|
|
A DOGS PLEA
ANONYMOUS
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I might lick your hand between blows,
your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me learn. Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps fall upon my waiting ear.
Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements.
I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger. And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun.
Please see that my trusting life is taken gently, I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.
This is Lexis, a pup from one of our previous litters. Potty Training Puppy Probably the most asked for advise is potty training for the new family member. When done correctly, it requires a lot of attention and commitment. However, it you take the time now, you will save yourself and your furry friend lots of frustration later. Before you take your new Rottie home, I have already encouraged it's natural behavior to begin potty training here. If you follow up diligently, you will have a well trained pup in no time. Try to keep a schedule. Feeding at regular intervals will help your puppy eliminate at regualr intervals as well. CRATE TRAINING Althoug many feel that crate training is cruel, it is actually very humane. Not only is it much kinder than being constantly angry at your pup for circumstances beyond his control, but in the wild, their "den" was their home and source of comfort. Many owners will tell you that long after their dog is crate trained and no longer kept locked in the crate, that if the crate remains out and unlocked, the dog will return there for naping, etc. I am currently potty training my son. And for those of you that believe potty training a puppy to be difficult-- let me just assure you that this is one of those tasks you would give a teenager to encourage abstinence! If I were to send my son outside to play and then tell him if he thinks he needs to go potty, he must run down the street, around the neighbor's house, through the neighbor's back yard and knock on her door; wait for her to answer and then explain to her that he needs to go potty; oh, and our neighbor doesn't speak the same language as my son, so she would have no idea what he is saying assuming he made it there before he went potty. How many think this would be an effective form of potty training? Well, this is essentially what we ask of puppies only a few weeks old when we give them full run of a home that is massive to them. I reccomend crate training your new puppy until you have established a behaviour routine that the puppy knows well. Crate training not only helps with potty training, but also many other behavior issues including chewing and separation anxiety. Any dog will naturally not want to lie in it's own excriment. Choosing a cage or crate the appropriate size is essential. You want it to be large enough for the puppy to lie and move around in, but too small to allow it enough room to potty and still have a clean area to sleep in. You want to force your puppy to hold it to avoid having to lay in it's own waste. This will probably mean buying a larger crate as your puppy grows or obtaining a larger one that can be effectively devided to provide a small enough space. When you take the puppy out of the crate, the very first thing you need to do is take it potty. Give it sufficient time as a growing puppy will usually have a bowel movement several times a day. Also take the puppy potty everytime it wakes up, has been playing, finishes eating, or cries in the crate--this will teach him that crying is his way to let you know that he needs to go potty. Each time the puppy produces the desired outcome outside, eagerly show how pleased you are. Everytime you have your puppy out of the crate at home keep it under constant supervision. If he begins to sniff the floor either take him potty if it has been awhile or distract him with a toy or play. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PUPPY UNSUPERVISED OUTSIDE OF HIS CRATE UNTIL HE IS SUFFICIENTLY POTTY TRAINED AND KNOWS HIS BOUNDARIES ON CHEWING! If you know that you are going to be gone for several hours and the puppy does not yet have the ability to hold it that long, leave him in a smaller, enclosed space with plenty of newspaper. All of my puppies have been paper trained as well as begun their outside potty training. HOW LONG CAN A PUPPY BE EXPECTED TO HOLD IT? The general rule is one hour per month of puppy life (so a 3 month old puppy can hold it for up to 3 hours.) Having said that, your puppy is no different than a very young child and accidents will happen, so accept that now. WHAT TO DO WHEN AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS? If the accident has already occured whether it was two minutes ago or two hours ago, the only thing you can do is clean it and realize YOUR mistake of leaving the puppy unsupervised or in too large of an area. Once the accident has occured, it is history and if you scold your puppy, it will have no idea why you are mad. If you continue this behaviour, you will end up with a nervous, scared dog that thinks your presence equals a scolding and it will end up urinating everytime it sees you out of fear. If you are fortunate enough to catch him in the act, grab the collar and firmly say "no" or clap you hands loudly. You want to startle it into stopping the act. Immediately take the puppy to the appropriate area and allow it to complete it's business. Once he has, praise him like he just won a gold medal for you. With positive reinforcement such as this, it will not take your puppy long to realize what pleases you. Any dog, by nature will want to please his owner and the rottie even more so. CLEANING UP. Cleaning up an accident correctly is essential as puppies decide where to go by scent. They learn that the smell of the newspaper means it's safe to go potty there as well as the outside smell. If a puppy has an accident inside and you do not clean it with a product specifically designed with enzymes to completely eliminate the mess and the odor, the puppy will smell it's excriment on that spot and assume that this is an appropriate place to go potty. Look for products like Simple Sloutions or Nature's Miracle, that specifically say "for pet odors" as these will contain the proper enzymes to break up and eliminate all traces, as well as be safe for your rottie. Avoid products containing amonia as these will actually attract your dog. Rottweiler Property Laws 1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it just looks like mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.
