by hope
(New Phila)
i just can’t seem to get her to stop chewing everything in my house carpets, my table, the coffee table remotes… just to name a few.
i tried bitter apple and bitter cherry and she likes it, what can i do to stop this? she is so high strung and very hyper. also when she goes out to potty i’ll say leeiah come and she just stand there and stares at me, then i go out to get her and she runs like are you kidding.
Hi Hope
Your pup is an adolescent right now, and she’s behaving very much as a human teenager would – testing limits, misbehaving and generally trying to assert her own individuality and authority.
However, luckily puppies are easier to train the human teenagers (trust me, I’ve raised both!) and you need to begin to train Leeiah properly so that she sees you as being ‘in charge’ and an authority figure. If you don’t do this now she’s going to continue to challenge you and it will only get more difficult.
However, contrary to what many people think, Rottweilers don’t need harsh or ‘strong’ training methods, they respond much better to reward-based training (ie positive reinforcement). Being too heavy-handed with a Rottie is liable to cause them to become stubborn and willful, making the whole process more difficult for everyone.
I strongly suggest getting your pup enrolled in a basic obedience class as soon as you can, because you really need hands-on help to show you how to work with her and improve your communication and relationship. The ‘recall’ (or ‘come) command is one of the most difficult for a dog to learn, and the trick is never to tell her to come to you if you aren’t in a position to make her do it!! To see exactly what I mean by this, I’d recommend reading my Free Puppy Training Tips page very thoroughly. It has all the info. and advice you need.
As for the chewing, she’s almost at the end of the teething stage and is probably going to be cutting her last adult teeth (the canines) sometime within the next month or so. After that her desire to chew so much should start to decline.
However, you need to ‘puppy proof’ your home as much as possible and either supervise her, or confine her in her crate, to prevent your possessions being destroyed. Always correct her when she chews on something she shouldn’t and redirect her attention to a chew toy. Make sure you have lots of these and rotate them daily to keep them interesting to her. Check out my Tough Dog Toys for a selection of some recommended toys for Rotties.
Chewing is one of the ways that dogs work off any excess energy or tension, and I’d also recommend increasing her daily exercise. Although as adults Rottweilers aren’t particularly high-energy, as puppies and adolescents they do need a fair bit of exercise. Adding an extra daily walk and play session to her routine may help to take the edge off her ‘hyper’ behavior. Also getting her involved in training both at home and in a classroom setting will exercise her mind and tire her out.
This is always a bit of a testing time with puppies of all breeds, but if you understand why she is acting this way and follow the suggestions above (and be patient) she will come through this phase.
Hope this helps, best of luck with Leeiah.
