Basic Obedience
Basic Obedience is just that- Basic!
A lot of people will try to tell you that Bull Terriers are incapable of being trained, and some people will try to tell you that a Bull Terrier is just as easy to train as a Labrador, and I can tell you right off, NEITHER ARE TRUE!
Bull Terriers are every bit as capable of learning basic obedience as any other breed.
HOWEVER, they can be a bit more difficult to train due to 3 things
They become bored easily, are not very eager to please you and are generally difficult to motivate.
But the good news is, its not impossible-just a bit trickier.
Not every Bull Terrier is food motivated, nor is every Bull Terrier toy motivated, and its a rare gem the Bull Terrier who is praise motivated!
My male Cesar was so difficult to motivate, I would take a bag with me on every walk full of treats, different toys, whistle, clicker, squeaky toy, tug toy, tennis ball, rope toy, you name it, I had it in my bag of "tricks"
However-none of those things would grab his attention if he should see another dog while on our walk or a child. Because nothing to Cesar compares to getting to romp and wrestle with other dogs or getting hugs from children.
So, I really had utilize what ever I could, because I did not bring him home until he was 7 months old and already quite strong with no leash manners!
So, I found out that if I sat on the middle of the side walk, it was so strange and interesting he could not resist and would ignore the rest of the world to come investigate me!
Of coarse the problem was-it only lasted a few times before he became bored of that and uninterested!
So, I was constantly bringing toys that made interesting noises, new interesting toys and treats to keep him engaged while we walked.
Some Bull Terriers are easier, such as my Female Chimera who is much more easily motivated by food and play, she would do back flips over a pool of Lava for a game of fetch with a tennis ball or a flirt pole.
Be inventive, be creative-think outside the box when working to solve a problem with your Bull Terrier.
If your bully loves to run free at the park, use that as a reward by only allowing them off the lead AFTER they have walked around the park in a "heel" position or sitting politely.
You can follow all the best training advice perfectly, but if its not the right technique for your dog, then it will never work! So keep that in mind when doing any training, its never wrong to modify a technique if its the only way it will ever work for you and your Bully!
Some Bullies wont work for food, so take a technique you like and switch the food reward out for a toy reward or a game reward however works for you and your Bully.
Please know also that, while Bull Terriers are generally very smart and can pick up bad habits with one try-sometimes it can take longer then you might expect, each Bull Terrier is different and learn differently at different paces, so never feel behind or that you should be moving faster. their is no right pace, no milestones dogs should have when it comes to training.
Training should be kept to a minimum to make sure it stays interesting and fun, work for too long and your Bully WILL become bored and loose interest.
so keep it fun-
keep it short-
keep it interesting-
A lot of people will try to tell you that Bull Terriers are incapable of being trained, and some people will try to tell you that a Bull Terrier is just as easy to train as a Labrador, and I can tell you right off, NEITHER ARE TRUE!
Bull Terriers are every bit as capable of learning basic obedience as any other breed.
HOWEVER, they can be a bit more difficult to train due to 3 things
They become bored easily, are not very eager to please you and are generally difficult to motivate.
But the good news is, its not impossible-just a bit trickier.
Not every Bull Terrier is food motivated, nor is every Bull Terrier toy motivated, and its a rare gem the Bull Terrier who is praise motivated!
My male Cesar was so difficult to motivate, I would take a bag with me on every walk full of treats, different toys, whistle, clicker, squeaky toy, tug toy, tennis ball, rope toy, you name it, I had it in my bag of "tricks"
However-none of those things would grab his attention if he should see another dog while on our walk or a child. Because nothing to Cesar compares to getting to romp and wrestle with other dogs or getting hugs from children.
So, I really had utilize what ever I could, because I did not bring him home until he was 7 months old and already quite strong with no leash manners!
So, I found out that if I sat on the middle of the side walk, it was so strange and interesting he could not resist and would ignore the rest of the world to come investigate me!
Of coarse the problem was-it only lasted a few times before he became bored of that and uninterested!
So, I was constantly bringing toys that made interesting noises, new interesting toys and treats to keep him engaged while we walked.
Some Bull Terriers are easier, such as my Female Chimera who is much more easily motivated by food and play, she would do back flips over a pool of Lava for a game of fetch with a tennis ball or a flirt pole.
Be inventive, be creative-think outside the box when working to solve a problem with your Bull Terrier.
If your bully loves to run free at the park, use that as a reward by only allowing them off the lead AFTER they have walked around the park in a "heel" position or sitting politely.
You can follow all the best training advice perfectly, but if its not the right technique for your dog, then it will never work! So keep that in mind when doing any training, its never wrong to modify a technique if its the only way it will ever work for you and your Bully!
Some Bullies wont work for food, so take a technique you like and switch the food reward out for a toy reward or a game reward however works for you and your Bully.
Please know also that, while Bull Terriers are generally very smart and can pick up bad habits with one try-sometimes it can take longer then you might expect, each Bull Terrier is different and learn differently at different paces, so never feel behind or that you should be moving faster. their is no right pace, no milestones dogs should have when it comes to training.
