Training Your Pit Bull Terrier With Dog Treats

Every responsible Pit Bull owner wants a well trained pet. There
are several training options which may be used to achieve the
desired results. One of the most popular methods used by owners
is treat training. Treat training is a reward system using
either the dog’s favorite snack food such as cheese, bits of
hotdog or by using store bought treats.

Treat training allows the owner to use these small bribes as a
form of positive reinforcement for good behavior. Proper use of
treat training will enable you to teach your Pit Bull to follow
the sit, come and lie down commands, as well as teach him almost
any trick you can imagine. If used with friendly rubs and
praises, it can also assist you to housebreak your Pit Bull.

To teach your Pit Bull to sit, you’ll need to prepare a treat
bag just before you begin. A plastic zip top baggy comes highly
recommended by me for use as a treat container. It allows you to
put the treats in your pocket while allowing you to keep your
pockets from getting soiled and soggy. Believe me, try it
without the baggy and you’ll not try it that way again. This is
especially true if you opt to use bits of table food such as the
cheese and hotdog slices.

Decide upon what you will use as the treat. Think of what your
Pit Bull likes to eat, but you don’t give him very often. This
makes an irresistible bribe, and you will see faster results
than if you’d used an every day treat. Once you’ve chosen your
bribe, put the baggy in your pocket so you can reach it easily.
Don’t try to hold the bag in your hand, as this will distract
your Pit Bull, and may even get him to jumping up in an attempt
to try and grab the entire bag.

If you have more than one Pit Bull, or other dog for that
matter, take the time to put the other dog away so you can do
one on one training. Other animals in the vicinity will only
hamper your training as your Pit Bull will think the session is
a competition for which dog can get the treat fastest, rather
obedience training.

Now that you’ve prepped your treat bag and have your Pit Bull
alone with you, it’s time to begin.

Take a bit of your chosen treat and hold it above your Pit
Bull’s head while giving the command to “sit.” If you hold the
treat high, the dog will have to sit to see the treat. Once he
sits, give him the treat and be sure to praise him as a “good
boy” for the sit. You can repeat this four or five more times,
but after that give it a rest until the next day. I know it
doesn’t sound like rigorous training, but it is considered a
full session.

Once your Pit Bull has mastered the “sit” command, start to
gradually offer gentle rubs and praises rather than treats.
You’ll eventually phase out the food treats, and your Pit Bull
will continue to sit on command.

Using treat training is an effective and gentle way to train
your Pit Bull. It also allows you to be close to your pet for a
session of giving treats and praises. Imagine how much your Pit
Bull will enjoy that!