FIRST TIME ROTTIE OWNER WITH NEW PUPPY AND KIDS

[twnzplusone]

Hello, I am new to this sight and just wanted some advise. I just received a rottweiler puppy who is only 4 wks old (sasha) My two year old daughter and I met the parents of Sasha and they seemed very nice. I just have a few questions to make sure we get off to the right start.

I have been raised around dogs my entire life, including german shepards and dobermans. I have also worked at a kennel and as a groomer so I do have some experience with large dogs. I know I need to get her enrolled in puppy classes and obedienc classes as soon as she is old enough but what would be some things that I should start now. Should I allow her to bite while playing? I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and twin boys who are 13 months. What advise do you have in helping Sasha to realize that the kids are hers to protect and love and that they are superior to her? Any advice would be great. Thanks so much!!

[whitney greenway]

First of all 4 weeks is too young to take away from the mother!

I would not let my children play with the puppy considering its age!

It really surprises me that a breeder would let a puppy go from its mother at that age!

[ August 10, 2001: Message edited by: whitney greenway ]

[Homerhomer]

Hi Sara. Welcome to the forum.
I realize that you may not be very pleased with what I have to say, and please don't take it personally as this isn't meant to upset you.
Sasha is only 4 weeks old which is way too early to be separated from her mother. Is there a reason for it. Is the mother sick or incapable of dealing with puppies? Since you didn't mentioned anything about that, I would assume that mom is ok, but the breeder doesn't care about the puppies. Separating a pup from mom and siblings at the age of 4 weeks (that shouldn't happen before they are at least 7 or 8 weeks old), could have a negative affect on the physical and mental development of your dog, and that spells problems for you down the road. I think that the best option for you may be to return the pup to the breeder and stay away from him as far as possible. Breeders that sells pups at the age of 4 weeks shouldn't even be called breeders, they absolutely don't care about the well being of their dogs. If the return isn;t possible, then unfortunately I don't know how to help you since I never cared for a pup that younge, hope others will.
Good luck

[damp]

Oh my GOD!!!
I don’t want to be impolite… but… a 4 week old pup!!! I just can’t believe it!

Do a search in the forum… bite inhibition, socialization, pups and kids etc.

Experience in large dogs is good, but will not help you raise a pup that young. It is QUITE different. I also wonder what kind of “breeder” would sell a pup 4 weeks old?

Best luck to you and you pup!

[ August 10, 2001: Message edited by: damp ]

[LORHEL]

Oh no, I am so sorry but 4 weeks is way too soon to have given the pup to you. I don't know how much effect this will have on the pup, but it can't be good. There is a great deal the pup needs to learn from both mom and littermates. We got ours at 6 weeks, and you could definitely tell it was too early, and we had to do a lot of the things the littermates would have done. If there is a way you could return the pup, I would recommend it. Any good breeder would not have given you a puppy this early. I'm very sorry that you had to hear this, but it is just too young. I wish you the best of luck whatever you do. :)

[twnzplusone]

The reason we had to take the pup at 4 weeks is because the mom became very ill and could no longer take care of the puppies. The owners were at the hospital everyday and had no time or money left to take care of the puppies. I agree that it is way too early but I would like some advise on what I can do to make this work. I want to give this puppy every opportunity possible. I would really like some good solid advise and I know I can find it here. Please help me.

[alexav]

Sara, so now we know... :( And now we will be happy to help as much as possible. :)

You will have to work hard to do right by this pup esp for the next 2 weeks. I would be surprised if she could eat solid food yet. You should be giving her a canine milk replacement product such as esbilac and then SLOWLY add a high quality puppy weaning formula.

I would highly recommend that you work closely with a veterinarian to make sure she is developing properly. Keep her warm but if you are using a heating pad make sure she can crawl away from it if she gets too hot. Keep it on it's lowest setting too, if you are using one.

You may have to stimulate her urination and defication by using a soft absorbent cloth to "mimic" the mother's tongue. You will need to do this many times a day. Feed and stimulate at least every four hours around the clock.

Good luck, and please keep us informed of baby's progress.

Also, I would let the children GENTLY pet the puppy while YOU are holding her. That way she will get used to them a little at a time. PLEASE, do NOT let the toddlers carry her around or play with her like she is a toy. Your children are WAY too young to understand how to play appropriately and may unintentionally hurt the pup.