Training should be kept to a minimum to make sure it stays interesting and fun, work for too long and your Bully WILL become bored and loose interest.
so keep it fun-
keep it short-
keep it interesting-
TOOLS:
Some of the tools you will need when training both Puppies and adults are:
Treats-
You want a GOOD, high value treat, meaning a treat your dog LOVES! do not use dry kibble as that is a pretty boring treat and not many dogs are willing to work for bits of dry kibble they eat on a daily basis any way.
Some people like to use tiny bits of cheese, steak, hotdog, freeze dried liver, etc.
Due to my dogs diet of Raw meat, I like to use dehydrated meats that I make myself such as beef, chicken, pork, fish, venison etc.
Just make sure the treats are SMALL! some trainers like to use treats the size of dimes or nickels-I like to take those and break them in half!
Clicker-
If you have plans on clicker training, invest in 2 or 3 clickers, they are pretty cheap and can be kept in your pocket.
Toys-
a highly valued or special toy is MOST valuable to the toy or play driven Bully. a Tennis ball is excellent for getting a Bully's attention!
it can be a tug toy, a ball, a squeaky toy, or even something as simple as a towel (many police dogs are trained to have a knotted up towel as a play reward-and LOVE it!)
Treat pouch or fanny pack-
to haul all your doggy goodies around while your working! it can be a 25$ specialty training waist bag, or a 2$ fanny pack.
Flat buckle collar-
a flat normal every day collar.
4 foot lead and a 20-50 foot training lead-
You'll need both for different things-trust me!
A few other things I personally like to have with me, while they are not a MUST, they are things i like to use sometimes which includes
A whistle-
A small plastic squeaker-(cut from a dog toy, they are small and can be hidden in your hand to get your dogs attention onto YOU in high distraction)
Some of the tools you will need when training both Puppies and adults are:
Treats-
You want a GOOD, high value treat, meaning a treat your dog LOVES! do not use dry kibble as that is a pretty boring treat and not many dogs are willing to work for bits of dry kibble they eat on a daily basis any way.
Some people like to use tiny bits of cheese, steak, hotdog, freeze dried liver, etc.
Due to my dogs diet of Raw meat, I like to use dehydrated meats that I make myself such as beef, chicken, pork, fish, venison etc.
Just make sure the treats are SMALL! some trainers like to use treats the size of dimes or nickels-I like to take those and break them in half!
Clicker-
If you have plans on clicker training, invest in 2 or 3 clickers, they are pretty cheap and can be kept in your pocket.
Toys-
a highly valued or special toy is MOST valuable to the toy or play driven Bully. a Tennis ball is excellent for getting a Bully's attention!
it can be a tug toy, a ball, a squeaky toy, or even something as simple as a towel (many police dogs are trained to have a knotted up towel as a play reward-and LOVE it!)
Treat pouch or fanny pack-
to haul all your doggy goodies around while your working! it can be a 25$ specialty training waist bag, or a 2$ fanny pack.
Flat buckle collar-
a flat normal every day collar.
4 foot lead and a 20-50 foot training lead-
You'll need both for different things-trust me!
A few other things I personally like to have with me, while they are not a MUST, they are things i like to use sometimes which includes
A whistle-
A small plastic squeaker-(cut from a dog toy, they are small and can be hidden in your hand to get your dogs attention onto YOU in high distraction)
Focus
Focus is what I consider a "Default" behavior.
The Focus command is In my opinion the most important command you can teach your new puppy or dog. (or old dog or Puppy!)
Focus is the command that makes listening to all other commands possible.
When you teach a dog to look at you in the face, you are giving her the opportunity to obey and respond to your commands.
If a Dog is not looking at you while you give a command, he is less likely to listen to that command given because he is paying attention to whatever else he is looking at.
So, I like to teach my dogs to "focus" on me above all else as a "default" behavior
(default meaning-if she doesn't understand what I want or if I do not ask her to do anything, she automatically looks at me)
if I was holding a toy my dogs wanted, I would keep holding it until they looked at my face
if they wanted a treat and I didn't say anything to them and wouldn't give it to them, I would wait until they looked at me.
There are 2 ways to teach focus or "look at me"
you can use the clicker or you can use nothing but patience! Both are similar and What your goal is, is rewarding your dog for looking you in the face, not at the toy, not a the treat, not at your hands or feet or anything except your face!
To begin with, your dog is only going to give you a split second of eye contact, and in the beginning that is all you need!
You get a split second of eye contact you reward with a treat or a click and treat. Slowly you build up longer and longer amounts of eye contact until after a few weeks you can ask your dog to give a you whole minute or more of eye contact flawlessly!
I just really love this behavior from my dogs because it prevents them grabbing things out of my hands, it prevents them from jumping at me when I am holding some thing, it keeps them from climbing onto the sofa or snatching food I drop off the floor. It is just a nice behavior that the dog offers happily when conditioned as a the basic response to situations, even scary ones!
There have been more then one occasion when a dog has made a huge fuss to attempt to start a fight with my own dogs, my dogs being unsure of what to do will automatically look me in the eye asking me
"What do I do?" where I might ask them to continue the focus while we walk past and then a reward for #1. keeping the focus and #2. ignoring the other dogs attempts at a fight.
