Pit Bull Information

There are many types of pit bulls, with several breeds being related to them. The most common type in the United States is the American Pit Bull Terrier. This dog began its life as most of them do, as a mixed breed. They are a blend of different types of stock dogs brought to the United States from Ireland and England. For years they were used to herd cattle and horses, to assist their owners whilst hunting, and be a general companion for the family and children. They were considered the “Old Family Dog” by those of Irish decent, because they were extremely loyal, affectionate, and good with children. The American Pit Bull Terrier also gained the nickname “nanny dog” due to their easy relationships with and devotion to the children in the family.

Training Your Pit Bull

The training issue is one that is often the brunt of the problem with pit bulls. They are often trained to be fighting dogs by people who find this either amusing or a good money maker. Their strength, agility, and willingness to do anything for the parents that they love makes them more likely to fall into this horrible pattern. These same qualities are what make the pit bull such a desirable addition to any loving family. These dogs are an asset to the people who love them, because they have so much love to give in return.

When training a pit bull, you will want to muster a lot of patience, because the breed is known for being just a little hard headed. It’s safe to safe that he needs consistent direction and repetition. Sounds a lot like most small children, doesn’t it? This is the key to successfully teaching your furry family member the ins and outs of life in your home. They are extremely intelligent and easy to train when the right techniques are used.

Bad Press

The press and the general public have begun to eagerly await the news of yet another big, evil pit bull who has again done something horrible. There are many other violent acts being committed by dogs of all breeds, but these rarely make the news because they are not as controversial and won’t get the really big headlines and viewer response. Another thing left out of the reports would be the owner information for these dogs who have done whatever they are being accused of. One story a few years ago focused on a pit bull puppy just a few months old who “chewed the toes off a baby’s foot”. To clarify, this is not quite the whole story. First of all, this puppy did not eat this child’s toes. It simply chewed on them, when the child was left in a carrier on the floor alone. We all know puppies chew. Puppies chew anything they can get into their mouths. If you leave your hand near where the puppy is playing long enough, he will get your fingers into his mouth and chew on them, no matter what breed he is. Perhaps your furry companion has gnawed a pair of your favorite shoes or a mobile phone. You, as the grown up in the situation, are responsible for taking your fingers out of his mouth and disciplining him properly. The question that ought to have been asked in this situation is: “Where were this child’s parents and why did they leave their infant alone with a puppy prone to teething?” This should have been a story about bad and neglectful parenting, not about a four inch tall, less than ten pound, evil, man-eating dog.

If you are considering owning this breed, please take the time to read all the unbiased literature available about it. Please do not let the attention hungry press make it up for you. There are many loving Pit Bulls in shelters who are just dying to come home with you and give you unconditional love.

All dogs require exercise daily. Regardless of their breed, or the size, they need to get out and run around or at minimum, have at least two walks a day. A walk doesn’t mean that you take him outside to do his business and bring him back home. All that you’ve ensured is that he won’t eliminate in the house.

Ideally, you have a park nearby and you can take him there to really exercise. If that’s not an option, he needs to walk at least 3 blocks in each direction. A vigorous walk is preferable over a slow one. Running is in all dogs’ blood as each was bred for a purpose.

Some were bred to herd sheep, others to chase rats on a farm, others to retrieve animals that their owners hunted and killed, others still were bred to pull snow sleds.

Dogs, if they’re in good shape, will not tire easily. This is the case with small or large dogs. If your lifestyle doesn’t allow for long walks, you should consider whether having a dog is for you.

Dogs living on a farm or in the country are likely to get an ideal amount of exercise as their owners spend a lot of their time outdoors. This is ideal, but those of you living in the city or the suburbs can exercise your dogs regularly.

Apart from dogs getting fat and being at risk for developing diabetes as a result of a sedentary life, there are other equally unpleasant results of not exercising your dog regularly.

They are:

• Bored barking – if you have every wondered why your neighbor’s dog barks day and night, ceaselessly, this is why
• Chasing one’s own tail – this is a symptom of pent up energy. Eventually this grows into an “OCD” type manifestation.
• Aggression – where else will that pent up energy go?
• Running from one end of the apartment or house to another, over and over and over again – another sign of pent up energy
• Chasing objects in the house as you are trying to clean
o Not referring to your cats but rather the vacuum cleaner or broom

Exercise needn’t always be in the form of a long walk. Here are some ideas for how you can ensure your dog gets the exercise he or she needs and it not feel like drudgery for you:

Ultimate Frisbee
Maybe as a teenager your friends and you played this fun game with each other. Dogs are amazingly adept at playing this game. Indeed the first few times he or she will drop the Frisbee or run in the wrong direction or just sit there after you’ve thrown it. Encourage him or her to run and chase it. It won’t take long, dogs live to serve you and please you.

