.
I hope that you ahve many years ahead of you with your new companion.
Wolfy

[tmlowe5704]

Thanks for the help. I am not the type of person to make excuses, especially if it comes to one of my animals. All snake people know first hand that it is never the animal's fault lol.

[rabernet]

If you want to do positive reinforcement training, we clicker trained Diamond.


Here's a great site about it: http://www.clickersolutions.com

Then check out the Training Articles and it starts with Basic training. The mailing list was really helpful too when I had questions.

[slartibartfast]

Just because it is timid doesn't mean it was abused. Most dogs that act timid are only not socialized. Probaly kept in the backyard and wasn't exposed to anything.
First thing is be firm and consistant from the first. Don't feel sorry for her/his circumstances. Be in charge and when she/he behaves give your rewards and affections. Don't give her treats when she is acting fearful or bad. Reward good behavior(even if it's just lying around being quiet) and stop bad behavior immediately.
Remember too, no matter how much people say it, the dog doesn't know why you are upset if you come home and something is destroyed. I hear over and over.. "Oh he knew what he did wrong! He slunk around..." Yeah, he slinks around because youa re upset/mad. Not because he thinks "Oh yeah, two hours ago I chewed the couch arm up". There is no connection in his mind, and trying to say there is will do nothing for the relationship between you two.
Don't make it a person in a fur coat. It's a dog. Treat it like a dog, not like a baby. You'll get a great fatihful loving willing to please compainion.
NEVER make excuses for your dog behaving badly or worse, behaving in a agressive manner. When she snaps at someone and you say "Well, she was abandened" you'll only set yourself up for a total failure, and posibly a lawsuit when she progresses to worse behavior.
Any behavior issues that begin should be dealt with IMMEDIATELY, and if you cannot alter the behavior you should consult with a professional trainer.
I hope that you ahve many years ahead of you with your new companion.
Wolfy

Brilliant stuff! Fearful dogs need a strong leader...when you baby them and reassure them for acting fearful, you just reinforce the fear. Be calm and in control and they'll respond wonderfully. :-)

[Blu Mongoose]

Even though you want to train the dog yourself a class is great. It does wonders for socializing your dog. A well socialized animal is a much more stable and predictable animal. Socializing does wonders to help an animal mature into a wonderful companion.

[gibbrishclown]

I think you should get Cesar Millan's book Cesar's Way. This book isn't about training as much as it is about leadership and how to understand what your dog needs from you. I'm a certified trainer with 4 pit bulls, and that book opened MY eyes... I was ruining my shy dog by trying to "help" her... I was treating her like a person!

I also loved Pit Bulls For Dummies... it's a great book about the breed with basic training tips in it if I recall correctly... teaching this dog to sit and lay down etc is going to be easy once you have a strong leading relationship with the dog.

Congrats on your new soul mate, and best of luck to you! I'm sure the great folks here (lots of pit lovers here) will be glad to help you with specific questions as time goes on... I know I will be glad to help all I can!

[gibbrishclown]

Even though you want to train the dog yourself a class is great. It does wonders for socializing your dog. A well socialized animal is a much more stable and predictable animal. Socializing does wonders to help an animal mature into a wonderful companion.

Totally! I used Petsmart as my socializing tool with most of my girls... I'd take Proof in every day for the first few months I had her to get her used to all the crazy noises and people and unstable dogs and what have you... She however didn't do well in remedial training classes because she was too distracted... this is just my experience with one dog though...

[joyful girl]

Even though you want to train the dog yourself a class is great. It does wonders for socializing your dog. A well socialized animal is a much more stable and predictable animal. Socializing does wonders to help an animal mature into a wonderful companion.

agreed

socializing a puppy is one of the most important things you should do

[KittyJ]

Look up Clicker and whistle training on google If it talks about birds or other animals it can be used for dogs as well.