Tips for a beginner??

[myrottie_chyna]

I have had only four puppies in my 31 yrs. My first as a 6 yr old was a black lab/great dane mix.. he was a big bear!! Second at 9 yrs old was a golden retriever/yellow lab mix.. she was a big sweetheart... Those two ended up having a 13 pup litter.... Anyhoo. My third pup (last June) was a Rott/Pitbull. She was killed when she was 12 weeks old, by our neighbors dogs.
She was just starting to get everything too!! I succesfully potty trained her, and she was learning her lay down, sit, stay etc...
She would get a bit rough with my kids and I would have to correct her (and my kids) My kids would make it worse by flailing there arms and shrieking, then run... So I also had to teach them how to deal with her. We had also got the alpha status straight!!

I guess what I am wondering is if there is anything that I need to know or watch out for with my new puppy? Is there any order that things should be taught? Like sitting etc..
I pick her up this Sat from the breeder. She will be 7 weeks old. Her mother has a wonderful temperment, but I dont know the father. The breeder said he was also sweet tempered. They both have German pedigrees.
Is there such a thing as "spoiling" my puppy? I want to cuddle her to death!! I dont know if she will see much of the floor in her first days home LOL.

Thanks for any reply.

[MybabyZeus]

[quote]Originally posted by myrottie_chyna
[b]My third pup (last June) was a Rott/Pitbull. She was killed when she was 12 weeks old, by our neighbors dogs.

That is terrible. Was this dog being kept outside? How in the world would your neighbors dog have access to your twelve week old puppy?

[Judy Chrusch]

Why did your neighbors kill your dog and what makes you think it won't happen again? What justified your neighbors to do such an act?? If it happened once it certainly could happen again. Do they know you're getting a purebred rottweiler this time? Sorry for all the questions but I would hate to see another be killed. Have you read up on the breed and are you prepared to take on the responsibility of owning such a powerful dog? There's lots of good books out their to help you through so read everything you can get your hands on. It's essential you know what your doing with this breed, they get enough bad raps, if you know what I mean!

You asked if there was such a thing as spoiling a dog, absolutely and believe me you don't want to do that with this breed. If you want to cuddle a dog and or allow one on your furniture then perhaps another breed would better suit you. Don't get me wrong they need love and attention but treating them like a baby is not the way to go, sorry. You said she wouldn't see much of the floor when she first comes home, does that mean she will be allowed up on your furniture? Just remember, ANYTHING that you allow her to do when she is a pup make sure you except it when she's 80-100lbs. Things that are cute when she is a pup won't be so cute when she is full grown. You must be consistent and put your foot day from day one on certain things. I wish you much luck, their are alot here who are willing to help so don't hesitate to ask questions. My very best to you and your new pup and I hope to God this one doesn't get killed by your neighbor too .

Judy

[myrottie_chyna]

sounds like I may have caused quite a stir...
Let me explain in more detail.
We moved into this house in June. A few weeks later we got the pup. We always kept a very close eye on her outside and she would go up to the fence and try to entice the neighbors dogs to play. They would chase back and fourth and act as if they were friendly. She was never kept outside, I just let her out for a short time now and then. The fence boards had about a three inch gap between them the entire lenght of the fence was this way. One morning at about 6 am I let her go out to pee and do her business. Well when she was finished she wanted to frolic in the sun and roll in the grass. So, dummy me, I let her stay out without supervision. I definatly paid the price for my stupidity. I never amagined that those dogs were vicious. An hour later I went to get her in. I had fallen back asleep. Well she was not there!! Our fence is very secure and I knew she couldnt get out on her own without a heck of a lot of digging. So my first thought was that she was taken. I started looking all around the neighbors yards. Then I noticed that one of the fence boards was cracked at the bottom, and that the neighbors dogs had dug under it a bit. I knew it was not her because the grass was intact on our side and no dirt in it.
I started looking around thier yard, and called thier dogs. They came barking at me and NO PUPPY. I scanned thier yard closer and spotted her laying on the ground by thier deck.
We called the police and animal control. Nobody could get her body out for us and the neighbors had went camping for the weekend and left thier dogs home unattended. So we sat here and waited ALL day til they got home and recovered her body for us. Thier dogs from what we could figure out grabbed her by her collar and pulled her until the fence board broke and then pulled her through. They cried and appologised profusely.
They got thier dogs as stays. They are brother and sister australian shepards.
The neighbors were appaled that thier dogs would do such a thing. They fixed the fence and put the boards closed so that they cannot even look into our yard. They also made it so that they cant try to dig under anymore.
Also foremost I have learned to NEVER leave my dog outside unattended again. I plan on never letting her out of my sight.

About the spoiling part. I guess I was a bit exaggerative. I KNOW the basics of training and I dont plan on letting her think she runs the show. I was being sarcastic about not seeing the floor. Just meaning that I was going to hold her a lot. I dont plan on letting her on furnature. I know that she will need stern dicipline and training. I will probably be spending a lot of time on the floor playing with her.
I guess you guys take things REALLY seriously here.
Im no idiot, and I know I can handle a Rottweiler. I guess I should have let you all get to know me a bit before joking around.