The Focus command is In my opinion the most important command you can teach your new puppy or dog. (or old dog or Puppy!)
Focus is the command that makes listening to all other commands possible.
When you teach a dog to look at you in the face, you are giving her the opportunity to obey and respond to your commands.
If a Dog is not looking at you while you give a command, he is less likely to listen to that command given because he is paying attention to whatever else he is looking at.
So, I like to teach my dogs to "focus" on me above all else as a "default" behavior
(default meaning-if she doesn't understand what I want or if I do not ask her to do anything, she automatically looks at me)
if I was holding a toy my dogs wanted, I would keep holding it until they looked at my face
if they wanted a treat and I didn't say anything to them and wouldn't give it to them, I would wait until they looked at me.
There are 2 ways to teach focus or "look at me"
you can use the clicker or you can use nothing but patience! Both are similar and What your goal is, is rewarding your dog for looking you in the face, not at the toy, not a the treat, not at your hands or feet or anything except your face!
To begin with, your dog is only going to give you a split second of eye contact, and in the beginning that is all you need!
You get a split second of eye contact you reward with a treat or a click and treat. Slowly you build up longer and longer amounts of eye contact until after a few weeks you can ask your dog to give a you whole minute or more of eye contact flawlessly!
I just really love this behavior from my dogs because it prevents them grabbing things out of my hands, it prevents them from jumping at me when I am holding some thing, it keeps them from climbing onto the sofa or snatching food I drop off the floor. It is just a nice behavior that the dog offers happily when conditioned as a the basic response to situations, even scary ones!
There have been more then one occasion when a dog has made a huge fuss to attempt to start a fight with my own dogs, my dogs being unsure of what to do will automatically look me in the eye asking me
"What do I do?" where I might ask them to continue the focus while we walk past and then a reward for #1. keeping the focus and #2. ignoring the other dogs attempts at a fight.
Sit.
The next basic command should be "Sit"
Sit is about as easy and basic as it gets!
even Puppies as young as 6 weeks can learn to sit, because it is a pretty easy and natural position for them, and many times will go into a sit position any ways without your even asking!
While there are numerous ways of teaching a puppy to sit, each puppy is different, some puppies, do not respond well to having you push on their bottoms and will resist by standing firm, while others may sit with ease.
some puppies do not understand the concept of sitting while you lure them into it and will simply stop to stare blankly at you wondering what the point is of what you are doing as if to say
"Huh??"
Some people enjoy free-shaping a sit, meaning they neither lure nor touch the dog, but simply use a clicker to click and reward them anything they randomly find them sitting!
Free-shaping can be a good method for dogs who neither enjoy hands on touching or have trouble understanding luring. Sit is a nice way of teaching a dog how to react to meeting new people and children, sit keeps a dog from jumping up or knocking people down, no one can resist a polite pooch sitting nicely for a pat!
Lie Down
I see a lot of dogs who have trouble going down. often time's, they are unsure, they sit and refuse to be lured into a "down" position (elbows touching the floor)
Its very common to have a dog who,
learns to go down in the house and needs to be retaught to do it on
different flooring such as grass, pavement, sand, etc and then again
in different places such as in the garage, on the side of the road,
in the bathroom as well as around new people and other dogs.
So, the “lie down” command often seems simple enough to teach-but to be reliable it takes a lot of starting over for each new situation.
Lying down around other dogs is a BIG step for most dogs, and should be the last step to training.
Many dogs will try to "cheap out" on the "Down" command by not going down on their elbows, in this way they can shoot right back up again out of excitement- ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOGS ELBOWS! Rewarding them for a half-Ass'd down will teach them to not follow through, which is very important that they do because you want them to learn that "Down" does not end after the reward is given and they may end up staying in the down position for longer then just a few seconds!
A Note about teaching a dog the "Down" command is, often time's people confuse dogs by using the command "DOWN!" for multiple things- One of which is telling a dog to "get down" from counters, couches, laps and beds.
This is extremely confusing to a dog because "Down" is taught to mean "Lie Down" if the dog is already lying down say on the bed or couch, yelling "Down" is only going to taken as
"Uhm...I am, why are you upset and not rewarding me?"
So, when you want a dog to get "down" off from some thing, say "Off!" Instead so they are not confused.
So, the “lie down” command often seems simple enough to teach-but to be reliable it takes a lot of starting over for each new situation.
Lying down around other dogs is a BIG step for most dogs, and should be the last step to training.
Many dogs will try to "cheap out" on the "Down" command by not going down on their elbows, in this way they can shoot right back up again out of excitement- ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOGS ELBOWS! Rewarding them for a half-Ass'd down will teach them to not follow through, which is very important that they do because you want them to learn that "Down" does not end after the reward is given and they may end up staying in the down position for longer then just a few seconds!
A Note about teaching a dog the "Down" command is, often time's people confuse dogs by using the command "DOWN!" for multiple things- One of which is telling a dog to "get down" from counters, couches, laps and beds.
This is extremely confusing to a dog because "Down" is taught to mean "Lie Down" if the dog is already lying down say on the bed or couch, yelling "Down" is only going to taken as
"Uhm...I am, why are you upset and not rewarding me?"
