puppy aggression?

[hottcop84]

My rottie, Brutus, is 10 weeks today and he has a serious issue with aggression already- is this normal? he barks, growls, and nips at everyone (humans and animals alike) except my husband and I.. He's in a puppy headstart program and is ok around the pups in his class, but not their owners... we've done all we can in the way of socialization- we take him everywhere with us- parks, beach, petco, etc... is this a serious problem? we're thinking about having him neutered, as well, hoping that it will help a little... what can i do in the mean time to curb this behavior?

[BostonRott]

He is showing you normal puppy behavior. If you find it highly objectionable, perhaps you should return him to his breeder.

At 10 weeks, "doing all you can" does not entail very much. You need to stick with it, training takes months and years of hard work! Puppies, like kids, don't learn new behaviors instanteously.....they're puppies, cut them some slack.

Stick with the training, it should help you a lot. The questions you're having should be presented to your trainer, who can see what is going on, versus an internet forum where no one can watch you interact with your puppy.

There is also a "sticky" at the top of this forum about puppy nipping. Please read it.

[llwaxan]

Gretchen is right---it's all normal behavior.

Welcome to the wonderful World of Rottweiler Puppy Ownership!!! LOL

[damp]

Please read ALL the stickies in this forum!!! and also this thread if you are concerned about aggression in a 10 weeks old pup!

[SonnyRott]

Originally Posted by hottcop84

My rottie, Brutus, is 10 weeks today and he has a serious issue with aggression already- is this normal? he barks, growls, and nips at everyone (humans and animals alike)...

Could you elaborate please???

In what situation does the pup do this? Meeting new people/animals for the first time? Around food? Without provocation? When he's over-tired? Is he fearful, shy or timid?

While I agree that puppies can nip and bark and growl (until you teach them corrrect behavior), overall, a 10 week old puppy should be bouncy and happy and wiggly, and generally interested in the world around him.

[hottcop84]

Originally Posted by SonnyRott

Could you elaborate please???

In what situation does the pup do this? Meeting new people/animals for the first time? Around food? Without provocation? When he's over-tired? Is he fearful, shy or timid?

While I agree that puppies can nip and bark and growl (until you teach them corrrect behavior), overall, a 10 week old puppy should be bouncy and happy and wiggly, and generally interested in the world around him.

He does it around new people and animals, but continues to do it after they have been around for a couple hours (we had houseguests last weekend and he kept lunging at them, snarling, and nipping)... he does it when my husband comes home from work, as well, but calms down after a minute or two. I'm especially concerned by this, as my husband is in the military and will be deployed for 3 months this fall..

[BostonRott]

And what do you do to correct the puppy when he does this? Please be specific.

What is his response to your corrections.

[SonnyRott]

Lunging and snarling at company who have been in your home for a couple of hours is not normal behavior if they have not been pestering the pup.

Yes, what do you do when this happens?

[hottcop84]

i usually grab his collar (not hard-just enough to get his attention), make eye contact and say "no" in a firm but calm voice... its what the trainer told me to do..

[BostonRott]

And when you do that, what is the puppy's response? Does he calmly go off on some new adventure? Fight you? Go back to what he shouldn't have been doing?

How many weeks have you been in class, for your trainer to observe his behavior?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's hard to get a real picture of what is happening, via the internet.

One last thought: how did you find this trainer? (I pray you're not at some chain store!).

[hottcop84]

he usually starts to chew on me (just play biting) and i just give him a toy- it calms him down for a few minutes, but as soon as someone in the room moves, he starts up again...

we've only been in class for 2 weeks, but she comes to the house a couple times a week for one-on-one personal training, as well.. and i found her through a local rottie club