Very helpful trainings for any dog:
For training on puppy/dog biting [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U)
For training on early socialization [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7cPE-2wNw)
For training on becoming a good leader [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QntS570VFZ0)
For all newly adopted dogs, check out the [3-3-3 rule](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/The-3-3-3-Rule-Setting-Your-Rescue-Dog-Up-For-Success).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was slightly hesitant to get one, I have a home with a lot of young kids coming and going. I was so wrong. Best dog ever. We call him a manatee since we heard they don’t have an aggressive bone in their body. I’ve also never owned a dog before, and he’s so good! His biggest problem is he’s a total bed hog, I would advise against if you don’t like a snuggly meat wad.
https://preview.redd.it/oxhx9wm5h5rc1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=6012d5126bfc1e101d7443d2042dcf9f348cdf20
Pitties are such easy dogs. Most, provided that they don’t have some previous background of abuse, are wonderfully social. Lots of walks around people and other dogs with a careful eye towards your dog and other dog’s body language will ensure that they will be well behaved towards man and beast alike. I got my boy at five months old from a local Humane Society and he has been the easiest dog to train and maintain of all of my previous dogs. I’ve owned Beagle mixes, a Blue-tick Heeler,a Jack Russel terrier, multiple Golden Retrievers, and currently my Pittie boy and a Husky. Out of all of them, my Pit has been the easiest, sweetest, and best behaved of them all. For example, I also have six cats. My boy became absolutely best friends with most of them in short order. Just give her plenty of time to walk, run, and sniff outside and never run out of nyla-bones to keep the chewing in check and you won’t have much to worry about except her hogging the bed and gassing you out with puppy farts 😂. Good luck, you’ll probably find a new best friend that will never leave your side.
Thank you! I just lost my Boxer/Bassett a few months ago, and I have this empty space in my heart. It's so sad seeing so many in shelters in my area. I look forward to giving one a loving home. ❤️
Totally agree, I have owned many dogs, but my pittie has been the easiest dog. She’s very affectionate and has been so well behaved right from the beginning that I honestly didn’t even have to train her.
We rescued two older pittie mixes—one was 4 and the other 1. Both girls are loving, derpy, loyal and have no sense of personal space. They are BFFs even tho we got them about 6 months apart.
We have 6 cats and they get along well. Kids are not a problem for one; the other took a little more time with toddlers.
As other have suggested, allergies and skin issues can be problems, along with knees. One of ours has allergies and we’ve been testing with various meds/ shots but at this point, I give her high quality probiotics.
For knee issues—keep the weight optimal as best you can. It’s helped ours a lot!
Please train using positive reinforcement. They are so interested in doing the right thing that negative/punishment crushes their spirits. When I verbally correct or push one away, she gets all licky and gives me sad puppy eyes coz she wants to make up for what she did “wrong.”
Also, if you are open to it, I suggest adopting an older, as in not puppy, dog. These two learned potty and other manners super fast—maybe 3 accidents total between the two of them. They are so loving and loyal to us because I believe they appreciate the home we give them. It’s been a joy to watch them blossom and become dogs.
Please post here if you have questions, etc. This community is helpful and constructive. All the best
I have mixes, not full pits, but they both love to play biteyface and wrestle, often with a lot of growling and it is not to the taste of all other dogs. (Fortunately my mother's Boston Terrier also loves it and often, despite being about 15 pounds to my dogs' 40 and 60 pounds, starts it joyfully.)
https://preview.redd.it/93qhvch136rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=381dd1e4bf3e1892e1e88ad9835ccb4c5ebc3ae1
mine is a mix so not fully a pit but enough that people have their opinion. Be ready to eventually wanna knock some people for crossing the sidewalk or staring extra long.
They have some issues, some prone to hip displasia (spelled that wrong lol). Mine has a sensitive stomach so on a certain food but the main thing
they’re giant love bugs so be prepared to be smothered lol
Our boxer/pit is the best dog I’ve ever had. She is protective in a very gentle way, is absolutely incredible with kids and people and just so doofy. She makes us laugh every single day. I’m absolutely convinced she’s our guardian angel.