So, when you want a dog to get "down" off from some thing, say "Off!" Instead so they are not confused.
Come
Its a one of those things that, is a pretty simple concept, and can be totally fun for both dog and owner, but leaves a lot of room for the owner to screw up and not be able to take back.
Many of us screw this up within our dogs first week with us unintentionally.
I can tell you, even I screw it up without realizing it!
So, I want you to understand HOW easy it is to screw up and make a mistake without even realizing it.
Here are some of the big “ NO, No’s” for owners when teaching a dog a reliable “come”
#1. NEVER EVER play keep away or 'chase' with your dog or puppy, as you will only set them up to run from you when you approach them.
#2. NEVER EVER go to your dog to punish them, yell at them or grab them roughly.
#3. NEVER EVER yell at your dog or punish your dog when she comes to you.
#4. NEVER EVER give your dog the opportunity to ignore you and NOT come when called (meaning, never allow your dog to be off lead when he/she doesn’t understand the come command fully-that includes inside the house)
So, as you can see, its near impossible to start a dog out perfectly!
BUT, if you can minimize how often you break those rules-you will have the absolute best chances of making “come” easy for both of you and your dog-as well as being reliable command later on.
You want your dog to TRUST coming to you, you want your dog to be HAPPY about coming to you when you call.
Your best bet is to make all interaction between you two to be PLEASANT. Dogs (especially Bull Terriers) Can pick up behavior's after a single incidence.
Both GOOD and BAD.
For example, a Bully who decides to counter surf for the first time-She finds a single bite of cookie, a lick off a dirty dinner plate, crumbs left behind from your sandwich, and suddenly, you have a dog who goes counter surfing 12 times per day, the second you turn your back-even though she NEVER finds anymore food for the next 8 months.
A learned behavior for the worse-the same thing can happen when your teaching a command.
One day, you decide “this area is quiet-no one is around, maybe I will just let him run around a bit off-lead.”
You unhook his leash, sure he is 7 months old, you’ve been working hard he is mostly reliable off lead.
Everything is going great, you are both having fun, suddenly you notice someone walking a dog getting closer, you panic a little, tell yourself to relax-he wont notice.
Then he does, he stops and observes for a second while you (panic stricken voice) starts to shout “NO! STAY! LEAVE IT! COME HERE, COME HERE!” but its useless he takes off like a shot with you screaming and shouting for him to come back.
You sprint after him, no harm no foul, you clip his lead back onto him and walk home. So, whats the problem? He didn’t hurt anyone. However, what you may not realize is, Your dog has a new behavior learned-which is
“so long as I see another dog, person,distraction I can run towards it, be rewarded by being able to sniff, lick, be petted, jump up on,etc, having my owner come towards me will end the excitement and good feelings"
MY personal favorite way of teaching a dog or puppy to come when called is “Free Shaping” starting inside the house for the first few months with me.
But this isn't about what "I" like, this is what is going to work for YOU and YOUR dog!
Stay
Stay is a pretty important command for a lot of reasons. When you are busy in the kitchen and you don't need (want) your dogs help, to keep 2 dogs from becoming too rambunctious together, to keep dogs on there beds while you are busy, to keep dogs out of a room or away from a new or visiting baby, to stop your dog from running away should anything happen to the lead or if a guest should happen to leave the front door open on accident.
All of these things are a good reason to teach a dog to Stay where you want them to stay.
Stay can be difficult one to teach and for dogs to grasp, especially Bullies.
Being stuck in one single area not only away from you but without given anything to do can be hard for them- Just like a child who has been told to sit on the time out bench, it is the same to a Bull Terrier who only wants to be where the action is!
due to that reason, I try to keep the training shorter for Stay then other Training because it is hard on them and keeps them from becoming overly bored of the exercise. A bored Bullie wont work for or listen to you. Generally what I do is start off with a favorite trick (mine enjoy Shake the most) ask them to shake, sit, come, down, then a stay while I walk in a wide circle around them and then rush to them to reward and play a quick game and begin again, maybe a sit, shake, stay (short tight circle while walking away) call to come and reward then another shake or down and play again etc,etc.
In this way it keeps things fun and interesting and not boring.
Asking a "Stay" more then 3 times in a row I have found is enough to cause my dogs to roll their eyes at me while walking away or following me that is why I ask other things in between while still working on the Stay.
Stay at the door should be practiced often and every time the door opens while your Bullie is around.
I do this by opening the door slightly and asking for a "Sit" "Stay" before opening the door up extra wide and stepping out while leaving it open and stepping back in to reward.
Start with seconds and slowly move onto minutes of leaving the door open (begin with your dog on a long line and keeping it loose so should they bolt suddenly they are not gone!
Again, this is an exercise I STILL do at least twice per week to help prevent anyone from bolting out an open unattended door should I have my hands full of groceries or should a guest not close the door tight enough or at all.
All of these things are a good reason to teach a dog to Stay where you want them to stay.
Stay can be difficult one to teach and for dogs to grasp, especially Bullies.
