Behavior Issues

[Sebastian2]

I am at my wit’s end with our 10 month old rott. I got Sebastian from an AKC breeder when he was 10 weeks old. We did the dog obedience class twice with little progress. (All we got out of it was Sit and Stay and he doesn’t do that to well) He absolutely does what he wants when he wants until you’re nearly screaming at him or holding a yardstick (haven’t figured out why he’s so afraid of it since he’s never been hit). He managed to get out the door past both of us at different times and although he doesn’t leave the yard he will not come back when you call him and when you go after him he starts running around you and jumping like its playtime. We tried to let him out of his crate at night and he was perfect for 2 nights and then he ate the leg off of a table. He has also shredded the sheets from my bed. We quit letting him out of the crate at night and now he barks half the night. He WILL NOT leave our 2 cats alone. He doesn’t try to hurt them but I know he’s trying to show them who’s in charge. And now in the past 2 weeks he has escaped from his crate twice during the day and pooped on our bedroom floor and peed ON the bed. Don’t get me wrong, this is not our first dog and not the first rott but he is just making me crazy. I am constantly telling him no and putting him back in the crate for not listening. He is just not getting the point on what is allowed and what isn’t. I found him eating the lint from the dryer out of the garbage one day and told him no and not 10 minutes later he’s right back to it. He doesn’t even wait until your out of the room to do stuff. I need advice!!!!

[Vivianne]

Hello Sebastian2,

While I would recommend putting a pad lock (or some other locking device) on your boys crate to keep him from opening the door, I would urgently recommend you get the upper hand as quickly as possible. It seems as though he’s assumed the alpha position in your household and is just ignoring you. He sounds stubborn so you’ll need to work extra hard with him. I don’t mean harsh, just longer than with some other dogs.

While you may not think that more obedience is not the answer, it really is. During the sessions you are the master and reinforcing it with each session you attend not to mention your reinforcement at home. That is why many people continue obedience until a dog is well into 2 years of age or more.

A technique I used with my dog to quickly get the upper hand was this, though it isn’t very lady like, I would turn my dog over on her side while she laid on the floor, I would then get on all fours and get above her and not let her move until I wanted to let her go. Sometimes it turned into a hug just to get her to stop squirming, but I was always on top. (Pretty picture huh!) After she gave in, then I would release her. Another thing I would do while in the same position was growl, or grab the extra skin from around her neck with my teeth and hold it firmly while growling.

She naturally didn’t like my behavior and became really upset sometimes even getting mouthy with me. So I would growl louder, bite down a little harder and even shake my head to reinforce my dominance.

Although this behavior is not one a human would perform naturally, I too was at my wits end at one point and thought to myself, what would mama do if this was her offspring that wasn’t listening. You get the idea.

I know I’ve been watching discovery channel way to much!
Good luck with your boy and don't give up on him.

[Cadillac_Lady]

Boy Sebastian,

I am so sorry. I really don't have any advice but keep insisting that you are the boss. My brother in law had a black lab who was great. He recently aquired another one who was absolutely bananna's like you desecribed. Just doing things for the heck of it and being such a nuisance. Someone ended up taking the dog off his hands because I thought he was going to hurt it! I mean, he had trainined the other dog so well, and this one wouldn't learn anything!! It was really strange.

I hope it all works out.

[Birdie'sMom]

Sebastian2-
Looks like you have a teenager on your hands!
All I can think of is that your pup probably needs more training! I've heard from members here that rottweilers need to keep up with their training until they are at least 3 years old. Don't give up! I'm sure he will come around with a little extra effort!

[emorgan49]

He sounds EXACTLY like my Chloe, except that we got her at 13 months with that behavior. Not even house broken. It was really hard at first because she did NOTHING right so there was nothing to praise her for. All she got was No No No and it was making her crazy. She needed to understand what was CORRECT behavior, not just was NOT allowed. The more things she can do right (back to obedience, sit, stay, good dog) the fewer things she does wrong.

[IRIE'S MAMA]

I have to agree that more trainig is in order. It sounds as though you "gave up" after a couple of sessions. You will get a payoff for all of the time you put into training I PROMISE. I was frustrated w/ class at first too. Sit, stay, come, she already knew all of that, but just you being there and all of the other dogs, really helps on reinforcing things that they may already know. I was just wondering, w/ your being so frustrated and all....Are you still working on training at home too? It is VERY important to keep it up. Nothing is free, trading really helps too. Fine, I will give you this toy, but not until you sit. Hide and seek w/ treats is a GREAT way to keep working on come. Hide behind doors, under tables, etc...and when you get the come, he gets the treat. Oh, you want to eat first you must.... sit, now wait, OK once that happens, dinner is served not before. You need to gain the alpha role over your boy and keep working and you will see results. One more thing....I must have had to tell Irie 1,000 times (maybe more) not to bite underneath the couch. About the 1,001 time, she finally got it. Now I just look at her when she goes near it and she walks the other way. So remember that w/ the lint thing. One really good thing that I got out of trainig was stop just using the word NO. Tell them what they are doing wrong. You can say no till your blue in the face, but they gatta know NO-WHAT? Sorry to blab on, but I can tell you are at your wits end- I think you even stated that. Please keep working. It DOES get better for both of you.

