Puppy training that worked for us

We have had a total of 16 vibrant pitbull puppies go through our home since 2006. Training them was a chore most days but finally, once they each reached around 5 months old, we can say that we rarely clean up urine off the floor or find that our dogs wont sit or stay when asked to do so. We read a lot of books on training and talked to a lot of people we met to find the things that worked best for us. Here's a summary for anyone looking for a little guidance.

The Wonder Of Crate Training
Crate training is infinitely useful with puppies. The crate is a den or home for the dog where it can rest and relax. They sleep there and spend your time away from them there. This is best started on the first day home. But move gradually to fully leaving your puppy in the crate. Start with the door open and a treat or fun toy inside. Slowly close the door as the pup becomes more comfortable. Eventually you will lock the door. Make sure puppies have fresh water in a door-mounted bowl. Once your puppy is locked in for the first time, sit quietly nearby. Work up to leaving the room and eventually to leaving the house. Do not keep the puppy crate in your room as this will foster separation anxiety. At first use the crate only for short periods of time and sleeping. Eventually you will be able to leave your puppy in the crate when you're not home. The reason for this is that puppies do not want to soil themselves. So, a proper sized crate (use the sizing guide with the crate) will ensure fewer accidents at night and when they must be alone. Also, the crate serves as a den which is relaxing for dogs and will ensure your dog doesnt stress about separation from you. At first puppies usually cry and complain when confined. This is simply because they want to be close to you, however you must resist giving in. Give your puppy chew toys; such as Kongs which can hide treats and other fun, durable toys. if you buy a wire crate it may help to partially cover it with a light sheet to help make the atmosphere more den-like. Most importantly, never treat a crate like punishment. Never force a dog into it's crate, rather coax it in lovingly. Never act overly joyous when first releasing from the crate. All of these reactions will cause the dog to see the crate negatively.

The Truth About Potty training
If you've never potty trained a dog before, it's a horrible, grueling, depressing,peesoaked adventure that you'll wish you could have skipped. But, no one wants a 3 year old dog still urinating on thier rug; soaking through to the padding every time. The number one savior in the odessy was crate training. make sure your puppy comes home to a crate it's first night. Do not wait. You will regret letting it sleep in your bed or anywhere else, for that matter. Be extremely patient. make sure your new puppy goes out every half and hour at first. Try not to show how much this angers you. The time does include the middle of the night. Puppies will soil themselves in their sleep and you don't want that. make sure any accident they have is not followed by you screaming, rubbing their face in it or ignoring them. When they have an accident, take them outside immediately. Do not stop to clean it up first. They need to go out right then. Keep treats by the door or in your coat pocket so when they do go outside and releive themselves they can be rewarded. Make sure to reward them every time. Jump around and smile, pat their heads. . . make them a varitable parade. Be sure you take them to the same spot every time during training. That will help ingrain it into their heads. Using puppy training pads is alright if you need to make sure your carpets aren't soiled. However, still take them outside every time they go on the pad. This needs to be treated the same as any accident. You don't want to have to continue buying the pads forever. Finally, any time your puppy whines or sits by the door, take it outside to it's "spot." This will teach it that sitting by the door or whining makes them go to the bathroom. In addition, I found that it helped to make looking for a spot to go sound fun. I sang a "find a place to go potty" song which helped them know I was happy. Lastly, be prepared for it to take a long time. You're better off being surprised if it's quick than dissapointed if it's not.

Click Your Way To Success
Along with any other puppy supplies you purchase, pick up a clicker training kit. This should include a clicker, treats, and a manual along with a helpful pocket guide. We used Getting Started: Clicker Training For Dogs by Karen Pryor. Utilizing the clicker will help your puppy to associate a reward with the action you have asked it to perform. When we first had puppies we tried traditional treat training sans clicker and it was fruitless. Once we added the clicker the improvement was practically overnight. In 3 months with clicker training we have acheived; sit, lay down, stay, high five, shake, come, and leave it. Our puppies are now very well behaved whenever we take them out, as well as at home.

Be Smart About Psychology
Along with basic training any dog owner should learn the ins and outs of dog psychology. This might sound silly, it did at first to us, however it's been a godsend. Tuning into Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer Monday nights at 9pm et on the Discovery Channel can give you wisdom into the workings of your dogs mind. With a simple snap of your fingers you could have a calm submissive pitbull laying at your side. We now use Cesar's methods in our everyday life and are much better for it. People are amazed when we drop the leash at Petco and our dogs don't move a muscle. Also, Cesar Millan has written a book called Cesar's Way and you would be smart to read it. The truely amazing thing about Cesar Millan is that he worked mainly with agressive, abused and even fighting dogs. He rehabilitates them so they can not only live with people again, but so they can safely live together as his pack of dogs. He mainly works with Pit Bulls and he loves the breed for it's tenacity and strength. Cesar can take a lost cause and give it new life and for this we respect and admire him.

A Tired Dog, Is A Good Dog
Exercise is important for all dogs. Walking, running and playing keeps your dog in shape. In addition to physical benefits it can be mentally rewarding as well. A tired dog is less likely to test boundaries or chew furniture out of boredom. The ideal answer to this problem is a daily walk. However, when you have an APBT, many times that walk will not tire out your dog. You may need to bicycle or rollerblade with your dog. If that is not an option, or it still doesn't tire out your dog, the next best thing is a treadmill. This is an indoor way to keep dogs in shape and tired out whether they have extra energy to burn, or you have very little time to spend doing this. Also, during harsh winters you can keep your dog in shape without exposing them to the elements for long periods of time. There are many different specialty treadmills for dogs, depending on your financial situation or personal preference. Go Here to read up on how to train on the mill and different retailers. We have found one carepetmill online which is very resonably priced. I would recommend a mill to anyone living in the city with their APBT. A happy and well exercised APBT is essential to safety, as bored dogs do destroy things and possiby other animals. Also, if you find that your dog really enjoys the mill, some pit bull groups put on treadmill races along with the other sports normally engaged in; i.e. weight pulling and conformation.