Just adopted a 4 week rottweiler baby

[jmd]

Hello,

I just adopted a 4 week old rottweiler puppy, i find this site has alot of useful information, but im not yet sure if it applies yet.

When should training begin? He is really needy for attention which is fine, but i dont want to do anything i may regret later.

Should i start crate training now? should i wait? should i give him alot of attention now while he is still so young? He is completely adorable and it breaks my heart when he cries, but i want to do what is best for him.

Is there anything i should be aware of while hes still young? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

James Dyer

[Judi W]

Oh dear. Much too young to have left home. Ask your vet and friends if they know of anyone who has a litter around the same age and if he can go live with that bitch and pups for a few weeks. This will be a tremendous help in getting him started right.

If you, you will need to find some books and articles on raising singleton orphaned pups. It is very tricky to raise a singleton and one that has been removed from its family so much too early is going to have some problems.

First see about a substitute family for this baby. If not, we'll all put our heads together and see what we can find for important things you need to be doing.

[Shea & Kona's Mom]

Real quick before the backlash begins...

How, where, and why did you adopt a 4 week old puppy?! Please tell me it wasn't from a so-called breeder. Your job as a Rottweiler Daddy just got a lot more difficult. A pup of this age should not be away from his mother. 8 weeks is minimum. I will leave the advice to the many experts on this board, but please clarify how you got this puppy before the advice gets lost in the mix.

[Birdie'sMom]

Can you find his mother and bring him back to her for another 4 weeks? 4 weeks old is way too young to be taken away from the mother.:(

[rotts and roses]

James, welcome to the forum, you are in the right place.
Get ready to read lots of replies stating that you got this puppy way too early.Ugh I hate when this happens.You aren't by any chance in Wyoming are you? There is lots and lots of advise here that will help you. Please read as much as you can. Search the archives and forums for too young" Bite inhibition" and the likes. Good luck with your tiny tiny baby. as soon as you are a full member, we require pictures ;) :D



edit:as I was typing this.... it had already started.

[Shea & Kona's Mom]

That's an excellent suggestion Judy W!

[jmd]

Ive just read another thread about how important it is for the baby rott to remain with its mother for 8 weeks, I am now worried.

To expand upon my situation, i am a US citizen living abroad in costa rica, I was at a vet where there was a advertisement for rottweiler puppies. I adopted the baby from a local costa rican.

I was not aware of the importance of the baby rott to remain with its mother, i am now horribly worried.

[jmd]

Im thinking i could call the costa rican i adopted him from, but i am worried about the care he may receive.

It seems the people down here, at least the ones posting ads at a vet to sell baby rotts dont know what thier doing, and dont have the baby rott's best interest at heart.

I dont think i would/could trust them with him, knowing they did this. I dont know anyone else with a female rottweiler.

I want to do what is best for him, please help!

Regards,

James Dyer

[samanthac]

Your pup is three weeks too young to be without its mother and littermates. Is this pup even weaned yet???? The immune system is not fully developed yet and this pup is at least 2 weeks too young for vaccinations. The mother's milk will continue to provide the immune protection that this pup needs.

Where did you adopt it from? Any humane society or shelter should know this is way too young. Is there any way possible at all that this pup can be put back with its mother and littermates for another three weeks.

In addition, this pup will miss out on valuable skills that it can ONLY learn from mother and littermates. Here is the development timeline so you can see what your pup is missing:

Development of Puppies Timeline

Week One (Days 1-7)
· 90% of time spent sleeping
· 10% eating
· Susceptible to heat/cold
· Instinctive reflexes: crawl, seek warmth, nurse
· They can right themselves if placed upside down
· Needs stimulation for urination/defecation
· Rapid development of central nervous system
· Need constant care from bitch
· Rectal temperatures 94-97 degrees Farenheit
· Pups may lose 10% of weight after birth, but should start gaining again
· Weight should double by end of week

