Teaching a High Energy Pitbull mix to Sit to Ask For Attention

By: David Codr

Published Date: February 5, 2020

Gus Pit Mix - Teaching a High Energy Pitbull mix to Sit to Ask For Attention

For this Omaha dog training session we worked with a super-high energy 6 year-old Pittie mix named Gus, showing his guardian how to pet with a purpose to help him know what behaviors she likes from him.

Gus was SUPER high energy to start out the session so I shared some tips on creative ways to exercise your dog. More than just about any other dog I have worked with, Gus needs several short exercise sessions every day. Also exercising him before people come over, before walks, etc will set him up for success.

This exercise tip works for all kinds of breeds and all types of humans. You can do this even if you are not a professional Pitbull dog trainer. In fact not being a professional dog trainer may make it even more important to properly exercise your dog.

Gus was also very pushy and needy, demanding attention in a very cute way. But if a dog is able to tell you what to do, it sees you as a peer. If a dog sees you as a peer, then listening is optional.

An easy way to help a dog see and respect you as a leader is to add some structure to everyday activities. As a Dog Behaviorist, a few years ago I learned that an easy way to help your dog learn to see you as a leader is to ask it to do something to earn attention. I like to call it Petting with a Purpose.

Petting with a purpose can be super helpful as a dog won’t listen to you the way you want unless it sees you as a leader. Petting with a purpose is a great way to change that and develop a healthy leader follower dynamic.

Many people confuse their dogs by petting them at the wrong time. But because you are rewarding whatever a dog is doing when you pet it, many people end up reinforcing unwanted behaviors. Basically, people train their dog to do things they do not want them to do without even realizing it. Petting with a purpose is a wonderful way to teach a dog what activities you like. The more you pet your dog this way, the more the dog will do what you want!

To help the guardian remember all the other dog behavior tips we shared in this in home Omaha dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video.

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This post was written by: David Codr