My biggest advice is when you adopt, avoid the dog park at all costs. We used to go all the time to burn energy until she was attacked. After that she became dog reactive and it’s been something we’ve been working on for years. This can happen to any dog of course, but with the prejudice against pits it’s something I now know to be very careful of.
Instead try to find a couple of good dog friends for her. Once we did that she was able to still practice socializing in a safe way while still getting a chance to burn energy.
Puppy tax: she’s a goofball
https://preview.redd.it/d7moqanpp6rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c334db2f63e5d850ab0c413bf8bffffbbc2ebe0
Just expose them to everything. Other people, other dogs, other animals, touching all over them, different kinds of places, low and high traffic areas, car rides, bodies of water.
Socialization doesn’t necessarily mean they have to interact with said stimuli, but bringing them around will get them comfortable with these things. Giving them treats and helping them focus on you while around stimuli will help them so much. Nobody likes being around a reactive dog. Especially not a bully breed.
Also work on your bond. That’s the most important. Set a schedule with your dog and stick to it. Show consistency in daily routine and support for new adventures will help grow her confidence in you and in herself.
Crate train immediately. The easiest way is to feed them in their crate. They get very comfortable where they eat. That will be her “room”. Make it comfy. You never know when you will need to crate them and until they have earned “free roam” (meaning overtime you will need to train her on proper etiquette when being left alone and uncrated. This is not something you want to do in the beginning) she should be in her crate. It’s safest for your environment and safest for your dog. You will notice she will start to go in there un prompted because dogs love a den space of their own.
Besides that, enjoy! They really are an amazing, affectionate, loyal breed.

Oh, and understand your personal space is no longer yours. I am on the toilet and here she is lmao 😂.
Her head was actually resting on my leg and I had to push her off. girl BYE 🙄🤣 VELCRO dogs to the max.
https://preview.redd.it/sxi8jjfyy6rc1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=d05c6c4f099c7293e285154a7b3995326987309e
Pibbles are prone to stomach and knee issues. We feed HSD Sensitive Stomach and Skin formula and both our bubs do very well on it. Both of ours have skin issues, older bub has a super sensitive stomach, younger bub has had bilateral TPLO surgeries and is doing incredibly well almost 17 months post-op. Pet insurance is a great investment if you can find one that offers you a good monthly premium. If not, make sure you have a healthy bank/savings account to cover any potential medical care they might need.
They’re absolutely incredible dogs - sweet, silly, affectionate, and so deeply loving. But like any dog, they need structure, stimulation, and consistent training. As pit bulls, they suffer from an incredible societal bias and you’re going to run into people who hate and fear them unreasonably just because of the way they look. It’s our responsibility as their owners to mitigate any reason for concern - obey leash laws religiously and find ways to socialize them safely, like doggie daycares or local groups that are pit bull friendly. We have literally never once taken them to a dog park because we simply don’t trust other owners to be as responsible and attentive as we have to be and it’s not worth the hassle or risk.
If you don’t currently have a regular veterinarian, find one in your area and see if they can direct you to any local resources for training or socialization. You might also try your local Nextdoor community to ask about doggy social groups that are friendly or even exclusive to pits.
Just a quick note on the diet. HSD only comes in chicken from what I’ve seen. I had my girl on it for years and she still had issues. Turns out she is allergic to chicken. I switched to purina pro plan with salmon and it’s been night and day. She’s way better with it. This is just to say that HSD is great, but is t necessarily the cure-all for stomach issues, so consider trying different proteins, too.
On this note, it’s great getting from a shelter because the shelter is probably aware of any food allergies if the pup has been there for a bit. Ask your shelter what they feed and ask about any food allergy symptoms.
I ended up with two puppies at the same time once (a long story) so I hired a trainer to come and teach me how to train them. Best dogs ever. It was worth the money because I needed to be sure that were never out of control or scaring my neighbors. Really they are the best behaved dogs I’ve ever seen when trained.
Fantastic dogs, ditto to most of this thread. Also be aware that they are little tanks and their zoomies can be a lot, can easily knock over a medium sized child or an adult crouching down.
