9 week old male Rottie

[noirwest]

Howdy-
My husband and I, just got a male Rotti puppy, and we are trying to do everything right, so any help would be greatly appreciated. We have been successful with some basic training( sit, down, leave it) and he has picked up the potty training pretty quick, so he seems to be fairly bright. We have had GSDS that we have gotten from rescues, and we currently have a male 5 year old Belgian Tervuren that we got from a rescue, and we thought he was an excentric breed(giggle). My cute little puppy is now starting to growl when I pick him up, he has only done it a few times, but he bit me in the face the last time. We have not been treating him like a baby, and I only pick him up when it is necessary( ie to go down stairs & and when he gets into things). I am just concerned now about his temperment, when we picked him out of the litter he was the most friendly the one that wanted to get in your lap and just lay there. We have been trying to expose him to children and new situations and we will have him in a puppy class as soon as he gets his second set of shots. He is a little shy at times around strangers, but I am not sure if that is just the aloof nature of the breed. I may be worrying for nothing and this is all puppy play, but when you decide to be responsible for a large dog that has the capacity the seriously injure someone or something, you really want to be careful.

[zorro13]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your new pup!! Regarding picking up the pup to go down stairs, is your house set up that you have to use stairs to take your pup outside? If so and if you have to pick up your pup for this, you could put a harness on him as you teach him to navigate steps easier. If this doesn't work and you have to pick him up, simply hold him closer to your waist and not near your face. As for the pup getting into things, simply leash him to you, or let him drag the leash around so you can pick it up. I would cut off the loop at the end for safety reasons. Also, don't give him full rein of the house, section off a room you are in with a baby gate, this way you aren't running around all over the place. Puppy proofing the house is a good idea as well. Pups will chew on anything, so the less that is there or visible to the pup, the better.

Since he is 9 weeks, the growling and any puppy biting is normal puppy behavior. At 9 weeks, while socialization is very important, it is possible it can get overwhelming. I imagine you had your pup for a week now, yes? First, they get used to their new home and new family where they become more comfortable. Too many new experiences too fast in too short of time could possibly make a pup shy. But, since I don't know the temperment of your pup, I can't say whether the pup is shy to begin with. So, I would back off a little here in this area, maybe it's too much too soon. If you could be more specific of the shyness you are seeing and the frequency of new experiences and people, this would help.

[brunie's mom]

Welcome to the forums.
Please read all of the stickies in the Puppy Development forum...it will answer some of your questions.

Where did you get your pup from? A well bred puppy should not be shy...he should be happy to meet and greet with everybody. I see that the "breeder", let you pick out your own pup? Often the "friendliest" pup, is the pushiest, most fiesty pup of the litter...and the hardest pup to own.

Most Rottweiler pups do not like to be picked up. Try to lure puppy with a treat, and start teaching him stairs.
Keep your face away from the pup, and correct him for growling or biting by making a sound...such as "AAAHHHH"

Once you start classes your trainer will be able to help you with many of his behaviours.

Gina