Keep Your Dog Social
“With humans, the pit bull is very easy to socialize but, since they tend to be very enthusiastic, they should be taught manners early on. A trained pit bull is often very social and loving with friends and strangers alike. As with most breeds, socialization with humans of all types should be part of the dog’s training for life. A pit bull that shows unprovoked human aggression, especially with children, is NOT typical of the breed and is showing very poor temperament. Such a dog should be thoroughly evaluated by a trainer or behaviorist experienced in the breed for a final determination of their temperament and recommendation on how to proceed. The pit bull is typically a people loving, intelligent and fun breed. Many excel at obedience training and dog sports such as agility, weight pull, Frisbee, and flyball. Due to their affinity with people, this breed is a good candidate for rescue and adoption, but potential homes need to be carefully screened to insure that the new owners understand and accept the responsibility of owning a pit bull. Media hysteria and bad owners have greatly damaged this breed and every incident involving a pit bull makes it worse for the entire breed and their owners, often prompting breed specific legislation or breed bans. Potential owners need to be informed of the pit bull’s correct temperament, and need to be prepared to deal with the issue of dog aggression. Most pit bulls have a high prey drive and may chase small animals or livestock. This is NOT a breed for everyone! The only way to repair the pit bull’s bad reputation is to keep them in the hands of responsible owners.”
With that said, we would like to make an enthusiastic plug for:
Downtown Dog Rescue’s
Sunday Pitbull Socialization Class
at the LA Coliseum
(as long as there is not an event)
Every Sunday at 9:00 AM
Lead Trainer: Cornelius “Dog Man” Austin
Cornelius has 30 years of experience working with American Pit bull Terriers in South Los Angeles. He teaches dog owners how to properly walk their dogs as well as basic obedience, while promoting socialization.
The class meets on the East side of the Coliseum next to the Sports Arena. Make sure to have your dog has a leather leash and is at least 4 months old and has had vaccinations. There is a parking lot at Hoover and Martin Luther King just West of Figueroa.
Here is a video shot of Dog Man being interviewed by Jordan, a loyal student who has been attending the class for over a year.
Thanks to Jeff Fleiss for the video. He manages the YouTube Pit for Life Channel which has more videos of the Sunday class and other great Pitbull related media.