Hi, I bought a 10 week old rottweiler puppy from Ireland on the 20th as I had exams at university so I waited until they finished to collect him. He was part of a litter of four-two males and two females- and was the last to go. When I went to collect him he was playfighting with one of the breeders dogs. He was fine on the journey home back to birmingham but when I brought him home he was very aggressive towards me and my family on the first night. I'm guessing he might have been cranky or something.  Since then he's been ok but he bites alot and goes for our hands or bites our clothes. Sometimes he's very calm then others he becomes aggressive towards us. If anyone can give any advice. Also wer'e looking for a trainer in the birmingham area to help if anyone can give any suggestions.

Is this your first dog?  If so you wouldn't be the first person to mistake your pups attempts at playing with you for aggression.  Some pups are really full on. 

yehh it's my first dog. Sometimes he growls and barks at us though. Is this normal?

Gwen Bailey's book "The Perfect Puppy" is really good at explaining what's going on and what to do about it. Amazon have it in stock.

my 10 week old Lab pup does a lot of this, and I imagine it can look quite 'fierce'.  However, it is completely normal, and is an important part of puppyhood.  It is your opportunity to teach your puppy what is acceptable and what isn't.  I've found a really loud squeal when he bites is best, and he soon stops or just gently mouths.  When puppies are with their littermates play fighting is the beginning of this learning process, where a squeal should make them stop biting so hard.  I'm no expert on this, just letting you know how I've managed with it, no doubt someone more experienced will be along tomorrow.  I don't know if Rottie people have any breed specific suggestions for you, but I just wanted to let you know it sounds normal to me... and I can sympathise!!!

Simple answer!  Absolutely. 

It would be abnormal if he didn't, it's his way of having fun with you, or trying to anyway bless him!

You may find this helpful

http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm

Hi

Rotty probably not the best dog for a first timer and i wouldnt have sold you one!

Hes a typical puppy he is NOT being aggressive he is just playing, you need to teach him some manners. Why from ireland? is he docked? how old was he when you bought him, did you see the parents? I have a puppy owner in brum who also has a rottie, i will find out him name and get back to you.

Do some research and read gwens book.

So should i let him mouth in my hand. I wasn't letting him bite at all. When he does bite it isn't very hard should I let him? I bought him from Ireland because I wanted a docked puppy. He's almost eleven weeks now. I'll definetly be getting gwens book thanks for the advice. I'm taking him to a puppy socialisation session at the vets. They're going to disinfect the floor and allow my puppy to play with other owners puppies. I'm also going to enrol him on a training course that the vets suggested http://www.mydogtrainer.co.uk/C&P/c_p.htm if anyone know if they're good or not.

I've never stopped any of my puppy's from using their mouths; after all, they haven't got any hands to use! All I ask is that they do it gently.

as docking is illegal over here, some breeders are exploiting the fact that in ireland they can still be docked and ireland doesnt have the best reputation for dog breeding because of all the puppy farms, so he could have been from an unresponsible resource.

Dont let him bite your hand if hes doing it too hard say 'no', swap your hand for a toy to chew of a teddy to play with.

> So should i let him mouth in my hand. I wasn't letting him bite at all. When he does bite it isn't very hard should I let him?

Have a look at the link further up the thread (the bite stops here), posted by JeanSW.. It explains how to stop puppy biting/mouthing, but also explains how & why this should be done in stages so the puppy learns to inhibit the FORCE of the bite before mouthing/biting is stopped. I allow my dog to mouth/bite me in play, but he has learnt that it has to be gentle.

As this is your first dog, please remember that dogs do not know what any word means untill you teach them. So saying 'sit' is no different from the dogs point of veiw than you saying 'apple', untill you have taught the dog what it means, the same goes for every command/word you want the dog to understand. Consistency is vital for good results and lack of confusion, the same words should have the same meaning/action consequence EVERY single time they are said.

> Dont let him bite your hand if hes doing it too hard say 'no', swap your hand for a toy to chew of a teddy to play with.

I disagree, it's important that puppies bite and learn how 'wimpy' us humans are. Puppy play biting is a very important stage. The recognised way to deal with it is to squeal, louder the harder the puppy bites.

I've had my silken windhound puppy for just over 2 weeks. When she arrived she would get really excited biting and snapping at my toes, hands, feet, face - anything she could. I've played with her and stuck to the squealing when she hurts me (puppy teeth are very sharp). Already now she plays nicely, never closing her mouth on my skin at all.

Perseverance is the key :-)

OP have you read the link JeanSW posted? It is a great article :-)

Re the classes recommended, they may be OK but unfortunately talk about pack leadership which suggests they haven't kept up to date with current research on dogs and how they learn. I'd tend to suggest perhaps www.apdt.co.uk classes or www.puppyschool.co.uk (Gwen Bailey's franchise - she personally trains the tutors and ensures good standards). Both of these the trainers have to keep up with continued professional development so in my view you are more likely to start on the right track :)

Lindsay
x

> yehh it's my first dog. Sometimes he growls and barks at us though. Is this normal?

perfectly normal and often very sore! you need to teach him that such behaviour is unacceptable. theres a good link to a reading called "The Bite Stops Here" if you use the search facillity

lol the very link

Just wanted to add, this may not seem like a huge problem while your pup is only 11 weeks, but rotts (esp' males) grow quickly, and this can turn into a much bigger problem later in their life, and for you aswell.

