1. Exercise your dog everyday. Pit Bulls are high energy dogs that need some way of burning off that pinned up energy. Even a short 10-15 minute walk or game of fetch in the backyard will help burn off energy that can lead to behavior problems.
2. Never leave pit bulls alone with other dogs (or any animal). Even if you're dog gets along great 99.9% of the time with other animals the Pit Bull is known for animal aggression and it is possible something will happen. A good piece of advice I received a long time ago was, never trust your Pit Bull not to fight.
3. Always have your dog on a leash in public. Most if not all towns, cities and states have leash laws. Obey these laws. This will help people see your dog in a positive light and keep accidents like getting hit by passing cars from occurring.
4. Always supervise your dogs and never allow them to roam free. Loose dogs are often hurt by cruel people and accidents can happen as well. Always know where your dog is.
5. Supervise your dog with small children. This is a must. Small children are often hurt by dogs not out of angry, but because dogs can scratch them, step on them, and otherwise injure them.
6. Spay or Neuter your dog. Unless you plan on doing something where the dog can not be spayed or neutered get it done. This will reduce accidental breeding and stop roaming males from getting loose.
7. Train your dog. Take your dog to obedience classes or hire a private trainer to help you train your dog. This is very important for Pit Bull owners. If you can not control your dog bad things will eventually happen. Get your dog into training as soon as possible.
8. Avoid dog parks. The one exception to this tip is when your Pit Bull is a puppy and up to date on all their shots going to a dog park to socialize them. However, when the dog gets older it turns into a bad idea.
Because you have a Pit Bull is not the main reason for not going to places like these. Rather it's because other dogs and owners are not responsible and let their dogs run around like retards. This can cause friction between your dog and another dog at the park. Not a good scenario.
9. Socialize your dog. Take your dog to as many places as you can, meet new people and while they are young meet as many other dogs as possible. Socializing your Pit Bull will help curb any future problems that might occur.
10. Keep your dog properly confined. Pit Bulls are known to be great escape artist. Make sure you have the means to keep them in your yard and properly confined. Installing a six foot privacy fence is not a bad idea either.
American Staffordshire Terrier - 10 Easy to Remember Tips for Responsible Pit Bull Owners
by Jason Mann
About the Author: Jason Mann operates www.PitBullLovers.com a positive American Pit Bull Terrier website devoted to educating the public about the true nature of the worlds most versatile breed of canine. |
