All About Five (5) Tips for Your American Pit Bull Terrier

Is your puppy or dog going potty (sorry I couldn't think of a better term there) all over your house? Are you waking up to poo and pee spots in front of your bed room door?

House training a new puppy can be easy or it can the most frustrating thing a person has every experienced.

This article will share with you five tips to make potty training your American Pit Bull Terrier quickly and without all the stress that normally comes with this over complicated process.

Keep reading to find out how to make this process a lot easier ...

TIP #1: Watch for the Potty Sign. Recognizing that puppy needs to potty is the first thing you should do. One of the easiest signs to spot is the sniffing. Excessive sniffing of the ground is one way to tell that your puppy is thinking about going potty on your nice rug or carpet. Pick the pup up and set it outside.

TIP #2: Be Prepared. Be prepared to clean up some accidents and don't freak out about it. One thing that always made me laugh was how people reacted when they're new puppy went in the house. They acted surprised, like it was a shocker the little thing used the bathroom. So be prepared to clean up some mistakes and remember, the little darling is just doing what comes natural it's your job to teach it were it's okay to go.

TIP #3: Take it Outside. When you notice the dog is thinking about going to the bathroom pick it up and take it outside. I would recommend taking it to the same spot every time. This way clean up is easier because you know it will be right there and not all over the yard. If an accident occurs be calm, carpet can be cleaned, simply pick up the dog place it outside in it's potty area and leave it there (you should be with it) for a few minutes.

TIP #4: Never Correct. This is one many of you may not agree with, but here me out. You don't have to yell at the dog, spank it, and for God's sake don't rub it's nose in the stuff. That's just down right rude. Calmly pick the dog up, set it outside, and proceed to clean up the mess. Bring the puppy back in the house and go on with your life. Correction is a set back in this case because once you scare the puppy it will start to hide and do it's thing. Which makes the process longer and more difficult. No harsh corrections means the puppy will have it's mind at ease and will be able to learn what you want it to do. Which is go outside to potty.

TIP #5: Be Consistent. I know in this busy world it's hard to be there all the time to get the little darling outside to use the bathroom. Consistency is key here, the more times the dog is let out to use the bathroom when it needs to go the less time it will take to learn that's the right thing to do.

A few more extra tips: take the dog out 10-20 minutes after eating and drinking, before bed time, and right when you wake up in the morning and when you get home from work.

House training isn't that hard if you devote the time it takes to get it done right. Respect the puppy and be consistent. In as little as one week you can have a house trained dog.

Good Luck!

5 ways to stop excessive barking

If you have a Pit Bull who barks non-stop here's five tips to help you teach them to quiet down.

Barking is a normal behavior. However, excessive barking is simply annoying.

Give them plenty of exercise:

There is a saying in the world of Pit Bulls, "A tired Pit Bull is a good Pit Bull."

If you find yourself hearing barking at all hours of the night you might want to look at how much exercise your dog is getting. They could be bored and barking is a way of letting go of some of that stress. Give them plenty of exercise every single day.

Acknowledge them: Walk over and give them a bit of praise.

Pit Bulls are attention nuts which can lead to barking to get your attention. Walk over and give them a very small amount of praise and let them know you heard them. I have found this to work for me personally with my dog Honey.

Make Your Own Doggy Rattle: Rattles are to dogs as fingernails on blackboards are to people.
Take a soda can or bottle and put some coins or rocks inside. When your dog starts barking shake your rattle. This will cause them to focus on you and be quiet long enough for you to call them to you or tell them to quiet down.

When You Speak, Speak in a Normal Tone and Don't Scold them

Squirt Bottle Surprise: When your dog starts barking let them know you would like them to stop by telling them "enough." In a firm but not scolding voice. After you do this give them a shot with a squirt bottle. You won't need to do this to many times because they will eventually put the word enough together with the squirt. Once they get squirted a few times the word will be enough to stop them from barking.

Ignore them:
One of the reasons for excessive barking is getting your attention.If they don't listen to you after you tell them to quit walk away.This works for dogs seeking attention. They will seek you out and stop the barking by seeing where you are going.

Mail Man = Good Stuff: Does your dog flip out when people come over?
Ask them to bring a treat and give it to your dog. Your dog will start to see them as friends and not threats. Which will help curb or stop your dog from going nuts when they come over.

Note: If you want a guard dog get a Poodle. :o)

Summary

One of the mistakes people make when they are training their dogs it they don't know when to move on to something new.

Usually a week or two is long enough to know if the training tip is going to work or not. If you find yourself not getting any results after a week or two move on to the next tip..