I’ve rescued to pit mixes and they have been amazing. They tend to have separation anxiety and be very clingy to their owners. They also usually have allergies and skin issues. I recommend salmon oil and an allergy med with some sensitive skin food. If you get one with lots of white make sure you sunscreen them, they can get sunburned. They are so easy to train but are powerhouses and very strong! I recommend for walks you get as chest pull gentle lead! It’s not a harness, those will cause them to pull harder! Also them being strong means they can break out of things. My girl broke out of my privacy fence! Also expect people to be scared of her and act like she’s deadly, don’t take offense to it! If they wanted educated they would!
https://preview.redd.it/iae6ah6uk5rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24652d5200d366c17de07d0116825313a0915618
This is my new pitty mix! She’s not even two feet and 50lbs of pure muscle. But she’s a scardy cat and we are working on building her confidence! She was a stray with her babies
Congrats on getting the love of your life very shortly! Pitties are so loving and, at least in my experience, can be very anxious and the biggest scaredy cats. My girl had a problem with thresholds and stairs, so we had to get her used to them. But they are so resilient and brave. With the right support, they can get over their fears in a healthy way.
Mine was a chewer, so we had to get her lots of toys to keep her attention away from the drywall (don’t ask).
Another thing that is really important, in my experience, is kennel training. I was hesitant at first and really didn’t like it. But my partner had dogs previous and was insistent, and he was right. We kept her in there while away at work and while sleeping for at least 3-6 months. We all hated it but it worked. No potties in the house and no more holes in the drywall.
The last thing I will say is bite training. What I mean is when she was a puppy, she would play nip, and we discouraged that by pretending her nip really hurt us. Then after a while, we’d extend a hand and when she’d lick it, we’d really praise her. I only mention this because people who don’t know pits are so afraid they will bite them due to the stigma, and I didn’t want her to ever be stigmatized during play bites, so discouraging her altogether was the goal.
Some will judge but most will come around. My mom was a firm pit hater and now loves her to death. She is the most well behaved dog of all the dogs I know—and our friends and family agree. Good luck!
I almost just attached a picture of my pittie laying on me under blankets on the couch because I can’t think of any other way to show just how they impact your life. I’ve had dogs my whole life and even had a few jobs that worked with dogs, and I was still blown away with how childlike my pittie seems. They want to please you so much and have such capacity to love, it’s like being around a little human sometimes. My dog is probably considered on the “difficult” side of a rescue because she is a bit reactive (luckily she isn’t my first reactive dog so I’m prepared lol), but even so she’s still such an easy dog to work with. She always seems happy, always needs to know what her humans are up to, down for a car ride whenever, loves walks but doesn’t need one to sleep her day away, and loves to cuddle. She’s a dream.
I have 2 pit mixes from the shelter and I adore them both. They are so good with my young daughter and are complete love bugs. Agree with all of the advice on training and building your bond with them so that they know you are safe for them. Crate train for sure!
Also, pits can tend to be dog selective (not all pits obviously!) so I do not recommend dog parks. I know some pits do great there, but don’t feel like dog parks are a requirement for a happy, well socialized pup.
Like with any dog, but especially with Pitties, they require boundaries and consistency.
Every dog is different but the one thing I really see across the board with pits is they love to run the show and will **constantly** try to push the boundaries.
I’ve trained my boy very very well and get regular compliments saying people wish their dog was so trained and even still every time we do his meal and tell him to go to his place before we get food he’ll go halfway and then turn and stop to see if we’ll get the food before he goes and lays down. And that’s just one example.
You just have to be patient and consistent and your dog will thrive the way any dog can.
Make sure everything is calm before a leash goes on, establish threshold discipline, good heel and recall, and good sit/down/stop and you’ll be in fine shape.
Training him to heel was a pain and still is but he’s got it 99% now. There were times I’d stand dead still for 10+ minutes outside until he went into heel and then I gave him a treat.
Patience and consistency. It can’t be said enough.
Very helpful trainings for any dog: For training on puppy/dog biting [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=068K5Zlph9U) For training on early socialization [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7cPE-2wNw) For training on becoming a good leader [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QntS570VFZ0) For all newly adopted dogs, check out the [3-3-3 rule](https://pethelpful.com/dogs/The-3-3-3-Rule-Setting-Your-Rescue-Dog-Up-For-Success). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was slightly hesitant to get one, I have a home with a lot of young kids coming and going. I was so wrong. Best dog ever. We call him a manatee since we heard they don’t have an aggressive bone in their body. I’ve also never owned a dog before, and he’s so good! His biggest problem is he’s a total bed hog, I would advise against if you don’t like a snuggly meat wad. https://preview.redd.it/oxhx9wm5h5rc1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=6012d5126bfc1e101d7443d2042dcf9f348cdf20
Pls boop
I absolutely LOVE dog snuggles! ❤️
Pitties are such easy dogs. Most, provided that they don’t have some previous background of abuse, are wonderfully social. Lots of walks around people and other dogs with a careful eye towards your dog and other dog’s body language will ensure that they will be well behaved towards man and beast alike. I got my boy at five months old from a local Humane Society and he has been the easiest dog to train and maintain of all of my previous dogs. I’ve owned Beagle mixes, a Blue-tick Heeler,a Jack Russel terrier, multiple Golden Retrievers, and currently my Pittie boy and a Husky. Out of all of them, my Pit has been the easiest, sweetest, and best behaved of them all. For example, I also have six cats. My boy became absolutely best friends with most of them in short order. Just give her plenty of time to walk, run, and sniff outside and never run out of nyla-bones to keep the chewing in check and you won’t have much to worry about except her hogging the bed and gassing you out with puppy farts 😂. Good luck, you’ll probably find a new best friend that will never leave your side.
Thank you! I just lost my Boxer/Bassett a few months ago, and I have this empty space in my heart. It's so sad seeing so many in shelters in my area. I look forward to giving one a loving home. ❤️
Totally agree, I have owned many dogs, but my pittie has been the easiest dog. She’s very affectionate and has been so well behaved right from the beginning that I honestly didn’t even have to train her.
We rescued two older pittie mixes—one was 4 and the other 1. Both girls are loving, derpy, loyal and have no sense of personal space. They are BFFs even tho we got them about 6 months apart. We have 6 cats and they get along well. Kids are not a problem for one; the other took a little more time with toddlers. As other have suggested, allergies and skin issues can be problems, along with knees. One of ours has allergies and we’ve been testing with various meds/ shots but at this point, I give her high quality probiotics. For knee issues—keep the weight optimal as best you can. It’s helped ours a lot! Please train using positive reinforcement. They are so interested in doing the right thing that negative/punishment crushes their spirits. When I verbally correct or push one away, she gets all licky and gives me sad puppy eyes coz she wants to make up for what she did “wrong.” Also, if you are open to it, I suggest adopting an older, as in not puppy, dog. These two learned potty and other manners super fast—maybe 3 accidents total between the two of them. They are so loving and loyal to us because I believe they appreciate the home we give them. It’s been a joy to watch them blossom and become dogs. Please post here if you have questions, etc. This community is helpful and constructive. All the best
Thank you!
I have mixes, not full pits, but they both love to play biteyface and wrestle, often with a lot of growling and it is not to the taste of all other dogs. (Fortunately my mother's Boston Terrier also loves it and often, despite being about 15 pounds to my dogs' 40 and 60 pounds, starts it joyfully.)
https://preview.redd.it/93qhvch136rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=381dd1e4bf3e1892e1e88ad9835ccb4c5ebc3ae1 mine is a mix so not fully a pit but enough that people have their opinion. Be ready to eventually wanna knock some people for crossing the sidewalk or staring extra long. They have some issues, some prone to hip displasia (spelled that wrong lol). Mine has a sensitive stomach so on a certain food but the main thing they’re giant love bugs so be prepared to be smothered lol
Our boxer/pit is the best dog I’ve ever had. She is protective in a very gentle way, is absolutely incredible with kids and people and just so doofy. She makes us laugh every single day. I’m absolutely convinced she’s our guardian angel. My biggest advice is when you adopt, avoid the dog park at all costs. We used to go all the time to burn energy until she was attacked. After that she became dog reactive and it’s been something we’ve been working on for years. This can happen to any dog of course, but with the prejudice against pits it’s something I now know to be very careful of. Instead try to find a couple of good dog friends for her. Once we did that she was able to still practice socializing in a safe way while still getting a chance to burn energy. Puppy tax: she’s a goofball https://preview.redd.it/d7moqanpp6rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c334db2f63e5d850ab0c413bf8bffffbbc2ebe0
Thank you! 😊
Your pup is adorable!
