Playing Baseball with the Dog

Playing Baseball with the Dog

This is Coda, the epitome of everyone wants in a dog. Affectionate, playful, silly and fun, headstrong, obedient and unbreakably loyal. It would be easy to biasedly say that about any dog at home, but these are standard traits for the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The pit’s history is unfortunate but the fear of being attacked by one is unfair. It is extremely unlikely that one will attack a human. The sympathetic will somewhat correctly assert that “it’s all in how the owner treats it” but that is not exactly true. Dog to dog aggression can be an issue. They are a great responsibility but the rewards are well worth it to those up for the challenge.

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Let’s talk a little more about dogs while we take Coda to the baseball field!

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All terrier breeds, not only the American Pit Bull, are testy. I guess most people would consider that stubbornness, but it is distinctly different. They will always test boundaries of their environment, so it takes a leader with a firm, but fair, and always consistent hand. In other words, you must win the unquestionable respect of the dog before it can thrive.

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Even though Coda knew that he must remain in the crate while dinner is on the table, he would slowly creep out to watch the food being consumed. He honestly couldn’t help himself because the thought of food made him forget that he supposed to be in the crate. It took years to train him to not leave the crate, which was years of eating dinner and keeping a vigilant eye out for the dog the entire time.

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I would definitely say, based on my experience and self-education, that terriers, especially the American Pit Bull Terrier, are for the experienced and informed. They are people that will make sure to live up to the responsibility and know they will be raising a two-year-old child for life.

I was pretty good, but definitely not perfect, but there is little doubt that he would have slinked into the fiery depths of hell if told.