Set Up an Obstacle Course
Given that dogs are bred to hunt or retrieve, and part of that means crawling in small spaces, running and jumping, set up a course that incorporates all the above. Again, initially you may have to encourage him or her, but it’s something that you’ll have fun doing together for hours.

Many of the tricks that your dog will learn are optional. Your dogs do not need to roll over. Your dog does not need to “speak.” All of these are examples of optional tricks that are “neat” but not necessarily important to train your pet. That is why these tricks are less common, especially with busy dog owners.

There are also the important tricks. Tricks like “Come” and “sit” are all extremely important if you want your dog to be well behaved. Only by teaching your dog these common commands will you be able to ensure it stays out of trouble. These tricks are taught to almost every dog.

But there is one trick that is both uncommon but also very important for your dog’s health. That is the “Leave it” command.

What is the Leave it Command?

The “Leave it” Command is designed to get your dog to ignore the items that it is interested in. Basically, you are training your dog to leave things alone. The purpose of this trick is to:
• Make sure your dog doesn’t eat anything that may be dangerous.
• Make sure your dog doesn’t get its face in anything gross.
• Make sure your dog leaves your items or dropped food alone.
It is important to make sure your dog doesn’t put things into its mouth that are bad for it or bad for you. This makes the trick very important and one that all dog owners should train their pet.

How to Train Your Dog to Leave It
• Put a treat on the ground in front of your pet. Don’t move your hand very far away.
• When your pet goes for the treat, say “Leave It” and immediately move the treat away, grabbing it with your hand.
• Continue this until the dog gets frustrated and stops going after the treat. Once they no longer go after the treat (taking their eyes off the treat and moving away), praise your pet and give it a different treat.
• Wait a little while and repeat the process again. Do not give the dog the treat on the ground. Always give the dog a separate treat.
• Try mixing up the types of treats, and possibly even a toy or two to ensure your dog realizes that it is supposed to ignore whatever it is interested in, not just the treats you trained it with.
• Make sure you also train your dog the same trick while on a leash and outdoors.

Always Remember to Keep Praising Your Pet

In order for this command to work in public, you must always continue to reward your pet when it successfully ignores an item. The moment your dog moves away from something it wanted, you must shower it with praise (and treats, if you have any) and make it glad that it listened to your command.

By doing so, not only are you training your dog to ignore these items on command, but you are also showing your dog that IF the pet ignores the item it was interested in, it gets a possibly greater reward from you. All of these only serve to help enforce the idea that your dog needs to listen to the command the moment it is uttered.

“Leave It” may not be very common, but it is one of the most important commands you can teach your pet. It ensures that your dog will not eat anything harmful to it. It helps to keep your dog away from bad behaviors with the food you spill on the floor. And it makes sure that your dog does not put your own inedible items into its mouth.

Trick training is easily one of the most overall beneficial activities that you can engage in with your pet. However, trick training is not that easy. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience, two things that not every pet owner has in today’s busy world.

Yet there are ways that you can make trick training much easier, and still enjoy the time that you spend with your pet while coming up with clever little tricks that you can show to your friends.

What is a Trick?
The first thing you need to ask yourself is what a trick really is. A trick is an unusual behavior that your dog performs on command. “Sit,” and “Stay,” are not necessarily considered tricks, but beyond those two simple commands, tricks can be anything the dog owner wants to train their dog.

Most of the time when a new dog owner thinks of tricks they think of something very complicated, such as getting a soda from the refrigerator or standing on its hind legs. Dog tricks do not need to be that complicated. All you need to have a successful dog trick is to have a:
• Behavior
• Command

Everything else is optional. It does not matter what the behavior is, nor does it matter what the command is. You simply need to have both of those and Voila! You have yourself a dog trick.

