biting Rottweiler puppy

 

by Aladdin
(Egypt)

I got a rottie he’s now 47 days when I got him he was 41 days old?!! he is my 1st puppy ever.. however i used to take care of my cousin’s adult german! the 1st thing I did with my puppy when he came home that we played tug of war and wrestling games…. so he started to bite, later on by visiting this website I knew that was a mistake ?!!

sometimes his bites really hurts ?!! is there any way I can stop him from biting me ?!! BTW I stopped all these games right away !! now it’s like 2nd day !!!!

Hi Aladdin
A puppy should never leave his momma and littermates so early, 8 weeks is a minimum age for a pup to be going into a new home. One of the problems often seen in puppies who are removed from their canine family too early is excessive biting because they haven’t had a chance to learn bite inhibition or other canine social skills.

By playing tug-of-war and wrestling, you then encouraged him to bite, so it’s not surprising he’s a little piranha fish right now! However, at least you recognize that you made a mistake and are willing to change it, so that’s a big step.

You need to realize that this puppy is a very tiny baby and he’s basically acting on instinct alone right now. I strongly recommend that you read my Stop Puppy Biting page and follow the tips and advice there. Don’t expect an overnight success though, it ALWAYS takes days, usually weeks, to start to see improvement and in your situation it could take longer because your pup is so young and he’s already taken a cue from you to start biting.

You need to be very consistent with him, correct him firmly but lovingly every single time, and be patient. Training takes time. I think my Taking Care Of A Puppy page would be useful for you to read too. It has lots of tips and advice to help you understand puppy care better and give your little guy the best chance of growing up happy and healthy.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with you puppy.

Click here to read or post comments

Return to Your Rottweiler Questions.

My beautiful girl Bella is now 8 1/2 months old and is a wonderful loving puppy, however, she is still chewing pretty bad and recently has started to get into things she never bothered before. She is also still mouthing quite a bit when excited.

We have TONS of toys to keep her busy and spend a lot of time training her but we can’t seem to break these two problems, any advice?

Hi Audrey
Although Bella is growing fast and now looks much more ‘grown up’ than she did as a pup, it’s important to remember that Rotties are slow to mature and develop and right now she’s in a stage roughly equivalent to the ‘tween and early-teen’ phase in humans.

During this time it’s very normal for a pup to ‘up the ante’ in terms of challenging authority, testing limits and acting out. Absolutely normal. However, it can definitely be challenging and exhausting for owners :o)

The only thing to do is to continue to correct her firmly but lovingly and to be absolutely consistent about rules and boundaries. She needs to feel secure in her environment and to know that ‘her’ humans are in charge and the rules are not made (or altered) by her!

There is also sometimes another ‘fear period’ at this age which can make a pup suddenly act afraid or nervous around people or places that she was previously comfortable with. It passes given time, and all you need to do is continue to socialize her consistently and in a positive way.

Add to this the fact that she’s probably either just had, or will be having soon, her first ‘season’ or ‘heat cycle’ so her hormones are all ‘out of whack’ and you can see why she is behaving in a very teenage-type way.

Bella is a beautiful girl and it sounds as though overall she’s doing just fine. If you’ve raised kids through the teenage years you’ll already know how to handle this, if not just follow your instincts and be loving but firm with her and she’ll come out the other side a well-balanced and confident adult.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with her.

Click here to read or post comments

Return to Your Rottweiler Questions.

My 7 month pup jumps up when i tell her no and growls and nips at me, she nips at me.

I know she just wants to play but shes getting very strong.

Hi
Rottweilers mature into big, strong dogs and it’s much easier to deal with behavioral issues like jumping and nipping when they are small. However, even a pup who has learned NOT to nip or jump, may ‘regress’ during adolescence.

Adolescent pups (as Lucy is right now) are like human teenagers and are inclined to test the limits and their parents’ authority on a regular basis. It’s part of growing up and finding their place in the family, and the outside world.

It’s very important that you are consistent and firm in your corrections, but also that you are loving and non-combative. I’d recommend that you read my Stop Puppy Biting page as it has all the tips and advice you should need to curb this annoying (but very common) habit.

I’d also suggest that you check out my Free Puppy Training Tips page as making sure that Lucy is well-trained and respects and obeys you will help to tone down her behavior.

At this age pups are often trying to exert their authority over the people (and sometimes other dogs) in their lives. It’s important not to let Lucy think that she is ‘in charge’. Don’t allow her to sleep on sofas, chairs or beds; block doorways by lying in them; obstruct you when you walk (ie by getting ‘under your feet’); prevent you from touching her food, or her, while she’s eating and so on. She needs to be totally clear about who’s ‘boss’.

If you follow these tips this stage will pass and Lucy will grow out of it, and into a well-behaved, confident and obedient adult. I wish you the very best of luck with her, she’s a pretty girl.

Click here to post comments

Return to Your Rottweiler Questions.

Larson is 8 1/2 weeks old.He came from his mother and litter mates.

During play Larson tends to become overexcited and bites too hard.

I know how to control this and am acceptable of this puppy play, other people take it the wrong way.
The easiest way to stop it easily,painlessly and happily.

Hi Barry
What Larson is doing is 100% normal puppy behavior, and you obviously understand this.

Sometimes people who aren’t familiar with puppies don’t recognize it in the same way, and unfortunately there are also people who have certain preconceived ideas about a breed such as the Rottweiler, and they misinterpret many behaviors because of that.

However, just because it’s normal behavior, that doesn’t mean you need to accept it. Larson needs to understand that his teeth shouldn’t come in contact with your skin (or the skin of any other human!) and to do this you’ll need to correct him firmly, but gently.

I strongly recommend that you check out my Stop Puppy Biting page as it has all the tips and advice you need.

The trick is to be very (VERY) consistent with your corrections, because puppies are creatures of habit and they learn through repetition. Never be overly ‘authoritarian’ with Larson, you need to be firm, but loving. Use a low firm voice, no shouting, and if you need a muzzle correction (see the page I linked to in paragraph above) do it gently but firmly.

Also, make sure he has plenty of really strong, sturdy chew toys to play with. He’ll be teething until he’s about 6 months old, and Rottie jaws are very strong! Take a look at my Tough Dog Toys page for some examples of suitable toys.

Rotties respond very well to positive, reward-based training, but they can get stubborn if you are too harsh or ‘come on too strong’. This is especially important when they reach adolescence, because at that point they will often resist training or corrections that are too heavy-handed and it makes the whole process a lot less fun for all involved.

Biting and nipping is a stage puppies go through, and if you follow the tips I’ve given you, Larson will grow out of this just fine. He’s a really good looking boy (the bits of him I can see anyway!), and I know he’s going to be a wonderful companion. Best of luck with him.

Click here to read or post comments

Return to Your Rottweiler Questions.

About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone