wondering about food and growth size

[tattatboy422]

Hello everyone, I have recently found this site so I thought I might ask a
few questions and see what I get back. First of all since I was a little
boy I fell in love with Rottweilers and I always planned on getting one.
Well my wife decided to surprise me recently and brought home a 8 week old
male rott (Griz). When I saw him my mouth dropped open I don't think I
have ever been so surprised. I was extremly happy but also mad at her because she didn't really check things out. So we got a Rott that is "purebred" with no papers, she didn't see the father only the mother, and no idea on past family medical history. I have owned dogs before but never a Rott or even a large dog. He is now 14 weeks old and is getting huge lol. We
have been socializing him a lot and he has not snipped at anyone or even
growled. I have taken him to a lot of dogs in the neighborhood and no
problems what so ever except for 1 dog, its an american pit and the pit
likes to play and when he throws his paw up on Griz's back Griz will get
mad but thats it. The only thing that makes him nervous is when we are
walking and a car comes by blaring their music...I just put him in a sit
and pet him and tell him its okay. He has been doing a lot better with cars now. I also read somewhere to listen to their bark when they hear strange noises and see if it is a higherpitch because that might indicate that he is scared. Well he has got a very nice deep bark. Anyway I have been feeding him Purina pup food, and I recently read on this site that Purina might not be good for him so I was wondering what you guys might suggest. Also his mother was a normal sized Rott but the father was huge..even for a male, almost 190 pounds. So I am...REALLY...worried about his growth rate and was wondering if it would be wise to feed him adult food at 4 months and if I should then when I start him on adult food should I cut his meals to twice a day and how much? Right now he gets fed three times a day, a cup and a half each time (4 1/2 cups a day). He eats all of his food and wants more when he is done but I am hesitant to feed him more. He is not overweight at all and looks extremely healthy. Another question I have is about neutering...NO I DONT PLAN ON BREEDING...I have read enough about that on this website and understand perfectly well...lol...but my question is that I would be very interested in learning the "Show" business and I am not sure if you can show a dog that has been neutered. Also I know that not neutering can make them more aggressive. We are starting obedience classes this summer but I have already been working with him on basic commands like sit, stay,laydown,etc. I, honestly have been shocked how quick he learns (we also have a boxer 1 week older than Griz and training him is like trying to train a rock to jump lol). I am really just worried about his growth rate and any problems we can avoid down the road by doing something now would be great to know.
Thank you for your time

Jeremy

[ArwensMom]

I definitely wouldn't put him on an adult food now; they need the puppy food because it contains more nutrients and such that are essential to their growth and development at this tender age. I definitely don't favor Purina; I know a lot of people on here seem to recommend Innova or Canidae, you definitely want to stick to a high quality foodl; i.e. not something you can pick up at the grocery store. With Purina you're going to be feeding a higher quantity of food than with a higher quality one and you're going to be picking up much more poop. Also I would worry more about underfeeding than overfeeding at this age, at one point I had to feed my 6 month old 6 cups of food a day at my vet's recommendation because I couldn't keep weight on her. She is now, at a year and a half old, eating a respectable three cups a day and maintaining her weight (84 lbs) beautifully. Her father was large (130 lbs) and her mother was avg sized (in the neighborhood of 90lbs) and she has taken more after her mother's size. Males do tend to be larger. The socializing is wonderful at this age and makes for a much easier dog to handle later; also make sure you make a habit of touching him all over (especially his feet) so that he will be a good boy at the vet and for otherwise being handled. One thing I noticed is that you said he is 14 weeks old; is he finished with his shots? I wouldn't recommend having him out and about too much until he has had the full series; Parvo can live on a blade of grass for up to six months. You probably want to be careful about where you walk him and letting interact with dogs you don't know the vaccination record on. Most vets will tell you absolutely not out of your own yard and carry him when you're in Petsmart and such places. Also, I don't know much about showing, but I am fairly sure you cannot show the dog if he does not have papers. I have read something about assigning the unregistered purebred dog with an ILP number but I don't know if this allows you to show. If you are not planning on breeding and you cannot show him, I would definitely say neuter him. He will be a much more manageable pet. The obedience classes are a wonderful idea . . . I too was shocked at how quickly my little girl learned. Good luck and enjoy you're new baby . . . these dogs are wonderful.

[brunie's mom]

Welcome to the forums. There is so much to read and learn and you should keep reading.
I respectfuly disagree with ArwensMom, many of us here on the forums have raised our pups on only adult food. It must be a high quality food...my pup is 14 months old now and he was raised on Canidae, it's an All-Life Stages food as well as Adult Innova...I would switch every 3-4 months.

I would take your pup off of the Purina and get him onto a better quality food. Baxter has never eaten more then 3 cups total of food per day and he is 103 lbs. now.
You really want slow steady growth with Rottweilers, otherwise you may have trouble with pano or other bone and ligament problems. You want them to gain on average about 10 lbs a month. It's better to have a lean pup, then a fat pup. Also you do not have to wait till the pup has had the complete set of shots....your pup can be out and about with other dogs that are fully vacinated and meeting all sorts of people.
Please enroll him into Puppy Kindergarden...he should be socializing and learning at the same time. Around here any time after the second set of shots, they can be enrolled ( usually around 10-12 weeks??)...and then keep on taking obedience classes for a few years. We are on our 3rd set now.

Also it sounds like your pup comes from a BYB... , if he was sold with no papers and the sire is 190 lbs I have yet to see one this big, if he is, he is way overweight and a Rottzilla, not a well bred Rottweiler.
You will not be able to show him, but can do many other fun things with him. I

I suggest you have his hips x-rayed at the time he is neutered, it will give you a heads-up if there are going to be problems in the future with your pup.

Good-luck!

Gina

[mook1620]

Gina made a good point with the adult food especially with a larger breed dog. You want them to grow more slowly, and a puppy food is more apt to pack on pounds with all the fillers...if you are feeding a premium food, then I don't think you would have to worry about them not getting the nutrition they need. My puppy came from the breeders on Pro Plan Lamb and Rice, and I mistakenly bought the PP Large Breed Puppy. My wonderful kids ripped the bag open, so no return. We settled on Innova, brought home the Adult formula, and have not looked back. Mook is fifteen weeks today and is very healthy. We keep him active with walks, fetch, and tug of war...he's very strong and trim at 35 pounds. He eats 2/3 cup, twice a day with a treat in the afternoon.

Jen

[qhawkins]

As far as showing him goes, no he will not be eligible for the conformation or 'breed' ring without AKC registration. The good news is once he is neutered you can apply for an ILP from AKC, you need pictures and proof of neutering. With the ILP you can 'show' him in AKC performance events. I have just gotten my first obedience title on my boy and it has been a blast. In addition to obedience, you can try tracking, agility, flyball, rally-obedience.... All great ways to bond with your dog and show off what a great boy he is!

[RottiNkids]

I just switched my bitch (8 months) from Blue Buffalo over to Evo last week, so far so good she eats about 3 cups daily (2 feedings). She just loves it smothered in warm water.