Wednesday, January 2, 2013
lessons of ownership
through any responsibility there are lessons to be learned and owning a dog is no different. I do believe that the responsibility level of owning a pit bull is greater than that of owning a poodle or such they are a strong larger animal and you must protect them from themselves as well as protecting others from them. I crate trained carley from a young age this it turns out was a wise idea. Her kennel is her safe spot she goes there when she is confused or scared or nervous. From how it was explained to me some dogs are happier being in a kennel when away from there owner as it lessens the decisions they have to make and keeps them from getting overwhelmed . it is also a great way to protect your dog from other people. this is a lesson it took me a while to learn pets need protecting themselves they are innocent creatures that cant tell you what happened to them while you were at school or work
I have learned countless other lessons through ownership of dogs and pit bulls in general. The power of being positive is one lesson that was made apparent in training. Pits are a stubborn breed but want to please so if you use negative reinforcement it just brings out there stubborn nature were as if you do things in a more positive manner they tend to really flourish. I think to some degree this is true of all creatures.Consistency is something else any dog absolutely needs i have learned that when something depends on you for there well being it is very important to be consistent it makes for a much happier well adjusted dog
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Thanks for sharing about the crate training idea. Can you make a suggestion for size of crate for this type of breed?
ReplyDeleteI also crate trained my dogs when they were younger and I was surprised at how well it worked once I got over the aversion to "jailing" my dogs. I was super shocked the day I noticed them going into their crates to nap and how they viewed the crates not as a bad thing, but a safe, secure place to rest. I haven't had crates in a long time since my dogs lived with someone else for a couple of years while I was overseas, but now that they are older I've noticed that any disruption in their daily routines or lack of regular exercise makes it impossible for them to behave! It's especially noticeable with my greyhound mix. If she doesn't get her energy burned off often then she is a royal pain to be around. She knows just how to hold her body when she's on leash that gives her all the torque and ends up pulling myself and my other dog where ever she wants to go.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I fully agree with what you had to say about the importance of crate training and consistencies making a happier, well adjusted dog. I would also add that regular exercise, especially for strong, highly intelligent dogs like pittbulls, is also needed.