How to Train an American Staffordshire Terrier
Often lumped in with other breeds under the moniker of the pitbull, the American Staffordshire Terrier is one of the more misunderstood breeds in existence. This breed is definitely a very tough one, and it is notoriously strong in an athletic way. However, many people will mistake its toughness for being mean and difficult. That is an unfortunate assessment, and anyone that truly knows how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier will tell you that the breed is not mean, vicious, or cruel. Rather, a “bad” AST is often the result of poor training models.
Simply put, the process of how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier must be done correctly, or else you’ll have a dangerous pet on your hands. Sadly, many people adopt this breed due to current fads as opposed to truly having any aptitude for training the breed. Surely, you don’t fall into that category because the mere fact you are reading this guide means you are sincerely interested in learning how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier.
First and foremost, consistency is a must with training this breed. You do not want this dog to develop any bad habits on its own, and the way to avoid such a problem would be to remain consistent with training it. Inconsistency could lead to confusing the dog, which would not be a good thing.
Socialization training is an absolute must, since this will reduce the potential for the dog to be aggressive. When the breed does not come into any contact with other animals or strange humans, it may see all others as potential threats. Once it has become used to normal human and animal behavior, it will become much calmer.
However, it will not become so calm that it loses its natural energetic traits. This breed LOVES to jump on people as a sign of excitement and affection, and not too many strangers will appreciate such a powerful dog leaping onto them. So, you need to make obedience training a major part of the equation. Obedience and command training will likely be understood relatively quickly by this dog, since it is an incredibly intelligent breed. You might even be shocked to discover the ease of how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier for obedience.
Those that prefer their terrier picked up on the basics of obedience training may wish to add a clicker to the mix. Clicker training can definitely enhance the potential for the breed to learn the basics of obedience, since it instills in the dog the ability to remember various commands based on sound association.
Those wondering how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier effectively are strongly advised to use dog whispering techniques. The reason this is so is because the use of a harsh tone of voice or language would be a HUGE mistake with this breed. Seriously, you will be really sorry if you are too aggressive with or mean to this dog!
Crate training is also advised, since this will provide the dog with a little area in which in can reside in while you are away or cannot attend to its needs. The crate also provides an area where the dog can eliminate before it becomes properly housebroken.
Housebreaking this breed should not prove too complicated, since it is highly intelligent and eager to learn. As long as you setup and adhere to a regular elimination schedule, you will find the dog grasps onto housebreaking relatively quickly.
At this point, you might realize the process of how to train an American Staffordshire Terrier is not as difficult as some will lead you to believe. As long as you have the right attitude and insight towards the breed’s training, you will find the ability to meld a well-behaved dog is not tough at all.