Okay, I feel like I have tried EVERYTHING to motivate my pit bull terrier. He is approx 18 months old, and he does know basic commands like 'sit' 'down' 'stay' and he is showing great improvements with loose leash walking... but my trouble is that I cannot seem to find the right motivator for him.

I have tried dried beef liver, shredded chicken, ground beef, a variety of treats that you can buy at petco / petsmart. I have tried using toys instead of treats - I have tried using praise/petting. I have tried "life rewards" like being able to back and play, etc.

and - he's learning, but he doesn't seem very eager. The real problem comes with the loose leash walking. He does GREAT inside, and even in our yard, but as soon as we walk through the gate/door - all bets are off. And i do know that dogs don't generalize well, and that he has to "relearn" in many places before he can generalize the behavior. The trouble is that there does not seem to be a reward that is more powerful than the distractinos - and I live in a VERY quiet neighborhood where there is nothing going on outside. I have tried spending an hour with him out there for him to acclimate to the enviornment before we start training - but still, he's not very motivated. When we go on walks, I use the "stop moving until the leash is loose again" technique, and we are making progress - but I want to find something that really motivates him - would love any/all suggestions.

Bad Dog Training Tricks - How to Correct Bad Dog Behavior

Recommended Answer:
Cheese, small pieces, not huge chunks.

or Milk bone Original crunchy treats, try those.
my grandparents used it for years and so we are too & they love it. thats what i take on walks as im training our jack russel terrier to walk better on a leash instead of pulling.. and its easy to grab and use....

Online Dog Training and Puppy Training

• Cheese!


• I give my dog Cheese
  cause his stomach is
  very soft.
  Cheese is just as healthy as a regular treat.


• you could get dog biscuits it works on my dog


• Have you tried cheese? My boyfriends dog gets the most horrible gas with cheese so use with caution. "Rollover" is a treat I've used for years as a training treat, it looks and smells kindof like garlic sausage (but less greasy), and comes in wrapped tubes (you can chop it up and freeze it to use at your liesure).
  
  What about tennis balls? Does he like to chase things? You could use a tennis ball or a frizbee for motivation, and throw it after you use your praise and release words. Does he like to go for jogs? You could use a jog as an instant reward for loose leash... ie loose leash means you say "good! lets go!" and go for a slow excited jog for a little ways. You could also dash away from him in a "play chase" kind of way if he's into that.
  
  My boyfriends dog is learning, and he loves treats.. but he hasn't quite figured out that obeying a series of commands can result in treats. He's excited once it happens, but he doesn't anticipate it... I'm working on it.
  
  


• There are vitamins in tubes, kind of like toothpaste that are very healthy and they love it. Make sure you read the directions and try not to overdo it. Look for it at pet stores made by Nutrical, Nutristat and Tomlyn. If he doesn't go for it put a tiny bit on his lip and let him get a taste. Otherwise try jogging with your dog, I have found that setting a faster pace gives me more control and the dog stays focused on where we are going. After a bit your dog will tire out a bit and you may have better luck with a slower paced walk. Good Luck! I have 3 pit bulls myself : )


• REAL liver?
  Weiners?
  Cheese?
  
  Some dogs are just slugs to work with. It's frustrating. I'd rather work with a hyper dog.


• A short leash and a slip collar. Read or watch Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer." Excellent training for a "muscle dog."


• Good for you in trying to find a treat that he likes! My dogs love vegetables and a carrot is just as good as a piece of meat in my house.
  
  As for the walking, I found out that trusting your dog and allowing them to find their own boundaries worked better for my dogs than strict rules. Both of dogs will walk with me around the neighborhood without me holding onto their leashes.
  
  I too tried the loose leash walking and all the tricks associated with that but my puppy wasn't getting it. Instead I started taking her to a fenced in dog park when there was no one there and walked her, that way if she ran away I could still catch her :) . I finally just dropped the leash and let her go, at first she took off but then she stopped and looked back at me, waiting for me to follow. I did and then tried to change directions. I turned around and walked the other way and and just said "Lucy! This way" she quickly ran up next to me and obediently walked around the park with me. After a few practice times we tried a hike in the woods, again she was fine.
  
  It is almost the fact that she knows that I am trusting her to explore and not run away and she respects that. Now if a cat or squirrel crosses our path I have to quickly react and step on her leash and say "Leave it!" She learned. It was a slow process but it worked.
  
  Continue trying to find out what works best for both of you and introducing him to new environments. Dog parks are great for testing boundaries and they have fences. Once he gets used to new places I'm sure that he will be less distracted by whats around him and focus more on you and enjoy his walk.
  
  Good Luck!


• I tried everything but I guess it is like humans everyone likes different things. My Collie finally decided on cold sausage as her favourite training treat. I have awful trouble with her pulling on the lead, she has to be in front - of everything. Have you tried back-tracking with lead training? You walk forwards, he pulls and you loosen the lead until he is ahead, then walk backwards. The dog finds this confusing, where have you gone, you are not following him, so he turns to see what you are doing and follows, turn and walk in the other direction. He will then want to be ahead of you, when he begins pulling, let the lead go slack again then walk backwards again, he will follow. After doing this a few times he will walk beside you without pulling, keeping his eye on where you are. It is called back-tracking and although I still have to do it, it does work. I found the completely stop moving did not work. Just remember he does want to be with you but in charge. Back tracking puts you in charge with him following. You really need a training lead which is longer than a normal one. Good luck.


• try ez cheese or peanut butter