[myrottie_chyna]

Heres a link to Coppers memorial page.
Coppers memorial page

This pic was taken two days before she died. Its the only pic I have left of her because of a computer crash. She was a bit shy of the camera, hence the funny look she was giving me :)

[Darseeuh]

myrottie_chyna,

Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your pup
:( but congrats on your new baby Rottie :) To answer your original question it helped me quite a bit to go & get a couple of books specifically about Rottweilers, they usually have lots of tips for training and what order to do so, ect. German Vanegas recommended a wonderful book in another thread with lots of great info, check it out, its not to spendy either.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sh...=&threadid=9296

The Rottweiler Handbook

And as for you cuddling your pup, I don't know about everyone else but thats why I got my Rott, for a pet to love and become part of the family. Without of course letting him be the boss. I definately agree with not letting a pup do something you don't want him to do as an adult, but as for them being on furniture, ect. I think that is a personal decision and if you choose to let them your dog will not be the worse for it. I allow my Rottweiler on all my furniture except for the beds and he will move without fuss when told to.

[Judy Chrusch]

myrottie, I went back over your post and saw I missed the part where you did say that it was your neighbors dogs who killed your pup not your neighbor pursay:o, my mistake for assuming it was them, anyway yep we do take things that are said seriously bc we don't know who has a sense of humor and who is serious. Allowing dogs on the furniture could be a real problem depending on the dog that's why I wanted to mention that. I hope the fence is secure and that tragedy doesn't happen again and yes you can't leave a little pup alone in the yard when you have dogs next store that have the potential to kill . What ever, if anything, happened to them? That must have been horrible for you to see, it's very sad. I know you have a pic of her but I can't bring myself to view it sorry :(. Best of luck to you with your new puppy.

Judy

[MybabyZeus]

Myrottie_chyna:

I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to your girl:( She was very cute and it is obvious that you loved her very much. Don't be to hard on yourself. It is not an easy job to keep up with a puppy. Just last night I let our puppy out and went into our garage, somehow she had gotten through the fence and made it into the garage to play with me. I had no idea that she could get through the fence, Thank God I was out there because we live on a corner lot right by the street, so she could have easily wondered right into a terrible situation. I was really lucky that she came to the garage instead of wandering around because I was not watching her. That was a lesson that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Like Daseeuh was saying, those books will help you a great deal. There are so many little things that influence this breed and it would better prepare you for sucessful training. I agree that it is a personal decision about the furniture. Mine sprawl out everywhere, but not on any of our beds. As long as they understand to move when asked they can take a seat anywhere they like.

Welcome to the forum. There is so much information here and so many great people who are willing to help you. Surf through the Archives too, it has taught me a ton!

Thanks for explaining:) Good luck with your puppy!

[lindak]

So sorry about your puppy. She was so cute! Good luck with your new puppy. I just got my little girl, Porsha. She was 6.5 wks. when i got her and she is almost 3.5 months old. I train her every day. 5 mins. here and there. Sit, stay, down. I even got her staying as i throw her toy in front of her on the floor. She gets it when i say "go ahead". I constantly tell her "Off" when she climbs on things. She is not allowed on the furniture although she tests me everyday. I am strict with her. She is not allowed in certain rooms unattented by me. Dining room is off limits. I am the boss. On the other hand, she is still light enough (25+ pounds) where i carry her and hug her and kiss her like crazy. I sit with her on the floor and she climbs right into my lap. OUCH in a few more pounds LOL. She is spoiled by me but at the same time, she knows i mean business.

http://www.geocities.com/lindak62/Porshas_Pictures.html

Here are her pictures. 6.5 wks. old and first day home.

[MybabyZeus]

She's cute:)

[ILoveRotts]

I agree that furniture is a personal decision.

I personally can't sleep without my 160lb Drake next to me. He makes a great body pillow! Very comfortable and comforting!
But he can't get on the bed without permission.

We also let the dogs on the couch. We had to by 2 couches 'cause we have 4 Rotts. Of course, they have to give up the seat to any human that asks. And ask permission if humans are present.

I know they just jump up there when we are not home!

[myrottie_chyna]

Thanks for the kind words about my lost angel. She was a great puppy. We still miss her so much. I cant read my whole page without tearing up. My heart longs for the day I can see her again. Before I got her I never knew I could love a dog that much, even though Ive had dogs before as a kid. Maybe it is because I am a mother now, and wasnt then? She was my only daughter. Now I cant wait for Chyna to come home this weekend so that I can start to rebuild that love for my new baby. Ive gotten to go to the breeder four times in the last month to visit my puppy. I would have gone more often, but she is 30 miles away. I first held her and picked her out of the litter when she was two and a half weeks old. It was her first day with her eyes open!
I swear those dogs next door even look at her wrong and they will be sorry.
Nothing was done to the neighbors or thier dogs. They were only given warnings because they were not licensed. They had thier shots though. Also they were told to get rid of one of them because the ordinance is two dogs within city limits. They still have all three. The sad thing is that the one that they said they were going to get rid of is the only good one over there. Its a golden lab. I HATE those two other dogs. They have a look in thier eyes that is pure evil. Before they killed my puppy, I saw them as friendly dogs. The lady that owns them runs a day care!!! These dogs are allowed to play with small children!! MY CHILD has been in thier yard with those dogs. NO MORE!!
I wish there was an explanation as to WHY they killed my girl.
Maybe I learned a hard lesson, and Copper died for a reason. I dont know.... But one thing is for sure, Chyna will NEVER be left alone outside.
Sorry this is so long. Thanks again for the help.

[pride-and-joy]

I'm sorry for the loss of your beloved puppy:(

It's a hard way to learn a lesson, but I'm glad you realize that alone in the yard is not a safe place for ANY pup...especially a Rottweiler.

Rottweilers can become victim to many horrible acts and hate crimes....such as theft (to become druggie/junk yard dogs), taunting, poisoning, just to name a few.

Good luck with your new pup! Also, don't forget to spay or neuter to prevent any other "accidents" ;)

[kekaufman]

LINDAK, she is precious, hope you will have more pictures of her as she grows, but may I ask how you got her so young?