Being stuck in one single area not only away from you but without given anything to do can be hard for them- Just like a child who has been told to sit on the time out bench, it is the same to a Bull Terrier who only wants to be where the action is!
due to that reason, I try to keep the training shorter for Stay then other Training because it is hard on them and keeps them from becoming overly bored of the exercise. A bored Bullie wont work for or listen to you. Generally what I do is start off with a favorite trick (mine enjoy Shake the most) ask them to shake, sit, come, down, then a stay while I walk in a wide circle around them and then rush to them to reward and play a quick game and begin again, maybe a sit, shake, stay (short tight circle while walking away) call to come and reward then another shake or down and play again etc,etc.
In this way it keeps things fun and interesting and not boring.
Asking a "Stay" more then 3 times in a row I have found is enough to cause my dogs to roll their eyes at me while walking away or following me that is why I ask other things in between while still working on the Stay.
Stay at the door should be practiced often and every time the door opens while your Bullie is around.
I do this by opening the door slightly and asking for a "Sit" "Stay" before opening the door up extra wide and stepping out while leaving it open and stepping back in to reward.
Start with seconds and slowly move onto minutes of leaving the door open (begin with your dog on a long line and keeping it loose so should they bolt suddenly they are not gone!
Again, this is an exercise I STILL do at least twice per week to help prevent anyone from bolting out an open unattended door should I have my hands full of groceries or should a guest not close the door tight enough or at all.
Heel
Heel is another Tricky one for many dogs and people, there are SOOO many ways to teach a dog to "Heel", and I have tried many of them myself finding only ONE that truly worked for me and my dogs.
Everyone and every dog is different, so do your research and try a few out yourself to find which method works best for you and your dog before trying to stick with just one that will frustrate you, because the key is to NOT become frustrated with your method of choice! Some of the methods I have tried have been:
-Walked right beside a wall to force a dog into the heel position while rewarding-
-Stopping and standing still each time the dog moves out of position-
-Keeping the short so the dog CANT move from a heel position-
-Free-shape/ clicker-
My favorite way is the free shaping/ clicker method due to several reasons
-My dogs picked it up right away without being previously clicker trained-
-My dogs enjoyed themselves most-
-It felt more natural and worked WITH them as oppose to against what they wanted-
-It was easy and comfortable and I seen results sooner making ME more eager and least frustrated-
Free shaping a heel and no pulling is easy and fun and begins with going out into the yard or quiet park with a regular lead kept loose and some treats/ clicker.
and we walked in a circle and back and forth, every time they pulled off I just kept walking forward or switch direction, the second they got into position I clicked then stopped and rewarded and did it again, within a single session I had a dog paying VERY close attention to sticking close to my side while having a good time!
"Heel" is exceptionally important to teach right away to younger dogs and puppies because Bull Terriers are powerful dogs and in just a few short months will be strong enough to yank a full grown adult off their feet! So, make sure you begin heel and no pulling as soon as your dog is comfortable with walking on a lead. Many people will try to tell you that you should allow Puppies or young dogs to pull and let them have fun till they are 1 year old so they can "Be Puppies".
Puppies can still be puppies and have a good time on a walk without yanking you into the street into an on coming car or dragging you to a dog to get into a fight.
If you keep the walk and training enjoyable, Your Puppy will enjoy themselves! Save yourself the head ache and begin training early.
ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU TO NOT DO ANY SERIOUS WALKING WITH A PUPPY TILL IT IS A YEAR OLD AS YOU CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PERMANENT DAMAGE TO GROWING JOINTS . EVEN IF YOUR PUPPY IS NOT SHOWING SIGNS OF PAIN OR DISTRESS, THE DAMAGE IS INTERNAL AND RARELY FELT TILL THEY ARE ADULTS AND THE TISSUE SURROUNDING THE JOINTS ARE DAMAGED AND DESTROYED. NO WALK LONGER THEN DOWN TO THE END OF THE BLOCK TILL YOUR PUPPY IS 6 MONTHS OLD, THEN 30 MINUTE WALKS TILL 1 YEAR OF AGE WHEN REAL WALKING CAN BEGIN.
Everyone and every dog is different, so do your research and try a few out yourself to find which method works best for you and your dog before trying to stick with just one that will frustrate you, because the key is to NOT become frustrated with your method of choice! Some of the methods I have tried have been:
-Walked right beside a wall to force a dog into the heel position while rewarding-
-Stopping and standing still each time the dog moves out of position-
-Keeping the short so the dog CANT move from a heel position-
-Free-shape/ clicker-
My favorite way is the free shaping/ clicker method due to several reasons
-My dogs picked it up right away without being previously clicker trained-
-My dogs enjoyed themselves most-
-It felt more natural and worked WITH them as oppose to against what they wanted-
-It was easy and comfortable and I seen results sooner making ME more eager and least frustrated-
Free shaping a heel and no pulling is easy and fun and begins with going out into the yard or quiet park with a regular lead kept loose and some treats/ clicker.
and we walked in a circle and back and forth, every time they pulled off I just kept walking forward or switch direction, the second they got into position I clicked then stopped and rewarded and did it again, within a single session I had a dog paying VERY close attention to sticking close to my side while having a good time!
