Training, Temperament and Behavior

The Rottweiler is a calm and self-confident dog, who has an inherent desire to protect home and family. He is an intelligent and highly trainable dog. Because of his size and strength, it is imperative that he receive proper socialization and obedience training from an early age.

We’ve provided on this page, some articles we hope will help you understand your Rottweiler’s behavior, and help you deal with the unique training challenges in a positive manner.

Is Your Dog Digging a Hole to China?

I’ve had dogs that have dug holes (and thoroughly enjoyed it!). Sometimes to just dig, possibly eating the dirt in the process, and others have taken a treasure, like a beef bone and found the best spot to bury it. Generally, I don’t think dogs will obsessively dig unless they’re after a critter underneath the ground or possibly just suffering from boredom. If you just can’t seem to stop your dirt diggers, here are a few suggestions (taken from the WWW) on ways to end the backyard “path to China”.

The Whole Hole. There are dogs that dig one hole and just keep re-digging it and there are those that dig many holes. If there is more than one hole, fill them with the same dirt, packing it down tightly with a shovel, but do not put dirt in his favorite. Fill it with water and keep filling it at every opportunity. Most dogs do not like that and get discouraged. They do not like getting their feet wet.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Place a large rock in your dog’s favorite hole. Pack it loosely with dirt. (All other holes should be filled in and packed tightly with a shovel.) When he begins digging again the rock will have a built-in correction waiting for his paws and will discourage him. A variation of this technique is to place chicken wire, gravel, crushed pebbles, or aluminum foil (or combinations of all four) in the hole instead of a rock. They are just as unpleasant for a dog to dig into. If the hole is wide enough you can place a metal or plastic lid from a garbage pail halfway down and cover it loosely with dirt. Hitting the hard surface and hearing the noise his paws make against it should discourage him.

Nasty Business. It is possible to discourage a dog from re-digging the same hole by placing his stool in it and filling the rest of the hole with dirt. He will not like it.

The Corrective Squirt. An effective method of correcting a dog when he digs holes is to catch him in the act and squirt him with a garden hose. He must be taken by surprise or the correction will be unsuccessful. Dig a narrow, shallow trench from the edge of your dog’s favorite hole to a water faucet that is out of sight. The trench does not have to be longer than six feet. The point is to hide the presence of the hose in the hole. Place the nozzle of a garden hose in the side of the hole four or five inches down and point it upward. The dog must not see the nozzle or any part of the hose close to the hole. Lay the rest of the hose in the trench. Cover the trench with dirt. The dog must not be able to see the water faucet. Bait the hole by placing food inside. Cover the food with a thin layer of dirt. Allow the dog access and leave. Station yourself at the water faucet. Turn the water on the instant he begins digging and let him have a full squirt. Go to him quickly and shout, “NO! NO! NO!” Once he has been corrected, praise him as a matter of reassurance. If you cannot see the dog from the faucet, have someone watch from a window and give you a quiet signal. Repeat as often as necessary.

Bad Taste. Place newspaper at the bottom of the hole. Generously sprinkle alum, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco sauce all over the paper. When the dog returns to continue digging, he is bound to taste or whiff the three unpleasant substances. He may get them on his paws and lick them. The taste or scent should deter him from continuing his project.

Puppy Nipping and Chewing: How to Stop the Biting That Hurts

Love that new puppy, but don’t love what she is doing to your sofa, sneakers, or fingers? Then it’s time to intervene. While nipping and chewing are natural behaviors that occur when a puppy is between two and six moths of age, they can be stopped!

“Puppies will teethe, just like human infants, Chewing and nipping is investigative behavior. It is how they learn about their world…and it is completely normal.” But it is important, to direct the puppy to chewing appropriate items.

Look for specially designed pet toys. Rubber toys that have an opening for food, such as Kong®, can keep a puppy happily occupied for a long time.

Beware of items that may hide a choking danger. Don’t offer your pup anything with a squeaker that can be ripped our and swallowed.

Examine toys regularly for tears, breakage, or stuffing leaks.

Rotate toys. Puppies love novelty. Different items will help make playtime special.

