pit bull training

Question
i have an all white red nose pitbull and she is female, 2(two) years of age and is spayed/neutered and i would just like to bring her out of the garage and into the living room to just sit down and relax but she always has to be leaving and i would like to take her off of the leash and play with her outside but she always tries to run away. do you have any advice or training tips on these behavioral problems please respond asap. thank you

Answer
Isaiah, I'm glad that you want to get your girl out of the garage and into your life!  It sounds like she needs some basic training to respond to her name.  Do not allow her off leash!  If she runs away and someone picks her up, you might lose her for good.  And your community probably has leash laws that could get you into trouble if she's caught running loose.

Here's how I like to teach a dog to come when called.  Start training in the room or place she's most comfortable in - probably the garage right now.  Take some small, soft dog treats with you.  Call her name and when she turns her head to look at you, say "yes!" or "good" and give her one treat.  Practice this so she learns that responding to her name is rewarding.  Once you have some reliability in the garage, take her into your living room.  She's going to be very distracted here and she'll want to sniff around and check everything out.  Once she's settled down a bit, call her name, and when she turns her head, say "yes" and give a treat. Practice all around the house.

While you're playing this "name game", set her up for success.  Don't call her unless you're pretty certain she'll respond.  Once you can do this reliably inside your home, take her in the yard - on leash if it's not fenced -  and practice there.  Remember that when you get outside there will be even more distractions, so your treat value may have to increase.  Instead of dog treats, you could use sliced up hot dogs or small bits of cheese.  

The more your dog gets outside, the less exciting it will be for her each time.  Take her for walks around the neighborhood and get her used to the sights and sounds to get her acclimated.  The less anxious and excited, the better chance she'll respond to you.  

Don't ever call the dog to scold or punish her or to do something she doesn't like.  If there's a time when you call her and she responds, but you don't have treats, praise and pet her - always make it a positive experience and let her know what a good dog she is.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this process.  Good luck!