Our Deaf Pittbull Silent

by Shannon And Erica
(Shelton,Washington US)

A few months ago we got a deaf pitbull and at that time is was 7 months old. He is food Aggressive And we don't know how to break that. He is also our first deaf pitbull and we don't know how to start on training him. He knows hand commands to come and sit but that's about it. Any ideas that can help us.

Answer

Hambone Silent is adorable!
The first thing you need to understand is that training takes patience and time. Don't expect to see quick fixes.
The second important thing to understand is that even when you start seeing positive changes in your dog, you need to always be alert because there may be relapses.

To train a deaf dog hand signals are ideal, and most dogs cue on body language more than words anyway. Read the article about Hand Signals to learn more about them and how to teach them to your dog.

I highly recommend you also read the following articles in order and practice everything they teach you. It is one thing to understand the theory and another to apply it, you will need practice to get the right timing and help your dog get better.

1 - Dog Training Methods: Learn about classical and operant conditioning. Then read and practice capturing and luring methods. Finally read about systematic desensitization and counterconditioning.

2 - Dog Commands: Now that you understand the methods, pick some commands and teach them to your dog. Any voice command can be turned into a hand signal, vibration signal (stopping on the floor) or touch signal (gently touching some part of your dog's body).

3 - Finally, you can embark on helping your dog to relax around food. This is called Resource Guarding. If you need help you can always hire the help of a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in your area.

Hope it helps! and keeps us posted on the progress of Hambone Silent!

Nati.