Week 1

Leadership-

-Never Free Feed your Dog.
-Your dog must work for all its food, treats as well as meals.
-At mealtime leave the food down for only 15 minutes.
-Leaders begin and end all games.
-Never use your hands as play toys around your dogs mouth.
-Tug games are fine as long as you always win.
-Humans going through all entrance doors and gates first. Have dog on a leash, hold them back while you go first.
-Humans are in charge of the walk. We set the pace, direction and distance.
-Say your cue words one time. If you start repeating cues you are teaching your dogs to ignore you. Always use your release word.

Take It-

-Gives your dog permission to take something from your hand. Use for both toys and treats. Dog must always use a gentle mouth to take things from your hand.

Watch Me-

-Here we are asking the dog for eye contact so we can get their attention.
-Stand or sit on a chair in front of your dog. Hold a treat in front of its nose.
-As you bring the treat between your eyes, say 'watch me', one time. When you see eye contact tell dog to 'take it' and give them the treat.

SIT-

-Hold a treat at your dogs nose. Slowly lift the treat up in front of the dog as the treat goes up, so will his/her nose. When the nose goes up the bottom goes down. The moment the dog sits give them the treat and their release word.

-Never use your hand to push your dogs bottom down.

2. Never leave pit bulls alone with other dogs (or any animal). Even if you're dog gets along great 99.9% of the time with other animals, the Pit Bull is known for animal aggression and it is possible something will happen. A good piece of advice I received a long time ago was, Never trust your Pit Bull not to fight.

3. Always have your dog on a leash in public. Most (if not all) towns, cities and states have leash laws. Obey these laws. This will help people see your dog in a positive light and keep accidents from occuring.

4. Always supervise your dogs and never allow them to roam free. Loose dogs are often hurt by cruel people and accidents can happen as well. Always know where your dog is.

5. Supervise your dog with small children. This is a must. Small children are often hurt by dogs not out of anger, but because dogs can scratch them, step on them, and otherwise injure them.

6. Spay or Neuter your dog. Unless you plan on doing something where the dog can not be spayed or neutered, get it done. This will reduce accidental breedings and stop roaming.

7. Train your dog. Take your dog to obedience classes or hire a private trainer to help you train your dog. This is very important for Pit Bull owners. If you can't control your dog, bad things will eventually happen!

8. Avoid dog parks. Dog parks are a breeding ground for disaster. A better choice is to enroll your puppy into puppy socalization classes or playgroups such as our Roundups. If you have a rescue dog I would also recommend these types of classes as well. Some trainers do have them for older dogs. Your dog will have a far better chance at proper socialization in one of these classes than at a dog park.

9. Socialize your dog. Take your dog to as many places as you can, meet new people and while they are young meet as many other dogs as possible. Socializing your Pit Bull will help curb any future problems that might occur.

10. Keep your dog properly confined. Pit Bulls are known to be great escape artist. Make sure you have the means to keep them in your yard and properly confined. Installing a six foot privacy fence is not a bad idea either.

Responsible ownership starts from the time your Pit Bull comes to live with you. Irresponsible owner's are one of the major causes for all the problems the breed faces today. In order for things to change, we must change the way we look at our own actions and how they effect the world around us. Until we do that, things will simply stay the way they are right now.

Our group had their first official outing together! We decided to take our pit bulls on a walk together around the 3 miles of Greenlake. We gathered at the stadium and after everyone finally showed up, we headed off with our group of about 15 dogs.

We started off as a huge group but as we walked on we naturally separated into mini groups... The walk was amazing and a huge success! No dog squabbling happened, people were stopping us to pet the dogs and learn about Bully Roundup, and everyone was getting exercise! We stopped a few times so everyone could gather into a big group again , give dogs water, and switch dogs if need be.

All of the dogs met adoring children and new dogs and all reacted well. Cow and a few other dog friends met a little old lady in a wheelchair who would give them treats but only if they would sit.  We also met a lady who was a dog walker that joined us with her dog.

Angel and Posie enjoyed the water and Posie, if she saw the water, was pulling towards it the whole time!  Everyone enjoyed talking to each other as we walked and getting to know one another. We hope to make taking over Greenlake a more permanent outing! It took us about 2 1/2 hours to do the whole walk, and by the time we finished all the dogs had their tongues hanging out and big smiles on their faces!

Afterwards about half of the group went out to Ballard to eat at Red Mill Burgers. Needless to say, everyone had a good time and once again our vicious pit bulls were shown off as the good citizens they really are. Way to go guys!