Although I'm not too far from you, there are other breeders who are closer, who may be able to help you with any queries or concerns, PM me if you want

Hi, thanks for all the feedback. I've tried squealing when he bites hard but he seems to get more excited and goes for my hand again.

I took him to a "puppy party" at the vets yesterday to socialise him with other puppies but he just lay by himself and when other puppies came close he batted them away with his paws.

Another problem i've noticed is that every night- around 9ish he gets very excited and aggressive. Throughout the day he's fine but at night something happens. He was very aggressive today more than usual. I was in his room after giving his food and I was lying on his bed while he ate. After he ate and licked his bowl clean he lunged at me aggressively and growled. I tied him to a pole in the garden with his leash which I use to punish him and ignore him for around 10 mins and he became even more wild. My mother held him down in a kind of cesar milan way which calmed him down after a good 5 minute struggle but I saw him shed a tear. He was much calmer but still a little wild when he got up so we just put him in his room and gave him a little food to keep him occupied. while we were getting his food out though he sat very calmly waiting for it. I'm kind of afraid that he might think its a reward for his behaviour though. The whole experience left my mother in tears. Could anyone please help me find out why he gets so excited at night time.

Thank You.

> Hi, thanks for all the feedback. I've tried squealing when he bites hard but he seems to get more excited and goes for my hand again.

He's doing that because the squealing is totally the wrong thing to do, if you watch a mother with her puppies, when they do this to her she will get up & walk away & some bitches will give a soft growl.

> I took him to a "puppy party" at the vets yesterday to socialise him with other puppies but he just lay by himself and when other puppies came close he batted them away with his paws.

I've just come back from training club & my puppy Cavalier has been playing with adults & puppies & he bats them & they bat him, that's quite normal.

> Another problem i've noticed is that every night- around 9ish he gets very excited and aggressive. Throughout the day he's fine but at night something happens. He was very aggressive today more than usual. I was in his room after giving his food and I was lying on his bed while he ate. After he ate and licked his bowl clean he lunged at me aggressively and growled. I tied him to a pole in the garden with his leash which I use to punish him and ignore him for around 10 mins and he became even more wild. My mother held him down in a kind of cesar milan way which calmed him down after a good 5 minute struggle but I saw him shed a tear. He was much calmer but still a little wild when he got up so we just put him in his room and gave him a little food to keep him occupied. while we were getting his food out though he sat very calmly waiting for it. I'm kind of afraid that he might think its a reward for his behaviour though. The whole experience left my mother in tears. Could anyone please help me find out why he gets so excited at night time.

Why are you"punishing him" ? Why are you lying on his bed ? Does he occupy a room on his own ? Why on earth did your mother "Alpha roll/pin"him, what was she trying to achieve ?

Puppy are very much creatures of routine. He should be on 4 meals a day, morning, lunch, tea & supper. He should be taken out to toilet train him everytime he wakes up, after he has been fed & at least every couple of hours during the day/evening. You should go out with him & praise & treat him calmly everytime he" performs"outside. He needs brain stimulating games & interaction, not being isolated, tied up or pinned to the ground. Dogs do not shed tears or cry BTW

Have you ever had a dog before ?

I've never, ever come across an aggressive pup.  Pups that growl, lunge towards you, wild behaviour, get excited yes - every single one of them has been playing not being aggressive.  Playing is a perfectly natural reaction of any young animal and shouldn't be punished. 

You do not teach bite inhibition in a couple of days, it's an ongoing process - as is everything that you try to teach your dog

Moonmaiden

So when he bites hard should I just get up and walk away?

Yes he does have a room for himself in an extension we've built next to our house. We've blocked off an area for him. I was lying on his bed as I was just waiting for him to finish eating. Mum was trying to calm him down.

We're keeping a routine for him but we give him 3 small meals a day as we were advised by his breeder. First 7 in the morning then at 3 in the evening then at 9 at night. We regularly take him out to go toilet.

Yes it's my first dog, not a good choice for a rottweiler as i know realise but im determined to bring him up well

Cooperscrossing

So he's not being aggressive he's just playing? I'll keep at it with the bite inhibition but the only problem is that my sisters do not want him to bite them no matter how hard he does it.

Hi,

At the moment your pup sounds like a very normal puppy that needs to bond with you and to be taught how you would like him to behave as all puppies need to be, this should be done with kindness and rewarding the behaviour that you want.

I tied him to a pole in the garden with his leash which I use to punish him and ignore him for around 10 mins and he became even more wild. My mother held him down in a kind of cesar milan way which calmed him down after a good 5 minute struggle but I saw him shed a tear. He was much calmer but still a little wild when he got up so we just put him in his room and gave him a little food to keep him occupied. while we were getting his food out though he sat very calmly waiting for it. I'm kind of afraid that he might think its a reward for his behaviour though. The whole experience left my mother in tears. Could anyone please help me find out why he gets so excited at night time.

