Growling issues

[Niko5908]

I just got a new puppy, male, 11 wks old, named Niko. I have only had him a week and he seems to be growling and snapping at me and others when he doesnt want to be bothered (ex: played with, picked up, when over excited). This is my first puupy and first Rotti.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop this behavior now before it becomes an issue? Also ANY training or how to let him know Im boss ideas are more than welcomed!

PS...I have signed him up for puppy training and intend to continue classes in the future.

[hokisteph5]

I know he's very cute, but he doesn't really need to be picked up.

When it comes to the growling and snapping, you're going to need to redirect, redirect, redirect. Channel that energy into what you think is acceptable - give him a toy, give him a kong, etc.

It's probably not too early to teach him the trade up or give-and-take game. If he has something you want, ask him to "give" you the item and then ask him to "take" the toy or treat from you.

Some dogs like any attention, even if it's negative. For those dogs ignoring their bad behavior is more effective than correcting.

If you think he's overly tired, there's nothing wrong with putting him in his crate to rest.

[Ripley]

We got our rott at 12 weeks about 2 months ago and she went through that very same phase - growling and snapping. One minute she's good as gold, next minute she's like a monster.

We did what's suggested - everytime she gets growly, we stick a toy or a kong in her mouth, and when she starts to snap, we cross our arms and ignore her. Sometimes we put her in her crate but only till she's calmed down - doesn't take long, like 2 mins.

When we started puppy school, we taught her to "take-it" and "leave-it". She's almost 5 months old now and we're very relieved that she's settled down a lot. She still tries to push her boundaries or gets carried away during play, but a firm growl-sounding "LEAVE-IT" or "STOP" usually does the trick in snapping her out of it.

It's a great idea to do puppy training. It does wonders in socialising our puppy and building confidence. We use only positive reinforcements, no punishments. If our puppy misbehaves, we just ignore her.

We were also quite concerned when we got our pup, even though we're seasoned rott owners coz the breeder has cautioned us that she comes from a domineering line, so we must absolutely be firm. We never rough-handled her or anything but we are consistent in training her and lavished her with heaps of tender loving care. I'm always hugging her. She didn't like it at first but she loves it now.

[Niko5908]

Thanks.
I will keep trying to redirect. As far as the "give-take" goes I have tried to do that...he's not very fond of giving things when not in the mood. It's something we need to work on.

[Ripley]

It takes a lot of patience and consistency. It took us about 4 weeks of consistent daily training to get our rott to "leave-it". My husband actually got frustrated coz she didn't seem to even understand what we wanted her to do initially.

But we persisted and I'm so pleased we did coz our patience paid off on Sunday. Our rott graduated from level 1 puppy school and not only that - she won a blue ribbon for best trick in the group. She balanced treats on both front paws and nose at the "leave-it" command. We're so proud of her. And my frustrated husband? Well, he was the one who got to show her off on Sunday so he's extremely pleased!

Keep up with your training and keep loving your rott. It's a good investment of your time and effort which will pay you dividends in tenfold. Good luck!

Cheers.

[Niko5908]

Ripley,

Thanks tons!! Its nice to know that it's not just Niko being a crazy puppy!! He is a handful at times but I think it will be worth it all in the end!

I have my first puppy class with him on Wed so that will be interesting to see how he handles it since he is still people/dog shy. Hopefully he will not growl to much or be too mouthy for that hour!

Again thanks!