An email from a member with an amazing slice of encouragement-
"I wanted to say, congrats.  You guys arranged something today that I don't think most people would honestly have tried to do.  You gather up at least 10 pit bulls and had them walk 3 miles mixed in with all kinds of other dogs and people.  And nothing bad happened.  I want to say congrats to you guys for pulling it off.  It is something to be said.   You guys are building something worth being proud of."

Last weekend, LaLa, Deb, and I set out on an adventure with our dogs to work on training in public and to shop. While I can admit I got a little carried away with my purchases, a majority of it was for the Roundup! While we did our shopping we put our dogs in a down or a stay and walked away from them to poke around (nearby of course).

The best thing about going out with your well-mannered dog is that people constantly stop you to ask about them. Poor Deb's always on repeat about what happened to Jet's missing leg... For those of you who haven't heard the story, Jet was a Renton city stray. He was found with a broken elbow that hadn't healed right, so they just took it off. Once I tell people Cow's deaf, I'm always asked if she's always been like that or if someone did something mean to her. I tell them Cow's story of being a breeder's tossed out puppy cause of her hearing impairment and that always gets some horrific gasps. "How could someone do that?!"

Our adventured led us to Denny's Pet World in Kirkland where I got a couple of the toys for the Roundup. While we were there Cow was extremely upset about the bird displays. I think birds are the bane of her existence... She can't catch them to give them a good sniff, and I think this breaks her heart.

All 3 of the dogs behaved extremely well while we were there. They got a lot of compliments about how good they were! And even treats!

After Denny's we hunted down some lunch that we could bring the dogs to. We ended up going to Mongolian Grill where we enjoyed our meal outside with the pups in the shade! The table we picked was right next to the front door of Taco Del Mar, and the dogs remained stationary while people went in and out. It's always a sour reminder that we have "vicious dogs" when people cowered from them as they walked out of the restaurant. A couple moms with strollers looked a little panic stricken when Jet got up to let them roll into the door. He was only being polite!

After we ate, we poked around in Molbak's Nursery. The dogs got quite a bit of attention from kids and adults alike! We made the dogs relax while we tried backpacks on them, only to be interrupted every 2 minutes by yet another passerby.

It's important to take your dog out often to get them used to it! Ever wonder why dogs are so excited and freaking out on leash? It's because they don't get to do it enough, so it becomes an over-stimulant. The same goes for everything else... Meeting new dogs, fence aggression, jumping on people... It's all things that need to be done again and again to get them used to it. That way, the next time you go out with your pup they're thinking Yay! Another day out with mom! Same old same old instead of OMG I NEVER GET TO DO THIS! WHATS THAT PERSON DOING OVER THERE?! WHATS THAT IN THE SKY?! The key to a mellow dog is making everything you do a normal activity.

It's really refreshing to go out with your dog and have them behave in a socially expected way. It makes YOU look good because you have a well-behaved dog, and it makes your DOG look good because they aren't getting yelled at. It also makes the BREED look good because it dampens the stereotype that all pit bulls are vicious people eaters.

The Alpha Roll. It's something we've all heard of. It's probably something we've all seen. It's also probably something some of us have done. Do we all know what the Alpha Roll is? I've seen quite a few Alpha Rolls at the Roundup in our history, and want to take an opportunity to discuss the Alpha Roll.

Let's start with the reasons why people recommend Alpha Rolling your dog.

The following website offers a how-to on how and when to Alpha Roll your dog:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2321893_alpha-roll-aggressive-dog.html

This video demonstrates how to Alpha Roll your dog, and discusses appropriate times to do so.

Using Corrections in Dog Training : Using Dog Roll Corrections

Here are the most common pro-Alpha Roll arguments I've heard:

It's what happens in a wolf pack/It's a natural behavior. There are several arguments against these statements. They're just plain incorrect, honestly. First of all, we have dogs. They are not wolves. They are in-arguably related to wolves, but the same could be said about us and chimpanzees. Does that mean we work the same way? Something I think people sometimes forget, is that we are neither wolves nor dogs. Even if this was a natural behavior for dogs or wolves, we are not dogs or wolves. We don't look like them, smell like them, act like them, or fluently speak their language. The biggest thing we do not have in common with them is the ability to react appropriately, or as quickly. It is impossible for us to deliver the exact same correction that another dog or wolf would, for the right reason at the right time. If I know anything about dog training it's that timing is everything. Also, watch your dog sometime. I haven't ever seen a dog  force another dog into a submissive posture. What I have seen are dogs offering submissive postures simply based on the attitude and other body language of the other dog.