[ August 10, 2001: Message edited by: alexaV ]

[shybird]

Since you are in a Catch 22 position with this pup. First take the pup to the Vet. See if you can get started on it's shots. Pups are very susceptibale to illnesses. They need to be with other pups to learn right from wrong, but it could be very dangerous for it's health. Your Vet can advise you on this. He might kow of some Safe playmates for your pup. Second the Kids shouldn't be allowed to handle the pup. You are dealing with all babies who really don't know their own strength. They are to young. You need to hold the pup and let them pet it correctly. Do not allow pup to bite. Be kind, try the ouch method. If he bites you OUCH and stop playing for a few minutes..Look up in search for biting, lots of good info.

[Carina43]

Originally posted by shybird:
<STRONG> Be kind, try the ouch method. If he bites you OUCH and stop playing for a few minutes..Look up in search for biting, lots of good info.</STRONG>

Great advice! Bite inhibition is a very important "skill" learned by puppies from their littermates. If you watch young puppies playing, if one bites too hard, the other will "yelp" & the biting puppy will stop. Sounds silly, but "yelping" when she bites can really work. Puppies bite, it's what they do. You have to make sure she's got plenty of acceptable things to bite & chew on.

Your kids are pretty young...Sasha should be taught that if a little bitty kid says "sit" or "drop" or whatever, she must do that. Don't know if your kids are old enough...don't let them carry her around or be rough. If she has a sweet & stable nature, if she is trained, and if your kids also get "trained" as to how they will treat her, she'll probably do great.

Wow...four weeks is so tiny! I don't have experience with puppies that young. She must be adorable. :) A friend of mine just got a blue heeler mix puppy about that age. (long story.) She is the cutest little thing & won't even eat dry food yet.

[twnzplusone]

Maybe Sasha is older than I am thinking. I was pretty sure that the owners said the puppies were born on 7/7/2001. But when we received her (8/4/01) she was eating solid food (not really great but she could eat it. I always soaked it in milk or in esbilac) and is able to go to the bathroom on her own with no problem. She was up walking around but slept almost all day. She now is running around and loves to play with the kids. (supervised of course. I am a firm believer in discipling children as well as pets) She plays with our other dog, Bj, (medium sized terrior mix, 8 yrs old) and is quite active. She is starting to growl when she plays (a friendly puppy growl) but we have not heard her bark yet. Maybe someone could advise me on her age. She is going to the vet on Monday and hopefully they can help to estimate her age because the owners are now out of town.

With the biting, should I discipline her if she is just playing and not biting hard? Or should I just allow her to be a puppy as long as her biting is soft and minimal. I am not sure if I should stop it all together.

I tried to put her on Esbilac 2nd step weaning formula but she did not want any part in it. First I tried with the bottle and then with a food dish but she always preferred the water. I have raised other animals from infancy so I am a little experienced but not as much as I would like. Thank you all for your advise and keep it coming!!!

[Carina43]

Your vet should be able to tell you her age pretty accurately. If the owners are out of town, who's looking after the mama dog & the pups (if there are any left.)

Anyhow...I personally discourage a puppy from getting into the habit of biting people, even gently & playfully. Happens & no big deal, I just don't think its a good habit to let them get used to, especially with your kids! I have lots of toys around to divert the pups attention....you can play at retrieving & a little rough & tumble with a big soft toy or something with them. See if she likes plastic milk or soda bottles for toys! Cooper loves playing with them. :)

Good that you have an older dog to help raise her! If she's as young as you think, she can learn a lot from Bj.

Let us know what the vet says & how she is doing.

[DEBORAH MOORE]

Hello Sara, Well you've heard all the bad news. I agree with what everyone else wrote. 4 weeks is too young. I raised a wonderful Rottie, Merlin and got him at 4 weeks. His mother wasn't doing too well. The long and short of this is that my little Merlin got very depressed and lost weight. The vet was livid, in the end I took him back for feedings and sibling time. What worries me about your situation is that you have all those young kids and your poor Rottie probably doesn't know which end is up. If you keep her, please crate her and treat her like a new baby. If the dog is out of sight then it needs to be crated. Who is going to train the dog, are you willing to commit to what it takes to help this dog along. I know its easy to think you can do it but with other demanding little ones it may be difficult. The worse case scenario is that the dog is too much for you and the kids and it ends up in a pound or shelter. You obviously care about the dog and fortunately you have some dog experience. That's in your favor but Rottweilers require great skill and tons of love. I just hope you're not overextended and that the dog will lose in the end. Do you have other dogs at home? If so this could help. Email me if you want to talk or need to ask anything. Dm

PS Merlin turned out to be a wonderful pet and is living in Florida with my son and his new baby.