My first rotty pup!

[Kayla13]

Hi everyone, Im due to get my first rotty pup in about 8 weeks and im so excited!
I've read some great stuff on here and i was wondering if anyone could give me some more info on managing my pup for the first few months? What can i expect? Ive already bought her heaps of toys and things like that but is there something that is a must to have??

Any info would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[LKLMommy]

have lots and lots of patience!!! lol! we've had our girl for 3 months now, and it has been hard! shes a sweetie, but when she wants to play, watch out! I would strongly recommend a Kong....its great when she is wound up and we are trying to get the kids settled down, or get them a bath...fill up her Kong with pumpkin (unsweetened of course) or peanut butter and shes busy for at least 30 miniutes! I also would recommend searching through all the threads about food for your pup. after 2 months of having Sasha on what i thought was a high quality food, turns out we were feeding her junk. after being on Canidae ALS for a few weeks, its already made a huge improvement.

Other than that, make sure your pup has a place all her own, i suggest a crate, and lots of toys and things to chew on! Congrats on your new pup, and enjoy...they dont stay small for long! lol :o)

[bliss7373]

Welcome to Rotty ownership! I would suggest the following to get you started:

1. Buy a copy of "How to Raise A Puppy You Can Live With". It's available on Dogwise and Amazon. It's a very helpful book. I would also go ahead and get "The Other End of the Leash" while you're at it!

2. Invest in a good crate! Suffice it to say - crating is the best way to work on housebreaking, keep your puppy safe when you aren't supervising, etc. There is plenty of info on this forum on how to crate train.

3. Start looking for a puppy kindergarten class now. If you're on this forum, you probably know that you should plan to be in training for a long, long time- at least 2-3 years. Getting your puppy signed up for a good puppy class is the first step in the right direction. Look for a class that uses lots of positive motivation, taught by people who are comfortable with the working breeds.

4. Read all the "stickies" at the top of the Behavior, Training, and Puppy Development forums - they are full of great advice.

The post above is also correct- Kongs are wonderful! Good luck and keep us posted.

[hokisteph5]

Patience is certainly key. Take a lot of pictures. Get her used to things like her crate, getting her nails trimmed, getting brushed, etc.

Take her out and about, as safely as possible, so she's exposed to a lot of different people, noises, environments.

Look for a puppy kindergarten class because it's a great way to have her interact with other puppies near her age and sets a good foundation for teaching her puppy manners. There are tricks and observations I got when Samson was a puppy from the trainer that I still keep in mind today.