Concerned about my new male Rottie puppy............

[Ginger's Daddy]

Hi everyone, I took home an 8 week old Rottie who I named Logan on 9-25-06. As cute as he is, he concerns me because he's very possesive of Rawhide that's given to him and he's bit my hand. I've taken it away to let him know that he can't be possesive. He growls when I pick him up sometimes. He's going to have his first training class tomorrow, so any suggestions by members with males are welcomed. I've never owned a male Rottie, so this is a test for me.

I already own a 1 yr 5 month old female Rottie (Ginger) who's as sweet as can be. I've also had her since she was 8 weeks old, so the training that I learned and what I've taught her has paid off. She was in my opinion easier to train and i'm concerned I might have a handful as Logan gets older and grows bigger.

[debbiej]

try trading a yummy treat for the rawhide. make it happy, not a 'give it to me or else' line in the sand.

I personally don't think the fact that he's a male would be the cause for spunky puppy behavior this early. just a different personality.

there is so much fantastic info about raising pups on this forum. both stickies and posts, about positive puppy raising.

[LolaLaRue]

Hmmm sounds like my male pup, according to my trainer he is dominant, at 8 weeks I brought him to my trainer to be checked out and he too growled when being picked up, so he told be to pick him up everyday 3 or 4 times a day,put him on his back in my lap and feed him, hot dogs, cheese, peanut butter, whatever, so he sees that good things happen when he is dominated, When we went back the next week for our follow up, he doesnt growl anymore and instead of being stiff and having his legs tucked up he is very loose and comfortable and his legs lay flat, this is just one of the many behaviors we do at home everyday. Since he's a baby we keep everything positive, I meet once a week with my trainer for a private lesson and it seems something new pops up everyweek and we address it and things get better,he used to growl when his feet were touched, or his collar, and we would pick up his foot, feed him, and praise for not growling, same with the collar, I would gently pull him forward by his collar towards a treat, in just a few weeks he is a different dog, my trainer is a behavorist and we stay on top of him. It could be your pup just trying to figure out his place in the pack, but my boy is 13 weeks and 40lbs so I am glad I got him started on his training early. I have a female at home who is the exact opposite of him and my trainer jokes that I have extreme polar opposites, he is a very different pup than her and requires much more work, but I love him to death and wouldnt trade him for anything. I could go on forever about the excercises that we do but my suggestion would be to have him evaluated by a trainer familiar with Rotties or working dogs. I would be lost without my trainer, a good trainer is a must, I have him on speed dial!

[Ginger's Daddy]

It's funny that you said that when you picked up your boy, he growled as well. Well......Logan does the exact same thing. We were playing with him just 2 minutes ago and he growled and snapped at my girlfriend. He's a handful and I want to take care of this situation so he doesn't end up being aggressive/dominant when he's older. You're also on point when he's the exact opposite of our girl Ginger. She's mellow and was a handful when she was a puppy, but now, with training, she's laid back. Sometimes I think to myself, why did I even get this guy, but I love him and I know it will take time for him to learn his place in the pack. I haven't finished reading Cesar Milan's book yet, so I hope that what you've pointed out, since your trainer is an animal behaviorist, I can be able to understand the dog's body language better. Keep the suggestions coming!