HELP I HAVE A 9 WEEK OLD ROTTWEILER THAT BITES WHEN MAD

skippy · New member Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 1

I have a cute, sometimes loving, rottweiler pup named Xena. She has been such a good little thing until yesterday. It is like over night she just decided if she doesn't get her way she it going to growl and bite you. She is not chewing. She jumps and bites. The training book I was reading says just walk away and ignore her. Well that doesn't work. Does anyone have any advice on how I should handle this problem? She starts puppy training classes in June, but I fear I will be missing limbs by then.

Thanks
Skippy

kyles101 · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 2:07 am Post subject:

are you sure its aggression and not just play? seems a bit odd a 9 week old puppy is aggressive. but it can happen. if its playing, ignoring her wil help. if its aggression, showing her whos boss will help. if shes getting her own way with alot of things dont let her. when i was very little my parents bought a dog for my brother. i can remember that this pup was pretty aggressive when it was lying on you and you wanted it to get off. looking back, my parents never really disciplined the dog properly. theyd give it a smack when it would play up but let it walk all over them when it was being good. bad idea! hey, perfect example for the kids owning pets thread lol.

loonyluna · Member Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 24

I'm guessing she is trying to push the limits to see what she can get away with. My pup would bite at me and I would try to ignore her but then she'd "attack" my pant leg so I didn't want her to do that either. Also, sometimes on walks she would jump up and bite my hand. Mostly she outgrew it but when she was acting up, I would make her sit until she calmed down. One time she was being pretty relentless. Every time we went to step off the curb she'd turn back and jump at me and grab my arm. I was so frustrated, I tied her leash off to a stop sign and stood back to give us both a break. She just sat and whined! From other forums that I've read, I think a lot of puppies do this. Yours is pretty young but work on training her with some basic commands like sit and lie down. When she acts up, go into another room and close the door behind you so she learns that playing that way is unacceptable. How old was she when you got her? If she was less than 8 weeks she probably didn't learn from her littermates that this type of play is painful and not fun.

charmedagain · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 2274 Location: uk

Hi at 9weeks old she is till learning and also still teething, Giving her something like a chew toy or puppy bone will usually stop her biting at you.
Everytime she goes to bite say no and give her the toy.
If it gets too bad the best thing is a time out where she is put in another room when she gets too bad they associate biting to be put away from the family and she will not like it.

Also when she bits ignore her never give into her when she wants something dont give her.
She needs to learn that being good gets her what she wants being bad is not.

While puppies are with there litter mates they play fight and sometimes you can get one that is more dominant than others, This is where most breeders make a mistake they allow the pups to fight it out.
I dont i move the dominant/agressive one to a different room until it has calmed down.

Pups need to learn you are the boss and will not tolerate being pushed.

Good luck but at this age she is testing her limits and will soon learn how far she can go before you give in to her..

Mike

RottyMommy · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 3:15 pm Post subject:

Skippy I pm'd you hope the info helps. As the owner of two rottweilers and rescued many others. I can tell you a few things about the breed. They are wonderful, sweet, affectionate, and devoted dogs. But they are also stubborn, intelligent, and can try to be domineering. If she is jumping up and biting you out of anger or because she isnt getting her own way. Even at 9 weeks of age it needs to be addressed. It is much eaiser to work with and control a 9 week old rottweiler puppy then a full grown 100 pound rottweiler.One thing I will tell you not to do is to alpha roll her. If anyone tells you that do not do it. Unless the person I gave you the info about suggests it but I am pretty sure he wont. You will come across a few times with rottweilers when they will try to test the boundaries one time will be between 11 months and 2 years. Some dont but most do. But if your rottweiler always knows that you are the alpha dog meaning top dog in the household you shouldnt have those type of issues. But with having a puppy that is something you have to establish. Sorry for rambling but just wanted to add some things to what I said earlier. Good luck.

bullylove1 · Super Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 1075

Hi there, I had to go through the same thing with my AmStaff Harley. She was 9 months when we got her, but she regressed right back into puppyhood.

I would start to do some home training with her until June. That is too long to wait. Try teaching her some tricks, and how to sit, stay , and lay down. When she has gotten these down, you can start her on a Nothing in Life is Free program. She has to perform a command before getting anything she wants. She wants a pet, she has to lay down first, go for walk, sit while you put on collar and leash, etc. If she doesn't do the command, don't give her what she wants. This will start to show her that you play the dominant role.

Harley really challenged us when we first got her, and it can get very frustrating. I don't think that your dog is being aggressive with you, but you should definately not let her jump up and bite. Jumping up is not as cute to some when the dog is 100# +. hehe, they'll get bowled over.

I have an article on nipping and jumping if you want, I can email it to you. Just PM me with your email or you can email me at leslie146@hotmail.com and I will forward them to you.

Good luck.