"Heel" is exceptionally important to teach right away to younger dogs and puppies because Bull Terriers are powerful dogs and in just a few short months will be strong enough to yank a full grown adult off their feet! So, make sure you begin heel and no pulling as soon as your dog is comfortable with walking on a lead. Many people will try to tell you that you should allow Puppies or young dogs to pull and let them have fun till they are 1 year old so they can "Be Puppies".
Puppies can still be puppies and have a good time on a walk without yanking you into the street into an on coming car or dragging you to a dog to get into a fight.
If you keep the walk and training enjoyable, Your Puppy will enjoy themselves! Save yourself the head ache and begin training early.
ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU TO NOT DO ANY SERIOUS WALKING WITH A PUPPY TILL IT IS A YEAR OLD AS YOU CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PERMANENT DAMAGE TO GROWING JOINTS . EVEN IF YOUR PUPPY IS NOT SHOWING SIGNS OF PAIN OR DISTRESS, THE DAMAGE IS INTERNAL AND RARELY FELT TILL THEY ARE ADULTS AND THE TISSUE SURROUNDING THE JOINTS ARE DAMAGED AND DESTROYED. NO WALK LONGER THEN DOWN TO THE END OF THE BLOCK TILL YOUR PUPPY IS 6 MONTHS OLD, THEN 30 MINUTE WALKS TILL 1 YEAR OF AGE WHEN REAL WALKING CAN BEGIN.
Leave it
Leave it is a much needed command for many reasons, dogs like to ingest things they are not supposed- even more so for Bull Terriers who are very often eating in digestible objects such as plastic, rocks, wood, metal, rubber, cloth, etc.
If it can fit into your Bullies mouth- you can bet at one point or another she WILL attempt to eat it.
Blockage surgeries are one of thee most common medical issues Bull Terrier owners face and many Bull Terrier's die from them so it is extremely important you teach your dog the "Leave It" command early and use it as often as needed.
The Thing about this command is, Many people do it like this:
The take a piece of dog treat- maybe a biscuit and ask the dog to leave it by offering a second treat, the dog ignores the biscuit and gets rewarded with the second treat, things are going well till the end of the session the dog is rewarded with the same biscuit it has been asked to "leave"
What is this teaching the dog?
Well, it is teaching the dog that, Eventually, whatever it is told to "Leave" will be given and offered up as a reward if they wait long enough.
Which is fine if you are asking your dog to "Leave" a biscuit, but what about a sock? or a dead bird in the yard? what about other animals feces?
Or your new shoes?
Your dog will assume that, once the original reward is given- they can just take the item and chew/ eat it anyways because they waited long enough.
SO- To fix this, I NEVER, EVER allow the dog to have the treat I asked them to "Leave" (At leas, not at that time and maybe drop the treat back into the bag or into the fridge for a later date to be given)
In this way your dog learns
"That Thing is NEVER to be touched by Me no matter what"
And THAT is exactly what you want them to learn! because you Never know what you could encounter, maybe the cat box, maybe a dead coon on a walk, maybe he takes a fancy to chewing on your underwear or wants your dinner.
If it can fit into your Bullies mouth- you can bet at one point or another she WILL attempt to eat it.
Blockage surgeries are one of thee most common medical issues Bull Terrier owners face and many Bull Terrier's die from them so it is extremely important you teach your dog the "Leave It" command early and use it as often as needed.
The Thing about this command is, Many people do it like this:
The take a piece of dog treat- maybe a biscuit and ask the dog to leave it by offering a second treat, the dog ignores the biscuit and gets rewarded with the second treat, things are going well till the end of the session the dog is rewarded with the same biscuit it has been asked to "leave"
What is this teaching the dog?
Well, it is teaching the dog that, Eventually, whatever it is told to "Leave" will be given and offered up as a reward if they wait long enough.
Which is fine if you are asking your dog to "Leave" a biscuit, but what about a sock? or a dead bird in the yard? what about other animals feces?
Or your new shoes?
Your dog will assume that, once the original reward is given- they can just take the item and chew/ eat it anyways because they waited long enough.
SO- To fix this, I NEVER, EVER allow the dog to have the treat I asked them to "Leave" (At leas, not at that time and maybe drop the treat back into the bag or into the fridge for a later date to be given)
In this way your dog learns
"That Thing is NEVER to be touched by Me no matter what"
And THAT is exactly what you want them to learn! because you Never know what you could encounter, maybe the cat box, maybe a dead coon on a walk, maybe he takes a fancy to chewing on your underwear or wants your dinner.
Drop it
Drop It is One of those commands I practice all the time, everyday.
It is a command That I find to be exceptionally important.
A lot of people Have the biggest problem with their dogs dodging away from them, trying to hide from them or quickly swallowing whatever it is they have when the owner comes near to take it away.
This can be dangerous, this can also some time's trigger (IN SOME DOGS- NOT ALL) a guarding response.
You Need to teach your dog that you going near them or taking something from them is not a bad experience, it is a good one.