Like I say at the moment he sounds like a normal playful bitey puppy, Rotties are a very vocal talkiative breed, but if you want to make him aggressive then keep using methods like mentioned above, it really makes me very sad to hear of puppies being treated in such a way.  All it is likely to do is make him feel he needs to defend him self, either that or he will just shut down and stop doing anything because when he does he gets punished.  I'm sure it is just down to lack of experience on your part but please listen to people on here and don't use those kind of methods again.

To start with dogs learn by association and for teaching new things, especially puppies, that association needs to be almost instant. For example, if he nips you, get up and walk away instantly, then come back in the room twenty seconds later.  If you don't deal with the issue as it happens then the dog won't associate the nipping with you going and if you leave him for too long he will have no idea why he is being left.  So using your current method, by the time you have taken him out side and tied him to the pole he won't relate that to the incident for which he is being punished for, and leaving him there for 10 minutes will achieve nothing more than to frustrate him, he would have no concept of that relating to anything he had done, it's far too long.

Try using distraction techniques and redirect him onto a toy when he gets into nippy mode and reward him for chewing the right things.  It's very normal for puppies to go through over excited moments especially in the evening , often when they are over tired/ over excited.  What is his daily routine at the moment, what are you doing in terms of training, socialising, outings, walks, feeding?

Honestly I think the very best thing you could do for both yours and his sake is to get enrolled on a positive reard based training class, clicker training would be a great way of teaching him what you want from him and helping you learn about the benfits of trainiing for the things you want from your dog rather than punishing for what you don't want. There are a few good books that might help you have a better understanding of his behaviour/ normal puppy behaviour and dog behaviour in general that I and I'm sure others could recommend if you are interested?

> Yes he does have a room for himself in an extension we've built next to our house. We've blocked off an area for him.

This poor, poor puppy :(

My heart is breaking for him. At this age he shouldn't be 'in his own room', he should be learning to be part of the family - it's no wonder that he's getting over-excited and nippy, he's just desperate for your love and attention.

Please, please read Gwen Bailey's book and find a really good, reward-based, training class before you ruin him completely.

What a good thing it is that you've posted on here,Simondodd,you're getting so much good advice.Copying some of the things that Cesar Milan does is a sure-fire way to ensure your puppy grows up to be aggressive.The Perfect Puppy is a brilliant book,there's also some really good books around on clicker training and another fantastic book is The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.

Karenclynes

So is what i'm doing make him aggressive? I'm sorry to hear that.

I hope I haven't come across as a kind of dog abuser. I love animals and am only being so strict because I don't wan't an aggresssive adult rottweiler.

So I should just leave the room when he nips too hard?

The current routine is 5am let him out to go toilet then put him back to sleep then wake him up and feed him at 7 then he plays with us and has a nap. Then I take him for a 20 minute walk at 2 then feed him again at 3 then play with him and he usualy has another nap then we feed him again at 9 and play with him until 10.

I've enrolled him on a six week puppy course -www.mydogtrainer.co.uk

lincolnnimp

Is it wrong to have his own room. Where should he sleep?

helenmd

I'm glad i've posted on here too. I didn't know I was doing things so wrong. I'm definetly going to get the perfect puppy book.

> I hope I haven't come across as a kind of dog abuser. I love animals and am only being so strict because I don't wan't an aggresssive adult rottweiler

Sadly, like many people, you have bought the puppy before doing your research.. luckily, you are asking for help.. thats a good place to begin...

> The current routine is 5am let him out to go toilet then put him back to sleep then wake him up and feed him at 7 then he plays with us and has a nap. Then I take him for a 20 minute walk at 2 then feed him again at 3 then play with him and he usualy has another nap then we feed him again at 9 and play with him until 10.

at this age, he should still be on 4 meals a day.. ..

you feed him at 7 and then he has a nap.. then you walk him at 2pm.. Who is with him in between these times? how much interaction is he getting with the family.. you say you play with him...what type of play and what training are you doing with him? 

Yes, it is wrong for him to have his own room, he should be with the family as much as possible.. sleeping in his bed, or at your feet, while you are watching TV etc.. a puppy needs company, dogs are companionable animals.. they enjoy being with us.. and its understandable that he is becoming over excited when you are with him.. trying to pack as much fun into the short time he seems to be allowed with you..

Sleeping in his own room at night while the whole family are in bed sleeping is fine, other than this he should be with you as much as possible..

Never ever tie a pup to a post, this is extremely stressful, and he has no idea why you are doing this to him.. (neither do I )..

when he bites, just remove your hand gently, he will try to come back and take it again, but allowing him to bite, will help him learn just how gentle he needs to be.. stopping him biting altogether is asking for trouble.. a puppy needs to learn to bite, to learn how not to (that made sense to me lol)

It will take time.. but one thing puppy does require, is consistancy, from the whole family, including your sisters.. otherwise puppy will become more confused, and stressed..

