Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Damn Pittbulls

We have a pitbull mix i got as an 8-week-old pup.

I never let him outside of the fenced back yard unless i was there. For the 1st 9 months or so, he would run out to "meet" other dogs walking by and I would immediately intervene (sprinting to engage). He didn't want to "fight", just do the normal butt-smelling stuff.

Understandably, the passersby did not know that hence my instant running out to secure him and apologizing profusely (then instilling hefty negative reinforcement).

However, after nine-ten months of getting his head literally hammered (not literally by a hammer...just my hand), he learned unconditionally I was the alpha. We also were lavish in loving on him - he thinks he's a lap dog..... at 85lbs, he's a bit much!

I had consulted a police K9 trainer i personally know about socializing and training strong-willed dogs. As I had participated in some of their "training events" (I was a bad-guy wearing a padded suit!) multiple times I had seen my friend use some seemingly too-rough discipline on his 105lb Belgian Shepherd (a sharp crack on the head via his 6 D-cell MagLite). He assured me then the dog was OK and some needed a little more "convincing" than others. He just seemed strange, but he had been a K9 trainer for over 20 years and was well-regarded in police K9 circles (he was a well-known trainer in the state i lived at the time).

He encouraged me to have my young children involved in the leash training i had learned from him as well. It was simply making the dog sit if he pulled the leash at all. With the added pronged pinch collar to assert the dog's low position on the authority "totem-pole" our dog learned very quickly who was who in the "pack" pecking order.

It has all worked very well and our "dangerous" pitbull is very well adjusted (we semi-frequently have 25-35 people at our house for my wife's work functions). He is very social and loves being petted (and fed!).

When i am working outside on our never-ending landscaping projects/updates, he will just lay on the and driveway in the sun. If another dog walks by on the sidewalk, he remains sitting and doesn't even stand up.

But all this positive behavior came after a year of (seemingly harsh) head-cracking negative reinforcement of unapproved behaviors.

He is a superb watch dog though. Our neighbors (we share a fence with) have came up the stairs to our front door (when we weren't home) and reported he was nothing but 85lbs of popping teeth and growling/barking.

It took nearly two years for our dog to accept our friends who come to take care of our chickens (and have known him since our adoption) when we weren't home. Now, they board him at their house (they have 3 very small kids) and he protects their house and kids the same as at ours and recognizes them as Alpha's as well.

It all takes a lot of time investment, but is well worth it.

Incidentally, my wife is his "favorite" and he is usually not more than a few steps from her. However, he often shadows me (like now as he lays at the other end of the couch). In fact, if i lay on the floor he will be instantly come over to me and try to lick me to death.

He knows he is loved, but had to learn the "hard" way.