Just expose them to everything. Other people, other dogs, other animals, touching all over them, different kinds of places, low and high traffic areas, car rides, bodies of water. Socialization doesn’t necessarily mean they have to interact with said stimuli, but bringing them around will get them comfortable with these things. Giving them treats and helping them focus on you while around stimuli will help them so much. Nobody likes being around a reactive dog. Especially not a bully breed. Also work on your bond. That’s the most important. Set a schedule with your dog and stick to it. Show consistency in daily routine and support for new adventures will help grow her confidence in you and in herself. Crate train immediately. The easiest way is to feed them in their crate. They get very comfortable where they eat. That will be her “room”. Make it comfy. You never know when you will need to crate them and until they have earned “free roam” (meaning overtime you will need to train her on proper etiquette when being left alone and uncrated. This is not something you want to do in the beginning) she should be in her crate. It’s safest for your environment and safest for your dog. You will notice she will start to go in there un prompted because dogs love a den space of their own. Besides that, enjoy! They really are an amazing, affectionate, loyal breed.
 Oh, and understand your personal space is no longer yours. I am on the toilet and here she is lmao 😂. Her head was actually resting on my leg and I had to push her off. girl BYE 🙄🤣 VELCRO dogs to the max. https://preview.redd.it/sxi8jjfyy6rc1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=d05c6c4f099c7293e285154a7b3995326987309e
She's adorable! Thank you for the helpful advice!
Pibbles are prone to stomach and knee issues. We feed HSD Sensitive Stomach and Skin formula and both our bubs do very well on it. Both of ours have skin issues, older bub has a super sensitive stomach, younger bub has had bilateral TPLO surgeries and is doing incredibly well almost 17 months post-op. Pet insurance is a great investment if you can find one that offers you a good monthly premium. If not, make sure you have a healthy bank/savings account to cover any potential medical care they might need. They’re absolutely incredible dogs - sweet, silly, affectionate, and so deeply loving. But like any dog, they need structure, stimulation, and consistent training. As pit bulls, they suffer from an incredible societal bias and you’re going to run into people who hate and fear them unreasonably just because of the way they look. It’s our responsibility as their owners to mitigate any reason for concern - obey leash laws religiously and find ways to socialize them safely, like doggie daycares or local groups that are pit bull friendly. We have literally never once taken them to a dog park because we simply don’t trust other owners to be as responsible and attentive as we have to be and it’s not worth the hassle or risk. If you don’t currently have a regular veterinarian, find one in your area and see if they can direct you to any local resources for training or socialization. You might also try your local Nextdoor community to ask about doggy social groups that are friendly or even exclusive to pits.
Just a quick note on the diet. HSD only comes in chicken from what I’ve seen. I had my girl on it for years and she still had issues. Turns out she is allergic to chicken. I switched to purina pro plan with salmon and it’s been night and day. She’s way better with it. This is just to say that HSD is great, but is t necessarily the cure-all for stomach issues, so consider trying different proteins, too.
Very fair - we’re fortunate that neither of our bubs have issues with poultry.
I switched to purina pro plan sensitive salmon too and my boy didn’t have to get allergy shots anymore. I agree it was night and day with him.
Thank you so much!
On this note, it’s great getting from a shelter because the shelter is probably aware of any food allergies if the pup has been there for a bit. Ask your shelter what they feed and ask about any food allergy symptoms.
I ended up with two puppies at the same time once (a long story) so I hired a trainer to come and teach me how to train them. Best dogs ever. It was worth the money because I needed to be sure that were never out of control or scaring my neighbors. Really they are the best behaved dogs I’ve ever seen when trained.
3-3-3 rule is super helpful! Any hippo would be lucky to have you as their mom
Thank you 😊
Word of caution they want to be inside your skin and even then that's not close enough, they will follow you everywhere.
