Easy Pitbull Training

Yes, you can put your pitbull away in his crate when he is getting out of hand or loses priviledges.  However, a crate is NOT just something to punish your pitbull with.  I believe ALL pitbull’s should be crate trained.  It’s a huge part of training in general.

A crate can also be a safe haven for your pitbull, a place where they feel safe and secure when the “real world” is a bit too much.  During the holiday season, especially at New Year’s with all the fireworks going off, our dogs love being in their crates.  They feel very secure in there even with all the loud, strange noises going on around them.  Crates often act as shelters or dens for your pitbull.  Do not underestimate the importance of using a crate when training your dog.

At first your dog may not like being in the crate.  It may be a good idea to reward him for going in when you first introduce the crate, that way he learns that going into the crate is not a bad thing.  You can even just work on going in and out for a few minutes a day every day, each time, give a reward for him going in.

One word of warning: it’s a good idea to remove collars or choke chains from your dog while he is in his crate.  If you don’t, you take the risk of it snagging on something and choking him.

For more information on how to properly use crates in training your pitbull, check out our Training DVDs page.  The first two DVDs shown do address using a crate for training your dog.

Technorati Tags: crate training, pitbull training

The “Come” command is one of the most important commands in obedience training. Why? Because this is a command that can help keep your dog safe. This command is one that you need to teach your dog to obey in EVERY situation. In our home, this is one of the few commands that we give corrections for even in the “learning” stage of training. This command is one we MUST emphasize the need to obey no matter what.

One of the most useful tools to help with training this command in all situations is a 20 Foot Training Lead shown below. This lead allows you to give your dog the freedom to roam (or train from a distance) and still gives you the ability to make your dog “come” (if necessary) when you give the command. Again, this is such an important command and is not one you should allow your dog to ignore under any circumstance.

I once heard the story of a guy who had a dog which was rather well trained. They spend time together every day for hours. One day though, this dog was distracted by something and ran toward the road. That day, the dog did not obey the “Come” command and was hit by a car. This is why this command is sooooo critical. If your dog will obey this command in any situation, it just may save his life. One of the best tools to help with training this command is shown below.

20 Foot Training Lead

Technorati Tags: dog obedience, dog training, pitbull training