Pitbulls are strong dogs with stubborn hearts, and they will go to any length to please their owner, even attacking other dogs and humans if ordered. Teaching your Pitbull how to socialize with humans and other animals is necessary to avoid such incidents.
In this article, we will learn about socializing Pitbull and why it is so important to teach them social skills.
Why Do You Need to Socialize Your Pitbull?
Socializing is essential for dogs, especially Pitbulls, as they are among the strongest dogs.
Given below is a breakdown of all the reasons why you should socialize your Pitbull.
Strength And Speed
Pitbulls are undoubtedly one of the most substantial dog breeds in the world. The Pitbull breed can do the most damage in the shortest time to any enemy, either an animal or a human.
Just like all large and strong breeds that can harm and inflict a lot of damage on others very quickly, Pitbull owners must look out for the safety of others.
Tendency Toward Dog Aggression
Not all Pitbulls will be dog aggressive, but the potential is more significant than in many other breeds. Pitbulls are not alone in being dog aggressive; their image burdens the owners with a great responsibility to protect others.
Breed Reputation
Imagine your Corgi attacks the neighbor’s Chihuahua, or your dog from any other breed takes a bite out of a shoe; chances are no one will immediately begin asking you to euthanize your dog.
And no one will successfully utilize one incident to start a worldwide movement to eradicate Corgis or Cocker Spaniels. But Pitbull owners have to worry about calls to “put down” Pitbulls even when they are not the aggressors in a given situation.
There’s already a worldwide campaign to eliminate the Pitbull breed. Even aggressive looks can add to the toxic perception of the whole Pitbull breed or put your dog in a nasty situation.
Put all these problems together, and it’s easier to understand why it’s so crucial to socialize with your Pitbull.
Manners and Social Cues Necessary for the World
Your Pitbull must be socialized as it helps your Pit learn social manners and cues such as:
- You are teaching them about the world around them. Much like you would a human child. They learn from experiences.
- You teach them about specific places, people, and things such as cars, trains, bicycles, and strange noises. They learn about these things every time you take them out.
- Most dog bites in the United States are from loose or chained-up dogs. In short, they should have been appropriately socialized.
Different Methods to Socialize A Pitbull
It would be best if you started early to raise a well-behaved and socialized Pitbull. To help you with the socialization of your Pitbull, here are some tips:
1. Be A Leader
Your Pitbull doesn’t need to be scared of you to obey you. However, to ensure you have a great relationship with your Pitbull, you must help them build confidence.
As a dog owner, you are accountable for making your dog feel safe around you and helping them understand that they can openly communicate their feelings.
2. Puppy Training Sessions
Puppy training sessions are an excellent direction for socializing a Pitbull because it helps them become confident in interacting with other dogs. In addition, it allows your dog to improve its relationship with you and learn how to interact with family members and friends.
Puppy training sessions are also an excellent way to help Pitbull interact peacefully with other dog breeds and tone down aggressive behavior. With the right puppy training given by professionals, your Pitbull can also learn how to react in emergencies.
Similarly, such classes also help create a powerful communication medium between you and your little doggy.
3. Obedience Course
Enrolling your Pitbull in an obedience course is effective in helping them establish healthy interactions with fellow dogs and dog owners. Obedience courses help your Pitbull understand social behavior’s nuances and avoid temperamental issues.
Such training drills help establish you as a commander in front of your Pitbull and help them follow voice commands without physical contact. In the long run, such obedience knowledge can save your Pitbull’s life in emergencies.
If you want your Pitbull’s personality to shine through, obedience training can be a great tool to counter problematic dog behaviors and tone down aggression in Pitbulls.
4. Set Boundaries
Your Pitbull must understand what it can or cannot do around you and what is acceptable and what is not. Pitbulls generally love to test their limits, so you must set healthy boundaries from the start.
Boundaries will help your Pit to understand who calls the shots in the relationship between you two. You must claim your space and teach your dog to stay patient to establish this invisible barrier.
Likewise, it is recommended that you correct your Pitbull’s behavior at the right time and stay consistent with such boundaries.
5. Showcase The Positivity Of Your Pitbull
Showcasing the good points of your Pitbull can be an excellent way to introduce them to society and break the stereotypes about its aggressive nature.
Positivity will help your neighborhood to understand that Pitbulls are helpful little creatures and can be lovely pets. Doing so will enable your dog to interact and socialize with other dogs and humans.
Also, highlight how Pitbulls can be extremely helpful in emergencies and how training Pitbulls properly can benefit the community.
