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Pitbulls

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Pitbull Behavior Modification Jason M. Cox
Ohio Christian University April 9th , 2016

Dog lovers and professional trainers alike often say there is no such thing as bad dogs, only bad dog owners. Today, the dog that gets the most attention on this topic is the Pit Bull. "The Pit Bull wasn't always synonymous with being a bad dog, by nature, they are in fact very smart, fun loving, and affectionate, thus make great family dogs". (Delise, 2007).
But every decade has its ‘bad dog'. Back in the Seventies, the Doberman was the tough guy's dog of choice. In the Eighties, it was the Rottweiler. Since the Nineties, it's been the Pit Bull. The problem is that it's maintained this image a lot longer than other tough dog breeds because they have what behaviorists call ‘a soft temperament.' This means that they are easy to handle and look a lot meaner than they are.
There are different reasons why people acquire dogs. Some want a companion or family pet. But there are also people who want guard dogs and a dog that appeals to their dangerous image. "You can train a dog to do anything, even to be nasty and vicious, the biggest problem currently facing Pit Bulls is when people with the wrong intentions get one, they don't know what they are really getting into and can't be bothered with any training. That's when bad situations arise. And as a result, the dog lands in a shelter" (O'Heare, 2014).
According to O'Heare (2014), anyone who has a dog has to consider himself or herself the dog's life coach. And if the dog shows any signs of misbehavior or aggression at any time, it's the responsibility of the owner to teach, with proper reward-based training techniques, that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. "Dogs are no different from children, you can't teach a child something once and consider it done. It's a matter of constantly re-enforcing the issue. The

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