new puppy owner...HELP!

[Tcharles]

We finally got our new puppy (Kingston) last Saturday- (9 weeks old today). When we purchased him he was a little timid. After a day or two he became more confident in his new surroundings. My husband and I have three children. Kingston is a good puppy so far, we taught him the 'sit' command in a day. However, Kingston is not to friendly with my six year old son. I do not leave my son along with Kingston, because my son tried to pick Kingston up and he snapped at him and caught my son on his cheeck. That freaked my son out. I have also noticed when we are outside or anywhere when the kids come around he growls and barks. I say "no Kingston" and he will stop. But, the other day he growled and snapped at me when I went to pick him up. We start puppy training in two weeks. I was wondering if we (my husband and I) are doing something wrong or if we should be concerned. We got Kingston from a breeder. However, I am wondering how socialized he was from the beginning. Any suggestions.

[spidey]

First off, don't leave your kids alone with the dog ever, for any reason, anyway (this is basic dog-child safety, it shouldn't just be because the puppy snapped at your son, kids and dogs should never be left alone together). No matter how well they get along, it's unfair and risky to both parties. Your kids are too young to know how to behave around a dog, and it's not setting the dog up for success to leave him in a situation where he could be hurt and feel that he has to defend himself. I'm sorry to say it, but going by what you've said so far, it sounds as if the kids have frightened or hurt the puppy, and now he's afraid of them. This is another reason you don't leave them alone together. Do you insist that the children behave appropriately around the puppy (pat him gently, no screaming, no running etc.)?

Second, kids should not be picking puppies up. There's no small chance that your son hurt Kingston when he tried to pick him up, and that's where the snapping came from. Either way, a 6 year old is nowhere near strong or coordinated enough to lift a big puppy comfortably and safely, don't let him do it.

Third, how are you picking him up? (I do think that puppies should allow themselves to be picked up, but I don't think they should be picked up as a matter of habit, especially big dogs - you're not going to be picking him up when he's fully grown, so why make a habit of it now?)

Fourth, get some books and do some reading about how to handle and train puppies. Any of the Dr. Ian Dunbar books are good, as are any by Jean Donaldson. I'm glad you're taking him to classes! Good luck with him.

[Tcharles]

Yes, you are correct, I do not leave the kids alone with Kingston. The only time I pick Kingston up is to put him in the car. I have purchased many books in regards to training and as I indicated, we are taken him to puppy classes. They are scheduled to begin on May 19th. Yes, I am with the kids when they are with Kingston and I make my son (6 yrs) and two girls (9 & 11) learn how to treat Kingston. Thanks for your response and advise.

[Beckysmom]

Other ideas: call breeder and ask about his prior socialization. and behaviour characteristics. He may be in both very important socialization window and also perhasps in socalled fear imprint window right now. Look in the books you have eg Brian Dunbar training and behaviour books and try to get an idea of that. If in fear stage be esp careful about things that may frighten him. But also you may need to work gently and carefully on getting him to used to not only your children but other children also in small manageable doses, with lots of good things happening to him and nothing bad, and may need to do this sooner than the 19th, so maybe you can also talk to the class teacher ahead of time for ideas. Or your vet. And if he might have been hurt, vet is also a good idea for that. Breeder also could be source of info on socializing him with the kids, and on training class etc. if the breeder is knowledgeable. And how were the dog's parents esp mother around children?

[jayneliz]

Heck yeah I'd be concerned if my nine week old puppy was growling, snapping and/or biting!

Have you called your breeder? I'd be interested in knowing if this puppy showed this behavior prior to being placed in your home, and furthermore, what your breeder instructs you to do about it NOW, before you get to school.

Are you a first time Rott owner?

