Find creative ways to exercise!

Exercising a big dog is tough. I learned quickly that once the dog got some size to him that walking him was not going to work. We would go for a walk and I would get tired, we would get home and he is bouncing off the walls because he is only warmed up! So the trick is how do you work hard enough to get your dog good and exhausted? The answer, GET CREATIVE!!

Go for a bike ride, skating, running, playing fetch...... with a frisbee!, swimming is great (especially in the summer!)

Taking Care of Your Dog's Teeth

Taking care of your dog's teeth is just one of the four main thing to consider when it come to grooming your dog. This can be one of the easiest one to take care of though! There are a lot of ways to take care of your dog's teeth, but the first thing and base for it all is feeding them right. After that, like everything else, you just have to make sure you are paying attention to everything that is going on with your dog's mouth.

Taking Care of Your Dog's Body

Taking care of your dog's body is just one of the four main thing to consider when it come to grooming your dog.

Taking Care of Your Dog's Nails

Taking care of your dog's nails is just one of the four main thing to consider when it come to grooming your dog. This one can also be one of the hardest, simply because of nail trimming. This can be one of the hardest thing for most dog owners to deal with. That is also why it so hard though, because your already in a bad state of mind there's a cloud that hangs around the whole activity. A cloud that we have to get rid of!

Taking Care of Your Dog's Hair

Taking care of your dog's hair is just one of the four main thing to consider when it come to grooming your dog. Depending on your dog there could be many different things that this step entails. I, however, have a pitbull so it's not that intensive, but I do take great pride in doing a great job and making sure Max looks good all the time!

Grooming

Grooming is a very important for all dogs, and a grooming is a great way to develop your pet-owner relationship. Although there are some staple and basic needs, all dogs have very specific and very different needs when it comes to grooming. That can mean lots of time spent working with your dog to keep them beautiful! That's why I always stress that people look into everything that it takes to raise their specific breed of dog. Don't be upset when you have hair everywhere because you didn't research that your dog shed pounds of fur every year! You take showers, cut your hair, and trim your nails..... why can't your pup look as good!

That said, that's why I chose pitbulls. I am, believe it or not, allergic to dogs. So when I was looking for what type of dog I would get I was looking for short-haired, non-shedding dog (amongst other things). Pitbulls have fantastic smooth, short, soft hair and is very easy to take care of. That beautiful hair is easy to take care of but there are many things that encompass 'grooming' your dog. When it comes to dealing with some of the other facets of grooming, well... let's say they took some practice, and teamwork!

The four main things to consider when taking care of your dog:

• Hair
• Nails
• Body
• Teeth

Lay Down

Getting your dog to lay down is another command that should be in every dog owner's arsenal! It's also another easy one to teach and you'll find it comes in handy in many situations. This is also the base for many other tricks!

Shake & High 5

Two of the most common dog tricks in history; shake and high 5.  These two tricks are a lot of fun and a great starting place for new trainers and a new pup. Being able to complete some of these simple tricks as a team is a great way to build trust an understanding between you, important for future training and tougher tricks!

Walking WITH your dog!

Walking your dog essential for good behavior. It is how you get rid of all that energy they have, and if you are dreading going for walk that probably means you also aren't going as often as you should because you hate doing it. Walking you dog is the basis for training, the easiest time to teach a dog something is after a walk and they have all the crazy energy gone, and all the pay attention energy left! It also makes your life inside much easy since your dog won't have all that energy to be bouncing off the walls. So take your dog on a walk everyday! At least 30min, and more the bigger the dog!

Socializing

Socializing your dog is a very important part of owning a balanced dog. You must start early and promote good social interactions. You do this by throwing your young puppy into the mix with a lot of different experiences so that they are not scared by new things. Scared dogs turn into dangerous, nervous dogs. You have to expose your dog to people and dogs at a young age so they learn to play nice, before they get older and bigger to the point when they can damage.

