hi guys! bad owner, great dog.

[eddiewouldgo]

hi, my name is eddie and have had the pleasure of being around pitbulls since the age of 15. i'm 30 now and just picked up a wonderful blue-nose named, lux. lux is now 11 months old and 85lbs, i've had him since he was 8wks. he has a great demeanor about him and he is very confident and VERY SMART. i trained him in all generic areas, he can sit, stay, go to mommy, among other commands. my reason for tracking down this site was the fact i had been scorned by a few other people at park today for "dominating" my dog.

i had flipped lux on his back for bad behavior (specifically, not listening. he was over excited eating some odd plant and blatanly ignored me. this happens OFTEN!). this appears to be the only problem "i" have with him. now it really got me upset that 3 men were ready to get physical with me over the way i was handling my dog, they also assumed i hit him (ironic actually... but the point was understood.) lux is not my first nor will he be the last but i feel i have obviously reached a peak with my intelligence on how to raise him.. hence why i'm choosing to sign up.

i hope i can gain discipline within myself so i can show lux a better life by not flipping him on his back every time he chooses to ignore me. it's obviously not working. he is an incredibly smart and sweet dog who deserves better. i hope the forum can forgive me for my short-comings and allow lux and i to thrive in your environment!

[eddiewouldgo]

[Curly_07]

Lux is a cutie!

I'm glad you've decided to come here and learn about training methods, as well as educating yourself to help provide a better life for your kiddo. I too used the "dominance" training methods a few yrs ago when I got my girl. I learned about the time you have, that it was not working the way I had thought it would. Positive Training methods are a great tool to have your dog do things because he wants to please you, rather than doing things because he is affraid of you. Check out the training section, and post your concerns/what you want to achieve, in there once you are approved. There are many positive trainers and behaviourists on this board that love to help out

[jamielvsaustin]

I think you're going to make a great asset to the forum. I personally think you are the kind of person this forum is all about. I think you'll find many people who were once in your shoes (myself, and my husband) included. You seem open minded enough and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the feedback you'll receive from your dog once you start using positive training techniques.

Something that took me a long time to learn that I like to tell others right away-it isn't fair to tell your dog he can't do something when you don't also give him an appropriate option. If you don't want your dog chewing on odd plants and weird berries, that's fine, but give him something else (just as rewarding) TO do.

Nice to meet you!

[spammie]