Photo by Haisley's Photography.  Chewing. Just like babies, puppies experience their environment through their best sensory organ--their mouth. That combined with a mouth full of sharp, painful teeth erupting and a puppy can literally chew you out of house and home. PUPPY PROOF. Everyone knows that before you bring a new baby home, you must first baby-proof your home to make it a safe and comfortable environment for you new little one. Puppies are no different. Anything that you do not want chewed needs to be up off the floor in the area you are allowing your puppy to explore/play. This includes: shoes, bags, books, other children's toys, and of course anything dangerous. Keep the puppies area well stocked with toys that are acceptable for her to play with. Some choose to keep a little basket for the puppy full of toys where the puppy knows and is easily accessable, others choose to scatter the toys for easy access. Either way works just as well. When you find the puppy chewing on something inappropriate, again, you will grab the collar and sharply tell her "no." Then remove the item and replace it with something she is permitted to play with. Also try to play and iteract frequently with your new puppy using the toys that are acceptable that way she will have positive association with those toys and know that they please you. CHEWING ON YOU. Again, just like babies, puppies will chew on you if permitted as well. Although it may be cute when they are 8 weeks old, with a growing rottweiler it will very quickly become anything but cute. Discourage it early on with the "no" and replace method or by simplying showing your puppy that your playtime is over when she does this. For a dog as social and eager to please as a rottweiler, being discluded is a for worse punishment that anything else you could do. MANS BEST FRIEND. Bitter Apple and similar products are aroung $5.00 at pet stores and will quickly become your best friend for a persistent chewer. You spray it directly onto the surface that the puppy enjoys chewing (including your hands if that is an issue.) It is non-toxic and completely harmless but it has a very distinct taste that most dogs cannot stand. (My husband tried it before using it on our youngest pup and said it really does taste like a very bitter apple--I'll take his word for it!) ACCEPTABLE TOYS. For a growing rottweiler with amazingly powerful chompers even at an early age, you will want to supervise even the "puppy safe" toys. Rawhide, cow bones and hooves, and pig ears can quickly be chewed down to seemingly bite-size pieces. Once the item has been rendered small enough to swallow, it must be removed and discarted. If your puppy swallows a large chuck, it could become stuck in the intestines leading to an expensive surgery or even death. One of the best toys I have found is a bit more expensive, but you really get your money's worth. It is called Kong. There are several varieties and shapes now and it is seemingly indestructive. Diesel has had the same one for about 3 years and it only takes him days to go through one of those mamoth cow leg bones. It is made of a really strong, dense rubber and can be filled with favorite treats or kibble to keep you pup entertained while you are gone. You can buy the puppy one for about $5-$10 and a Diesel size Kong for aroung $10-$15. Another really great item for chewing are the large knotted ropes. Not only will they stand up pretty well to a Rottweiler, but they help to clean the teeth while the dog plays. Also acceptable are Nylabones. Some people like to give their dogs old shoes or rolled up socks to play with and chew on. I DO NOT RECCOMEND this. Your puppy will not be able to tell which shoe is acceptable to chew and which shoe is not; which clothing it can play with and shred and which it should not. You do not want to encourage her to eat anything that smells like her master. SOCIALIZATION. Many people mistakenly believe that by "over-socializing" a rottweiler, he will become complacent and not be a good protector. This is a myth and is NOT true. Undersocialization of your rottweiler can lead to fear biting. A Rottweiler is protective of his family because of his love and devotion to them. His bond will not be diluted by meeting other people any more than you would love your family anyless by meeting new people. Rottweilers are not stupid, and they know the difference between a friend and foe. My boy Diesel is the king of over-socialization. He has gone with us almost everywhere since he was a pup. He is the first to try and crawl in your lap seemingly oblivious of his size and will share his prized possesions with an 8 oz. kitten. Yet I have seen that same dog go from happily wagging his butt to making a sound so ferocious that you would truly believe it to be coming from a rabid bear. We were renting a house while waiting for our current home to be built. We needed an electrician to come and fix an issue we were having so I chained Diesel up to a telephone pole in our back yard to keep him out of the way. This was not a dog cable, as those might as well be yarn for a rottie. It was heavy boat chain. The electrician came through the back gate escorted by my husband and Diesel eagerly greeted him. He began working on the outside of the house meanwhile my husband and I began cleaning the yard. (You do a lot of this with Rottweilers!) My children were in the house playing. The electrician needed to go check the breaker box in the kitchen. As soon as that man headed into the house alone where Diesel's kids where, the telephone pole started shaking and Diesel growled and barked so ferociously that even I hesitated before approaching him. Even though he had previously met this man and was quite eager to play with him, he was still not trusted to be alone with our children. This is only one of many stories like it that I have from personal experience. Please do not make the mistake of undersocalizing your dog and contributing to the negative image already pupblically held. |
|