I grab him by his muzzle...

[Carina43]

Well good luck with him!
Maybe that's why I didn't get confused, I didn't HAVE all this excellent advice & help to confuse me. Haha. ;)

[Anne]

stavrast, I noticed you said you are making your 3 month old dog jump. Not a good idea as he can certainly damage himself by jumping.

Overexercising or jumping a young pup can cause damage to the ligaments and joints. Wait until he is older to jump him.

[Judi W]

Oh dear. I can just see the poor little bugger now standing at the bus stop with his lunch wrapped up in a bandana. No, no, no, that cannot be. A dog could not carry his lunch in a bandana, it would never make it two steps past the front door and he'd be hungry when the lunch bell rang! Better he take money and buy lunch off the roach truck.

"Work" in the doggy world means some form of formal training and occupation (and at my house fetching in the newspaper every morning). The reason I say "formal" is that it is through formal work that the communication skills are truly developed. No, he doesn't have to go get a paper route, and you've already started his eduction.

No sleepless nights, and no obcessing. Things do not become more clear by being stared at too long or too closely. Actually, they just become distorted looking. Lay aside your time when you are going to do a training session with him. You can do a 30 minute stroll around the neighborhood, actual training and teaching should usually be fairly short (10 or 15 minutes) and then get back to your livelihood. He can spend some time crated, some time hanging out and have his walks and short training sessions.

Find your local dog training club which will have not only KPT classes, but let you know where an agility club is so you can consider puppy agility once a week if it appeals to you. That is enough.

Remember, that willful or not, he is still just a dawg and cannot absorb 24 hour focus ragardless of whether it is stimulated by worry or his being a brat or his simply being admired. The one rule he gets right now is no teeth on people. Period. With a willful pup, I would not pretend to be a wounded littermate as is sometimes recommended. (not my style anyway) I would instead be an outraged adult - which is much closer to reality and a whole more likely to bring this to a screeching halt. He needs to be convinced that it is your anger that is to be avoided not his.

Unfortunately, it is not the opposable thumbs that allows us to be in charge because the dog's chompers work perfectly well meeting the same needs as those thumbs. It is brain work but it doesn't provide an actual paycheck until later down the road. Sort of like my IRAs. Sometimes it looks like you've lost capital, but over time it will pay off.

[stavrast]

Judi, and everyone else, thank you all for the sound, well-intented advice. Don't know what I would do without it. Anyway, getting past the jabs about my character and intelligence, I see I must use persistence and clarity of purpose with him. I'm confident I'll win this argument as I win in everything else.
I'll keep you posted for any improvements, if you still care to hear my bitching...
Thanks

[Greg_1111]

Stavrost,, you are welcome,, these dogs go through stages in the first year,, then again at about two years. (that's not etched in stone). But they are very intellignet,, can be pushy if allowed, and will test you to see if they can manipulate you. This all happens early on,, 6 months is an important period. By 6 months you should really be establishing yourself as the kingpin. Don't be afraid to get a bit physical,, Don't hit him,, but exude complete authority and confidence over him,, if he even suggests a growl at you at his age,, he needs to be put in his place. This sounds harsh,, but it's not.. It's a quick message,, and then you continue on with your fair training tempered with support and praise for good behaviour. The best way to establish dominance and control is by working him in training exercises. They love to learn,, you will see. and when he is doing something you don't like,, you can give him a lie down command,, and all of a sudden he stops what he was doing. The more time you spend with him,, the easier things will be. But bottom line. you have to get the pecking order established. If he is anything like mine,, he was a troubled teen at that age. He will respect you for two reasons,, you are fair and not abusive, and you are his leader and provider. thirdly,, his buddy. he will follow you everywhere. They don't call them velcroe dogs for nothing lol

[stavrast]

Greg, thanks so much for the encouragement and the advice. I really needed it the other day. The whole thing had me so down that I was even 'snapping' at JudiW to whom I owe a lot for all her great advice.

It's a day by day thing. He hates rain and, so, every time it rains he's acting like Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets." It's like he has gone mad... I searched for "Rain" and I found that some dogs hate it and others have gotten used to it. No tips for me, though. I think I'll just bribe him with treats.

About his bites, I think training will solve that, also rewarding him when he doesn't bite or when he exhibits the behavior that I want. I don't think he is out of control. Not even close. I have to give him a lot of exercise, like JudiW said, and make sure I don't let him get away with little 'revolts,' like you just wisely advised me.

Anyway, thanks a lot for caring enough to help.

[livinzoo]

My Argos was also alpha puppy. He bite the obedience trainer when he was 12 weeks old. He was alot of work but well worth it. A good book on understanding dog is Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson. I read it before I got my pup. It helped alot.

Everyone that meets Argos today and hears what a terror he was at 12 weeks can't believe it. Just be more stubborn then him and you should be fine.

Good luck and get into an obedience class.
Crystal

[stavrast]

Thank you Crystal. That's encouraging because my dog, I think, is just trying to revolt now and then which means that all I have to do is be stubborn in putting his rebellions down.
Thanks

[vshund]

Steven, you're a good guy and the dog is going to be in good hands. Relax. Breathe deeply in and out and relax. Seriously. As with raising children, learning the art of breathing calmly and the old cliche, 'count to 10' is gold plated advice.

Judi W. has it and of course, shares it well.

