Cross Breeds

what is the best way to get a pitbull terrior to not go after other dogs while walking on the leash?

ie: walkin in the park with other dogs around. whats the best way to get him to ignore them

Public Comments

1. Walk in an area where there are less dogs until you can get his dog-aggressiveness (or dog-interestedness?) under control. You may want to talk to a personal dog trainer about this. Watching "The Dog Whisperer" does not count.
2. Have him trained by a professional trainer since you don't know how to train the dog yourself.
3. Some of the best techniques I have ever seen are shown by Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. It's a fascinating show and he is really amazing when working with dogs.
4. Practice, practice, practice at home. Basic obedience is a must in all bull breeds. Teach him to sit and teach him to look. Dangle a treat in front of your dogs eyes and bring it up to your eye level saying "LOOK". When you get eye contact, treat. Keep practising this every day for a couple of minutes a few times a day until your dog will LOOK at you when you ask, even without a treat. Now, when you are out walking, find out your dogs tolerance threshold. See how close you can get before he starts to be silly then move a little further away. As you go toward the other dog, ask for a look as you pass. Give him huge amounts of praise if he focuses on you and not the other dog. When out, if someone approaches and he starts to be silly, ask for a sit and swing in front of you dog and ask for a look. Break his concentration. Always ask others to keep their dog way. Bull breeds are not sociable animals with other dogs, they prefer the company of their humans. If all else fails, find somewhere else to walk him. OR don't walk him and play frisbee, fetch and tug games at home!
5. How old is he? I have 2 grown Pitts and 1 pup I teach them from a pup up and, never have any problems. But, He may be stubbern. Try walking him in a less dog crowded place?
6. the dog needs to be properly socialized and trained before going "off leash" any where.. this is true of any breed dog. the "LEAVE IT" command is brilliant...
7. pull the leash back and choke that ni99a
8. I have an APBT female that was attacked by an unleashed dog while I had her out for a walk. After that, she got excited whenever we were in range of other dogs. What helped me in working with her, was to utilize the "down" command and getting her to "focus" on me and divert her attention from the dog/cat/person that was exciting her. After this happened, I took her for regular walks where we purposely passed other dogs so I could work with her on this. Every now and then she'll get excited and I usually notice she is getting focused on something first. Before she starts barking I redirect her and get her attention. If she starts to pull away or bark like a banshee, I command her to a "down" position. A well-fitted "Easy Walk" two tone harness has been a big help, too. This is not to be confused with the "Easy Walk" gentle leader that fits over the dogs mouth. It's very important that it's fitted right or the dog can slip out of it. Obedience classes will probably help, starting with working with your dog and a trainer first and then involving your dog in a group obedience class when ready. Make sure you work with a trainer that is experienced with this breed if at all possible. My dog was also attacked and bitten by a neighbor's aggressive dog that got off a leash and went for her. Those two separate incidents have caused me to have to work more extensively with my dog. I would avoid dog parks if your dog has this tendency because if another dog gets aggressive with your dog, it would be in her nature to fight back and the APBT almost always gets the blame for any incident, not to mention that if they do have to defend themselves, they are very powerful dogs.
9. Serious obedience training. Period. No short cuts, no "cookie classes", no clicker training. You picked a dog that was bred to fight other dogs. You need to accept this fact and the responsibility for training your dog. And until he is trained steer clear of areas that might get him in trouble...you don't want him to become a sad statistic. Find a book called The Koehler Method of Dog Training by William R. Koehler. Amazon.com or even Ebay will probably have it; maybe even the library. Check out their web site: www.koehlerdogtraining.com They may be able to refer you to a Koehler trainer in your area. Koehler trainers don't fail or bail on aggressive dogs; they get the training job done. Get going and good luck.
10. Yes I agree with everyone else. Training, maybe take him to a class also where there is a group of other dogs also taking the class.
11. Is it still a pup if it is try puppy kindergarden classes it will help to socialize your pup. If not try classes with mutiple students. So that the pup will be used to being around other dogs while still focusing on you. Good luck with your little bully!