Advice on intact male

[sherafunk]

Hi everyone,

I have a 7 month old male that I intend to keep intact for at least a year to allow his bones to develop properly. He is a great dog from a reputable breeder and has been in OB since 9 weeks--and will be until a year. He's generally very obedient--sometimes 'acts up,' after which he gets a time out in his crate and/or some extra obedience drills. We practice NILIF and he's overall, in my opinion, the world's greatest puppy. :-)

I'm trying to prevent/avoid problems before they start...on a play date yesterday he starting humping the other dog (a fixed 1.5 yo sweet yellow lab), so I pulled him off and they just started playing again (I had to do this several times)...and I've heard stories about marking, though that hasn't happened yet (knock on wood!). I'm just wondering, from those of you more experienced owners...anything I should watch out for? Anything else I should be doing with him to avoid any territorial or behavioral issues?
thanks!

[StephanieandToby]

Sounds like you are doing fine so far!!

Good idea to "stop" the humping when you see it...I consider it the same as "bullying" in the playground!

Some say that not letting your dog mark every blade of grass on your walks can help..(just let the dog pee at the beginning...then keep walking)...as well as walking in different areas/neighborhoods....so they don't get overly territorial.

Sounds like you have a great dog!!

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by sherafunk

Hi everyone,

I have a 7 month old male that I intend to keep intact for at least a year to allow his bones to develop properly. He is a great dog from a reputable breeder and has been in OB since 9 weeks--and will be until a year.

At 7 months of age your pup is still very much a puppy. You may see a few more behaviours that you are not thrilled about the older he gets. I would be keeping him in OB training till he is at least 2 or 3 years of age. They may seem very grown up at 1 year of age....but you are only reaching the "teenage" years then. Rottweilers are slow to mature and you will face a few more challenges as he ages.

We had our male pup neutered around 14 months of age...old enough that most of his growth was done, but not old enough for the bad habits to have set in. He never marked or humped.

Sounds like you are well on your way with him.

Gina