Please help me with, I made a mistake

[Scorpios]

Today I made a mistake with my 20 weeks old male rotti and I feel terrible. I can't get over it, I bring his face full of fear in my mind all the time.
What happened is as follows (pls forgive me if my english is not so good)
Every morning I wake up around 6.30, I feed him and we go out for a walk, a bit of training play etc, until around 8.00 when I have to go to work.
My rottweiler has the bad habid which I know is my mistake of trying to eat everything when we go out and I mean everything. I managed to get him stopped of eating no good things but there is somthing I can not. I think it is rabbit ????. He is always finding it and It's difficult for me to always understand what he is trying to find. I do not want to tell him NO every 20 seconds. So what happened today is that we were walking and then I let him free for a while. Like always I was correcting him when he was trying to eat something wrong etc. However all of a sudden I realised he was eating something I said to him NO he stopped and I have seen it was rabbit's ????. I was mad on him and I just lifted him up and threw him away, then i just went on top of him and I was holding his face down for I don;t know maybe a minute. He was clearly in pain and was looking at me in fear. Then I let him go and he runned away then I called him to come he was really scared for a little while. After a few minutes he came to me and i hold him for a few minutes telling him i was sorry and trying to make him realise how much I love him. Now I am at work and I bring his face into my mind and I feel so bad with myself, do you think that he will be traumatised?? I was really mean with him that moment, I do not know why and I feel terrible. I have never punished him that hard. In fact I rarely punish him physically and I never hit him.
o please let me know with your experise if this would trumatise our relationship but more significantly Scorpios as a dog. Thanks

[brunie's mom]

Many pups like putting everything in their mouths and eating rabbit poop seems to be a delightful treat for many dogs.
You made a mistake with him and over reacted....just move on...it's not the end of the world.

Instead of saying "NO" all of the time...teach him the "leave it" and "drop it" command. With "leave it" start in the house. Have him in the house or yard with a leash on...drop a goodie or treat about a foot or so away from him...and when he goes to get it or to look at it...say "LEAVE IT" and give him a tug on the leash...when he looks away from the treat...praise him...and give him a treat from your pocket. Start without distractions and work up to doing this on walks. This is a good command when you see them eying a poop or paper or something that they may want to eat.

"Drop It" is when they already have something in their mouth...you show them a treat...and when they go to take the treat...say "drop it" and praise and give treat. You can also do this if the dog has a bone and you need to take it away...show a treat...and trade.

You could also get your puppy to carry something in his mouth while walking...it may keep him busy..so he does not get tempted to eat everything on the ground. A stick or an empty plastic water bottle or a stuffed toy is a good choice.

Have they got any obedience classes in Cyprus?

Gina

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Scorpios

Today I made a mistake with my 20 weeks old male rotti and I feel terrible. I can't get over it, I bring his face full of fear in my mind all the time.
What happened is as follows (pls forgive me if my english is not so good)
Every morning I wake up around 6.30, I feed him and we go out for a walk, a bit of training play etc, until around 8.00 when I have to go to work.
My rottweiler has the bad habid which I know is my mistake of trying to eat everything when we go out and I mean everything. I managed to get him stopped of eating no good things but there is somthing I can not. I think it is rabbit ????. He is always finding it and It's difficult for me to always understand what he is trying to find. I do not want to tell him NO every 20 seconds. So what happened today is that we were walking and then I let him free for a while. Like always I was correcting him when he was trying to eat something wrong etc. However all of a sudden I realised he was eating something I said to him NO he stopped and I have seen it was rabbit's ????. I was mad on him and I just lifted him up and threw him away, then i just went on top of him and I was holding his face down for I don;t know maybe a minute. He was clearly in pain and was looking at me in fear. Then I let him go and he runned away then I called him to come he was really scared for a little while. After a few minutes he came to me and i hold him for a few minutes telling him i was sorry and trying to make him realise how much I love him. Now I am at work and I bring his face into my mind and I feel so bad with myself, do you think that he will be traumatised?? I was really mean with him that moment, I do not know why and I feel terrible. I have never punished him that hard. In fact I rarely punish him physically and I never hit him.
o please let me know with your experise if this would trumatise our relationship but more significantly Scorpios as a dog. Thanks

Please read the Sticky in Puppy Development titled: Critical Periods of Canine Development.

Your pup is nearing the Flight Period, so off leash wandering at this age is a veritable no-no.

In order for you to communicate your wishes clearly and reinforce what you want, you really must be attached to your pup. A leash IS your FRIEND.

Secondly, take tasty treats with you on your walks and teach this young fellow a "Leave it" command. It's best to catch him as his attention just starts to wander to interesting smells/stimuli.

A quick light pop on the leash, with a happy "leave it" (in your language of choice!) should suffice, reel him into you in an inviting manner (coming to YOU should always be GOOD), and as he complies, reward him. Rinse and repeat.

See how that works.

Do not beat yourself up, simply learn how to handle this in a less conflicting manner.

[targonrotts]

i would also add to that...
as long as puppy is not fully trained, don't let him off leash.
try to get into obedience classes. you can help bond with your puppy by having training time. make it fun.
don't dwell on what happened. start new.

[GypsysMom]

I have lots of rabbits in my yard, and when I see the dogs eating stuff off the lawn I know its rabbit poop, its kind of like horse poop for some odd reason all dogs love it.. and the hoofs as well when the black smith is out (why I dont know)

I think we all have made mistakes now and again when it comes to proper correction and sometimes losing our minds but you will be ok, keep your dog on lead and pratice the leave it command, Gypsy is 2 and she is to the point on walks now she doesnt sniff she just walks, if she attempts to go to something I say "leave it" and when she does she gets lots of prasie. You will be Ok and so will your pup

[Scorpios]

No unfortunately there are no obedience classes in Cyprus. However your answers have been very helpful. I just hope that everything is going to be ok with him, honestly I bring his face into my mind all the time and i cry now. I really shouldn't do that he is so adorable with great character. I have just left work to go and see him he seems ok, he wanted to play but I had no time, i will spend alot of time with him tonight. Thanks again