8 Week Old Female Advice

[Judi W]

I too would agree that the last thing a pup with little social drive for people needs is another dog to bond to. With a pup like this it is important that the owners be the only game in town.

[marsol]

I stand corrected about the other dog..

[Judi W]

Your theory works with a well-trained and bonded existing household dog and with a puppy who has the normal striving to be with people. You did not imagine the benefits, but in this particular case it would actually be counter-productive.

[danklaes]

We decided on this breeding largely as a result of our previous female Rott. She was an absolute angel - however, she has quite a few health problems that resulted from poor breeding. So, this time we decided to get a well bred female to minimize the problems.
We will not be adding any other dogs or animals into the environment.
Her attention to toys and people is NOT completely removed. She will play with a toy when a not being corrected for chewing cords, sofas, etc. But, she very quickly loses interest in it - with or without us playing along with her. She will pay attention (bite) to my wife and myself for short periods of time but quickly loses interest. This morning I tried to correct her for chewing on a power chord by looking her in the eyes and saying 'NNNOOOOOO'. She began snarling and growling at me, then lunged forward at me. She bit my pant leg and tore a hole in it. I grabbed her by the snout...clamping it shut, said 'NNNOOOOO, BADDDDD', if a very stern voice and put her into her crate. She was still nipping my hands as she was being put into the crate.
I will try the kong with treat to divert her attention in the future...she seems to respond to treats, and hopefully the kong will slow the process down until she forgets about the forbidden item.

Thanks everyone for your input and help.
Dan

[RottyMom]

I would speak with the breeder and let them know what you are experiencing. What are you plans for this dog? That is an important question. This pup may not be a match for your family and it's probably better to figure this out sooner rather than later. Did the breeder question you about what you planned to do with this pup and pick the pup out for you?

[danklaes]

BTW, we have her for one week now and I have yet to see her wag her nub.

[danklaes]

Our plans for the pup are mainly companionship. It is doubtful that we will show her, although, she definately appears to be show quality visually. The breeder did question us about the purpose for the new puppy. We explained that she was to be a companion with a possibility of showing.
We had pick of the females from the litter. We had it narrowed down to the one we eventually selected and one other. Both were both very good looking. The other puppy seemed to be more outgoing, however, her bite was not quite as nice as the one we got and she had 3 or 4 white hairs on her chest. The breeder helped us narrow down the selection. All the puppies were sold within 2 or 3 days of being welped. They were all very well socialized and kept indoors.

[Judi W]

I agree you need to contact your breeder and sooner rather than later (like tomorrow). It might be that you self-selected the wrong pup for your needs and lifestyle. Health clearances would apply to the whole litter and if showing is not your main goal, compatibility rather than fine points of beauty will be more critical. Make sure you explain that this is not a fault of you nor of the pup, simply a missmatch. Since the pups were house raised it is very likely that this is her basic character and although one can guide existing character, it is something inherent to the dog.

[SonnyRott]

I wished we lived closer....I would love to take her for a while. What has the breeder said about this little tiger?

Hopefully they won't guilt you into keeping the pup if it is not the right match for your family. Would you be able to return her? Do you want to return her?

Although most puppies are curious and try to get into everything, they should also be social and friendly. Hmmm....no nub waggers yet??? Not even with a happy voice?

Can you post a picture of her in the gallery?

[luv2beanurse]

For a toy to play with, my puppy LOVED playing with an emptied 20 oz bottle of soda (label peeled off) with a penny in it! A friend had suggested it to me..and my pup went bonkers for it. Still to this day...it is one of her favorite toys. The only thing is, the noise it produces it somewhat annoying. But hey, if it keeps your pup busy and happy... Good luck. Give it a try. Just make sure the cap is on good and tight!!

[SonnyRott]

Originally Posted by luv2beanurse

....The only thing is, the noise it produces it somewhat annoying. But hey, if it keeps your pup busy and happy... Good luck. Give it a try. Just make sure the cap is on good and tight!!

Try putting a couple of pieces of kibble in it, the sound won't be as loud. Also my dog is now able to bite through and ruin the plastic bottles. It is much safer with the kibble inside.

[Platzz]

Judi W - "Oh my, I love a pup like that! This is a dog that is not going to fold up on you when the work gets hard."



Then you'd just love my little ELSA!

She was the most pefect puppy I've ever owned the for the 1st two days after I brought her home.....Then her "personnality" showed-up....

Gayle kept telling me all the other "difficult pups" We've had over the years were preparing us for our 1st Rotty. I was convinced that if we shaved her forehead "666" would be there!

My best advice is stay calm, don't allow the pup to press your buttons, keep a sence of humor, and make a commitment to raise a good dog. The woman that taught me how to train dogs used to say, "you get the dog you deserve".

[RJSmith]

I have an 8wk old female pup too. She is very sweet but i have one problem with her...she growls and snaps just like d persons pup in dis post. She is an alpha and also d pic of d litter cuz she was d only pup. She had no litter mates etc. What i would like 2 know is how 2 stop this snapping and growling...she does it to try to get her own way...she is not very fond of correction.

[danklaes]

First of all, thanks to everyone for the great ideas and advice.

I called the breeder the day before yesterday and spoke with him at length about the puppy. He gave me some good advice that I wanted to share with you all as it seems to working extremely well with the pup.

He said that when you are dealing with an animal that is independent and stubborn, the key to modifying it's behavior and interaction is through its food source. It's need for survival is greater than it's need for independence. I started hand-feeding the puppy all of its food, using the 'out' command when chewing and trading for a small piece of liver snap or wafer thin piece of all beef hotdog. I am avoiding speaking in a stern voice and just using the treats or food as a bribe with praise when I get the desired results.

To distract her attention, I am putting treats in an empty plastic water bottle that I cut small slits in the side of so she can smell them easily. It's working well.

The results that we are seeing are impressive. She is beginning to bond with us and stays close to us at all times. She has began to play some of her toys (seems to like the tug toys best). I understand that for now it is because we have something that she wants -- but we are trying to condition her.

[BostonRott]

I admire your tenacity. I personally would never want to have a pup that I have to "train" to enjoy my presence. I can say that while you can train them to play with toys, there is not that reward value from the toy that a dog who really LIKES toys receives. Good luck with her.