Do not ever hold puppy down on his back, this is asking for trouble, you will instill fear into your pup and a dog that panics, is a timebomb waiting to go off..

Imagine someone you didnt know, pinned you to the ground for something, you have no idea why.. but forced you to stay down, would you just lie there, or would you panic and try to escape.. would you hit out?  its natural that you would try, and so will a dog.. with DIRE consequences..

Aggghh why does a certain person have such a strong following and people training his terrible methods?  This poor pups sounds just like a normal pup and he's being stopped to react in the correct way, sorry simon but I can see big problems to follow.  You really need to find someone close by who can show you the correct way to train and even better someone who knows your breed.

>So when he bites hard should I just get up and walk away?

Yes

>Yes he does have a room for himself in an extension we've built next to our house. We've blocked off an area for him. I was lying on his bed as I was just waiting for him to finish eating. Mum was trying to calm him down.

He's 11/12 weeks old he needs human company learn his"manners"

>We're keeping a routine for him but we give him 3 small meals a day as we were advised by his breeder. First 7 in the morning then at 3 in the evening then at 9 at night. We regularly take him out to go toilet

He should be on 4 meals a day.of a good quality puppy food(not Bakers it's the "fast food for dogs") With the current good weather he should really have almost free access to the outside

>Yes it's my first dog, not a good choice for a rottweiler as i know realise but im determined to bring him up well

Not necessarily but bought without enough research being done.

20 minutes walk ?? a rule of thumb is 5 minutes per month in age which means 15 minutes walk max. He would be better exercised at home for 5-10 minutes freely so he can rest when he wants. Road walking for lengthy periods can cause damage to joints & growth plates in young puppies especially with large breeds.

Hi,

No you don't come across as a dog abuser but someone inexperienced who is going completely the wrong way about training your pup.  Every body makes with mistakes with their pups/dogs the most important thing is to learn from it.

So is what i'm doing make him aggressive? I'm sorry to hear that.  

Unfortunately that is a likely possibilty using those methods, because it's using force and punishment to try and achienve what you want - unfortunately there are many breeds where they will take punishment during training, one thing I love about Rotties is that they aren't push overs and even if it works for now there is likely to come a time where he says hang on a minute, I've had quite enough of that and the consequences are unlikely to be what you are looking for.

I love animals and am only being so strict because I don't wan't an aggresssive adult rottweiler.

He's not going to respect you for pushing him about and there's being strict and there's being physical.  You can use the things he loves to train the behaviours that you do want so that he starts to find theses behaviours rewarding, this will help to build a realtionship.  find out the things he loves, (clearly food) if he was sitting waiting patiently while you dished it up.  Use food to train and reward him for the behaviour you do want, if he loves his toys use that to reward him.

Have you heard of Kongs - pre empt his behaviour and have stuffed kongs ready for him to chew if you think he's getting restless.  This gives him something to do to keep him occupied and will give him something to chew on which puppies need to do.

His routine sounds fairly sparse - what does he do between a play after breakfast and then 2.  At the moment he shopuld be having a minimum of three meals a day (if he's hungry that could cause problems) He should be having, play time with you where he can learn about bite inhibition and learn some self control, he should be having 3 or 4 maybe 5 min training sessions a day and he should be having new experiences every day.  It's so important for guarding breeds to be well socialised, so he should be meeting, children of different ages, adults of different ages, seeing bikes and cars all sorts of different animals.  Take him to different environments, like a friends house, a carpark, sit by the edge of a quiet road so he can watch comings and goings.  He shouldn't be forced into any situation if he is worried but just given exposure to as many things as possible, and take a bag of yummy treats so that he can learn to associate the new experiences with good things.

A couple of good books are:
'The Idiots Guide To Positive Dog Training' by Pamela Dennison, it's a great book and very easy to read.
'The culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson
'Clicker Training for Dogs' by Jean Donaldson
'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey

I don't think it's wrong neccesarily for him to have his own room if you have room to do that - but think he should be able to come and go from that room when you are around.  Maybe you could use that room as a safe place to leave him when you need to pop out or have something importnat to do, and have a bed in there so that if he want to take himself off for a nap he can do.  It is important that puppies learn to spend time alone but it should be done very gradually and the place he's left should be made to feel safe and he should enjoy being there.  Does he settle down well at night in the room that you have for him?

He needs to spend the better part of his time with you at the moment though, learning, having fun and socialising.  In a bit of a hurry but hope that makes sense and is of help.

I can only echo what has been said by many who have already posted.

You have mentioned a few times about not wanting your Rottweiler to be aggressive....there is no reason he will be unless you make him that way. A Rottie is no different than any other breed...remember it is the way they are brought up.

It is good you are asking for advice and are prepared to now go out and buy the good books that are about that reinforce positive reward based dog training.

I own Rottie's among a few other breeds and with all of my dogs they are taught how hard they can mouth....when the pup is mouthing gently this is fine however the minute they press that little bit too hard they get a 'ah' and I get up and turn my back to the pup.  Then I repeat, repeat, repeat the process until they learn that hard bites are not allowed.

