Loose Stool/walking on leash

[bear/rottie]

Hey all, bear is doing good, still haven't been able to post pictures. He is 12wks old now and weighs about 25lbs and learning quick. He knows sit, come, down...working on stay
and paw. I have two questions:

1.) began taking him on walks (with choke chain, sometimes and just regular nylon collar), question is, do rotties in general not like walks? I also have a 7yr rott shep mix that loves walks. But with Bear, the 12wk old rottie, seems like he doesn't like walks. I will grab both dogs (well my fiance takes marley, the 7yr old) and I take bear. Bear will walk a little and then stop dead in his tracks and refuse to walk for a while. Then after a few minutes we will go a little more, then he puts on the breaks. I have a buddy who has a 14mo old rottie (from same breeder) and he said his was a lot of work to get to go on walks. His theory was that rotties are so protective of their homes, that they don't like the walks as they have to leave thier homes. Is this true? Any advise, or will he come around with more training and time?

2.) about 2 wks ago, bear came down with a head cold (ever see xmas vacation, that rott on their named "snots", well bear was like him, bad snots!) so i took him to the vet and they said he had a head cold (probably the result of me giving him a bath with cold hose water-my bad! vet said until he is a little more mature, use the bath with warm water to avoid extreme temp. changes, as his system is still maturing). so the vet gave him a shot and gave me 10 antibiotic pills to give him. about two days later he was back to par, no more sneezing, snots etc.......(i still have him on the medication until i am done with the prescribed number of pills, don't want to go against vets advise, though he is 100%). Here is where the loose stool comes in....before his head cold, the stool was fine, solid as solid gets for a pup and only went #2 about 3 times a day, morning, after dinner and before bed. Since being on the medication, his stoll is very loose and the frequency is much more...is this the result of the medication, maybe stirring up his little tummy?......other than that, very, very playful, active with my other dog, eats a ton...all good, just the loose stool...thoughts? does it have to do with the medication? Should i assume once the medication (only a few more pills to go) is complete, it should be back to 'normal' stools when he is done with meds??? thanks all, sorry for the long post.

bears human.

[Rott-Wiley]

1.) No, this is not true at all. First of all he may not like going on a walk because you are yanking him around on a choke chain. I would say it is very unusual for a pup of that age to not want to go for a walk and explore different places.

2.) The medication you're giving him has no doubt killed the natural bacteria in his digestive system causing his loose stool. I would add a tablespoon of natural yogurt to his meals. Canned pumpkin (the natural one, not with all the spices added) can help that also. You could try using both if you like.

[bear/rottie]

thanks! what would you recommend as far as the walk situation? should i hold off on the choke chain for another month or so???

[spidey]

You should be using a flat collar on a 12 week old puppy, not a choke chain - save the choke chain for much later down the road, if then, only use equipment that the dog needs, don't use it just because you have it, choke chains can be extremely harsh and there is no reason to use one on a baby like this. It's entirely possible that your puppy is going through a fear period just now, which is why it doesn't seem to enjoy the walks, the dog will enjoy the walk if you make it fun - talk to the dog in a happy voice, bring some good treats, etc. Keep in mind that 12 weeks is VERY young, and many advocate quarantining dogs (i.e. not walking them where other dogs have been) until they're fully vaccinated at 16 weeks (given that Rotties are very prone to Parvo, this is often good idea). Even if you choose not to quarantine, be very cautious about where you let your dog walk, and what you let it sniff - avoid areas where dogs are likely to have defecated or urinated. If you DO quarantine, invite people and vaccinated dogs over to your house to visit and help socialize. Be positive, be gentle, be patient, be happy, ditch the choke chain, and make it FUN!

[Rott-Wiley]

I would suggest you keep him on a flat collar until you get enrolled into a puppy training class. At that time, your instructor will advise you what collar to get and how to properly use it.

[bear/rottie]

thanks all again! yeah, i put my 7yr old mix through class (years ago) and forgot at what point i began the choker on him, now that i think more about it, it was probably around 7-8 months. well, thanks a ton, i will ditch the choker for a while and stick with his regular nylon.......

[damp]

Originally posted by bear/rottie
I have a buddy who has a 14mo old rottie (from same breeder) and he said his was a lot of work to get to go on walks. His theory was that rotties are so protective of their homes, that they don't like the walks as they have to leave thier homes. Is this true? Any advise, or will he come around with more training and time?

No, this is not true!!
Some Rottweilers are protective, but way to often fear is wrongly misunderstood and considered as protection, but I have yet not met a true protective Rottweiler, that doesn’t like a walk with the owner or follow him/her anywhere.
And please don’t expect any pup to be protective.

(May be you should invite your friend to read the forums ;) )


Yes, your pup will come around if you are patient and teach him that walks are funny... and as already said, a choke collor doesn't belong on the neck of a 12 weeks old pup.
I also suggest you take your pup on daily small walks alone. He needs his own space, speed, time to sniff and explore.

[spidey]

i will ditch the choker for a while

I'd just like to restate my opinion that a choke chain is not necessary for every dog, and should not be used as a matter of course. There are other devices which can be considered for use if need be (and which are far more humane than choke collars, which have been shown to cause permanent physical damage in some dogs), but again, it's inadvisable to use a device simply because you have it. Good training methods are far more important than what collar you use, many dogs never need anything but a flat collar, a Volhard collar or a martingale collar. Please consider that your dog may never need a choke chain, please consider using less harsh collars before the choker (don't start off killing that fly with a hammer), and please consider that no collar can fix a problem, it can only help you train the problem out. IMO we should rely on good, fair and consistent training, not gadgetry, and only employ appropriate gadgets when they're shown to be needed, not just because they're there. (getting off soap box now)

[bear/rottie]

thanks again for your imput everyone. i went home for lunch, fed the little tike and took him for brief walk, w/o the choker, and with the nylon collar, much more receptive and he seemed to enjoy it 110% more, guess he rightfully hated the chocker, thanks again. oh, by all means, i DO NOT want to see protectiveness in my pup, not what i want to achieve with him, just want a good friend/companion.....

[spidey]

Awesome, bear/rottie! Sounds like you're off to a great start, your little guy is a lucky pup! :)

[Rott'nKids]

I agree with Rott-Wiley, the meds are most likely causing the loose stool. Iria has been on antibiotics 3 times for anal glad infection in less than a year (yes they will be removed), and she gets loose stool also when on antibiotics.