The first type of training people consider with a dog is usually potty training. If you’ll have your dog in the house often or most of the time, it will need to know how to get out to go potty. You can buy books on training of all sorts, including potty training. You must be willing to invest the time, effort, and patience no matter what type of training you’ll need for your dog. Even if someone else trains your dog, you’ll have to learn the commands and follow through once you get the dog back in your care.
Training a pitbull is really a lot like training any other dog. The sooner you begin, the better off you both are.
You’ll want to at least teach your dog self-control. This is almost essential when owning a pit bull because they play rough when they do play. They are very strong and very stubborn animals, but these can be positive attributes. The dog must know that you are master from the start. Like children, dogs mature as more well-balanced when they know their limits. Knowing how to act with you, with children, with other adults, and with other animals is very important for your dog to be the best pet.
Some training is just plain common sense. If you want to keep your dog from chewing on your shoes, don’t give it a shoe as a toy. If you’ll want to keep it off your furniture when it’s older and bigger, when it’s dirty, or when it’s sick, it’s best to refrain from allowing it on the furniture at the start of your relationship.
It helps to allow the pitbull to have its own special toys, its own food and water dishes, and its own bed. It will also need a place of refuge for times when you want to keep it away from your guests.
A spray bottle of water works wonders when teaching your pet the word ‘no’. Remember, though, that spraying it with water for discipline means not confusing it with play. Using the water hose spray nozzle when bathing it will also make it fearful of bathing if you have been using the spray bottle for discipline. It’s more respectful to your dog to keep your actions clear at all times.
Putting a dog in a threatening situation will cause its survival instincts to kick in. It’s best to not purposely cause phobias that could last a lifetime and may come back at a bad time in the future.
Always reinforce good behavior. Pitbulls train better with positive reinforcement.