How to discipline a rottweiler puppy?

Question

my dad said i should spank my rottweiler puppy when she does something she isn't suppose to. he's raised 6 dogs already and they all turned out to be very well behaved dogs. so i'm wondering if it's just different with every trainer?

Answer 1

It's different with every DOG is what it is.  My parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles.... all the dogs I grew up with were disciplined with spanking.  They all turned out OK....  But now I know better.  I've seen first hand the difference in temperament between two dogs of the same breed, one having had positive training and one having had negative training.  I'm a firm believer in positive training methods!

Another thing -- all those dogs I grew up with that were spanked -- they were all mutts.  Now I have boxers.  They are wonderful dogs, but one characteristic of the breed is that they can be stubborn.  They are considered a dominating breed, just as rotts are.  I've seen that spanking and other negative techniques really bring out the bull-headedness in these dogs; and with a big, strong dog like a rott, that's the last thing you want!

Don't listen to your dad; use positive reinforcement with your pup.  Spanking will NOT benefit your dog in any way.

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles...

I suggest you find a rotty forum to join.  I am a member of a boxer website which has proved to be an invaluable resource.  Joining that site is probably the best thing I've ever done for my boxers.

Answer 2

This is my breed of choice, and both my boys are CGC qualified, and Delta Society therapy dogs. These things require lots of good discipline and socialization. I do NOT hit these dogs, and strongly advise you to avoid doing so, as well. Rotties do not respond well to anger in any form, and tend to pout and hold grudges. It is essential that you earn their respect and trust.

Read up on how to be a pack leader. Once you have established yourself as a good, fair Alpha, they will follow you to the ends of the earth. Here's an example:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/topdogrules....

Also read up on positive reinforcement.

Answer 3

NEVER spank an animal. It's called abuse. Could you imagine being the same size as that small puppy and some giant laying the smack down on you? well, if you can, it probably isnt a pretty picture. The best thing to do is get a trainer. if you cannot afford one, research animal training online. your resources are vast as long as you make use of them. good luck sweetie.

I have three dogs and I raised them on love. they turned out just fine.

Answer 4

NOOOOOOOOO. This happens to be my number one breed and know quite a bit about them. No don't ever use phsical force especially with a puppy. They need direction and positive things only at this point. When your pup is an adult and knows what he did wrong a correction can be given with a stern 'no'. Any real leader never needs to give their dog a physical correction.

This breed will not respond well to it in the long run, either outward aggression or your dog will fear you. None of which is an outcome for a dog that will respect you.

Answer 5

U should never spank a dog as it could turn them nasty if she does something wrong tell her no in a very stern voice but always say her name first (ie busta no) do this everytime she does something wrong then try ignoring her for a about half hour but dont ignore her all day as this can send dogs depressive suicidal hope this helps

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Answer 6

Never spank a puppy. Most of the times puppies simply do not know what's expected of them and spanking them in such cases will not only be painful, but also confusing, which will teach them that you are unpredictable and cannot be trusted.

Of course spanking can work, physical punishment has been used for years and resulted in many well behaved dogs, your father's included. A solid, middle of the road temperament dog will probably turn into a well-behaved dog raised on physical punishment and correction, but a more timid dog could turn fearful and a more dominant dog, resentful.

I guess it all depends on what kind of relationship you want with your dog and what kind of underlying reason you want your dog to have for obeying. A dog raised with spanking will be much less inclined to try out new behaviours, as he never knows if a new behaviour will result in punishment or not, this can also reflect in how fast the dog learns new tricks and commands. A dog raised with spanking often obeys to avoid punishment instead of obeying because he wants to.

Teaching a puppy "no" will go a long way to avoid conflicts and confrontation.

The woman who taught the puppy class I went to with my first dog was a firm believer in physical punishment and physical corrections to teach a dog something. I was a novice dog owner and trusted her, but later left the class, because her methods did not feel right to me and my dog did not respond to them and was by far the most out of control puppy in class.

I then began to train my dog at home and I can, hands down, say that my dog learned faster, enjoyed training more and was much more obedient and significantly more reliable (something like 99,99% as opposed to maybe 60%) with the commands she had learned through cooperation based training, than through correction based training.

I'm training my new puppy with a mish-mash of dog-language, fading out, praise and reward, and clicker. She has excellent self-control and is above average well-behaved for her age. She was the ace at puppy class, way ahead of the other puppies to the point where the trainer doesn't want to see her there anymore, but wants her in advanced class with the older dogs.

Much of course depends on the character of the individual dog and the breed (I have Belgian Shepherd Dogs), but just as much depends on how the dog is handled.