Behavior Change

[Leige]

Well I thought that I had the most well behave rottie at such a young age. House broke at the age of 10 1/2 weeks , bothered nothing in the house so on and so forth and now since he has turned 7 months how things have changed . His behavior is going backwards . He plays with and licks his poo , which he has been caught in the act at the age of 6 1/2 months and have you know that I clean up after he has done his business but there are times that he poos when I'm not around outside,he goobles his food down so fast that he throws it back up without it being digested, has started bothering stuff in the house where just the other day I caught him chewing on my DVD case and he has never done that b4. He has numerous toys which I buy at least 1 every week so he cant be getting bored, gets plenty of exercise, eats a good quality premimum dog food and is fed 6 cups a day ,3 in the AM and 3 in the PM...He also has dogs best friend to chew on, the Nyla Bone. My patience is begining to wear REALLY thin. Wonder why some dogs change to the worse ? I am hoping that he grows out of this stage Really Really quick. And how true it is that no two Rotties are alike which I knew that. My first two rotties were a breeze to train when they were pups and were pretty good and now I think I have a Rottie from Hell... As for him and his Stool I have a 12 pack of stop eating stool coming real soon and I sure hope that works.

[Denise L.]

Do you have him in class?

He's still pretty young and feeling his oats. Get him into class and let him Know what's what.

Waiting for him to "go through a stage" isn't going to help.

[alice's mommy]

I'd recommend leashing him to you for the next while. He needs more "watching", if you know what I mean....so he can't get into things he shouldn't. Plus, you'll always be in reach to correct behaviours you don't want, the instant they happen.

[brunie's mom]

At 7 months of age..you still have so much more to go through with him...please do NOT lose your patience. This is why we often shake our heads with wonder when we get members posting here that their 9 or 10 month old pup is ALL trained.

These dogs need training all of the time...and for the next 2 or 3 years.

You say that he gets exercise, and good food,etc., but how much time in actual training do you spend with him everyday. Are you enrolled in obedience classes with him?

I hate to tell you....but things will get better again, and then once he hits that teenage stage...all hormones and no brains..usually around 12-16 months, things will get worse again.

Training and more training, and more exercise...and more training are what helps. You will get through it...and have a great dog ,next year.

Gina

[Leige]

I spend on the average about 1/2 hr each day training and playing with Zeke so I guess obedience school may be the avenue to take now. I didnt take Zeke to school because he was so obedient and I had such good luck with my other rotties and they did not go to school. My sister is a qualified trainer and at the time before Zeke had his behavioral change she saw no need for him to attend obedience school... As the saying goes, Different day Different Dog...

[Ayoka]

Oh the joys of a young dog!

The one thing I have learned with Bear is that I will never be able to sit back one day and say "he's perfectly trained-my job is done"! He's a very active and creative dog so he tests constantlyand it means more vigilance on my part but it's the thing I LOVE about him because it makes him such a willing Partner in flyball, agility and obedience.

Also, when Bear was younger, it took more than a 1/2 hour a day of training and exercise to tire him out mentally and physically...I might be inclined to up the home training and exercise AND take him to a class for good measure!

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Leige

I spend on the average about 1/2 hr each day training and playing with Zeke so I guess obedience school may be the avenue to take now. I didnt take Zeke to school because he was so obedient and I had such good luck with my other rotties and they did not go to school. My sister is a qualified trainer and at the time before Zeke had his behavioral change she saw no need for him to attend obedience school... As the saying goes, Different day Different Dog...

I can't imagine why any qualified trainer would NOT be recommending going to obedience classes???
In class you will learn how to teach him, and he will learn how to obey even if there are other distractions around.
Puppy K classes are a must with Rottweiler puppies, great for socialization and most COE breeder require that you attend as well as a level 1 obedience classes.

Get into a formal obedience class, so that he has to use his brains and also it will tire him out physically.
I agree with the other poster...1/2 hour of playing and training is not nearly enough. You can do 10 minutes of training, three times per day...but you will also have to play..retrieving...tug, chasing,etc. with him extra.

Also don't try to compare what your other dogs were like...I've had so many dogs in the last 32 years....and I think we just forget about our past puppy experiences. The "best dog" is the dog you have right now.