SIT - STAY - COME

These tricks are the staple of your dog's discipline. Every dog must obey these three commands or everything else means nothing. High five, and shake are nothing if your dog doesn't come on command.
They are, believe it or not, easily taught and learned. They do, however, take the most work, and patience. These tricks have an easy start, but take a lot of honing and perfection to get your dog to do it in ANY and EVERY SITUATION.

House Training

The all important stain free carpet! House training is one of the most telltale signs of a well trained dog is whether or not they relieve themselves inside or outside. House training is one of the simplest things to do, yet some people really have a problem with it. It has NOTHING to do with the dog, and everything to do with YOU! Training a dog to go to the bathroom outside is all about GETTING THEM OUTSIDE! You have to watch your puppy like a hawk, and be PROACTIVE! When you have a puppy you have to always have your eye on them, its just like having a kid, you have to be VIGILANT!

The easiest way to do it when you have a puppy is to take them outside EVERY 15 MINUTES!

Kennel Training

Kennel training your dog is very important, because it will give your dog somewhere that is his/her own space. Every kid wants their own room right! On the same note, parents don't want to share the bed with their kid.... at least every night ;)   So make sure that you make kenneling a priority early. It should not just be the "time-out" spot for when they're in trouble, because then it will have a negative reinforcement to it, and the dog won't want to hang out, or even sleep, there. It is also a good thing to have for when they are still young and you cannot yet fully trust them to not destroy your house, or go to the bathroom, while you are gone for even the smallest amount of time.

Commands = Structure

Ok, so before we get into training, how to do it, and the ways to make it all happen and live a happy life with your dog; I need to say a few things about commands. They are very important and very easy to understand. You just need to know that DOGS DON'T UNDERSTAND WORDS. They associate the things you say, with whether or not you were happy with how they responded! So what that means to you, is that you need to use the SAME "phrase" every time you want that action done! THE SAME THING EVERY TIME! Don't change it, you'll confuse the dog and make it harder for both of you to communicate. That also means that you have to communicate these command words to everyone in your dogs life; roommates, girlfriends, friends, whoever! They all have to use the same commands or nothing will ever get learned.

Naming Your Puppy

This could be the single most important trick you teach your dog. Yes that's right, the name is just another trick. Only its the one you'll use the most. There are no good names, and no bad names, just the one that you feel fits your puppy best. You could have the name picked out before you even get the puppy, but I don't recommend that. Wait until you see your new addition and then see what he/she likes, and what you can agree on. It could take you minutes, or even a few days, but you'll know when hit it.

BEFORE!!! You Actually Get Your Dog and Bring It Home!!

This is a very important point to get in before I start giving out tips to training and raising your dog!
When you finally decide you're ready to get a dog, there are a lot of things you need to do before you ever get the dog and bring it home. I get really upset when people just come home from the park or the shelter or wherever with a new puppy and have nothing to take care of dog with. You HAVE TO BE PREPARED to bring a dog into your house! Before you ever get the dog you need lots of things so that way the transition for the puppy is easiest, and you're not feeding it table food and letting it eat out of your cereal bowls, or sleeping on the carpet, etc. That environment is not good for a new puppy, you have to be prepared to be able to give them a healthy happy home.

Picking Your Puppy

This can be the most important step in owning a pitbull, as it determines what you will have to be dealing with for the rest of your time together. I always recommend to people that they take a lot of time researching about whatever kind of dog that they want. You need to find a dog that fits your needs, and capabilities.

Disclaimer Before You Get a Pitbull

I have been a pitbull lover for years and have my current baby, Maximus, for four years now. They are amazing dogs as I'm sure many of you know, but they do have the worst reputation of any other dog out there. This means that if you chose this particular dog you MUST hold yourself to a much higher standard than any other dog owner. You have to make sure that your dog is the best trained dog in the neighborhood and understand that you are a representative of the breed everywhere you go! One bad pitbull, or one mistake from even a good pitbull, can ruin it for the rest of us. I have lived in a few cities where dog attacks, or even just an increase in numbers of pitbulls, have prompted the city to immediately start trying to ban the dogs, without any due process at all.