[bliss7373]

Looks like you have quite a handful! But don't give up! I am by no means an expert, but here is my .02. How much exercise does your pup get? Please understand, I am not suggesting you exercise your puppy more than is healthy, but a tired dog is a good dog. Or perhaps in your case, maybe a better dog is a good goal !

Also, I wholeheartedly concur with Vivianne- obedience is the key. When I first got my rescue Sofi, she was a SERIOUS handful- lots of muscle and no manners. Working with a private trainer completely turned her around-- I now get compliments from the local police on how well behaved she it. If a class is too much distraction, maybe a one-on-one trainer would be a good idea?

Sofi also responded much better to lots of positive reinforcement combined with the negative. I made a huge fuss over her for the good things (so she didn't think the only word out of my mouth was No!)

[Sebastian2]

Thank you all for your replies! They are very appreciated.

I should probably also put in the mix that we are not home for alot of the day being that both of us work so he's in that cage from 6 am to about 4 pm and then he's in it all night because we can't trust him in the house.

He was getting regular walks at night but he developed a limp and the vet said to knock off the walking for a little bit. Limp is gone for the most part but he ate his really nice retractable leash last week and has out grown the choke chain so Wal-Mart will be getting more money from us soon.

My boyfriend did the obedience training with him so I'm sure that's why he'll listen a little better to him than me. We also borrowed one of those shock collars recently and that works while its on.

I know he's ticked off that we aren't home with him 24/7 and that he's in that cage and the cats can run free. I'm pretty sure that's why we get the presents in our room and nowhere else.

We have already locked him in the crate and would like to be able to put him the the outside kennel but we live in Ohio and it's either been too hot or raining so we can't leave him out all day.

I really miss our 10 year old well-behaved rottie sometimes.

[Trinitii]

Sounds like pent up frustration and yes the wanting of attention. The training will work great for you and do it every day even if it is just for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Not only the the training benefit you it also is something you are doing with your pup and that will make the pup happy. I'm not so sure I would go shock collar yet he is still young. The release games and hide and seek should be easy on the leg. I have a 10 month old pup that some days is a dream other days it's like no training ever occured (this mornings walk was like that) but just know that when they grow up it will all be worth it. Good Luck

Trinitii

[valdes43]

Originally posted by Sebastian2
I am at my wit’s end with our 10 month old rott. I got Sebastian from an AKC breeder when he was 10 weeks old.

Sebastian, so far your 10 month sounds like any regular dog. I don't think you're having an alpha issue. I just think you've done a very poor job communicating with your dog. (it happens) Now you've got to work on better communication. The only way you're going to get there is by educating yourself and if possible, having a trainer guide you.

Originally posted by Sebastian2

We did the dog obedience class twice with little progress. (All we got out of it was Sit and Stay and he doesn’t do that to well) He absolutely does what he wants when he wants until you’re nearly screaming at him or holding a yardstick (haven’t figured out why he’s so afraid of it since he’s never been hit). He managed to get out the door past both of us at different times and although he doesn’t leave the yard he will not come back when you call him and when you go after him he starts running around you and jumping like its playtime.

The fact that you went to 2 obedience classes does not mean the dogs dumb. Again you are going to have to evaluate your training techniques. I have no idea how you trained him but it sounds like it's a matter of understanding how to live and responsibly raise a dog. Search the rottweiler.net archives. There are many excellent threads on all kinds of training and behavioral issues.
He's afraid of you because everything is a battle to you. You're working against the dog not WITH the dog.

Originally posted by Sebastian2

We tried to let him out of his crate at night and he was perfect for 2 nights and then he ate the leg off of a table. He has also shredded the sheets from my bed. We quit letting him out of the crate at night and now he barks half the night. He WILL NOT leave our 2 cats alone. He doesn’t try to hurt them but I know he’s trying to show them who’s in charge. And now in the past 2 weeks he has escaped from his crate twice during the day and pooped on our bedroom floor and peed ON the bed. Don’t get me wrong, this is not our first dog and not the first rott but he is just making me crazy. I am constantly telling him no and putting him back in the crate for not listening. He is just not getting the point on what is allowed and what isn’t. I found him eating the lint from the dryer out of the garbage one day and told him no and not 10 minutes later he’s right back to it. He doesn’t even wait until your out of the room to do stuff. I need advice!!!!

