11) EXERCISE IS EXCELLENT. A tired puppy is a GOOD puppy. Forced exercise (running, jogging, conditioning) should be left until after 18 months of age and preliminary hip and elbow exrays, but your puppy needs plenty of time to play and be active. Fresh air and outdoor fun is very important for a young growing puppy. Go for short casual neighborhood walks. Toss toys for him using the retractable lead. Have several of the same toy, and teach the pup to come back and play "trade" for what he has in his mouth. You can also trade for treats. Don't reach out to the dog, or try to take anything out of his mouth. Instead, offer him another toy or a treat to trade. Hold the article you are trading close to your body so the dog has to come all the way in. Make a point of touching the collar each time you trade. Each time he releases an object to you, say "OUT." This is a marvelous exercise that teaches the retrieve, the release, helps with the recall, puts you in a leadership position, and is great fun and exercise for the pup. Once he is coming back reliably, you can reduce your useage of the lead if you are working in a safe fenced area. Keep in mind, working on a leash or a line gives you an immediate way to help your pup make the right choices.
12) DON'T LET DOMINANCE DO YOU IN. Take the lead with your puppy. If YOU are a kind, firm, consistent, and benevolent leader, your puppy will not feel he needs to control an out of control situation. Here is how to be your puppy's adored leader:
Take charge. Control the things in the puppy's life so he can relax. Until he is quite a bit older, sleep should be inside a crate each night, so puppy is safe and sound and so are your household articles. Teach puppy not to exit the crate until you say OK. Some well timed door closing does this in a flash. Work this each time puppy is coming out of the crate. Use the wait command. Open the door slightly. If the puppy starts out, close the door hard enough to make a little noise (making sure not to catch the pup inside it), and say WAIT. When the puppy is waiting, release him and let him come out. Same with doorways or gates. Puppy has to wait until you say OK. Take every chance you get to praise the puppy for doing what you want. Ignore or interrupt and redirect unwanted behaviors. Corrections with puppies should be the VERY least required to interrupt the behavior.
Feed to succeed. The leader is a good provider. Food comes from you. Puppy should learn to sit before you put his bowl down.
Don't allow puppy to beg while you eat. If he is too small to learn to behave, crate him while you are eating. I growl and make direct eye contact to teach puppies not to beg, and it WORKS. If your pup is staring while you are eating, Make direct eye contact and freeze. Sit up tall. If the pup is still looking, lean forward, narrow your eyes, and growl while keeping the eye contact. I have not seen ONE dog that this does not work with. They will look away and find something else to do.
Train that brain. Leaders command respect, and must be obeyed. Be a fair and consistent trainer.
Walk this way. Leaders walk where they wish and subordinants must get out of the way. Don't walk over or around your dog. If he is in your path, he must move.
Tooth and Nail. Don't allow mouthing or jumping up. Teach the puppy to sit when being greeted. Redirect early mouthing (before 12 weeks) with verbal correction (OWWEEE!!) and redirection to the toy box. After 12 weeks or so, I allow no mouthing. I stop it earlier if it's out of hand. Verbally correct and redirect with toys.
If this is not working.....
Take it to the top. Of the neck that is. Correct your puppy for mouthing or other serious infractions by taking firm hold of the loose skin at the underside of the top of the neck under the chin, forcing eye contact, and scolding in a low firm tone of voice. "NO BITE". Look for signs of submission such as licking out of the tongue, ears flat back, looking away, a fore paw raised. Control the puppy's head until he relaxes and gives you at least one of these signs. Then release the puppy and ignore him for a few minutes. No making up or saying "I'm sorry". Do not use this correction except for the most serious infractions. Corrections with puppies should be the VERY least required to interrupt the behavior. The alpha commands absolute respect, and corrects according the the level of the insubordinatio
n.
Head it off at the pass. Head control is dog control. Teach your puppy to allow you to control his head. Grasp the muzzle very briefly, then reward. Gradually increase the time you can hold the muzzle. Later combine this with a slight upward pressure on the collar and slight downward pressure on the muzzle with your other hand. Head control is important for so many things, but especially for vet visits and exams, and if you are going to the breed ring with the pup. Teach mouth handling the same way. Start with a tiny short "lip flip" and work up to the point that you can examine all the teeth and the entire inside of the mouth. The same desensitizatio
n methods work for handling of the feet, ears, and testicles on male dogs. Dogs should be accustomed to having all parts of their body handled early on.
Training your dog to be a good canine citizen takes time and dedication. Every puppy is entitled to the education it needs to grow into a well adjusted young adult. They don't all get it. Many thousands of dogs die each year simply because no one took the time to teach them how to behave and get along in our human world. Please research carefully and understand before you get a puppy that good dogs don't just happen. They are MADE. If you have chosen the right breeder, you are getting a puppy who has the built in genetic abilities to be a marvelous companion and working dog for you. It is up to YOU to develop these traits. The dog you end up with will depend solely on how you control the first year or so of the dog's life, and his early training and socialization experiences. There is an old saying, and it has a lot of truth in it, that goes something like "You always end up with the dog you deserve". This article is a bare bones primer on how to get started. Welcome to a wonderful journey. Be advised it will be over so very soon, it will seem like the blink of an eye. They give so very much and ask so very little of us in return. Enjoy the ride. Take lots of pictures. Bite the bullet and work hard the first 18 months. You will see your reward each time you look into those gorgeous deep brown eyes.
Suggested reading:
How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Rutherford and Neil
The Complete Rottweiler by Murial Freeman
Sirius Puppy Training, by Dr. Ian Dunbar
http://www.siriuspup.com/ Who's In Charge Here?
http://www.chowwelfare.com/cciw/alpha.htm American Rottweiler Club Home Page
http://www.amrottclub.org Located on line at
http://home.carolina.rr.com/clearview/puppytraining.rtfFree for use by anyone as long as proper author credit is given
COPYRIGHT © 2004 Rebekah L. James All Rights Reserved