“As you would with a baby, supervise your puppy at all times. If you can’t be with your dog, protect her in an exercise pen or crate. Puppy-proof your home.”

Put away items that you don’t want chewed or that could be harmful.

Install a safety lock on the cabinet under the kitchen sink.

Keep human snacks and candy out of reach. Remember: Chocolate is toxic to dogs.

When it’s more than play

Puppy biting and chewing are generally not aggressive. “However, it is important to be aware that some puppies can be aggressive, If you have a puppy that seems deadly serious or is snarly or if you are afraid of the puppy, it is important to learn the reason. Videotape that behavior to view with a professional. If you are concerned about it, there may be a reason to be concerned.”

Puppies should remain with their litter until eight weeks of age to learn how to communicate with other dogs. When they rough and tumble, they learn that they will have fun if they bite gently.

Reinforce positive play

To teach the puppy appropriate play behavior, “hard biting should elicit a painful shriek from a human companion, sending the message that this behavior is unacceptable. Stop interacting with the puppy. Get up and walk away, ignoring the puppy for a few minutes. You have removed the rewards (you and playing), and you are teaching bite inhibition.” This is best done between two and four months of age. “Gradually decrease the pressure of the bite you permit and add a cue before yelping to teach a signal to the dog. A puppy can learn to have a “time out” if you ignore him or place him in a crate.

“The only biting you should ignore is soft biting on bare hands. If this occurs, keep your hands very quiet and still and then redirect the puppy to other appropriate objects.”

Other biting, such as the lure of a pants leg or shoelace, can be handled by distractions such as throwing a toy or a simple clap. “Don’t engage the dog verbally. IT reinforces the negative behavior. Reinforce only the positive behavior.

It is important to remember that as much fun as a new puppy may be, children and puppies should NEVER be left together unsupervised. Work with children to teach them how to teach the dog to play correctly. Hide-and-seek is a terrific beginning. It introduces the concepts of the “come” command. Teach children not to roughhouse or wrestle. Like a human baby, puppies get overtired and over stimulated. They need time to rest and calm down.  “Control the game, control the dog.”

Separation Anxiety

About 1/3 of dogs presented to behavioral specialists are presented because of separation anxiety. The signs an animal may show when separated from the owner include vocalization, destruction of property, elimination, loss of appetite, excessive grooming, more intense greetings, hyperactivity, and depression. These signs can be extremely time and location specific.

The typical history of separation anxiety is that the problem occurs as the owner leaves or shortly afterwards. The key to diagnosis is that the behavior only occurs during the absence of the owner. This doesn’t necessarily mean physical absence. All it can take is some kind of denial of access to the owner. A closed door may be all it takes. The difference between separation anxiety and a housebreaking problem is that with housebreaking problems, the dog will eliminate even when it has access to the owner.

Dogs with separation anxiety may exhibit pre-departure anxiety, Their anxiety level rises as the owner prepares to leave and then escalates in intensity after departure. The anxiety and resulting behavioral problems may persist for many hours after the owner departs. These dogs usually have a history of being abandoned during some time in their lives. They are dogs that either came from the shelter or dogs that are constantly in contact with people. The trauma of going to a shelter will predispose dogs to becoming over attached to humans.

Using a crate doesn’t do much to stop the anxiety. In fact, crates are usually contradicted in cases of separation anxiety. All the crate does is condense the problem into one small location. Also, the crate keeps the house clean in cases where elimination occurs. However, the crate can be dangerous to these dogs. Many dogs will become so frantic that they will injure themselves in the crate.

The mainstay of treatment for separation anxiety is behavior modification. Some dogs can be helped by simply taking them with the owner at all times. However, this usually is impractical. Getting another dog to keep the first dog company usually is not a good idea. Only 50% of the dogs will be helped by companionship. Also, getting more dogs only puts more stress on the owner.