My pups are fed 4 times per day until they are 12 - 13 weeks old then if they are ready they are reduced down to 3 meals per day until 6 mths then they have 2 meals per day for the rest of their lives.

I would split his walks up slightly so go out 3 times per day but for only 10 mins each time - unless of course you are sat watching the work go by and as long as he is resting then you can stay out longer with him.

And please, please don't tie him to a pole - would you tie a toddler to a pole to punish them???  You don't need to be punishing a puppy or any dog for that matter, just training him to understand what you want of him in a kind fair way.

Hi there

As already been said, your puppy is not being aggressive, just wants to play with you.

I have a 13 week old Dalmatian puppy who is also doing alot of play biting. She has improved a little since we got her at 8 weeks though. It is a very slow process, if she bites me and it hurts I yelp then walk away out the room for 30 seconds. This shows her that if she plays that rough, she doesn't get to play at all. Sometimes it works, and other time while I'm away she gets up to mischeif!
Slowly but surely it will get better.

I think you have had a shock when the reality of having a puppy kicked in! I was also surprised at how much hard work it is, and how much they bite (and how much it can hurt!!). I had done LOADS of research so I'd like to think was quite well prepared before we took Bailey home.

Different methods seem to work for different dogs, some are more sensitive then others. I have tried a number of things with Bailey but when she is in the hyper zone nothing seems to stop her. I think of her like a kid who is hyped up on E numbers and is just running riot, the best thing when she is that crazy is to snap her out that mind set and bring her back to earth. I do this a number of ways:

1)A chew, she loves chews and it keeps her quiet and occupied for half an hour!! Keeps her mind focused and out of trouble and calms her down in the process. Always keep an eye on your pup with a chew though incase they choke and don't feed more then 1 a day or they might get the runs.

2) Play with her Buster Cube, this is a great buy. You fill it with her usual dry food and she pushes and flips it about and makes an almighty racket getting the food to come out. Another one that keeps her mind focused and out of trouble.

3) If she is getting in to the hyper zone, crating her for 10 mins can calm her down. Don't use it as a punishment though, she goes in happily as she knows she gets a little treat. Then leave her to calm down, she may whine a little for a minute but soon settles down.

We feed her 4 meals a day just now, she gets lots of outside playing with her football and a little walk each day too.

As soon as your pup is fully vacinated you should take him out and about everywhere to get him socialized and used to loads of different situations.  This has been hard for us as Bailey gets car sick where ever we go :(

I'm not sure the puppy in it's own room is a good idea, it is holding him back with socializing. When he's let out he may be getting hyper and excited and wanting to play so much he is coming accross as aggressive to you when all he wants is your attention.

My pup sleeps in a crate in the kitchen at night and whenever we are not there. All other times she is out and about with us round the house learning what she can and can't do! We bought a stair gate as we don't want her upstairs.

The classes you are siging up to are a great idea, hopefully you will learn loads from them and get to chat to some other puppy owners who are in a similar boat.

Good luck!

Should i switch him to four meals a day then. He seems to be putting on weight though even though I give him small meals. I don't wan't to take him to parks as he's not fully vaccinated. Are human treadmills good for dogs? To help exercise him.

We only put him in his room at feeding times, when he has naps, or at night when we sleep. The rest of the day he's with us. I think i'll let him nap in the house now though. He's pretty well at night. Sometimes he does cry but we put the radio on and he's alright.

For the biting i'll get the whole family to read the article and tell them to allow him to bite and when he does it hard what to do. I've been saying ouch then leaving the room for 20 seconds. Sometimes he goes for my hand wildly, screwin his nose up in a kind of snarl should I let him bite then or only when he's calm?

I'll move it to 3 10 minute walks a day.

We have a puppy teething stick-kong which we put treats in the grooves to keep him occupied. Pets at home doesn't sell the buster cube where can I get one in birmingham?

Play at the moment usually invloves sitting with him, stroking him, grooming him with a brush or letting him run around in the garden or play fetch with a soft ball with him. Fetch gets him very excited and he gets a bit wild then.

Should I invest in a crate? I have a plastic carrier but he's outgrown that. He didn't like going in it either.

>Should i switch him to four meals a day then.

Yes. Four meals a day until he's 12 weeks, then three meals a day until he's six months, then down to 2 meals a day.

>Are human treadmills good for dogs? To help exercise him.

No! He doesn't need formal exercise at all just yet. He needs short outings for training and socialisation only - he'll get enough exercise playing in the house and garden with you. Too much exercise as a puppy and you'll end up with a dog with incurable painful and expensive joint problems in adulthood.

>Sometimes he goes for my hand wildly, screwin his nose up in a kind of snarl should I let him bite then or only when he's calm?

Don't allow him to get too wound up and over-excited. When you can see him working himself up, stop the rough play and act very calmly and quietly to calm him down. And remember that all puppies - and even adult dogs - have a 'mad half hour', often around dusk, when they go charging around the house madly! It's perfectly normal - just stand back!
When he's fully vaccinated you can take him to training classes; you can find details of trainers on this link.