It should only be used in extreme cases of serious aggression/when your dog is in the "red zone". Again, there are several things wrong with this mind frame. Firstly, it's an amazing way to get bitten by your own dog. When your dog is in the "red zone", it in essence means they are so upset/over-stimulated that they are completely beside themselves and out of control. The key words here are OUT OF CONTROL, meaning your dog is no longer thinking, they are acting on impulse. Add acting in an aggressive manner on top of that. If your dog is acting that way, and you are suddenly laying on them forcing them to the ground, what can you see happening next? I can see a trip to the emergency room. Personal safety aside, how do you suppose throwing your dog on the ground and/or laying on top of them teaches the right way to behave? I think it's more likely just given them even more negative ammunition to associate with whatever has set them off in the first place.

It teaches your dog that their behavior is inappropriate because you're the pack alpha, not them. I wholeheartedly agree that your dog needs to understand that you are the leader. Quality leadership is a topic of it's own, and while I'd love to discuss it, it'll have to wait for it's own blog post. Being a good leader will boost your dog's confidence and keep things much more peaceful. However, I do not agree that being physically forceful with your dog is the way to achieve this result. You know what really teaches your dog that their behavior is unacceptable? Other dogs. Our dogs best teachers are other dogs. When your dog starts playing too roughly, the other dogs will correct their behavior way better than we ever could. Before we are even able to react the correction has been issued, the apology stated, and the play continues. While I strongly recommend the "leave them to it" technique, I do so with caution. If you do not know your dog well enough, or are seriously concerned with someone's safety, absolutely do intervene.

The following videos discuss why NOT to Alpha Roll:

This first one demonstrates a dog offering submissive body language, brought on by the person's dominant body language. While her body language seems a little over-bearing for how the situation is described, and you can see she's using an electronic collar (which I personally do not recommend), it does give a great picture of a realistic "natural" Alpha Roll.

Active Submission

This video, while taking a comic stance, demonstrates some good cons to Alpha Rolling.

Dog Knows - How to establish the alpha role with your dog

This last video I really like. I've never heard of this guy before, but will definitely have to do some more looking into him. He discusses the same things I have here. Why people recommend the Alpha Roll, and why those things are incorrect.

Dog Training - The Alpha Rollover

What do I think you should do in place of an Alpha Roll? Several things.

• Be a good leader. Techniques for this will be discussed in a future post.
• Know your dog, and their warning signs. The best way to not have to severely correct a behavior is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

• Training, training, training. Teach your dogs as many things you want them to do as possible. This will help you get them out of negative situations, give you an arsenal of positive things they can do to earn a reward instead of the negative behavior, increase your bond, and help you and your dog to know and trust each other. If you don't want your dog to jump on people, teach them sitting gets them all of the attention in the world, and jumping gets them ignored. This will work 1,000 times better than punishing, hitting, or Alpha Rolling your dog.

• A little time out never hurt anyone. When my dogs are getting to that point of out of control and are not acting right, they take a time out. I call them over to me, and ask them for a sit and/or down. Everybody gets a little too worked up sometimes, there is nothing wrong with having your dog take a cool down. Do I physically force my dogs to lay down? No. Do I flop on them and pin them down or shake them around? No. Why? It's unnecessary. I firmly tell them they need to lay down and they do. End of story. They stay with me until I feel they've chilled out and the moment is over and they're off on their merry way.

In the end, it's up to you to decide what's best for you and your dog, but why take the negative and potentially dangerous route, when so many positive options are available?

She played rough and quickly became the groups favorite pup. With Chris's quirky comments and Posie's tenacious attitude, it wasn't long before people were welcoming them into the gates before they were near them!

Little Posie isn't so little anymore. In fact, I could be quoted calling her a ham on several occasions. Of course, I mean "ham" in a loving way... She could also be accused of being a mini-moose, a baby mac truck, and a human bowler. Posie loves wrestling with other dogs and can often be found covered in dirt pinning a helpless puppy to the ground. Don't be fooled though! This big girl knows how to play fair... If you watch long enough, you'll soon see a limp Posie rolling around in the grass with a puppy on top of her that "managed to pin her". Truly a sight to be seen!

