Best products from r/AmStaffPitts

Hey there, I know exactly what you're dealing with. I Love pit bulls and had one for 13 years. Now my dog was very very chill when it came to bath time and getting his nails trimmed. But I also had him since he was 4 weeks old and I used to mess with him all the time while we would lay together ( put fingers in his mouth, ears, play with his toes, etc. ) which i think helps. Anyways my roommate has a blue and our dogs lived together and she HATED getting her nails trimmed.. mind you shes about 65 lbs with a massive head. Built like a tank and super strong. We would have hold her down unfortunately as best as we could. Literally my roommate would hold her with all his strength and I would take one of those pet grooming dremel kits (I got on amazon) and just go for it. Those dremels worked the best in my experience, really easy and fast. Before we had the dremel and just clippers it was almost impossible to trim her nails. I know it sucks to have to hold the dog down but maybe that dremel would help you. Also we would leave it out for her too, to help her get used to it. even when she would lay in her bed we would set it next to her.

this is the dremel I use.
http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-7300-PT-4-8-Volt-Pet-Grooming/dp/B003TU0XG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406066521&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+dremel

Good luck!

Bringing kibble on a walk is almost always a handy solution. You can find small treat pouches that clip on a belt to hold the kibble, or just use a super fashionable fanny pack like this one. If he gets distracted you can do a small training session to break their focus and re-direct it to you. A quick sit, down, shake or paw, and then back on your way. Even "heel" or "come" will work as long as he knows that compliance is what's getting him fed.

If the kibble isn't working, you can use boiled chicken breast cubed into small bites as long as they aren't allergic to poultry. Chicken is pretty irresistible to dogs, so he's going to jump through whatever hoops he needs to to get a bite. If he is allergic to poultry, unsweetened dehydrated banana slices are a sweet treat too.

The best long term solution is to drive home the basic (come, sit, down, stay, leave it, and heel) commands. If you beat that training to death they will be much easier to control in general. Always use positive reinforcement, bully breeds don't react well to negative reinforcement. Just make sure you aren't over feeding him. Picture showing ideal proportions. I only stress that because for AmStaffs, it's far better to be a little underweight, than a little overweight. These dogs are much stronger than their joints can handle, so they can have serious issues if they are throwing around too much weight.

One last thing that might help... Exercise your boy before the walk. It may sound weird at first, but if he can burn off some energy before going on a trot, he'll be much more inclined to follow you instead of pull you. I like to play tug with the rope toy, or have him go run around in the yard before we go anywhere. The difference is night and day.

For small fetch style balls my pittie loves these. They're inexpensive and he's never managed to break one. (Though we have lost a couple. :)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00OG5QYLE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title (AmazonSmile link so part of the purchase price can be donated to the ASPCA.)

He also has one of these for kicking around the yard. He's put teeth holes in it a number of times but it's still going strong.

https://smile.amazon.com/Jolly-Pets-Soccer-Ocean-Medium/dp/B01EMSVVAI?ref_=bl_dp_s_mw_3032404011

Ask your vet, some dogs (of all ages) have specific needs and your vet would be in the best position to make a recommendation.

If your dog does not have a specific need, then many vets have go-to suggestions.

Until the vet appointment, Orijen is a good (but not-inexpensive) choice. Fromm is a less costly option.