>I don't wan't to take him to parks as he's not fully vaccinated. Are human treadmills good for dogs? To help exercise him.

>I'll move it to 3 10 minute walks a day.

If your puppy isn't fully vaccinated tan e should not yet be going out for walks, the risk of infection is just as igh on the street as it is in the park

No No No to the threadmill for a baby puppy he needs to be fully grown & his growth plates closed well before you even consider such exercise & TBH I would never use a treadmill for a healthy dog & never ever for a puppy.

I wasn't sure about buying a crate to start with but I'm soooo glad I did, it is fantastic. You make it a cosy and happy place for them, I have a blanket over mine to make it feel like her den. It is near the radiator so it nice and cosy too. I fed her in there when we first got her too. It might be a good idea to get one, plus it gives you peace of mind when you are out that the puppy is not wrecking the house or eating things which could harm them. You can get them from e-bay for about £40 - 50 quid for a extra large one. Make sure it is big enough for him to stand and turn around in when he is fully grown, so I'd imagine you will want to get the biggest one available!

Ebay is where I got my Buster Food cube, I'm sure some pet shops would have them too but I buy most things on line.

Kongs are good too, I have the same teething stick with the grooves! Bailey doesn't seem to like that so much though, gets bored quickly with it for some reason.

Don't bother with the treadmill, he will be getting enough exercise running about playing with you in the garden and stuff. When he is fully vacinated you can start taking him for 10-15 min walks, and socializing him which is very important. We have been busy taking Bailey to the beach, down main streets, to play parks, puppy school etc etc. Take extra yummy treats with you to make the new experiences positive for him and loads of praise when he does the right thing.

If he has his own safe room, you can use that like others use a crate, just don't shut him in there all the time, only when you want him to calm down for 5 minutes, or to sleep at night, or for safety when you go out.
You have mentioned him getting aggressive at 9 pm. I think he might be really very tired at that time. He is still only a baby/toddler, in human terms, and may not know when he is tired. You could try letting him go to bed around then, and bringing his play time earlier, and see if that helps the behaviour.
Try not to get angry with him, he is just getting used to how he should behave.
Be firm and CALM then he will become calm too.

I agree with RReeve, he could be tired. I've noticed Bailey seems to get extra snappy when she it tired, kind of like a cranky baby.

I can confirm what others have said,when he goes nuts at 9PM he is tired.
My girl would be ok most of the day(she was quite bitey pup but it is normal) but comes the late evening the little monster came out! She would bite very hard and do the wrinkly muzzle expression too and generally just look different...
She would go totally over the top with her biting and continue this until she dropped to sleep.
Her eyes would be rolling around(like when being really tired) but she would still be pushing it to keep awake.

We found sitting down with her and a chew or soft toy(this is important as you get eaten without something to chew) and petting her and being very calm would help her to settle and sleep.
Sometimes we would have to leave her in a room for little while as she would be going so over the top again most of the time she would actually go to sleep when this was done...
Obviously at first she would bark and whine but she soon figured out she bites hard, we go.
When he gets like that at night time, he doesn't need punishement, he needs to sleep :)!
Its like little children when they are tired, they are not very co operative and many will start misbehaving...

Last night was hard work, Bailey was just constantly lunging at me biting and jumping at me and my face :(
I've found that telling her "No" sternly makes zero difference as does yelping like it hurts. I get up and walk away when it hurts, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by that either! She will just run about wreaking havoc while I'm out the room.
Eventually I sat with her with a chew and she settled down munching on that, half way through munching she fell asleep. Ahhhhh, first tiny bit of relaxing I got that evening!

Even saying no is acknowledging the behaviour & giving attention. Best to say nothing directly to the dog & walk away for  a couple of minutes. If she has done anything, again no reaction no sound just tidy up. Do not return until the behaviour has stopped.

Try to note what she does before the behaviour & if there is any thing that consistantly occurs, distract the dog with some basic obedience whilst you are sitting down to calm the situation & prevent the beaviour.

I teach all my dogs to do a present sit whilst sitting indoors & reward them each & everytime, I then go on to the watch again whilst sitting down. It's little things like this that build the bond between owner & dog

Sorry its harsh but it has to be said

Sorry but I don't agree with you there. I would have thought it better to have supplied information as to how to deal with the situation rather than condemning the poster :-( I just hope your post hasn't put OP off coming here for advice on how to deal with the situation :-(

The owner of this puppy obviously realises that they need help and has done the responsible thing of asking for it. Yes the way they have tried to deal with this situation is certainly not the best way to go about things but they are asking for help now and that, IMHO, does indicate that they do have the pup's best interests at heart but have no idea how to manage the situation.

It is very easy to condemn but some also find it hard to offer good advice as well :-( I do not have the experience to advise the poster but do commend him for seeking advice.

It is also very easy to forget that we all have made mistakes with our dogs in the past and none of us are perfect.