Behavioral modification consists of doing practice departures and changing the circumstances surrounding the departures. Owners must carefully identify all the circumstances surrounding their normal departures and do something to change them. Doing so changes the significance of the event and decreases anxiety. It also gives a dog clues that what is about to happen is a short departure and not frightening. For example, owners could turn the TV or radio on. The lecture described a case in which the dog was fine when the owner left the apartment to do the laundry. Consequently, the owner was told to pretend that this was going to happen every time she did her practice departures. The laundry basket and wash soap was the cue to the dog that nothing frightening was happening. Turning on the dishwasher can also be used.

Once owners have figured out what departures the dog will tolerate, you begin with your practice schedule. Start with leaving for less time then it takes the dog to become anxious. Owners may have to leave a tape recorder running when they leave to record what happens so they can time the length of their first practice departures. Once the owners have determined that length of time, they should setup their cues and leave without any fuss. When the time is up, the owners should enter the home nonchalantly. Avoid exuberant greetings and any rewards. Such greetings will result in the dog learning to expect them and will increase the anxiety level. Over time, owners need to gradually increase the time the dog is left alone until the animal can tolerate being left alone for a couple of hours. Once the dog is able to remain calm and relaxed for a couple of hours, it should be alright for the day. Departures should be practiced at different times of the day and on weekends so that the dog does not learn to anticipate what is going on.

After long departures, it is alright to reward the dog with an exuberant greeting and a reward. After several months of successful long departures, owners can gradually phase out the cue.

Drug therapy can help dogs with severe separation anxiety become more receptive to behavioral modification. They also help if owners can’t do the repeated departure training for a long time because of their schedule. The drug of choice to help with separation anxiety therapy is Elavil. The drug is not approved for use in dogs. As with all behavioral medications, it should be begun on the weekend so that the dog can be carefully observed for side effects. Separation anxiety usually requires much patience and hard work on the part of the owners. The poorest prognosis for correction occurs in cases where the owners work very long hours and are gone on the weekends. Dogs owned by people who travel extensively also have a poorer prognosis. Canines are naturally extremely social animals who thrive on company. So it is not surprising that separation anxiety is so widely seen.

Crate Training Your Puppy

However, there is a way to housebreak a puppy quicker and easier – – any time of year. And that’s where the greatest invention of the dog industry – the dog crate – comes in.

To the uninitiated, “crate” is a euphemism for “cage,” and that spells cruelty. But those who purchase a crate before they pick up their puppy quickly discover they’ve not only welcomed their pet with a security blanket but have bought themselves the peace of mind that makes having a puppy a joy every day. Here’s why:

The dog crate is, above all, the dog’s den that he would otherwise have to improvise in a crateless home. It’s for sleeping, not soiling. So, its use is invaluable during housebreaking. When you’re busy, or must leave the house, it assures the dog’s safety as well as the safety of your home and everything in it. The portable crate also makes car trips easy on you, the dog, and the people at your destination. In fact, the dog crate is so practical and indispensable, I wonder how a dog owner can survive without one.

Crate Training

In the wild, dogs are den animals who seek small cave-like enclosures just big enough to crawl into, turn around, and curl up or stretch out against its contours. House dogs without their own crates do the next best thing – they curl up under a table or in your favorite chair, crawl under a bed or behind the sofa, or find another relatively small space that has comfortable, secure “walls.”

It is only natural then, that your new puppy would love his own crate – – a place where children can’t bother him, where no one will disturb him, and where he’s not in the way.

Although plastic crates are better for air travel, the most versatile dog crate is the fold- up “wire” crate with an easily cleaned metal tray floor. The wire crate provides a well- ventilated shelter from which your puppy can watch everything that goes on in his part of the house.

Crates are available from various manufacturers and in various styles, but no matter which you select, make sure your purchase is big enough for your ADULT dog to stand, turn around and comfortable lie down in. A crate that’s too small will cramp your dog; one too large will not provide the safety and security your dog seeks at home or in the car. We can advise you on crate size.

For the dog owner, the crate not only eliminates worry about where to keep your pup when you’re busy or not at home, it eliminates a messy, newspaper-line kitchen or utility room.

Not long ago, a friend telephoned about locating a puppy for his young daughter. Knowing his household’s schedule, children in school and both parents working, I suggested he consider purchasing a crate before he picked up the puppy. I extolled the crate’s virtues – – its den-like qualities, facilitating housebreaking, and its providing a safe place for the puppy and a feeling of ease for the owners.