Making Dog Tricks Easier
There are a number of complicated tricks you can train your pet. But to make trick training easier, all you need to do is find a behavior that your dog already does and give it a clever name. For example, when a dog stretches they often put their head to the ground with their rear in the air and hold it for two or three seconds. Use a command such as “Bow” and suddenly you have what appears to be a complicated dog trick, but is actually a behavior your dog already performed without prompting. You can easily do this with all of your dog’s interesting behaviors, and in no time you will have a large number of tricks you can command at your disposal.

How to Train These Tricks
All you need to train your dog in these tricks is a clicker. First, train your dog to recognize the clicker with basic classical conditioning techniques. Once your dog understands the clicker, simply keep the clicker (and a few treats) on you at all times and wait until you see your dog performing one of these desired behaviors.
As soon as your dog performs the behavior, click and give the dog a treat. From then on you should focus only on that trick until your dog does it easily on command. Most likely your dog will perform the behavior again right away and you can give the dog another treat. If not, simply wait until the next time your dog does the behavior and click again.

Once your dog is doing it often for more treats (always give a treat after they do the behavior), start prompting with the command you have chosen and only give the treat if the dog does the trick after you have said the command. Your dog will quickly learn that the command is for the behavior and will pick up on this simple trick easily. You will not need to go through any excessive clicker training or worry about leading your pet.

Within no time, you will have a large number of tricks you can call on at any time. You and your dog will have bonded and you have a number of interesting and cute behaviors you can show to your pet.

But your job is not done. Puppies have weak immune systems, and there are a variety of dangerous/incurable diseases that your puppy needs to be immunized for in order to keep it healthy. Your breeder should have provided many of the shots before you receive the puppy, but there are several other immunizations your puppy needs before you can safely take it out to dog parks.

Shots for Your Dog
• Canine Distemper
One of the most important immunizations is for distemper. Distemper is an airborne virus that can spread through animal contact, which makes immunizing your puppy to the disease very important before you let it interact with strange dogs. It is especially important for dogs that are going to stay in kennels, since these closed quarters encourage catching the illness.
• Rabies
One of the most famous diseases for dogs is rabies. Rabies vaccines have virtually wiped rabies out from the canine population, but due to the prevalence of rabies in raccoons and stray animals, immunizing your dog to rabies is still extremely important. It is one of the few diseases that carry risks for humans as well. Once your dog has rabies, there is no cure and it will need to be put down. Keep your dog immunized and make sure you bring it to the vet for regular booster shots.
• Parvovirus
Parvovirus is the most common disease among dogs in the US. It cause bloody diarrhea and is spread through contact with feces from dogs that have the disease. Since dogs are notorious sniffers and tasters, parvovirus can easily be spread in areas populated with many dogs. Mortality is a serious risk, so immunization is very important.
• Canine Hepatitis I, II
There are two forms of canine hepatitis that can be dangerous for unimmunized pets. But the hepatitis shots that exist for puppies are spectacularly effective, so transmission is low if you get your dog immunized. Though there are two types of hepatitis, a shot for a single type protects against both diseases.
• Bordetella
Bordetella, also known as “Kennel Cough,” is an infectious disease that can spread quickly from dog to dog. Bordetella is rarely fatal, but the respiratory effects can be very painful for your pet. Bordetella is not a core shot for puppies, but it is highly recommended for dogs that are expected to be around many other dogs at some point in their life.

Additional Immunizations
There are many other vaccinations available to your puppy. Your vet will let you know which of the available vaccines is best based upon your location, your expectation of bringing your dog to a kennel, and more. Some of these vaccines include Parainfluenza, Leptospirosis, Coronavirus, and Lyme disease. Most of these are going to be recommended for your pet if you live in populated areas.

Vaccinations for your pets are not very expensive, and many of them are combined vaccinations that come at a single cost. In addition, booster shots may be needed and are highly recommended, but many of the vaccinations are powerful enough to support your dog after the preventative treatments are over. You should always bring your dog in for booster shots when necessary, but it should be comforting to know that these inexpensive vaccines appear to have a very high degree of efficacy.