To LDDB: NOT FAIR, The OP has asked for help not condemnation. It must be wonderful to be so perfect yourself that you have never made a mistake nor needed to ask for help, but most of us have some sympathy with someone who is asking for advice, as we have been in that position ourselves. The OP has been very open to the advice given and has already acknowledged that positive rewards are a better way to go.

I don't think it is that long ago LouiseDDB that you admitted to making quite a huge mistake yourself with reference to breeding. Hopefully we all learn from our mistakes - we all make them but doing our best to put those mistakes right is what helps to make us responsible owners, ignoring advice and just going our own sweet way is a different matter altogether :-)

I completely disagree LouiseDDB. The OP has got a puppy without doing research - but IS now doing that research, and is listening and taking on board. There is no need at all to rehome the puppy, just for the OP to learn how to train him and manage him. Condemnation is NOT helpful - and we have ALL made mistakes - including you.

To the OP - the reward based training and company, attention, mental stimulation are all good ideas. He is just a baby, playing like a baby puppy would. I am a big fan of clicker training - that might well be worth learning - what you want is a good reward based trainer, as there will be more things as you go along (and when you get to the 'Kevin' stage ). He needs training that is consistent, fair, and reward based. You have had some very good suggestions, so I won't add any more - APDT is a good place to look for a trainer, and I would expect there to be some in your area. Avoid anything negative, like pinning, or tying up etc... it will just confuse him and break your bond - you need him to bond with you and trust you. :-)

Also - if he's from Ireland, he may well be from a puppy farm - has he been wormed with a product that is effective against lungworm? If not, or you are not sure, discuss it with your vet. (Health issue, nothing to do with training, but I know it has been a problem in pups/ rescues from over there, as well as being a problem in this country.)

Please can we keep posts helpful and constructive. I have removed one post and will do so again if need be.
Many thanks,
Jeff.

Everyone has the right to an opinion and this was mine.

My post was removed so ill offer something more constructive.

Ok.... My puppy as it happens is also 13 weeks old. She is from good breeding and her parents temps are A* so i can rule that out, as you are unaware of your pups parents temps and we cannot say anymore on that subject. When she goes to mouth my hands or clothes, i simply remove myself from her jaws, saying a firm 'No' or no bitey. If she carries on i get up and walk away leaving her to her own devices without me as a buddy. This is what my other dogs do when she is getting too much for them, they give her a warning then remove themselves from reach. This is her being a puppy, and she really only displays this behaviour when excited and its now very little that she does this. She will do it to the other dogs when they have been out for a walk overexcitement to see them and they are tired so dont put up with it. When she is being a nightmare and wont leave them alone we put her in a crate for a time out, this isnt a punishment, as its her place of rest and she eats her pigs ears chicken wings etc. We never put her in out of frustration as alot of the time she is acting like a child and only misbehaving because she is tired, within a min or so she is asleep, her toys and blankey are in there too.

Feeding wise, my girl is on 3 decent sized meals a day, once in the morning about 9 after shes been out, second about 2 then last 8ish, as i dont want her to need the loo at night she has time to do a poo and pee before we go to bed. She is allowed out for walkies now but they are restricted to 20 mins on grass only, we go to puppy class at the vets and a local ringcraft. I am in the process of finding a Kc good citizen scheme in my area but i can imagine there is one near you.

NO APLHA ROLLING! This is rubbish and will make your dog strike out with anger or fear. Socialisation is the most important thing at this age especially with a rotty you want to do the breed proud and get him used to everything and anything.

Constructive play, my pup knows liedown, sit, paw and fetch and we practise on the lawn, playing games to teach her basic obedience. Your puppy needs social interaction with you his owners, dont shut him away.

Louise

Everyone is indeed entitled to an opinion, however please all try and keep them positive and constructive. In the past many people have reacted badly and felt picked on when given forthright advice in a none constructive/diplomatic manner.
Thanks,
Jeff.

Hi, i don't think I got to read the post that got removed but I hope it wasn't about rehoming my puppy.

Thanks for all the advice. He's calmed down quite a bit. He now spends the majority of the day in the house with us.

I've been saying ouch and leaving the room and his bites do seem lighter. But sometimes when he bites my hand he shakes his head and kind of growls while my hands in his mouth like he would if he's ripping something.

He does have his sudden spurts where he bites kind of viciously without warning. He bit and drew blood for the first time today. I don't know what triggers these but as you have said it may be tiredness.

I'll be getting the book perfect puppy on monday and will read through that to help.

I bought him from a good breeder in Ireland and was able to see both parents. They had good tempermant.

On a side note does anyone know any good bonding games or anything else that will help me and the puppy bond well. I don't think he has much trust in me yet.

You really are in at the deep end Simondodd!..

He wants to bite and rag and shake because thats a totally natural behaviour for dogs. In puppies play is practice for adult behaviours, just as in toddlers they play at and experiment with things that will later on become useful skills.

You cant rid him of these desires, you can either supress them by heavily dominating him and physical preventing him, or you can channel him into doing these things appropriately.... as you might guess, the latter is by far the better plan.

