New Rottie Owner with 10 week old rottie male - general advice

[Brooke&Ryan]

Why don't you bring the newspapers with pee outside with you & lay them down in the grass? Maybe then he'll associate the scent of urine with going to the bathroom outside? It's worth a shot. Or just get a good book & wait outside with him until he pees & praise like crazy.

Good Luck!

:)
Brooke

[eva247]

[quote=Brooke&Ryan]Why don't you bring the newspapers with pee outside with you & lay them down in the grass? Maybe then he'll associate the scent of urine with going to the bathroom outside? It's worth a shot. Or just get a good book & wait outside with him until he pees & praise like crazy.

Tried that and he wasn't having it! Unfortunately no grass outside my backyard is all paved - hilarious though when you watch him try to dig :D

[damp]

Originally Posted by excellrott

Seems to me, after reading the Security thread, that some of this behavior is normal for a "real' Rott. As I understand it, they should not be wiggle-butt for everyone they meet.

Please reread the "Security thread"! That thread is about adult dogs and NOT pups. Big difference! and also read this:

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sho...7&page=1&pp=15

eva247,
I would listen to poohbearsmom's advice!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by eva247

Tried that and he wasn't having it! Unfortunately no grass outside my backyard is all paved - hilarious though when you watch him try to dig :D

Well he can't hold out forever. I would take him out & just sit out there until he finally HAS to go. It takes patience. We were doing it last winter in 8 degree weather. Needless to say we had to invest in some really great long underwear. :D

[eva247]

Originally Posted by Roxibear

You are right to tell him not to do this, especially with a pup that thinks growling is ok. Sometimes its easier to train the dogs than it is to train the people.

Totally agree although my boyfriend is becoming peeved at me being on this site - he thinks that a dog is a dog and that sites like these are not necessarily beneficial as everyone has their own views and will jump down your throat to put them across - especially as I am a novice when it comes to rotties.
I tell him to get lost - i take the good and common sense info and to hell with the rest ;) one male down and trained, only my little Kane to go :D

[Luvs]

Originally Posted by eva247

he thinks that a dog is a dog and that sites like these are not necessarily beneficial as everyone has their own views and will jump down your throat to put them across - especially as I am a novice when it comes to rotties.

He is right, everyone has their own views. You can ask 10 people the same question and get 10 different answers. The key is to take what you have been told and apply it to your situation and see what works best for you. If you see numerous people saying the same thing, then you can usually bet you are getting VERY good advice. There are many members on here whose advice is invaluable! There are members of this forum who have been involved in the breed for many years. Once you have been a member for a while you will learn whose advice works more often than not. EVERY member of this forum has something to offer, from the newbies to the "experts". Contrary to what your boyfriend thinks, this forum is a great place to learn soooooo much about this wonderful breed we all love so much :D

Stick around, you will learn a great deal and make some wonderful friends in the process ;)

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by eva247

Poohbearsmum - That was great help!!! and yes, you are right about the house training however, he just refuses to pee outside but I know with a bit of patience this should be rectified quickly.
You are also more than likely right about the fear stage as even just a moment ago Kane heard a noise outside and he barked went to the door and then flew back in between my legs. Whatever I'm doing in the house, Kanes there either laying in between my legs or on top of my feet!
Quick question for you - my boyfriend only comes up at weekends and Kane is absolutely besotted with him (piddles everytime he gets here and he strokes him) but when it comes to playing with each other - its like having 2 bloody dogs - the games never get out of hand but they both just tug of war and continuosly growl at each other. I've told my boyfriend not to do this as something tells me that problems could arise but he thinks I'm being silly

re: toilet training. Mick Trainer wrote an excellent piece on this subject, entitled "Toilet Training Explained" (to the best of my recollection) which can be found with a simple search. I urge you to read it. ;) Toilet training takes persistance, patience and eyes in the back of your head. Raising a puppy is not dissimilar from raising a human child, and if you don't have the time to do it right, then, the way I see it, you have two choices... you can return the pup to the breeder, or you can have a 100lb dog pissing and pooping all over your home, because he hasn't learned the rules (and if it reaches THIS point, you will have no one to blame but yourself) At 10weeks, he has the ability to be nearly completely house trained, if you take the time to do it.