The benefits of growing up inside the Roundup are plentiful. Not only does your dog have a LARGE steady playgroup to burn off steam at, but your dog gets the opportunity to grow up well socialized to many different things. They get the chance to meet dogs of all ages and sizes in a positive and controlled environment! Posie came to us at a crucial time in her development... An important window during puppy-hood in which dogs learn how to interact with each other that molds (for the most part) how they interact with dogs the rest of their lives. Doing this the right way helps you build the positive aspects of the breed's character and promotes dog-positive behavior instead of the breed's genetic predisposition to be dog-aggressive. Proper socialization is the key to this breed's prosperity!

Thanks to Chris and Tanea's hard work, Posie is a wonderful example of a pit bull raised the RIGHT way.

Nelson's roughly 2 years old and is a rescue from Seattle Animal Rescue. His parents Brad and Brenda are amazing people. They risked taking in a lost soul who they knew literally nothing about, and have made Nelson an in-progress success story! Since Nelson was so easily excited and no one knew how he was around other dogs off leash, we really had to ease him into the playgroup. Nelson started coming to the Roundup in the middle of March, 2010. His first few visits, it was progress to be able to get to the fence and observe other dogs without freaking out. He went on walks outside the fenced area with one other leashed dog, and we did this a few times with different dogs to see how he would react to different social status and gender, age and attitudes...

After successfully making it to the fence for a couple weeks in a row and walking with other dogs outside of the play area without incident, we decided it was time for Nelson to show us what he was made of. We gave him the opportunity to come inside the gate with other dogs occupying the space for the first time during an especially puppy-full play group. While everyone was exhausted, we put them on leashes and spread them out around the grounds. Nelson and Brad walked slowly around and greeted all the tired dogs one at a time. They stopped long enough for Nelson to get a good sniff, then rewarded him with praise and moved along to the next dog.

While everyone else remained latched to their owners, Brad did something he'd been waiting to do for a month. He unclipped Nelson's leash! It was a tense and exciting moment for everyone, especially Nelson! Chewing on his tennis ball with the strength of 325 PSI, Nelson walked stiffly around the grounds investigating with his head low and tail straight. After a few moments, it was as if Nelson flipped a switch inside and completely chilled out. His body language softened, and he wasn't so off-putting.

The other dogs relaxed and tails started wagging. It was almost as everyone (humans and dogs alike) took a huge breath and sighed. Nelson engaged a few dogs to encourage them to chase him and his ball, but the poor thing didn't understand that everyone else was pooped!! He did well when Posie oggled his ball and reacted with nothing more that an appropriate vocal gesture and left it at that.  In the beginning we thought perhaps Nelson was aggressive in his ways, but after a month's worth of observation, Brad and I came to the conclusion that he just likes to talk! He talked all through the end of the Roundup, with stifled grumbles and mumbled barks through his ball. Which, might I add, stayed in his mouth the entire time he was playing.

All in all, that day was quite a milestone for Brad and Nelson. Brad and Brenda continue to build a relationship with Nelson and establish boundaries, and we help them explore his off-leash side. While offering assistance if something were to go wrong, we give dogs like Nelson the chance to grow their social skills in a positive environment free of hormones, irresponsible owners, aggressive playmates, and unstable pack structure. Bully Roundup is dedicated to working with those special dogs that possess the needed characteristics to grow into wonderful examples of the breed. Its dogs like Nelson, who despite whatever they may have been through in the past, have learned to trust people and other dogs again. The road to recovery will be long for Nelson, but we're there right by his side, every step of the way.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to take a moment to address the annoyance I dealt with a little bit ago outside my home. I was taking my dogs (all 3 of them) out for their afternoon bio-break when I was confronted by an irritated man walking down the street. He yelled as he was walking toward me "Excuse me, do you live here"? I told him I didn't and that I was just pooping my dogs. He then goes into a tirade about how angry his landlord will be when he tells him and how it's private property and I'm not allowed to poop my dogs there, yadda yadda.... All of this is with interjections from me saying things like "I'm picking it up" "they've been pooping here for a while now with no issues" "I'm sure your landlord would love to read the city's municipal code to see I'm not doing anything wrong" etc. He stormed off to his apt and I continued to wait for the pooping to finish. He then comes back with a bag of garbage to toss in the dumpster and gives me a dirty look the entire time I'm standing there.

I hope he does talk to his landlord. Maybe he'll help straighten that idiot out a little bit. My dogs have been pooping there 2 1/2 months without a single issue... If I do the math, that's roughly 340 turds that have been handled, bagged, and removed for the sake of common decency without a word from any of the several people who live there witnessing the act. I don't really understand why meadow muffins have to be such a big issue... I honestly just think the guy's a jerk.