You have a bunch of simple behavioral issues that CONSITENCY would fix. I believe consistency is your problem. I am work right now and I have to go but seriously, if you love your dog put in the effort to educate yourself about raising a dog. Learn how to fish and you'll eat fish forever. ;)

PS. I noticed on the bottom you wrote that you've been getting good response with the electric collar. Please, before you damage your dog mentally, take off the collar. He's sounds like a normal dog that just hasn't been trained correctly.

Buy a book called "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson it will teach to solve many everyday behavioral dog problems. No book has everything but this book will open your eyes wide.



Good Luck

[Miabella]

Shock collars should really only be used by experienced trainers under very strict circumstances. If you do not understand the drives that are behind a dog's actions and are not able to time the correction perfectly, you are just going to mess up your dog.

Take the advice of others, and learn to train your dog and consistently enforce commands. He needs some structure, not a shock collar.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally posted by valdes43


Sebastian, so far your 10 month sounds like any regular dog. I don't think you're having an alpha issue. I just think you've done a very poor job communicating with your dog. (it happens) Now you've got to work on better communication. The only way you're going to get there is by educating yourself and if possible, having a trainer guide you.




The fact that you went to 2 obedience classes does not mean the dogs dumb. Again you are going to have to evaluate your training techniques. I have no idea how you trained him but it sounds like it's a matter of understanding how to live and responsibly raise a dog. Search the rottweiler.net archives. There are many excellent threads on all kinds of training and behavioral issues.
He's afraid of you because everything is a battle to you. You're working against the dog not WITH the dog.




You have a bunch of simple behavioral issues that CONSITENCY would fix. I believe consistency is your problem. I am work right now and I have to go but seriously, if you love your dog put in the effort to educate yourself about raising a dog. Learn how to fish and you'll eat fish forever. ;)

PS. I noticed on the bottom you wrote that you've been getting good response with the electric collar. Please, before you damage your dog mentally, take off the collar. He's sounds like a normal dog that just hasn't been trained correctly.

Buy a book called "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson it will teach to solve many everyday behavioral dog problems. No book has everything but this book will open your eyes wide.



Good Luck

Please read this ALL again - I asked for this persons (and a couple others) help on your behalf - they KNOW what they are talking about - PLEASE take the e-collar OFF - Lisa (Bucky's Mom)

[Anne]

Two obedience classes doesn't constitute training. Training is an ongoing thing. If your dog behaved like this after 2 years of obedience training then I would say you have a big problem. Your problem here seems to be lack of training and the pup is crated for such a long time out of each 24 hours. Please for your own sake and that of the dog recommence training. Find a good trainer asap. Your dog does not know how to behave in a human environment if you don't teach it. My Sophie was a very difficult dog until I found a GOOD trainer, now she is the greatest pleasure in my life. Whilst I was trying to train her I wasn't going about it in the right way and she just didn't quite know what I expected of her. She does now and is a joy to be with. Keep us posted.

[Judi W]

Sorry, but there are no short cuts to properly raising and training a dog. Yes, some are easier than others, but that doesn't mean short cuts with the more difficult ones.

Return the shock collar to whoever lent it to you. Going for walks is not training and does not use the dog's mind. Neither does a correction for displeasing you if you aren't taking the time to teach carefully what does please and what is correct. This dog is still a pup and hardly a finished product that you are correcting for messing up something he has been thoroughly trained and proofed on. I'm a pretty darn good trainer and I don't consider that a couple of puppy training classes give me a trained dog that is ready for harsh corrections because he doesn't respond properly. Get this boy in classes, find useful things to do with him and train daily so that his mind is exercised. That is where the bonding takes place and the partnerships are formed. Right now you are treating him like the enemy and I'm sure he feels the same way about you and is responding in kind. A good dog is a wonderful thing, but it takes years, not months to get there. Good grief, with our training program, those two classes would only take you through KPT and beginners and we certainly would not expect much more than a basic beginning understanding of what the instructions mean let alone compliance on a regular basis. KPT, Beginners, Advanced Beginners, Pre Novice, and Novice and many dogs spend more than one or two sessions at a level.

Sit back, and remember why you got him in the first place. Re-evaluate your relationship and examine you expectations. He has much to learn about the world and about growing up and about how to please. If you cannot love him and give this effort, then please contact his breeder. There is no magic bullet that turns a 10 month old wild pup into a 4 year old totally trained adult.

[Sebastian2]

For all the feedback I got this round I'm not so happy with this site.

I wanted simple advice and wasn't looking for people to tell me what a poor job we're doing and to read about how far superior the rest of you are at raising dogs. Thank you all for making us out to be horrible owners.

I absolutely understand that he is still a puppy and needs to be worked with however I will look somewhere else for any more help.