Tug play can be a good thing, and can in fact be incorporated into training your pup - BUT- this should be structured play, short sessions, and always initiated by the person, and ended by the person. The pup needs to learn rules. However, if this is your pup, and you do not like this type of play, then enforce your stance on this. Consistancy is the most important part of rearing a pup.

RE: hearing noises that startle him.... Please tell me how you are handling these "surprises" that come up.

Regards,

[Dominey]

Hi Eva,

lucky you with your new pup! I am still waiting to hear from my breeder that the litter I am on the list for are born!
On the house training, you say you only have paving slabs outside, could it be that he doeasn't want to pee on the hard surface as it will splash back? Is there any grass nearby you could try letting him pee on? Any of you more experienced people with thoughts on this?
As for the tug of war games, I think your instincts are right - my husband is very keen on playing those sort of ruff 'n' tuff games with our pup when we get it, but I told him he wouldn't be allowed. However, as poohbearsmom says, a lot of people use it as a reward. One really good book I've just read is The Culture Clash, and in there it tells you how to set up the rules for playing tug of war, I have now told my hubby that he can only play it once he has set up the rules!
It also sounds like he is a nervous pup with the growling and barking, especially as it occurs when you hold him, as this means he can't escape, or just back off and approach at his own pace. If your touching them first makes him braver then I would keep doing that until he is vaccinated, then let him approach at his own speed - don't push him or you will end up making him more scared. I'm sure he will get braver really quickly once he gets some practice - every good experience is a step in the right direction!
Good luck!

[eva247]

Originally Posted by poohbearsmom

re: toilet training. Mick Trainer wrote an excellent piece on this subject, entitled "Toilet Training Explained" (to the best of my recollection) which can be found with a simple search. I urge you to read it. ;) Toilet training takes persistance, patience and eyes in the back of your head. Raising a puppy is not dissimilar from raising a human child, and if you don't have the time to do it right, then, the way I see it, you have two choices... you can return the pup to the breeder, or you can have a 100lb dog pissing and pooping all over your home, because he hasn't learned the rules (and if it reaches THIS point, you will have no one to blame but yourself) At 10weeks, he has the ability to be nearly completely house trained, if you take the time to do it.

Tug play can be a good thing, and can in fact be incorporated into training your pup - BUT- this should be structured play, short sessions, and always initiated by the person, and ended by the person. The pup needs to learn rules. However, if this is your pup, and you do not like this type of play, then enforce your stance on this. Consistancy is the most important part of rearing a pup.

RE: hearing noises that startle him.... Please tell me how you are handling these "surprises" that come up.

Regards,

When Kane gets startled by noises and runs in between my legs I just ignore him and walk off - when I first picked him up and he did this I used to stroke him but then it hit me, I was just praising him for reacting this way so ignoring him normally ends up with him walking over to whatever startled him. ;)

RE: tug of war games - I do initiate the play and then end it, he seems to be okay with this and if he goes over the top and starts biting me, I just walk off and ignore him now completely for about 20 minutes as was advised by another member - this seems to be working but I find when I am ignoring him and he is in a boisterous mood - he just keeps coming back to bite me even more and harder (this morning he actually caused a cut about 1.5 inches long at the back of my heel!) but still I persevere with the ignoring! and then he'll go to bite something in the house that he knows he shouldn't (normally the coffee table or computer workstation - again I give him something else to bite and ignore him. He WILL learn that I am NO pushover and I AM in charge of the situation ;)

[Judi W]

Yes, it does sound like you have a fearful pup. Whether this is a stage or part of his character, I certainly don't know, but I'd like to offer a bit of advice. Because he is a fearful pup, when people want to greet him and he is in your arms, he feels trapped and that is why he is responding with aggression. Put him on the ground and let him work it out on his own. That way he can retreat if he chooses or move forward at his own pace. A fearful animal that is cornered and feels trapped is left with no other choice in their frightened minds but attack. When the people then jump back or move away, this programs his response into his mind that it works well for him when he is uncomfortable and he will continue that response. It is your job to protect him from being pushed into a situation where he is going to try to scare people away. That means you will need to tell people when you see he is worried, that they should just leave him be or attempt to coax him forward, but they should not push in on him. Make sure you always greet people in a friendly manner so he can take a clue from your attitude, but let him have four on the floor.