You can do this from day one with puppies (or new adult dogs) by simply walking towards them with a treat (r if you have to take something from them quickly and don’t have a treat handy) calmly and in a happy (but not overly excited!) manner and simply take it from them (GENTLY)
NEVER run after them screaming or shouting or rushing towards them a this will only make them feel the need to move away from you therefore learning to dodge or duck away from you later on.
Use a treat as often as you can to “trade up” with any object they may have- so when they get food they will learn to spit it out and be given a treat.
My dogs never run or hide from me when I approach them or reach to take something, I simply walk up to them and say something such as
“You supposed to have that?” reach down and say in a baby voice “ I don’t think so silly” and take it away.
If I had to open there mouths to fish something out I do so in a calm and gentle manner and talk thru it saying “Well, let me see what you got in here!” and “That's alright”
It can be difficult sometimes maintaining control- especially when your dog has something dangerous such as (in one of my case's- a HUGE peach pit)
You panic and rush at them to grab it away before it is swallowed.
We are only human- shit happens to the best of us!
I like to try working this into my own training too by working up to this as follows:
#1. once your dog understands the drop it command (instructions below)
give your dog a chew toy and walk away, grab a REALLY good treat (some chicken, hot dog, cheese- whatever you like) and stomp nearby them WITHOUT looking at them. Just a couple STOMP, STOMP, Stomp’s
then walk towards them normally and praise trade the chew toy with the treat, wait a few seconds and give it back and walk away.
Grab another treat and do it again
The first few times your dog will probably stop to watch you, maybe even cower or move away, try to stop and praise them if they become nervous (hence the reason you don’t look at them to begin with-so they do not feel it is directed towards them)
Once they get to the point where they do not react to your stomping near them, you can try stomping towards them (but not all the way up to them- give yourself about 3 steps away)
this time you can look at them while stomping in there direction- if they become nervous, cower, hold ears back while looking at you, stop stomping and approach gently and happily to reward.
The point of this exercise is to desensitize them to your approaching quickly and/or panic without frightening them should one day you rush them in a panic to remove something from them they will not freak out and (in the case of my own dogs) come towards you to greet your panic (or anger) because it isn’t something to be fearful off.
Take each step slowly- back off whenever you notice your dog feeling uncomfortable or upset- and end the exercise with a smile, praise and treat.
You will eventually get to the point where you can approach your dog grumbling and stomping and they will be happy to see you approaching in this way- because it will never equal being yelled at, hit or rough handling.
Sometimes I make this a game with my own dogs, I will run towards them stomping and saying
"ARGH ARGH ARGH!” loudly then run away just before getting to them to encourage them to chase me.
However, I have been doing this training with both of my dogs for 2-3 years now and they are not nervous dogs.
DO THIS EXCEPTIONALLY SLOWLY WITH A NERVOUS DOG- TAKING SEVERAL DAYS IN BETWEEN EACH STEP STARTING WITH A SINGLE STOMP FARTHER AWAY FROM THEM.
IF YOU HAVE A DOG WHO HAS RESOURCE GUARDING TENDENCIES-DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT CONSULTING A BEHAVIORLIST FIRST!
With That Being said, Here is how you can teach a dog to “drop it” on command.
#1. Start with a great treat (hot dog slices, cheese, chicken, dried liver, etc.)
and a toy your bullies is willing to sit down and chew (maybe a rubber ball or a squeaky)
just a toy that he would NOT chose over a treat.
#2. let them get really into chewing it- walk up to them and and hold the treat up under their nose, when they drop the toy to take the treat, praise and reward with the treat.
Take the toy and hand it back and walk away.
#3. keep doing the exercise again and again, if your Bully looses interest in the toy and begins to follow you for treats, ignore them and simply wait until something goes into her mouth before trying it again.
#4. once your Bully is doing this on command, move onto a food item (a low value food item such as a frozen carrot)
When she begins to gnaw the carrot, take this yummy treat to hold under his nose and say
“drop it!” IF he should try swallowing the carrot whole- get up and walk away- no reward.
I mentioned “frozen carrot” for this very reason- with my dogs, a whole raw carrot was chewed and swallowed before I could even whip a treat out-so I would pop them into the freezer overnight to give me an extra 3 seconds to show them the treat.
Another exercise I like to do while working on this is to turn it into a game where every time we play tug or fetch I ask them to “drop it” so the command is used thru out the day instead of just during training sessions.
The better your dog understands the command- the higher and higher value items you can use for training like moving onto bones, favorite toys, even food.
Just work slowly and make sure your dog fully understands what is expected of them before moving onto the next step.
Every dog and every owner is unique in their own style and way of learning- never think your dog needs to conform to a “time frame”
if your STILL on step 1 after a month, maybe try being more consistent and slowing down.
I suggest working on each step a minimum of 3 days about 5 minutes per day. MOST dogs will need a week, but some catch on quick, even if your dog catches on the first day- keep going on that step to reinforce it for at least 3 days before moving onto the next step.
It is a command That I find to be exceptionally important.
A lot of people Have the biggest problem with their dogs dodging away from them, trying to hide from them or quickly swallowing whatever it is they have when the owner comes near to take it away.
This can be dangerous, this can also some time's trigger (IN SOME DOGS- NOT ALL) a guarding response.
