If you have no idea how to train a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, fear not! Whether you seek effective bully puppy house training methods or basic Staffy obedience training, training your dog will probably be easier than you think.
Puppy training of bully should always focus on socialisation and the prevention of unwanted behaviours. The jumping that may be cute in your bully puppy will not be cute when he grows into a 175 lb. adult Saint Bernard. Rather than focusing on bully puppy training obedience, you should concentrate on bully puppy socialisation and the prevention of problem behaviour through rewarding desirable actions, and removing reinforcement for unwanted behaviours through extinction, management, or negative punishment (more on this later!)
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Proper Pitbull Collars are Important for Good Training
The crux of effective Staffordshire Bull Terrier's training, whether you are house training your Staffordshire Bull Terrier or teaching obedience behaviors, is to never miss an opportunity to reward your Staffy for doing the right thing. Staffordshire Bull Terrier owners generally like their pet to sit politely, lie down, go settle on a mat or in a crate, or be quiet - remember to click and treat your Staffordshire Bull Terrier for these behaviours to increase the likelihood that your Stafford will offer the in the future.
Depending on the certain situation, the right thing may vary. For Staffordshire Bull Terriers that are excited and jump to greet visitors, the right thing may be "four on the floor." Click and treat your Staffy for all four paws on the floor when a new person approaches or enters the house. If your Staffordshire Bull Terrier is usually barks when she sees another Staffordshire Bull Terrier, click her for eye contact or for looking at another Staffordshire Bull Terrier without barking.
Concentrate better on what you want your Staffordshire Bull Terrier to do instead of what you want your Staffordshire Bull Terrier to stop doing. For negative behaviour like barking and nipping, jumping and growling, think better of how you would prefer for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier to act instead and develop a bully training plan to achieve ite. If you need help with some training, find a qualified dog trainer in your area to assist you in it.
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Train Your Dog Wisely
Extinction here means the certain principal of non-punishment or non-reinforcement ignoring the bully behaviour. A lot of Staffordshire Bull Terriers show unwanted behaviours because they've paid off before - Staffordshire Bull Terriers pull on lead because it gets their owners to move forward and faster on walks, Staffordshire Bull Terriers bark for attention, jump to greet, etc. Often when you ignore the behaviour and it is the best bet - then wait the Staffy out and then reinforce when he offers another behaviour - sitting instead of jumping, for example. This requires patience and particularly if the behaviour has "paid off" for quite some time.
Management of Bully: Does your Staffordshire Bull Terrier counter surf? Get its food off the counter! Staffordshire Bull Terriers counter surf to get food. Managing the situation means crating or gating your Stafford when food is on the counter, and removing the temptation of engaging in the unwanted behaviour by cleaning up when you are not there to supervise. Management prevents Staffordshire Bull Terrier from rehearsing its unwanted types of behaviour.
Training another incompatible type of behaviour when Staffordshire Bull Terrier can't jump or mount if the bully is settling on a mat. A Staffy cannot bark if he is fetching a buster cube that fills his mouth. A dog cannot be aggressive with another dog when he is focused on targeting his nose to your hand. If your Staffy is doing something you don't like, think of what you would like your dog to do instead and train that alternative, incompatible behaviour to fluency!
Negative Punishment of a dog: In laymen's terms, negative punishment means a time out for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Negative punishment of bully dogs is very effective for self-reinforcing types of behaviour - behaviours Staffordshire Bull Terriers do because they're just "fun." Barking and jumping, resource guarding and nipping can be self reinforcing.
This is but a simple introduction to training your Staffordshire Bull Terrier. For more help, find a dog trainer near you. Remember, if the training isn't fun for you and your Staffy, you're not doing it right! A good trainer will produce Staffordshire Bull Terriers that love to work and people that love training their Staffords. If either of these elements is missing in bully training, seek a new trainer today.
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