7 weeks Rottweiler pup not active and not playing

by Steven
(Canada)

It’s a 7 week old rottweiler pup, a male, it had been not active and playful, and often growls too much.

Whenever i pick him up and force him to stay, he growls and attacks my hand.

Hi Steven
At 7 weeks old a puppy is not being aggressive (or at least very, very rarely). At this age he is programmed to stay close to his pack (otherwise in the wild he would die) and if he’s forced to be separated from them – and right now that pack is you and your family – he will get very upset and scared.

Being that he’s so young, I’m assuming you’ve only brought this puppy home very recently, and it can take a few days, or even a week or more, for a pup to adjust to all the major changes in his life. During that adjustment period he may be very quiet, sleep more than usual and seem ‘sad’ or homesick, probably because he is! There’s an article on this which I think it would help you to read so that you know what to expect during this time, you can find it here target=”_blank”>Bringing Home A New Puppy.

Rottie pups are no different to any other breed at this young age and they need lots of love and attention, plus firm (but loving) discipline and positive reinforcement – praise and rewards – when they behave appropriately. Give your pup a little while to settle in and adjust in his own way, and on his own timetable, and he will be much less stressed and you’ll soon see his true character and personality shine through. Don’t expect too much from him too soon.

If you haven’t already read the pages on this site that deal with puppy care in general, and Rottweilers in particular, then I’d recommend taking a look at these….

Your Rottweiler Puppy

Taking Care Of A Puppy

Rottweiler Behavior

Hope this helps some. Best of luck with your new puppy.

Comments for 7 weeks Rottweiler pup not active and not playing

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Jan 18, 2011

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Puppy needs Love and Time
by: Sherry

I agree that the puppy needs time. It is a very rare puppy that will come home with you that you don’t need to give a few days for their personality to start shining. During those first days, I have always found that they need reassuring that you are their new family and will take care of their basic needs for survival. They don’t come knowing that you will take care of them and provide their food and love.
Try not to be to stern in the beginning and expect to much. Ease them into behavior changes and you will watch your puppy grow into the wonderful companion dog you want to see emerge. I have always found that working on one thing at time until it sticks worked best for me. Sit, then stay or lay, etc. one step at a time and the puppy learns completely what is expected and responds much better than trying to learn complicated things right away. Stay is hard for a little puppy because they are so full of energy and need to burn it off. They are like little children, they need to move a lot and play. Training is done in age appropriate stages…just like puppy training.
I wish you the best of luck and believe if you take the time to look over the information on this site, you will find some really useful material that will help you tremendously with your puppy. In the mean time, show your puppy how special it is to your family and it will respond in like.


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