| Driving down the road listening to the radio, I felt like | | | | tools. Crates, leashes, baby gates and other |
| ripping out my hair. The radio show host was | | | | restraints are all management tools. A crate can be |
| agreeing with a caller that there should be a pitbull | | | | used when you are not right there watching your |
| breed ban. I get so sick of hearing this I almost called | | | | pitbull. |
| the show. I didn't though because I knew that I | | | | A baby gate can be used to keep your dog in the |
| would have been kicked off the air. | | | | room with you. Leashes can be used in the house. |
| Anyway, what most people don't know is that | | | | With the leash on, you can use it to control your |
| pitbulls should not get the bad rap that they do. New | | | | pitbull's behavior. Good management skills help you |
| Yorker magazine writer, Malcolm Gladwell, has written | | | | train in the early stages. As your pitbull gets older and |
| about research showing that pit bull-ish dogs don't | | | | more mature, you won't have to manage as much. |
| deserve their reputation. | | | | Exercise is extremely important for pitbulls. They are |
| Gladwell found a study from a research group in | | | | high-energy dogs. Aerobic exercise is important. |
| Georgia that has so far tested more than 25,000, | | | | Pitbulls are terriers. Terriers as a breed are very |
| measuring stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and | | | | hardy, headstrong dogs. As an owner you need to |
| friendliness in interaction with people. Gladwell writes, | | | | establish leadership. The better you are at establishing |
| "Eighty-four percent of the pit bulls that have been | | | | leadership, the easier it will be to train your dog. |
| given the test have passed, which ranks pit bulls | | | | Leadership should be done through positive methods. |
| ahead of beagles, Airedales, bearded collies, and all | | | | Harsh, physical methods are not a good way to |
| but one variety of dachshund." | | | | establish leadership with pitbulls. |
| The problem, as with most dog problems, doesn't lie | | | | Train using positive methods. Use a lot of positive |
| with the breed but with the owners of pitbulls. A lot | | | | reinforcement. As a breed, they are extremely |
| of pitbull owners get that breed because of the | | | | durable. If you have a heavy hand when it comes to |
| tough persona associated with the breed. | | | | training, it may backfire if you try it with a pitbull. |
| It really is too bad because pitbulls are a wonderful | | | | Harsh, physical training methods contribute to |
| breed. Pitulls like any other breed can be trained by | | | | aggressive behavior. Learn how to reinforce behavior |
| following some simple steps: 1. Good management | | | | through positive training methods. |
| skills 2. Exercise 3. Leadership 4. Positive training | | | | A pitbull can be a wonderful pet. Start training early, |
| The first step in training a pitbull is developing good | | | | develop a strong bond with your pitbull and be an |
| management skills. Management of behavior is | | | | example for all the people that want to ban the |
| important and is done by using different management | | | | breed. |