Personally, any form of growling, biting or snapping is totally unacceptable in our home. My solution would be to make the growling/snapping REALLY is not worth the pleasure he is getting by doing it. I'd string him up (getting his front feet off the ground)and making it very clear that KINGSTON isn't the KING, I am. Then I'd set him up to exhibit the behavior again, and if he does, I'd string him up again, being a little tougher. Of course, I wouldn't recommend this to others, it's just what I'D do. Again, it's your breeder and/or your trainer that is going to provide the most insight on how to manage the issue.

What are your plans with the dog? Is he going to be a pet? Do you plan on doing any work with him?

Let us know what your breeder has to say...

Jayne May

[mercedes]

Yes, that does seem unusual for the puppy to not like kids. In most cases that I have seen (including Mercedes) you can't keep puppies away from kids. Mabey the breeders had kids and the kids were mean to the puppies? It is a possibility.

[Luvs]

At 9 weeks old i would think that his biting and growling is pretty normal. He doesn't know any better. Most puppies bite everyone and everything at this age. I remember Akasha used to really LOVE pant legs and shoe laces. She would grab hold and growl and pull like crazy.

Your puppy may just be trying to play with the kids. Kids tend to bring out the worst in puppies. Alot of arm movement, running, and high pitched noises (which kids are famous for) really get puppies excited.

Definately read as much as you can. I learned alot from reading Dr. Ian Dunbars book and from searching the archives here.

You are lucky that you are able to start your puppy classes so early. We had to wait until our puppies were 4 months old and had all of their shots before they could start class.

Good Luck with your puppy!

[LavenderRott]

Have you crate trained your pup yet? Snapping and growling at a family member should earn a nine week old a time out.

You said that your pup was timid when you first brought him home. It sounds to me like you are dealing with fear issues. I would Not suggest "stringing up" your pup unless you want to make the situation worse. And never set your pup up to repeat a bad behavior.

At this stage in his life, he needs to have positive experiences. Have your son hand feed the puppy kibble, with adult supervision of course.

[GenHannibal]

I don't recommend stringing up a puppy at nine weeks old. In fact, stringing up a dog in most circumstances are not the way to deal with an agression issue. It can and will make matters worse, especially if you do not know why the dog is being agressive.

Definitely call the breeder about this. Ask if the puppy was temperment tested and how he behaved in her environment. If this breeder is reputable, they should be able to help you in this matter. Also, have you had this puppy examined by a vet? It could be that he has been hurt or may have some other "health issues".

Buy some books and use some of the other suggestions on this forum. A crate is a invaluable tool to have, use one. Find someone that can help you in making this dog more outgoing and confident. Timid puppies need to be dealt with correctly.

[mickeymichellie]

Being around the family members, including the kids, should be a fun time. While it should be made clear that it is not ok for him to growl and snap at the kids, punishing him in a physical way will just make him scared of the kids (ie "when that little boy comes around I get in trouble so next time if I growl louder maybe he will stay away, oop, still got in trouble, we will really have to try everything to make that kids stay away from me!") have the children feed the puppy little bits of food and treats. It is possible that your puppy is just doing it to be a brat, but that is unlikely. It is more likely that he formed a negative association with the children from the start, and that is what you have to change. You want him to think, "yeah, there are the kids, great things happen when they are around!"

On the same note, if he is also having trouble with you picking him up, then he needs to learn what he can and cannot do. When he does growl or snap at you make it very clear that it was a horrible thing to do and give him a time out. When you get him out, try again with lots of praise if he is good. You are going to have to do a variety of things to this puppy to make him get used to being handled. Pick him up a alot, even if you just pick him up and set him down. Get him used to being held, if he squirms wait him out and praise and release when he settles down. Roll him over on his back and tickle his tummy. Play with his paws. Above all, whenever he acts like he wants you to stop, don't! You are the one deciding what is going on, not him. Be more stubborn than the puppy, is what I always tell people :D

[Tcharles]

I really appreciate everyones suggestions. Someone asked if we are new rottie owners yes we are. My husband and I have and are continuning to learn more about trainging and providing a good envirnment for Kingston. However, when we took him to the vet the day after we got him, the Vet did state that Kingston seemed a little stubborn. Although, the visit went well, Kingston allowed the vet to give him the checkup. When we first got him from the litter. He was not as outgoing as the other littermates. He was more easygoing. He came to us and allowed us to pet him and all that good stuff. Now that he is home with us he really does not like for us to touch him at times.