Tips to Calm Your Dog
• Make sure your dog knows you are alpha of the pack. Dogs are most aggressive if they think they are in charge, and they should not be.
• Teach your dog the “leave it” command. When your dog starts looking at the cat as though it is going to go after it, tell your dog to “leave it” so that your dog leaves the cat alone.
• Don’t create confusion within the “pack.” If your cat is submissive and your dog is not, the dog should be fed first, because that is how the pecking order works in your dog’s caste system. The cat will likely not care either way.
• Pet both of your animals together, so that their scents get on each other. Animals that smell themselves on other animals are more likely to accept them as a pack member.
• Allow your dog considerable time to get used to the cats presence if it is a new cat in the family. The dog should be able to sniff the cat’s scent through a baby gate or some type of device that keeps the cat safe while still giving the dog plenty of opportunity to explore.
• Reward your dog for good behavior. Every time your dog acts nicely towards your cat, give it a treat. When your dog looks at your cat and does not show aggression, or sniffs towards the cat without growling, barking or showing teeth, give your dog a treat so that your dog associates the cat with good feelings.
• Do not give them an opportunity to fight with each other. Keep them separate in separate rooms, and if you are worried about your dog charging your cat, keep your dog on a leash so that you can keep it back. You do not want to accidentally encourage any negative behaviors.

Habituation is Key

The more your dog and cat are used to each other’s presence, the less likely they are to attack each other or show considerable signs of aggression. Try to keep them in each other’s presence as much as possible, but in a safe enough way that they do not have the opportunity to attack each other. Baby gates or keeping your dog on a leash is the best way to get them used to seeing each other, and the more contact they have with each other, the less likely they are to show aggression.

If you are getting a new cat or dog, be sure and plan for several days to as long a s a few weeks for the two to get used to each other’s presence. For your cat and dog to get along, you need to give them ample time to settle in with each other. Never simply throw the two in the same room (even if they both appear friendly) without going through all of the socialization techniques described above. Every precaution should be taken to reduce problems now as well as prevent problems later.

Yet many hospitals have reported numerous visits from dog owners whose pets have choked on such toys and treats as Greenies, Rawhide Bones, and any rubber chew toy. All of these have caused issues with choking and ingestion.

Why Do Dogs Choke?

Dogs have never been taught to chew their food more than a few chomps. With treats like Greenies, which are great for cleaning teeth and reducing bad breath, these dogs have a difficult time trying to chew through the treat. So rather than simply keep chewing it in small bits, they put the entire thing in their mouth and try to give it a few chomps before swallowing. One false move and the Greenie or rawhide bone will fall straight down their throat, causing choking to occur.

A similar thing occurs with chew toys. Plastic chew toys, in particular, are a great source of fun for your pet, but your pet is ripping into it with all its force. Aggressive chewers will easily rip off pieces and, not knowing any better, try to swallow these pieces that it has ripped free. Since plastic and rubber do not digest, your dog runs the risk of choking and/or getting very sick due to swallowing too much of these non-food items.

What to Do to Reduce Choking

There are not a lot of ways to train your dog out of choking. With food, you may be able to purchase small bite food or soft food. But with teeth cleaners like rawhide bones, smaller rawhide bones will not last as long and do not fix the problem. In addition, smaller toys are not going to be a good idea with larger dogs, and larger toys also do not necessarily solve the problem.
The only thing you can do is monitor your dog’s activity with these toys and treats. Only give them to your dog when you are there to help if something goes wrong, and take them away when not in use. If you are worried that your dog will not have a toy around while you are gone, find something like a large rope which is less likely to have large, choking sized pieces, and can withstand greater amounts of biting. Or find large Kong Toys which do a better job withstanding aggressive chewers.

This is not to say you should not give your dog Greenies and rawhide treats, or take away your dog’s favorite chew toy. Quite the contrary, they are still great choices for your pet. What it does mean, however, is that you should only give these to your pet when you are around to make sure they are okay. And since most dog owners would prefer to be there as their dog enjoys its favorite toy or dog treat anyway, this should not be a big problem.

As long as you are willing to monitor your pet as they chew on these items, it is far less likely that any serious injury will occur, and should something happen you will be there to help save your dog’s life.

But this time of year represents an interesting question – Is it okay to dress up your dog?

Reasons to Dress Up Your Dog

There are certain times that dressing up your dog may be beneficial. For example, there are sweaters and raincoats that can help keep your dog warm, especially if you are in cold conditions or your dog has a tendency to get cold easily. Much like you would dress your child in order to make sure they don’t get sick, so too can you dress up your dog.

However, in general, dressing up your dog in clothes is generally for your own enjoyment, since the dog does not have enough of a sense of self to feel embarrassed. Still, even then there are some reasons dressing up your dog is still beneficial:
• Time spent dressing up your dog is more time spent with your dog.
• Your dog will receive more response/affection from strangers.