Gina

[Leige]

Well Gina Zeke is one tuff Rottie to tire out. Depending on the weather we usually walk about 2 miles a day with about 1/2 mile off leash just romping around doing the doggie stuff then once back home play frisbee and fetch for about 15 minutes and this time includess training. When done he still has tons of energy. We go in the house, I sit down he sits or lays and the minute I get up he's up instantly right on my heels. He will not relax unless I crate him and only then will he rest. Heck I get tired out trying to tire him out. I got a plan when the weather breaks and I guarentee he will tire...

[Nishasmom]

He is a teenager! Testing his boundries is what he does best! Make sure he gets LOTS of exercise; a tired puppy is a good puppy.

As far as the eating too fast goes, have you ever gotten him any "puzzle balls"? My dog eats out of one almost every meal! Its fun, mentally stimmulating, and it slows their eating down :) Sometimes I just throw the kibble on the floor (it becomes a "scavenger hunt")

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[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by Leige

Well Gina Zeke is one tuff Rottie to tire out...

Many Rotties are like this. My 7 yo girl is an energizer bunny.

[linedog]

As far as stool eating and throwing up ,I don't know if you feed wet or dry kibble, but it sounds like he's overloading his stomach,a lot of dogs eat a lot of dry food ,then drink, the kibble expands in the stomach, which the stomach then gets rid of, some or all. that could also be the cause of the stool eating, undigested food due to overeating. I had a dog have torsion once so I'm very leary of dry kibbles fed in large portions, I soak kibble in some chicken broth and water for a few minutes to soften and expand, then feed it, the same process happens in the stomach, but the now the dog is not overloading it.Might throw a little enzymes and probiotics in with the food to aid digestion.

[Shelby427]

The OP is feeding 6 cups per day of food....what food are you feeding? You say you feed a premium food, I don't know why you are feeding so much? Maybe that's why he's throwing up? And like the others have said...at 7 months, you still have a while before your dog matures, so be patient.

[jlaack]

Well Gina Zeke is one tuff Rottie to tire out. Depending on the weather we usually walk about 2 miles a day with about 1/2 mile off leash just romping around doing the doggie stuff then once back home play frisbee and fetch for about 15 minutes and this time includess training. When done he still has tons of energy. We go in the house, I sit down he sits or lays and the minute I get up he's up instantly right on my heels. He will not relax unless I crate him and only then will he rest. Heck I get tired out trying to tire him out. I got a plan when the weather breaks and I guarentee he will tire

I also have a dog like this and I have really never seen him "tired". Maybe a little less energetic but he always has extra reserves. We used to hike in the mountains on a regular basis 13 miles to the summit with a few thousand feet elevation gain. While us owners hiked on the trail he'd be running back and forth across it so he probably covered 1 1/2 times the distance we covered. This was also with a pack on and some weight. When we got back to the car he took a nap on the way home but as soon as we got home and stoped he was ready to go. Now he is much more laid back after a good workout but such was not the case from 8 months to 2 years.

I know it is difficult but you need to try to exercise as much as possible (both physical and mental) despite the weather. We got in two long walks today and there is a foot of unsholved snow on the ground.

On a different note, I am working on trying to find a way to bottle/borrow my dogs energy. If I figure it out we can be business partners :o)

[Leige]

I have read everyones feed back and want to thank you all for taking time to reply. Patience is the key word I guess. Today is a different day and Zeke is a good boy even though it has rained all day hes been good. And Shelby I will have to get back to you with the ALS feeding guidelines for a 7 month old 75# Rottie

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Leige

I have read everyones feed back and want to thank you all for taking time to reply. Patience is the key word I guess. Today is a different day and Zeke is a good boy even though it has rained all day hes been good. And Shelby I will have to get back to you with the ALS feeding guidelines for a 7 month old 75# Rottie

It's way too much food.
Those guidelines are for a puppy that is 6 months old or under. Your puppy probably needs about 3-4 cups of food in total per day. Those are just guidelines...they want to sell more food, they always advise to feed too much food.

I raised my pup on Canidae, and don't remember ever feeding him more than 4 cups per day...and on days where it was quiet he got even less. Try cutting back on the food..or he will start gaining weight too quickly and you may run into orthopedic problems. Also one of the reasons why you are having problems with the food...overfeeding causes frequent poop and gas.

Gina