I did call my breeder, she expressed to me most of what all of you have suggested. She said all of her pups are socialized around children. In fact, her grandchildren are around the pups often. She believes that maybe it is a fear stage that Kingston is going through. And like you said, he feels threatened so he is going into defense mode. She did say that this is not normal behavior and should not be tolerated. She suggested to put him in time out when he does this. Yes, we are crate training as was suggested by our breeder.

She has offered for us to bring him back and select a new puppy from another litter. She feels that this litter will better suit our family. She said she will work with Kingston and if we want to bring him back she will find another family for him.

Any thoughts about this?

[Chele]

IMO that's great that the breeder has offered to do this for you if you can't get things worked out with your puppy. I think it shows that she's a responsible, caring breeder. If the problem persists then you might want to seriously take her up on her offer. Better than having one of your children hurt in the future. I'm hoping your puppy is just a little freaked out by all the new changes and he'll settle down. Good luck!

[LavenderRott]

My thoughts are this, if you have major issues with this pup, such as, you are scared that he will hurt someone, and this may sound harsh, but if you don't like him or resent him for snapping at your son, get a different puppy.

What I mean is, if you don't like this pup because he is snappy, you are not necessarily going to get past that feeling. Better to get a different pup now then not and regret it later. Do some serious soul searching here.

If you do decide to get a different pup, pick out one that is curious and wants to meet you. Pick it up there, put it on it's back in your arms and scratch it's tummy. Play with it's feet. Will it chase a ball when you roll it. These are all good things for a puppy to do when you are looking at a litter.

[cpalenchar]

hey.... maybe some of you more experienced people can comment on this....

She has offered for us to bring him back and select a new puppy from another litter.

this is a red flag to me ["another littler"].... more than one litter on the ground at a time??? Will the next pup be any better?

but yeah--- matching the right puppy to the right house is definitely one of the skills that a good breeder offers their clients. Maybe something just went a little wrong this time-- and it would definitely be a good idea to fix that problem early in the game if that's what happened.....

There is a specific puppy temperment test-- maybe someone will post the name of it on here. I can't think of it now. You could try to do it and match the puppy's personality to your desires-- but again, this is something a breeder should do for you......

one last thought--- only 1 week in the house might be a little too short of time to decide if this is the right puppy? Any opinions on this from others.....?

-chloe

[Tcharles]

No, I don't resent that he bit my son (DeVonta) he is a puppy, I just don't like that everytime we try to pick him or pet he tries to bite us. By the way, we took him with us to Petsmart to get him some chew toys and things of the sort...and an older lady came up to him while I was holding him in my arms and he snapped at her and growled and scared the poor lady to deaf. One of the workers said that most puppies do this. I know this is not exceptable behavior. So really these are my concerns, and I wanted to make sure we are doing the right thing with Kingston. I don't know why he is showing this type of behavior. When he does, I say "No Kingston" and normally I put him in his crate. Or I will try again, and he sometimes will attempt but before he does I say "No" in a soft tone to get him to see I am not trying to hurt him and this works in most cases. I praise him a lot when he does good things. We are doing the hand feeding and taking him for walks... I allow the kids to hold the leash making sure they are not pulling him. We have really fell in love with Kingston. But the breeder feels that he should come back, since I spoke to her about his behavior, and she will work with him (obedience training).


If we decide to get a new pup, I will do the below. Thanks!!!

If you do decide to get a different pup, pick out one that is curious and wants to meet you. Pick it up there, put it on it's back in your arms and scratch it's tummy. Play with it's feet. Will it chase a ball when you roll it. These are all good things for a puppy to do when you are looking at a litter

I really appreciate all the feedback!