Several weeks later, my friend called again, to say he’d located a pup for his daughter, but he hadn’t bothered to acquire a crate. Instead, they’d decided to enclose the puppy in the bathroom when they were away from the house! Not surprisingly, the dog objected by shredding the bathroom walls and door. Nevertheless, my friend did not “give in” to a crate for several months. Now, the crate is a permanent part of their den’s furnishings.

For a number of reasons, a bathroom or other enclosed room is a poor substitute for having a dog crate in a room where the pup can be with the family – – in the den or the kitchen area for example, with easy access to an outside door. There, he can watch and learn about his family’s activities. He gets plenty of air, and he can see into other areas of the house and even be aware of outdoor space. He does not feel shut out or uncomfortable; he will not hurt himself or damage the house. He’s not in a stressful situation and neither are you.

Introducing the Puppy to His Crate

Once you’ve found a suitable spot for the crate, you can begin to accustom your puppy to it.

The crate must always be a haven for your puppy. It is for his life, not just housebreaking. It is his den, and should NEVER be used as punishment. For the pup’s safety, remove all collars before placing him in the crate. Put a favorite toy or Nylabone in the crate. Place the pup in, talk to him, telling him how wonderful he is. If he barks or cries, withhold your praise until he stops. Then, praise him lavishly and remove him from the crate. If he’s reluctant at first, show him a puppy biscuit, toss it into the back of the crate, and help him to find it. Give him lots of praise. Serve the pup his meals in the crate.

In other words, make crating a positive experience. The dog learns by repetition and association. Let him learn that the crate is a happy place, and that he’s a g-o-o-o-o-d dog while he’s in it and quiet. He’ll soon wander into it by himself when he’s ready for a nap!

A young puppy from 8 weeks of age can be left in his crate for several hours while you are away from the house. As your dog matures, he can safely be crated for a longer period of time. The dog, who has no concept of time, will sleep most, if not all, the time you’re away.

Remember, before you leave, make sure your dog is not wearing a collar of any kind. Even though it may not seem possible, collars can catch on a crate. Also, leave your dog only a “safe” toy. Now you can be sure he’s safe. And so are your walls, doors, rugs, shoes, bedspreads and everything else. Go, and enjoy!!

Crating and Traveling

Many families like to vacation with their pets or take them along on a day’s outing. But how often do you see cars on the highway with a dog pacing from window to window, from seat to seat? No matter the size of the pup or full-grown dog, a crate is the best place for a dog while traveling.

A loose dog can cause a serious accident. You can lose concentration on driving if you have to help settle him down, or he can cause you to lose control by jumping on your lap to get closer to you or to get a better look at the dog he saw out the driver’s window.

Just like people, the dog can be injured by a falling object or by flying forward if you have occasion to slam on your brakes. So, the crate becomes your dog’s safety belt. When you stop for lunch, to shop, to set up camp, or to arrange for lodging, the dog can remain in the car with the windows or doors open without being endangered by the summer heat or by dashing out onto a busy street. Or you may tick the crate in the car’s shade or under a tree while you enjoy your picnic or visit with friends. And many motels allow pets that are crated in the room while their owners are at dinner (and whose owners clean up after their dog outside.)

In these and countless other instances, the crate makes traveling with your dog as enjoyable as having his company at home. And your dog is always comfortable and secure in his own surroundings.

Slant-front crates are perfect for station wagons. Most hatchbacks will nicely hold a medium-size square front crate. And many cars with seats that fold down can easily house crates of any shape.

And Other Uses

The crate has other uses as well. If your dog is ill or has injured himself, he must be kept quiet. His crate is the perfect place to recuperate. If company comes and a guest feels uneasy about dogs, puppy will happily stay in his crate. If an overnight guest arrives with his dog and you want to keep the two separated, you can accommodate the other dog by keeping yours crated.

Consider purchasing a dog crate – – whatever the brand – – before you pick up your new puppy. It will help make owning a growing dog the delight such and experience is supposed to be.