I've had alpha male puppies. Have a grown up tough male alpha puppy. My best advice to myself was to be calm, firm as a rock and ready to administer a dose of "fear of god". Honestly, never be afraid of your own dog. Certainly not at this age. I used the word Hey a lot. As in "Hey YOU! BAD DOG! DOWN!" or whatever command he'd been taught but was disobeying. I made that voice boom. Learn to BOOM. Stay in control by closely watching his reactions. Learn his triggers, likes, dislikes, what makes him so happy he gets delirious and what makes him pensive.

It's tough to not coddle an adorable puppy. Judi's parable in another thread is good to read. No lovin' on that puppy just because he's [insert adjective].

Try teaching him to tug and release. I found this was a great bonding time. Combined fun and learning manners. The Out command is essential. Start with the tug. I did and it's been the best yet. Also the Settle command. Pet dog from top of head down neck to the back. Slowly and calmly while saying "Settle" in a low, steady voice. Let him learn to depend on you for cues and to trust your judgment not his own. The Settle command works well as a time for you to pet the dog without seeming to lavish unwarranted praise. :)

Take care to love well and be the leader. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[stavrast]

Vshund. Thanks so much for the good words and advice. I do need to relax, don't I? There are many people on this board who have given me excellent support and similar advice. My dog knows when I'm serious and when I'm just throwing commands for practice. Therefore, I have become very serious when I talk to him and he obeys like a soldier. I take him to the park, and we drive there. Believe it or not he stays quiet in the car, he sits and waits before I open the door to let him out or to get in. He then heels and follows me without wandering around, too much...
I play tug with him three times a day. He knows how to 'give' and gives, although, some toys more reluctantly than others. Instead of "Settle" I tell him "Easy." It's a general command for him to calm down. When he gets the zoomies, when he runs too far ahead in the park, when I want him to relax so he won't get too tired. When he obeys quickly he gets a treat otherwise I'm just being patient with him.
I take it day by day. He is a fast learner, thank God.
Merry Christmas to you also and Happy New Year.

[LynnS]

Hi Steven and welcome!

You have gotten a ton of good advice alreday but just to chime in. I am first time Rottweiler owner and definately got more than I bargained for in my now 18 mnth old female.

Rome was not built in a day :D I have had my patience tried more in the past 16 mnths than I care to discuss. Training Bella is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

Sometimes I really do not even realize the progress we have made until someone else points out how well behaved and obedient she is (on a good day).

[stavrast]

LynnS, thanks for the welcome. I assume you got her a proffesional trainer? What criteria did you use when shopping around for one? I'm getting him a trainer also but there are many around here. I'm trying to find the best one. I have the web site of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers of America which is very helpful. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement.

[LynnS]

Hi Steve

I took puppy kindergarten and then regular puppy obedience classes until she was about 8 mnths old. The we started in to regular AKC pre-novice. I also have a personal trainer that I use occasionaly when I am having difficulty with something specific. (I am training for competition)

Believe it or not the training methods I used for obedience were all positive (and still mostly are) HOWEVER we trained religiously in little soundbites several times a day. Low and behold all the training did work in other areas (general manners) although she can still be a pain at times (throwing toys at me because she wants to play. Whining at me because I am on the computer.) I just put her in a down stay and ignore her. Very effective LOL.

For a very young puppy you want to make sure that you do not use a trainer who trains using compulsion. I have a friend with a very drivey female GSD who made that mistake and it made her more pissy than ever.

There are people on this forum from all over. Maybe someone can recommend a training club or school.

[Karnac]

I would agree with the others who recommend training. However, there is a big difference in trainers so you really need to put a lot of time and effort into picking one. I have sent several dogs for training and until the last one have not been impressed with the result. Your dog is about the right age to start his training and the right person can resolve most of your issues. By that I don't mean that a trainer is a cure all. Once the trainer does his thing you start yours by continueing the training. I have been told that rotts are slow to mature and the dog will be near three years old before it is really trained. Our pup is six months and went into 30 days of private training at 3 months. Nealy everyone here said sending the dog out was a big mistake but they were definitely wrong as it got results. During that time he learned what he was supposed to do and not supposed to do. Since that time he has 2 group classes a week and gets daily training from me. We are fortunate here as the trainer we use trains lots of dogs. We can go there at nearly any hour of the day and see from 3 to 5 dogs being worked. When I think back to the other trainers I had used previously I can't remember actually seeing them train a single dog. You also might want to get the Koehler book on dog training. Most of the folks on this board object to it as too harsh and old fashioned but none can say that it doesn't get results. Try the velvet glove first but if that fails you can always go to the iron fist. As with most things that are worthwhile it will require effort but your problems are definitely solveable. Hang in there and you'll make it.

[Skip]

Originally posted by Karnac
......... You also might want to get the Koehler book on dog training. Most of the folks on this board object to it as too harsh and old fashioned but none can say that it doesn't get results. Try the velvet glove first but if that fails you can always go to the iron fist. As with most things that are worthwhile it will require effort but your problems are definitely solveable. Hang in there and you'll make it.

All depends on what you mean by results when it comes to Koehler. A dog can be trained in many ways to get 'results', but what kind of overall dog has it produced? There are a lot better methods than Koehler (in my opinion) that will create a much better dog. I suggest you read a LOT of books (including Koehler if you really want to), but I feel very strongly that a lot of his methods are harsh, outdated, and harmful.