What Cesar Milan and others who follow the same duff theories do, is squash and prevent these behaviours... theres only so long and in so many situations you can do that though and eventually the dog will 'explode'.. it also doesnt make for the pleasantest relationship with your dog, as you constantly have to be on the look out for unwanted behaviour to jump on top of.. very negative way to spend your time!

So... right now hes got teeth moving around his jaw and needing to be used, its not long before he will swap these for his adult teeth and in addition ALL he has to explore his environment with, is his mouth/tongue/nose.. paws are not nearly so useful as hands are to people (and think how much kids put things in their mouths when small!).

Give him things he really can chew on, rip up, rag about. Raw meaty bones (big ones he cant get lumps off and choke on, or smaller ones he can totally consume as part of a meal), whole large veg like cabbage are good too. messy for you but great for him. Kong toys and similar that take a bit of chewing and working at with his jaws and paws will also satisfy him really well, far better than a bowl of puppyfood.

Big rope toys are great, and you can soak these and freeze them when its hot or when hes teething for a cooling chew. You can also make up rather wet Kongs and freeze those for something to occupy him for a while.

Once he has that appropriate outlet for chewing/biting/ragging, then making biting/ragging/chewing on YOU unrewarding, boring thing to do, will work wonders. If he mouths you softly, ok (we like that, a dog htat mouths softly can communicate a great deal without harm), if he puts on pressure then silently, remove your hand (or other body part) and either leave the room, or evict him for the room, whichever causes less fuss, for just a FEW seconds. Time outs are really effective if applied consistently and for very short periods. If you have to have a huge battle to get him out, or leave him out for long enough for him to get bored, yell at you, scratch things up.. then he wont learn anything from it (he will not link his action with your response).

You might very well at first, have to remove him/you from the room over and over and over, and think its not working but it WILL.. it just takes a little while and your total consistency, to get the message through. Persist and above all, do not lose your rag, shout at him, or anything like that.

Dogs understand actions MUCH better than words, so if each time he thinks to bite on you or rag at you, you quietly and calmly remove him from the room, hes going to stop doign that really fast!

Hiya,

Glad he's seeming a little calmer and is spending more time with you :-)  The reason you probably don't feel you have bonded properly yet and he doesn't entirely trust you is unfortunately usually the results you get with punishment based methods, like rolling him or tying him outside.  I know you're not going to do that any more but he doesn't at the moment. 

Imagine you went to stay with a foreign exchange student where communication was pretty much non existent and at random intervals they grabbed you and shut you in a roomor outside on your own, or pushed you onto the ground and held you there and generally got cross with you in between being kind to you and cuddling and feeding you.  If you look at it from his point of view at the moment you probably seem a little on the unpredictable side, so trust may take a little time to build back up.  There is lots you can do to help with that though :-)

The ragging he is now doing on your hand (biting and shaking), while in an inappropriate place is great because you can re-direct that onto a tuggy toy and he can learn to associate you with doing what will likely become a favourite game for him.  Use a rope toy or a soft fleecy toy and play tug with him (not too roughly at the moment what with baby teeth.  As well as teaching him him that you are the source of fun it is a great way of teaching a 'give'/'leave'  When you start the game have some yummy treats ready at hand and when you want him to leave the toy, offer him a swap of yummy treat.  The tell him what a good boy he is and start the game again.  Do it a few times just swapping and when he's got the idea of the game start saying the word leave/give as you offer the treat and he opens his mouth, that way he will learn to associate the word with the action of opening his mouth and dropping what he has.  Then gradually you will be able to start using the word as a prompt for him leaving something.

You can start to teach him leave with other things aswell and then gradually generealise it and use it when he is trying to get your hands.  He will learn that his raggy toy gets you to play that game and touching your hands gets him little attention.

Training is another great way of bonding, clicker training especially, this is great for bonding because it makes the communiction process between people and dogs much easier, you often see dogs pretty much sighing with relief that they finally understand what is wanted and people feel happier because their dogs are doing what is wanted and having fun :-D  The book I mentioned in an earlier post is a good way to get started but the best way is going to a clicker class.

What ever way you do training, it's important to set your dog up for success and make it fun for him.  Use lots of rewards when teaching new things and special rewards like chicken/ham etc  For example if you are teaching him to wait,   start at home where there are no distractions.  When he is sitting take half or one step back and then go back to him and reward him and then build up one step at a time and he is likely to get it right, understand what you want and enjoy it.  Then wheb he understands it take it into the garden and again go back to making it easier by doing just one step at a time, this is because dogs don't generalise well, so just because he has understood one thing in one place or area doesn't mean he will automatically understand that it means the same in another place.  It is also more difficult due to new distractions for them in new places so again make it eaiser and build up gradually so that they can get it right.

Always try and be consistent and train him with kindness, if things aren't going the way you want or you're getting frustrated, neither of you are likely to get anything out of it, so stop, have a break and try again later.

Another good way of bonding is to hand feed him some of his meals, pop his rations in his bowl and sit on the floor with the bowl in your lap/hand and feed him by hand a few bits at a time.  This not only teaches him that people around his bowl is a good thing but he will build up an association of you and your hands being the provider of good things.