Staffordshire Bull Terrier Training Basic Tips

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are stocky and muscular dogs thus people, especially those who are not familiar with the breed often deem Staffies as intimidating. But it cannot be denied that a lot of people love this breed for many reasons - their natural fondness for people, intelligence and courage that makes them excellent guard dogs are the top reasons. They are easy to housebreak too - another reason they are becoming popular household pets.

But like other dog breeds, Staffies need Staffordshire Bull Terrier training too in order for them to learn how to behave properly therefore keeping everyone safe. Before the training starts, there are some tips every dog owner, especially inexperienced ones, needs to bear in mind.

The first and the most important is to start the training early. Early means training during puppyhood however if you brought home an adult Staffy, training should start as soon as possible. Socialization should be tackled during your new pet's first few days at home. During this period, it is important for your new friend to get used to the new environment it is taken into. Introduction to resident pets and other family members should be done properly, on neutral ground if possible to avoid territorial or aggression issues. In addition, the new pet especially young pups should also be involved in activities that could get them used to common sights and sounds such as having visitors, vehicles and people passing by, noisy neighbors and others.

Another way to get positive results is to use proper and humane Staffordshire Bull Terrier training approaches. Although this breed appears intimidating, harsh training methods should not be used for it will only do more harm than good. These methods may not only trigger aggressive behaviors but may also hurt your pet. Positive-based training such as reward method should be used instead. The concept of reward method is that, when a pet is rewarded for doing a desirable behavior, it is more likely to repeat the behavior again in the hopes of receiving more rewards. Treat reward can be used until your pet has mastered the command however, you have to substitute gradually the treats with praise and playtime.

If harsh training method is discouraged, how much more the use of punishment? The use of punishment is one of the things every dog owner needs to avoid. Aside from the fact that it will not help you achieve successful training, the method is also more likely to create problems. Aggression, fear and health issues are some of the end results of punishment.

A lot of owners have already succeeded in Staffordshire Bull Terrier training so you too, can do it!

Evelyn Jenkins is a great fan of Staffordshire Bull Terriers. She shares Staffordshire Bull Terrier training tips at her site dedicated to owners who are having difficulty with their Staffordshire Bull Terrier training.