Training

I never thought that I would ever be the proud owner of a Pit bull. They are given such a bad reputation, but it's not the dog, it's the owner that determines how the dog will act. Ranger had two previous owners and neither cared about him. The second time Ranger was rescued, he was found roaming the streets of Baltimore. He had a microchip and the owners were contacted, but they didn't want him back. It was obvious that neither cared for him or took the time to train him.

Our first walk took over two hours (we only walked about a mile). Ranger would pull, I'd stop, make him wait and then we carried on. When he was good, he got treats. In only a matter of days, Ranger was already getting better at learning how to 'heel' or to not pull on the leash while walking. It took a toll on my shoulder and only then did I remember a gentle leader. I purchased one and while he hates it, he walks so much better now. A gentle leader goes around the nose and hooks to the leash on the underside of the chin. It is similar to a halter for a horse and pulls the nose downwards towards the chest if the dog starts pulling while walking.

After about two or three weeks, Ranger was doing so well at walking, we tried our hand at running. I like to run about two miles a day, two or three times a week. He did very well and we've been able to increase our runs. We did a 5K in 90 degree heat one day (we both had the energy) and when we got home, he was tired and calm for about five minutes and then went into crazy mode again. I was exhausted and had a hard time dealing with him. Ranger gets, as Colleen calls it, the 'zoomies.' He runs in circles around the couch and coffee table again and again until he finally jumps on the couch and tries to bite the pillows. These are the times when he needs a 'time-out.' We use his 'kennel' (a large metal crate) as his time-out zone. The adoption experts say not to use the crate as punishment, but we don't have many options. It's either that or outside on the leash where he will continually bark so he goes in the kennel for five minutes, calms down, and can come back out and join us. This has worked very well.

Ranger is still learning the words 'no' and 'drop it.' He likes to bring you things that aren't his, pillows, blankets, shoes, and refuses to let go. I'm sure his previous owners played tug-of-war with him, which is actually a horrible thing to do with dogs. We still have to pry his mouth open to get our items free, but he's slowly learning. When adopting a dog, you have to have all of the patience in the world, especially if you get an older dog that already has bad habits. Luckily Ranger is only a year and three months old, so we still have time to correct his 'flaws.'