my eight week old puppy

[smudge11]

hi, am new to the site. my 20 year old son came home last night with a beautiful 8 week old female rottweiler. will be seeing the vet tomorrow. I hope to learn some tips from this site. we will definitely be taking Roma to puppy school (at what age) but for now I am not sure how to handle her in some situations. today I went to pick her up and she growled and did a little snap at me. I did not back away and I continued to pick her up and verbally reprimanded her. What else should I have done?

[hokisteph5]

Welcome. There's a lot of good advice on here. If you do a search of the forums, you'll find a lot of good information on old threads. That's how I started on here anyway.

In my area, puppies can start puppy kindergarten classes at 12 weeks old. I would start looking for a good trainer now. Maybe some of the members from MA can give you some trainer suggestions.

You may want to rethink picking the puppy up a lot. I have seen the advice given on here that the dogs have four legs for a reason, let them use them.

[warriec]

The secret for a happy memories with a rottweiler is socialising. You wont regret it.

[KrystalBallard]

Originally Posted by warriec

The secret for a happy memories with a rottweiler is socialising. You wont regret it.

This is Very True!! Socializing can make or break the temper in a Rottie.

[petes67bird]

First things first. The puppy is in a new place and will take some time to adjust. It is scared, it just left the only place it has known. It will take time for her to adjust to you. Secondly as a previous poster stated, most dogs do not like to be picked up. I would just try and show her that you can be trusted by enticing her with some treats and praise. Let her become acclimated to the house, walk her through the house and let her sniff her way around. The sooner she feels safe at home, the sooner she feels safe with you. When I first got Rocky, he was scared and did the same kind of thing. I walked him around the house, dropped little goodies for him so he knew that everything was safe. Instead of picking him up and startling him, we would go on the floor, calmly and gently petting him and talking in a soothing tone. After about a week he was good to go. He knew the layout of the house and was very comfortable. Just for a warning to you, start stocking up on chew toys. Kongs, nylabones, chilly bones, and raw marrow bones. The biting/nipping stage will be coming very quickly and this is very normal. Try to refrain from using rawhides and pig ears as these are not digested easily and can cause an intestinal blockage requiring expensive surgery to remove. I wish you guys luck with your new puppy. And do go to puppy classes, it is great, Rocky graduates from his 12 week course on Saturday. I am probably more excited than him and I cant wait to start the next level of training. One question, where did your son get the pup from on such short notice that you werent prepared for it?

[smudge11]

he went up to new hampshire over the weekend. I don't mind at all that he got the dog. we have 3 acres of land, plenty of room to play but am just concerned because of her minor aggression. we have a vet appt this afternoon. am very concerned because her eyes are watering and am wondering if her growling and snapping could be distemper. I spoke to a trainer at length today. was told that NO eight week old puppy would growl or snap unless something was wrong. this morning I was playing with my other dog outside with a frisbee .he chases it. anyway , when roma got ahold of it and I tried to gently take it from her she growled, and then snapped at me. her balance is also way off but that could be her being clumsy or a sign of something else. either way I will feel better after visiting the vet and hopefully will get some answers there. thanks for help

[petes67bird]

The reason I asked where your son got his puppy from is for that reason. Most of the people on this site get their puppies from reputable breeders who have an application process. For Rocky it took about 9 months for me to get a puppy from this breeder. Even though I was accepted, the breeder had to pick out the puppy she felt would be the best fit for my family and situation. Getting a puppy through this route ensures the puppy is of correct temperment and from good health. Both my puppies parents have OFA certificates for their eyes, heart, elbows and hips. This shows that the puppy comes from a good line of rottweiler genetics. If you get your puppy from a backyard breeder, or a puppy store aka puppy mill, there is no way to know what you are getting. This is where I was going when I was asking where he got the puppy from on such short notice. Any reputable breeder would not give a puppy to a stranger that soon. They usually do checks with previous vets, family and have alot of provisions in their contracts. I wish you all the best with your puppy. Pete

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by smudge11

I spoke to a trainer at length today. was told that NO eight week old puppy would growl or snap unless something was wrong.

I would find a new trainer. What you've described in this thread so far sounds like normal puppy behavior. Especially for an 8 week old.

[warriec]

8 week old puppies should not snap unless they have not been socialised. Its a dangerous trait that could lead to unpredictable biters in the future. You need to do alot of work with this puppy. Lots of happy socialising.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by smudge11

hi, am new to the site. my 20 year old son came home last night with a beautiful 8 week old female rottweiler. will be seeing the vet tomorrow. I hope to learn some tips from this site. we will definitely be taking Roma to puppy school (at what age) but for now I am not sure how to handle her in some situations. today I went to pick her up and she growled and did a little snap at me. I did not back away and I continued to pick her up and verbally reprimanded her. What else should I have done?

You've got a baby puppy who has just recently found her "wheels", and like any puppy worth it's salt, she wants to USE them. Many Rottie puppies object to being carried. They want to explore with their own four paws. Let her walk on her own. If you need to pick her up, have a tasty treat in your hand for her to nibble on and make sure you support her entire belly so she feels secure (rest her belly on your forearm, close to your body, with your hand supporting her between her front legs).

Treats are your friend.....you'd be amazed how "tame" a wild hair can be when you have a treat to offer for good behavior. Pick up some chew toys so you can redirect her to them when she starts nipping things you'd prefer she leave be.

Sign her up for puppy class NOW....she can be in one at this age, so the sooner the better. This is the prime time for her to begin learning how to learn, and for you and your son to learn how to teach. Take advantage of the classes available to help raise a wonderful dog.

[KrystalBallard]

I see all this stuff about not picking the dogs up, but i picked Gretta up A LOT when she was smaller, all she did was lick the heck outta me when i did it. I would pick her up to go up and down the stairs because at the end of 2 stairs she would jump and "leap" and i didnt like her landing...lol...Gretta loves getting picked up......maybe not for all Rotts, but ok definately for some.