[eva247]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Yes, it does sound like you have a fearful pup. Whether this is a stage or part of his character, I certainly don't know, but I'd like to offer a bit of advice. Because he is a fearful pup, when people want to greet him and he is in your arms, he feels trapped and that is why he is responding with aggression. Put him on the ground and let him work it out on his own. That way he can retreat if he chooses or move forward at his own pace. A fearful animal that is cornered and feels trapped is left with no other choice in their frightened minds but attack. When the people then jump back or move away, this programs his response into his mind that it works well for him when he is uncomfortable and he will continue that response. It is your job to protect him from being pushed into a situation where he is going to try to scare people away. That means you will need to tell people when you see he is worried, that they should just leave him be or attempt to coax him forward, but they should not push in on him. Make sure you always greet people in a friendly manner so he can take a clue from your attitude, but let him have four on the floor.

Judi - I appreciate what you say and I definitely do that when I have people at my home or when we are at someone elses house but the problem has been when we are out on the street and as he is not fully vaccinated yet, I couldn't/can't put him on the floor :( .
You are totally right though as when he is on the floor and he can approach at his own pace he is fine (apart from the growls), it is when he is being held that he is more growly or goes to bite - I partly blame the people though as many a time I have told strangers not to swoop on him and I could not believe when one guy did not listen to me and walked behind me so I could not see him and then put his hands on Kane - Kane bit him - I had a right go at the guy as, if Kane was bigger and did that we all know who would get the blame and the repercussions - my boy
By the way - is the growling normal with this breed of pups as he seems to growl alot, when we play, when he mouths/bites me/my boyfriend/daughter, startling noises, etc. I'm not really worried as I am aware that growling is not necessarily aggressiveness but just his was of communicating - best to double-check though!

[rumcrook]

about the boyfriend and the tug of war and growling,


my wife thought it was really cute to teach gunny (who I recently lost) to jump up and lick her face. I told her repeatedly it wouldnt be cute when he wheighed in at 130 lbs and could put his paws on her shoulders.

but she kept it up, and I was right. what was cute for a few month old puppy was not cute in a BEAR size animal. it took me 6 months to finnally break him of that habit.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by eva247

Judi - I appreciate what you say and I definitely do that when I have people at my home or when we are at someone elses house but the problem has been when we are out on the street and as he is not fully vaccinated yet, I couldn't/can't put him on the floor :( .
You are totally right though as when he is on the floor and he can approach at his own pace he is fine (apart from the growls), it is when he is being held that he is more growly or goes to bite - I partly blame the people though as many a time I have told strangers not to swoop on him and I could not believe when one guy did not listen to me and walked behind me so I could not see him and then put his hands on Kane - Kane bit him - I had a right go at the guy as, if Kane was bigger and did that we all know who would get the blame and the repercussions - my boy
By the way - is the growling normal with this breed of pups as he seems to growl alot, when we play, when he mouths/bites me/my boyfriend/daughter, startling noises, etc. I'm not really worried as I am aware that growling is not necessarily aggressiveness but just his was of communicating - best to double-check though!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Lack of socialization kills more dogs than lack of vaccination.

[eva247]

Originally Posted by rumcrook

about the boyfriend and the tug of war and growling,


my wife thought it was really cute to teach gunny (who I recently lost) to jump up and lick her face. I told her repeatedly it wouldnt be cute when he wheighed in at 130 lbs and could put his paws on her shoulders.

but she kept it up, and I was right. what was cute for a few month old puppy was not cute in a BEAR size animal. it took me 6 months to finnally break him of that habit.

Yep, seen that one before. My daughters teacher has a 2 year rottie bitch and she was always allowed to run at them and jump up to lick them. Well last october when her husband came home from work, as normal Keira came running at full sted from the kitchen towards him to welcome him home but, instead of jumping up at him, she ran into his leg (obviously not deliberate) and shattered his knee to the point he had to have an operation to pin his knee back together and is still on crutches!!!
Than less then 2 weeks later she broke the wifes hand by accident whilst they were out walking!!!