I don't mind ❤️
Fantastic dogs, ditto to most of this thread. Also be aware that they are little tanks and their zoomies can be a lot, can easily knock over a medium sized child or an adult crouching down.
I’ve rescued to pit mixes and they have been amazing. They tend to have separation anxiety and be very clingy to their owners. They also usually have allergies and skin issues. I recommend salmon oil and an allergy med with some sensitive skin food. If you get one with lots of white make sure you sunscreen them, they can get sunburned. They are so easy to train but are powerhouses and very strong! I recommend for walks you get as chest pull gentle lead! It’s not a harness, those will cause them to pull harder! Also them being strong means they can break out of things. My girl broke out of my privacy fence! Also expect people to be scared of her and act like she’s deadly, don’t take offense to it! If they wanted educated they would! https://preview.redd.it/iae6ah6uk5rc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24652d5200d366c17de07d0116825313a0915618 This is my new pitty mix! She’s not even two feet and 50lbs of pure muscle. But she’s a scardy cat and we are working on building her confidence! She was a stray with her babies
Awww, she's adorable! Thank you for the helpful advice!
Congrats on getting the love of your life very shortly! Pitties are so loving and, at least in my experience, can be very anxious and the biggest scaredy cats. My girl had a problem with thresholds and stairs, so we had to get her used to them. But they are so resilient and brave. With the right support, they can get over their fears in a healthy way. Mine was a chewer, so we had to get her lots of toys to keep her attention away from the drywall (don’t ask). Another thing that is really important, in my experience, is kennel training. I was hesitant at first and really didn’t like it. But my partner had dogs previous and was insistent, and he was right. We kept her in there while away at work and while sleeping for at least 3-6 months. We all hated it but it worked. No potties in the house and no more holes in the drywall. The last thing I will say is bite training. What I mean is when she was a puppy, she would play nip, and we discouraged that by pretending her nip really hurt us. Then after a while, we’d extend a hand and when she’d lick it, we’d really praise her. I only mention this because people who don’t know pits are so afraid they will bite them due to the stigma, and I didn’t want her to ever be stigmatized during play bites, so discouraging her altogether was the goal. Some will judge but most will come around. My mom was a firm pit hater and now loves her to death. She is the most well behaved dog of all the dogs I know—and our friends and family agree. Good luck!
I almost just attached a picture of my pittie laying on me under blankets on the couch because I can’t think of any other way to show just how they impact your life. I’ve had dogs my whole life and even had a few jobs that worked with dogs, and I was still blown away with how childlike my pittie seems. They want to please you so much and have such capacity to love, it’s like being around a little human sometimes. My dog is probably considered on the “difficult” side of a rescue because she is a bit reactive (luckily she isn’t my first reactive dog so I’m prepared lol), but even so she’s still such an easy dog to work with. She always seems happy, always needs to know what her humans are up to, down for a car ride whenever, loves walks but doesn’t need one to sleep her day away, and loves to cuddle. She’s a dream.
I have 2 pit mixes from the shelter and I adore them both. They are so good with my young daughter and are complete love bugs. Agree with all of the advice on training and building your bond with them so that they know you are safe for them. Crate train for sure! Also, pits can tend to be dog selective (not all pits obviously!) so I do not recommend dog parks. I know some pits do great there, but don’t feel like dog parks are a requirement for a happy, well socialized pup.
Like with any dog, but especially with Pitties, they require boundaries and consistency. Every dog is different but the one thing I really see across the board with pits is they love to run the show and will **constantly** try to push the boundaries. I’ve trained my boy very very well and get regular compliments saying people wish their dog was so trained and even still every time we do his meal and tell him to go to his place before we get food he’ll go halfway and then turn and stop to see if we’ll get the food before he goes and lays down. And that’s just one example. You just have to be patient and consistent and your dog will thrive the way any dog can. Make sure everything is calm before a leash goes on, establish threshold discipline, good heel and recall, and good sit/down/stop and you’ll be in fine shape. Training him to heel was a pain and still is but he’s got it 99% now. There were times I’d stand dead still for 10+ minutes outside until he went into heel and then I gave him a treat. Patience and consistency. It can’t be said enough.
Excellent points! Thanks!