[Lisa2424]

Please help me. I have a APBT that is just over a year old. She has proven impossible for me or my husband to train. I know she can be but honestly it is apparent we lack the skill and patience required. She is a good sweet girl and very loving, her name is Lillylou lol. I know its dorky Anyway we have just messed up from the get go with her. She was tiny when we got her and she slept in our bed, still does. She isn't house trained, and just will not use the bathroom outside. She will sit when told but that is all we have been able to teach her.And worse she runs away. Anytime she can get out the door she is gone and it takes hours of chasing her to catch her. I am exhausted now as I spent 1 hour chasing her because a cat was on our porch, she managed to open the door and the chase was on. She just will not listen to us. She is submissive in ways but dominant in other, always trying to stand above our heads and things like that. She will bark at us if we tell her to go lay down and growl but not like she is going to attack, like it is a game to her almost. I am being bullied is what it feels like. I can get no dog training here, we live in another country my husband is military but a friend of mine told me about this site. Some of the other pups from this litter have similar issues but she is just completely out of our control, what can we do. We love her and want her but this cant continue, my kids have been late to school when she has gotten out and ive been late picking them up for the same reason. We have been fined by the Mps but chain of command helped us out of it. My neighbors hate us cuz she has tore threw their flower beds and the like while running around the neighborhood. I have read books, looked online but cant put into action with her what i have learned, she just wont listen to me or well anybody...please help me if you can.~Lisa

 

[k8nkane]

Practice NILIF, which stands for Nothing In Life Is Free. From now on, any time she wants to eat, any time she wants to get on the bed, any time she wants to go outside, any time she wants ANYthing, she has to sit for you first. I don't know how you're walking her, but she shouldn't be walking out in front of you and dragging you around the neighborhood.

And you NEED to have patience for this or nothing will get solved. She's run your house for a year now and that's what she's going to be used to. She's going to fight you and be stubborn when you try to make her listen now, and you've got to hold your own against her and wait her out.

How often does she get out of the house and walked around the neighborhood? If she's seen the same things many times before it might not be as exciting for her to get out -- but it sounds like escaping the house is a big old game to her. It's reinforcing to her over and over again when she escapes to have you chasing around after her.

I would say either have her a leash at all times in the house or when you know you're going to be opening the door, crate her up. While she's leashed you can work on her etiquette regarding the door -- when you go to the front door, she goes to a "mat" or automatically into her crate to wait for your okay to get up.

As far as the housetraining goes, start over.

Crate her when you can't supervise her (as in actively watch her). Take her outside 10-15 minutes after she eats or drinks.

 

[MY MIKADO]

Holy Smokes you hae a lot of work aead of you. It is going to mean that you need to buckle down and be consistant with her. First off what kind of door do you have that she can open? If you can not watch her crate her. Put a leash on her before you go to the door so no more running off. Alot of people use NILF. I don't and I know someone will tell you all about it.

How much exercise does she get both physical and mental in a day? I would start out with working on sits and stays. You can do this in the house to start with. Work her at short 15min periods at a time 2-3 times a day. Then when you tke her for a walk you can work on this also. Mental exercise is great for APBT.

With coming when called I start out with my dog on a long line you can make one or go to the feed store and get a horse lunge line. I would let her about 10ft of freedom and then call her to you. If she doesn't come right now start reeling her in calling her name and come. Once she is to you praise her you can use treats and then make her sit and then send her back out to explore. Keep doing this with her she will start coming to you quicker each time you work on this.

 

[ames]

Have you thought about putting a baby gate up in front of the door if possible? My friend uses a double gate, one at the door and one at the hallway so she can go through one and close it before her pup follow. I have Gargamel trained to go to his bed whenever there is someone at the door. I call his dog bed "NASA" so as soon as I says NASA he runs for his bed (if I say bed he goes to my bed, lol so I had to get a new name and home is his crate). I gave him dog ice cream as treats every night telling him go to NASA" and he would not get it until he was sitting on NASA. I also gave training 10-15 minutes for a few days of biscuits and sits and comes on NASA to get him to know what NASA meant. He now runs to NASA wherever I say NASA. I had to do this because my entranceway is close quarters and he would become overwhelmed and not know how to react at the door, especially when I let people in, he would get confused and I saw it stress him out everytime, not knowing what to do. Now he goes to NASA and wait til the person enters and is not in the enclosed space I tell him come say hi, and he is all happy and excited to greet instead of thinking the person is evil and bad, lol.

Dont give up. You can do it!!! This breed is extremely smart, but also extremely stubborn. You MUST be more stubborn than him and if it means he doesn't eat or get treats when he isn't listening, then don't let that worry you either. He isn't gonna starve if he refuses to sit before you feed him and he will get it. Don't give up!!!

 

[Silence]

Babygates are awesome during the whole training period. As mentioned, exercise and mental stimulation. I find the tread mill works wonders on the days where I can`t exercise the dogs properly.