teething

[annistonsmommy]

I have a 5 month old puppy, (Anniston) and he is teething really bad this week. I am not sure what to do to make this any comfortable for him. I have been giving him some wet food with his dry, because ever since he started teething he does'nt want to eat. I put his wet food in the fridge for him to make it cold, he eats it right up. Is there any other suggestions for this? Also he is not listening very well this week. I tried training with him lastnight and he did not want to, he just sat down in my lap. Is this because he is teething or is it some other issue?

One more question, He will no longer come when we call him. He just lays down. When he does this I go over and say "come" at the same time making him come. My husband walks him off leash, which I do not do. Is this related. When he doesnt come for my husband he just keeps calling, after 10 times he then goes to grab him. Any suggestions?

[MadchenBabeMom]

Hi Annistonsmommy! And welcome to Rottweiler.net! First of all for the teething give Anniston something to chew. It hepls relieve the pain of teething. Maybe a Nylabone or a Kong. I put yougurt in our pups'(Madchen and Babe) Kong and freeze it! They love it in the summer time! We also give them knuckle bones from the grocery store frozen. Good luck and welcome!

[Carina43]

Welcome! Big bones are great...also I give my 5 month old ice cubes to chew on. He may be a bit distracted because he's teething. Have you checked his mouth to make sure all the teeth are coming in correctly?

As to the coming...I wouldn't let your pup get away with not obeying a command. Calling him when you can't make him come when you call is setting him up for failure. Never give a command you cannot enforce immediately! Try keeping him on a long leash as much as possible, calling him ONCE, & then if he doesn't obey, reel him in and give him TONS of praise. He should want to do what you're asking him to do, so he should never be punished for not coming to you. Your husband is teaching him to ignore commands, basically. The longer he does this, the harder it will be to correct Anniston's behaviour later.

I'd strongly suggest group beginner obedience classes. They are inexpensive & tons of fun; and a good class will teach YOU the owner how to train your pup! There are a lot of good books out there too...I like the Idiot's Guide to Rottweilers.

Keep us posted!

[annistonsmommy]

Thanks for all the "Welcomes" I am so happy that there is a board on Rottweilers. I will try the hard chew toys, he is disinterested in the kong. He just pretty much ignored it. I think I will try it again though, due to the fact that I noticed him starting to chew on harder things. He has a slight overbite, but everything looks like its growing in fine.

As for the training, Anniston is in beginners puppy class. He loves it and the socialization with the other pups. He was doing great until my husband started walking him off leash, which he is to young for and I told my husband that. I have been getting him when he disobeys me. He is so heavy to pull right now also because I am 5 months pregnant. He lays down when i go to get him, and uses dead weight. He was doing so good with "come" He had that down at 3 months and now he doesnt. I will keep working on it.

Any info on how to get him used the baby once I have it? Right now he is a mommas boy!!

[mightyrebel]

Annistonsmommy, Yeah, I posted a similar question about the training while teething thing myself (and when it's appropriate to expect the pup to be ready to learn certain things, etc.), because I read somewhere that you really don't want to go beyond just really simple, basic training before they get past the worst of it (which you should be doing over the next month or two, though opinions seem to differ a bit on that too.), because then their training isn't something 'fun', that they WANT to do, due to the fact that they're in almost constant pain/discomfort, at least to some degree. And, of course, you don't want your pup to make any negative association's between training sessions, and pain. Mine HAS to have 3 or 4 hard chew toys down right now, and his attention span, I think, is also a little limited right now due to this. (And just because he's a pup, as well.) But I try not to force lengthy training sessions on him when he appears to be in any pain/discomfort, to avoid him developing any aversion to training later. If the schedule I read holds true, I should be able to start expecting a little more attention and cooperation at about 6-7 months...so you're close now, I would think. Then, we'll start on the more involved things, i imagine. Good luck! MightyRebel :p :)

[ June 14, 2001: Message edited by: mightyrebel ]