Week Two (Days 8-14)
· Eyes should open around days 8-10
· Ears should open around days 13-17
· Temperatures should be around 97-99F

Week Three (Days 15-21)
· Teeth begin to erupt
· Puppies stand up and start walking
· Begin to lap liquids
· Defecate/urinate without stimulation
· Start becoming aware of environment
· Start playing with littermates
· Develop sense of smell
· Puppies will start to discriminate as to where to relieve themselves

Week Four (Days 22-28)
· Begin to eat food
· Begin to bark, wag tails, bite, paw, bare teeth, growl and chase
· Use legs well
· Tire easily
· Depth perception starts

Week Five (Days 29-35)
· Group activities and sexual play will begin
· Dominance order starts
· Rapid growth/development

Week Six (Days 26-42)
· Growth and development continue

Week Seven (Days 43-49)
· Total hearing/visual capacity
· Will investigate anything
· Can't respond yet to name

Week Eight (Days 50-56)
· First fear period
· Starts learning name

Week Nine (Days 57-63)
· Develops strong dominant and subordinate behavior among littermates
· Begins to learn right behavior
· Motor skills improve
· Short attention span
· Starts focusing attention on owner rather than other puppies
· Separate littermates
· Start house training

Week Ten (Days 64-70)
· Safe to ship puppies by air

Also, here is a post with some good links fro member DNeff when another member posted about a young pup:

Here is a link to a site that briefly discusses when a puppy should go to his new home:
http://bullmastiffinfo.tripod.com/when.html

Here are some more indepth articles on puppy development:

http://www.nwk9.com/dehasse_pupdev.htm
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/animals/crit...Development.asp
http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

The biggest problems I have seem with puppies removed too early from their litter mates and their mother is:

Poor dog to dog socialization skills. Most of these dogs lack the skills to read body cues and signals from other dogs. They also don't offer many body cues when interacting with other dogs. Very poor greeting behavior.

Poor bite inhibition. Lack of understanding of their own strength.

Lack of understanding regarding dog heirachy situations. They usually aren't comforable with their place in a pack.


Not every puppy removed from the litter early will have this issues, but a lot of them do. Why risk it? By leaving your dog with his litter mates and mother until 8 weeks you give the puppy the best possible set of skills to cope with the real world.
Face it, these days dogs need a lot of skills to deal with everything we put them through.

Dawn
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX OAC OGC NA NAJ NJC TT CGC
http://members.aol.com/dplantier
http://members.aol.com/rottweilerworld

[Rocky's_mom]

It will be difficult for you, but the experts will do there best to get you through this. What Judi said is right on, see if he can live with the mother for 4 more weeks and then you can bring him home. With you going and seeing him of course!!!

Or, if that isn't possible see if your vet has anyone with puppies close to 4 weeks and see if you can't board him there for 4 weeks.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hum, I don't think it would matter if it was a rott mom or not, just a bitch who has puppies....

correct me if wrong please!

[Judi W]

It does not need to be a Rottweiler mother. Any medium to large breed, healthy bitch with a healthy litter - purebred or not.

I would not try to send him back to the breeder who didn't care enough or was too lazy to care for the pups in the beginning. Look for a good owner with good natured bitch. The pups won't be nursing at this age - or very little. It is the interaction that is important.

[jmd]

I dont think the "vets" here have enough clue regarding the care of newborns, im now quite worried.

Keep in mind im in central america, and no one here speaks english, or in my opinion understands the importance of what you are all telling me.

[jmd]

Assuming i will be unable to find a bitch/litter for him to be with. What should i do?

[samanthac]

Then you need to get on the Internet and get your hands on all the books, info you can find on raising a singleton pup/orpahned dog. Stay on this board...there is a wealth of knowledge here. Also, I know that Rottweilers are becoming big in South America, so maybe you can find yourself a reputable breeder who is willing to help you as well.

[Rocky's_mom]

Um. opps