6. Do not Punish the Pitbull
When your Pitbull is out there socializing and mingling with other dogs, verbal or physical criticism can create a bad image of them in front of other dogs.
If your Pitbull is not behaving as you would like, consider communicating with them about what they are doing wrong instead of punishing them.
Punishing your Pitbull in such circumstances will not help them learn how to behave. Sometimes, it may even lower your Pitbull’s trust in you and lead to further misbehavior.
7. Interact with Friendly Dogs
One of the key things to note on how to socialize a Pitbull is to ensure that your Pitbull stays away from hostile dogs in its initial days.
We recommend introducing your cute little puppy to well-mannered and friendly dogs with the dog owner’s permission. Teach your dog to approach a fellow canine with the owner’s permission.
Interaction with friendly dogs first is important because your Pitbull might not know how to act in awkward social situations and interact with another dog.
Therefore, we also tell fellow Pitbull lovers to avoid taking their dogs to dog parks in the beginning. It is best first to show them an example of a well-mannered dog before them and then help them socialize more significantly.
8. Tire Them Out
Pitbulls are generally more aggressive when they’re filled with energy. If you want to tone down their negative energy and behavioral issues, we recommend you help them drain their energy by exercising.
A tired Pitbull is much less likely to be on bad behavior and will mostly appear calm. You must take your dog for a long and tiring walk before you take them to meet with other dogs and dog owners. Tiring them can also help relieve your dog’s anxiety and stress.
9. Support Good Behavior
If your Pitbull interacts well with other dogs and is on its best behavior, you must offer them treats to reinforce it. Some obvious signs of a well-mannered dog include polite sniffs, happy tail wagging, play stances, etc.
If your Pitbull shows these signs in front of other dogs, they’re calm, composed, and happy. To associate such behavior with good things, you must react positively to it.
10. Accept Your Pitbull’s Personality
Certain Pitbulls can work up and interact positively with other dogs, while others can’t overcome their anxiety and stress. If you notice that your puppy is uncomfortable interacting with fellow dogs, it is best to leave him alone and consider hiring a dog trainer.
Professionals have the knowledge and experience to help your dog socialize better. If this doesn’t work out, consider accepting your Pitbull’s personality as the best way to go.
When To Begin Pitbull Socialization
In most situations, the correct answer to this question is “Right away!”. The period between 4 and 14 weeks, especially 8-12 weeks, is prime time to socialize when your Pitbull is focused on learning about the world around them.
But the whole first 6 months are crucial. It is the age at which primary stimulus-response patterns are established. It becomes much harder to modify attitudes and behavior at a later age.
While puppyhood is the best time to begin socialization, if you’ve just gotten a new adult Pitbull, you should also start socializing him immediately. As part of learning the rules of his new environment, you should teach him to work and play well with others.
If there are bad habits to overcome, it will take more effort than with a puppy, but the longer you wait, the more ingrained the unwanted behaviors become.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Get My Pitbull to Be Friendly with Other Dogs?
Ensure your Pitbull is in a good mood to meet other dogs. If your dog is showing signs of being stressed or afraid, step back to where he was last relaxed and try again. Offer treats every time your Pitbull behaves calmly, and provide plenty of praise before working your way towards other dogs again.
How Do You Bond with A Pitbull?
The best way to bond with your Pitbull is to play with them. By playing games such as fetch, throw, frisbee, and tug-of-war or other mind games such as puzzles, you can teach and tire out your Pitbull and bond deeply with your Pitbull.
Playing and spending time with your Pitbull also ensures your dog is mannered and respectful to you and others. He will also consider you his parent.
Why Did My Pitbull Attack My Other Dog?
Pitbull attacks can happen for several reasons, primarily due to poor or no training by the Pitbull’s owner. Some owners may intentionally train their Pitbull to be aggressive, making a recipe for horror.
When an incompetent owner fails to train or socialize any dog properly, that dog may bite without provocation. For this reason, it is crucial to socialize and train your Pitbull.
But if your Pitbull is socialized and trained, there could be a chance your other dog has provoked the Pitbull. You must also socialize with your other dogs and the Pitbull and supervise their playtime.
Conclusion
Pitbulls are friendly and social butterflies, but being a dog breed, they are prone to aggression toward other dogs if not socialized and trained. It is essential for every dog, especially for massive and strong dogs like Pitbulls, to train and teach them social skills.
Pitbulls are already under attack, and there are calls to put them down, so we must change that narrative and help spread positivity about the breed.
