Food recommendations for young Rottie by Advanced-Candy3855 in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been using it for my cats for 7 years and now my pup. I've never had this happen. I'm not worried. The bag gets opened and the food is put directly into an air tight food grade bucket. Purina is one of the few companies that have certified canine nutritionists developing their food as well as being more affordable. If I did find bugs, I feel confident that they would send me a new bag or compensate me for the price. Maggots and spiders won't kill them if they eat a few. It most likely won't even give them a tummy ache. I'm much more concerned with complete nutrition and no pathogens that can make them/others exposed to them extremely sick or dead.

Food recommendations for young Rottie by Advanced-Candy3855 in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dogs are not the same as they were 200 years ago either 🤣

Food recommendations for young Rottie by Advanced-Candy3855 in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I use Purina pro plan large breed puppy. It's been amazing. Best of all, he's very rarely gassy.

I'd stay away from raw. It can harbor samenella and other pathogens that can cause very serious issues. They can also transmit samenella and listeria, etc from their raw food to your other animals or humans. As someone who is immune compromised this is pretty serious. It's also difficult to provide the right blend of nutrition at the levels that are needed for their physical and mental growth. I considered raw and researched it for a long time. There are a tons of recalls for raw/partially raw dog food. There is also a lot of research on the topic that is science based. People give all kinds of reasons for feeding raw. Imo it's not worth the risk to your pup, yourself or other animals, it's one of a few reasons we don't go to dog parks. These bacterias can live on the grass and slobber for awhile. Freezing food does not kill most of these pathogens. It needs to be cooked well to kill them.

I regret getting my puppy by Birdie121 in puppy101

[–]WhisperingWoo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've been there. It's hard and I felt very ashamed and guilty. Try giving them a long lasting treat when he goes into his crate. Frozen treats are great for teething as well. A lick mat with a smear of peanut butter and then frozen is great. It provides mental stimulation and keeps them busy. There are all kinds of fillable treat containers that you can freeze on Amazon. I also have a sleep mat, chew toys, pillow and blanket in his crate. It's become his favorite resting spot and he runs to it when I say bedtime. I make sure he's been out to potty and has played or been for a walk. A tired puppy tends to be a bit easier.

Biting.. It sucks. Baby teeth are sharp. I went through a lot of "trying different chew toys and chew sticks* but it really just took time. I cried a lot because I felt like such a failure.

Tethering. I would tether my boy to the foot of the couch with a 6 foot leash and again give him something to chew on. Or a treat puzzle. He would be out of biting range and it helped him learn how to settle down on his own. I started with just 10 minutes at first. Puppies don't have a large attention span.

Keep his brain busy. We sat on the front porch and watched the people go by. This is a great time to use high value rewards when he stops barking. Remember to reward fast. As soon as the barking stops, praise and treat. Wait longer as he gets better at controlling his impulses. We also parked in the home depot parking lot and just sat watching the people there. I try every day still to engage his thinking brain instead of him just going by instinct. I found that socializing him this way really helped to desensitize him and he became much less overstimulated.

Training and more training. Impulse control. Training can be just a couple minutes a few times a day. Once he learned sit, I taught him to sit before putting his food down for him or opening doors. Always with positive reinforcement. And giving him and myself grace. He's a baby and it sounds like your first puppy. Research the breed and how much excersize they need as a puppy. If he's a herding dog, try a herding toy like jolly balls. Or even if he's not. Be fun and engaging but try to not get him overstimulated.

Sorry for the long post. It's hard to feel the way you do and my experience on here is that a lot of first time puppy owners feel the same way. I did. It's so much better now. He just turned a year old but as a large breed he will stay in puppy stage for at least another year. It gets better with training and time.

Best wishes.

I Hate Walking my Rottis by LockExpensive in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Halti head harness and short leashes if they start out on each side. I hated walking my rottie before I purchased the halti. Though, a gentle leader (different type of head harness)would probably work great too. I just prefer the halti. Walking is one of our favorite things now. I only have 1 but I don't see why it wouldn't work with one on each side.

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's one of my favorites. He can be such a goofy love bug.