Though neither of these are health related, they are no less important. Your dog may not understand why it is receiving extra attention but it no doubt enjoys that attention immensely.

Reasons Not to Dress Up Your Dog

Though dressing up your dog does have some interesting benefits, it is also not always the right plan of action. Your dog is not used to wearing clothes, and when you put an outfit on your dog, it may be experiencing extreme discomfort even if it is not letting its feelings on, and more often than not you will find that your dog tries with some difficulty to get the clothes off when you are not looking.

That discomfort can actually be a considerable problem – if your dog adjusts the way it walks or runs in order to account for its discomfort, it may injure its hip or hurt its back. Both of those scenarios, however, are fairly unlikely. Another issue may occur if your dog tries to take the clothes off itself. In rare cases, dogs can choke themselves on the fabrics as they try to pull the clothes off of their back. This is yet another reason that clothes can be risky for your dog, especially if you do not plan on watching them the entire time.

It is also not uncommon for dogs to have allergic reactions to the fabric or experience skin irritation from the friction caused by the clothes on their back. Again, neither of these are that common, but they are always a risk, and that risk is something that you will have to pay close attention to if you are planning on dressing up your pet.

Should You Dress Up Your Dog?

Overall, there is no real harm to wanting to dress your dog in fun little outfits or sweaters. However, do not assume your dog is enjoying the clothes, and make sure that you watch for any signs of extreme irritation. Your dog has fur and skin specifically for clothes to be unnecessary, and while you may enjoy your dog dressing up, it is unlikely that your dog thinks fondly of dressing up as a bumble bee.

Why Bond with a Puppy

Puppy bonding is not just about hoping your dog loves you. It is also about establishing yourself as alpha of the pack, so that your dog looks to you for behaviors and commands. The more your dog feels that it “needs” you, the more bonded it will be. If your puppy thinks that it is the pack leader, it will have less of a desire to strengthen its bond with you, as it will feel it is the one in charge.

That is why puppy bonding techniques are also a way to establish yourself as alpha in your household. Here are some fun and useful ways to strengthen the bond between yourself and your puppy.

1. Groom Them
All members of a pack groom others as a form of gentle affection. Grooming shows your puppy that you care for it, while also improving the comfort level of your new puppy. Teaching your dog to appreciate grooming early is also a benefit of grooming your puppy early and often.

2. Dog Training
As soon as your dog is healthy enough to be rewarded by treats, it is a good idea to try to train them using standard conditioning techniques (clicker training, leading, etc.). Training is a great way to make sure your dog stays obedient, and every time you give a treat you are both rewarding your pet for a job well done (improving its self esteem) as well as showing that you are in charge.

3. Introduce to Strangers – With Protection
As soon as your dog is used to (and appreciates) your presence, you can start socializing your puppy with strangers. This socialization is great for your dog’s future behavior towards strangers. However, it also improves your bond as long as you keep your puppy close to you and show your puppy that you are protecting it from harm. Your dog will look to you for security, and you will be right there to provide it.

4. Become Excited by Everyday Things
Dogs feed off of your energy. When you are feeding your pet or about to play a game with your pet, show your dog a great deal of excitement. Your dog will then also get very excited about the activity and extremely pleased that they shared the activity with you, improving your bond even more. It will also associate you with good things that make it happy.

5. Long, Long Walks
Taking your puppy for a walk is something you need to do anyway in order for your dog to grow up healthy. When you take your dog for regular long walks, it will also find itself enjoying your company and associating you with a good, long, physical day that calms its active mind.

Puppy Bonding is Fun and Important
All of the above techniques for bonding with your puppy are enjoyable, and likely activities that you would like to do anyway. But these activities are not just fun – they are also important for helping establish a bond between yourself and your puppy, and helping your puppy grow up to be a well behaved house member.

At the end of the day, though the dog committed the crime, the human owner is ultimately responsible. Breed bans may temporarily get rid of dog attacks, but sooner or later a new large and powerful breed will arise to take the pit bulls place. Ultimately we will only be left with tiny Yorkies and Chihuahuas. If we want to stop dog attacks then we must place the burden of responsibility on the owners, and have more control over who can own animals. After all, we don’t let felons have guns, why would we let dangerous persons have deadly dogs? We need to ensure each dog has a loving home where he will be brought up to think that people are good and the world is friendly. Only then will breed bans become a thing of the past.