You Need to teach your dog that you going near them or taking something from them is not a bad experience, it is a good one.
You can do this from day one with puppies (or new adult dogs) by simply walking towards them with a treat (r if you have to take something from them quickly and don’t have a treat handy) calmly and in a happy (but not overly excited!) manner and simply take it from them (GENTLY)
NEVER run after them screaming or shouting or rushing towards them a this will only make them feel the need to move away from you therefore learning to dodge or duck away from you later on.
Use a treat as often as you can to “trade up” with any object they may have- so when they get food they will learn to spit it out and be given a treat.
My dogs never run or hide from me when I approach them or reach to take something, I simply walk up to them and say something such as
“You supposed to have that?” reach down and say in a baby voice “ I don’t think so silly” and take it away.
If I had to open there mouths to fish something out I do so in a calm and gentle manner and talk thru it saying “Well, let me see what you got in here!” and “That's alright”
It can be difficult sometimes maintaining control- especially when your dog has something dangerous such as (in one of my case's- a HUGE peach pit)
You panic and rush at them to grab it away before it is swallowed.
We are only human- shit happens to the best of us!
I like to try working this into my own training too by working up to this as follows:
#1. once your dog understands the drop it command (instructions below)
give your dog a chew toy and walk away, grab a REALLY good treat (some chicken, hot dog, cheese- whatever you like) and stomp nearby them WITHOUT looking at them. Just a couple STOMP, STOMP, Stomp’s
then walk towards them normally and praise trade the chew toy with the treat, wait a few seconds and give it back and walk away.
Grab another treat and do it again
The first few times your dog will probably stop to watch you, maybe even cower or move away, try to stop and praise them if they become nervous (hence the reason you don’t look at them to begin with-so they do not feel it is directed towards them)
Once they get to the point where they do not react to your stomping near them, you can try stomping towards them (but not all the way up to them- give yourself about 3 steps away)
this time you can look at them while stomping in there direction- if they become nervous, cower, hold ears back while looking at you, stop stomping and approach gently and happily to reward.
The point of this exercise is to desensitize them to your approaching quickly and/or panic without frightening them should one day you rush them in a panic to remove something from them they will not freak out and (in the case of my own dogs) come towards you to greet your panic (or anger) because it isn’t something to be fearful off.
Take each step slowly- back off whenever you notice your dog feeling uncomfortable or upset- and end the exercise with a smile, praise and treat.
You will eventually get to the point where you can approach your dog grumbling and stomping and they will be happy to see you approaching in this way- because it will never equal being yelled at, hit or rough handling.
Sometimes I make this a game with my own dogs, I will run towards them stomping and saying
"ARGH ARGH ARGH!” loudly then run away just before getting to them to encourage them to chase me.
However, I have been doing this training with both of my dogs for 2-3 years now and they are not nervous dogs.
DO THIS EXCEPTIONALLY SLOWLY WITH A NERVOUS DOG- TAKING SEVERAL DAYS IN BETWEEN EACH STEP STARTING WITH A SINGLE STOMP FARTHER AWAY FROM THEM.
IF YOU HAVE A DOG WHO HAS RESOURCE GUARDING TENDENCIES-DO NOT DO THIS WITHOUT CONSULTING A BEHAVIORLIST FIRST!
With That Being said, Here is how you can teach a dog to “drop it” on command.
#1. Start with a great treat (hot dog slices, cheese, chicken, dried liver, etc.)
and a toy your bullies is willing to sit down and chew (maybe a rubber ball or a squeaky)
just a toy that he would NOT chose over a treat.
#2. let them get really into chewing it- walk up to them and and hold the treat up under their nose, when they drop the toy to take the treat, praise and reward with the treat.
Take the toy and hand it back and walk away.
#3. keep doing the exercise again and again, if your Bully looses interest in the toy and begins to follow you for treats, ignore them and simply wait until something goes into her mouth before trying it again.
#4. once your Bully is doing this on command, move onto a food item (a low value food item such as a frozen carrot)
When she begins to gnaw the carrot, take this yummy treat to hold under his nose and say
“drop it!” IF he should try swallowing the carrot whole- get up and walk away- no reward.
I mentioned “frozen carrot” for this very reason- with my dogs, a whole raw carrot was chewed and swallowed before I could even whip a treat out-so I would pop them into the freezer overnight to give me an extra 3 seconds to show them the treat.
Another exercise I like to do while working on this is to turn it into a game where every time we play tug or fetch I ask them to “drop it” so the command is used thru out the day instead of just during training sessions.
The better your dog understands the command- the higher and higher value items you can use for training like moving onto bones, favorite toys, even food.
Just work slowly and make sure your dog fully understands what is expected of them before moving onto the next step.
Every dog and every owner is unique in their own style and way of learning- never think your dog needs to conform to a “time frame”
if your STILL on step 1 after a month, maybe try being more consistent and slowing down.
I suggest working on each step a minimum of 3 days about 5 minutes per day. MOST dogs will need a week, but some catch on quick, even if your dog catches on the first day- keep going on that step to reinforce it for at least 3 days before moving onto the next step.