rottie pup 11 wks old

by anna
(canada)

My boyfriend has the cutest male rottie pup I have seen. But there are several things that have me concerned.

The pup thinks that I am his chew toy, my fingers/hands arms and ankles not to mention my clothing. I want to be able to sit with the pup and play I know he is still young and in time will learn but I feel like I spend more time saying 'no' than playing with him. What we end up doing is telling him no bite and give him a toy, walk into another room (when we come out he goes for the ankles), spray with a water bottle and if he still continues to bite he ends up in his crate for a 2-3 minute time out. Are we doing something wrong or is this just a time/age thing

Also when trying to get him to go out side (washroom) he doesn't want to walk down the stairs when he does walk down them he ends up piddling on the stairs (live in an apartment only access to outdoors is 2 sets of stairs) when walking up the stairs which he will do sometimes he tends to nip and bite at the ankles same with when walking him to his 'spot'

i am out of ideas

again i know he is only 11 weeks any suggestions or ideas input would be appreciated




Hi Anna
I know how frustrating these behaviors are, but rest-assured, they are perfectly normal!

Biting and nipping is a universal puppy habit, and some breeds/individual pups are worse than others. Rottweilers generally aren't especially 'mouthy', but this pup obviously is. You're doing all the right things in regards to his biting, it's just a case of being patient and consistent, he will 'get it' eventually.

If you find the water spray-bottle doesn't work, you can mix up a 1:10 ratio of vinegar to water and try that. Or buy those little tiny breath-mint sprays, and give him a shot of that on his tongue when he bites. These are usually very effective, but you need to be very quick and accurate when using them as a correction. You don't want to spray his nose or eyes.

As for the piddling as he's going down the stairs - at 11 weeks old his bladder control is very limited, and he just may not be able to 'hold it' for two flights. I know that rottweilers aren't light, so carrying him down isn't going to be an option for long, but until his bladder control is a bit better it may be necessary. Just use the same tactics as above for the nipping at your ankles/pants etc.

Puppies are creatures of habit, and learn through association, so it takes time for them to build up the correct associations between cause-and-effect when it comes to behavior. The good thing is that when taught young, these associations become 'hard wired' into their brains and if taught consistently they will retain these habits well.

Just one point I wanted to make in case you weren't aware of it. Rottweilers are especially susceptible to catching Parvo and it's vital that he gets all his vaccinations on schedule. It's also advisable to give a Rottweiler pup a fourth Parvo 'booster' at about 16 weeks of age to make sure he's fully protected.

This is especially important as you live in an apartment complex, where he may be coming in contact with areas where other unvaccinated/stray dogs have been. It's not safe take a pup into public areas until he's received all of his shots.

My New Puppy Care page has lots of tips and advice on taking care of a new pup, and links to many other pages/articles.

Best of luck!