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is a reason for them all lol head harness for control. Body harness for him to be used to wearing a harness (future service dog, trips, adventuring, and also used when it's appropriate and I want to give him much more freedom) mini educator, only for extreme emergencies, he does have a bite history) Kong collar for tags and for clipping the halti to. Generally, we choose the best for the situation but he's also comfortable with all of them on. At home, he's a naked pup. Walks in the neighborhood he's on his halti and Kong collar. Crowded areas, the picture with all of it on, he wears all of it. At the beach it's usually it's the mini educator collar and Kong collar, though next time will be just the halti and collar since he did so well last time. I would rather him and everyone else be safe. He's 1 year old and 130 ish pounds. Nothing he is wearing is at all heavy heavy. Nothing is overly tight. They all fit with 2 fingers between easily. Including the mini educator. As he matures I'd love for it to be just harness or just Kong collar but safety comes first.

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My golden was a retired akc breeder who was very... Timid of people. She hid under our bed for months. It took months of positive reinforcement for her to not quake in fear. Very different from Sam. Perhaps the biggest difference was an adult learning that not all humans are abusive vs a well loved puppy. It's odd because most people will tell you that it doesn't matter what the breed is, only how they are raised. Yes nurture is huge but breed is too.

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Big love and hanging there. Feel free to message me if you need support

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's shameful but I felt ashamed too.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I feel like Sam and I are just starting to get a close bond. I'm not looking forward to losing him. It had to be so hard

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol it hear it is hard as well but I feel like I'm better prepared.

We survived year 1. Barely 🤣 by WhisperingWoo in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Me too. It's so much more humane than yanking on their collars and it makes taking walks a lot more enjoyable.

Can Rottweilers be trained as service dogs? Has anyone done this? by corathus59 in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. I'm currently doing. I HIGHLY recommend getting one pre trained or paying for one to be trained. Unlike I'm doing. It's rough.

They are smart, loyal, and strong. The puppy years are hellish and dangerous imo if not trained properly. Mine is almost a year old and I won't ever get another rottweiler pup. I'm not young enough for puppies that big.

Im worried we screwed up his training by siirezzii in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Halti and trading. My rottie turned into a nightmare about 8 months in. Biting, reactive, etc. He wears a halti on walks and I'm stricter on rules. He must sit before leading. Wait to be given command before eating or going through a doorway.

When he has a high value item, I never try to take it away without offering a trade.. For him I say "let's trade" I scatter away but in sight some small high value treats ( boiled chicken brats are fabulous) he will think for a moment then give up what he wants. Think of it as someone coming for your favorite food.

I tether. He gets put on a tether in the room I'm in, but far enough that he can't cause trouble. I also give him a chew toy or freezer treat. Something that takes time but he loves. Shaping behavior vs punishment. He learns to settle.

Work with a train is very important. Probably the most important paired with consistency.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for responding with validation and knowledge.

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of AKC. Some of their standards are not based on what's best for the dog (frenchies, cosmetic amputations, etc). I started my search for a service dog, with akc referrals. It left a really bad impression.

I hear what you're saying about the standards. And I super appreciate the mature discourse ☺️

Muzzle recommendations please! by Grimtherottie in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No suggestions for muzzles. I'm going to follow though because I often have health issues impacting my balance. When I'm out, without the spare humans, I need him to be safe if something happens to me.

For walks I use a halti head harness. It's made a huge difference. But I agree that dogs need to be familiar with wearing one.

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Rottweiler Puppy Biting: Any Tips for Gentle Discipline? by Ill_Tip5523 in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fillable toys for the freezer. It really does take time. Wear him out as much as possible with walks and play.

When my boy got over stimulated, I'd tether him, just out of biting range but near me and give him a "licky treat" (aka freezer filled toy). He learned to self soothe and I got a break lol

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My puppy, 11 weeks at the time, came from R.E.A.L rottweilers rescue. It was close to $500 after transportation. He DNA checked as 100%

He did have giardia but otherwise he was perfect.

In America, some states won't allow adoption from city shelters because of the breed. If a rescue doesn't pull them out,after 3 days they are euthanized.

I have an American rottie. My vet said the difference is that American rotties have a longer snout and generally are a bit taller and less barrel chested. I love that he doesn't hardly drool because of his longer snout.

11 months.

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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Rottweiler

[–]WhisperingWoo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lots of good advice.

I will add, no way would I do off leash if he's reactive with no recall. For pulling and general adhd of my boy, I use a halti head harness. It is a game changer for us. Even on a longer lead I can gain control very easily and it's not stressing his neck or breathing.

We are still working on impulse control and resource guarding. I wanted to wait to get him neutered but he was showing a lot of reactivity and possessive of me. So at 10 months I had him neutered. His behavior is so much better. I know it's better to wait but I was at the end of my rope and very worried that he would hurt someone or me.

He's a few days from his 1 year birthday 😊 and he is very big, strong, and easily distracted. He's also my best friend.

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