Rot Puppy Out of Control..

Dog classes for everyone in the house! And do NOT give a command more than once or they will not take it seriously. Give the command, wait for the good behavior and praise like crazy, if they know the command. If it is a new command, give the command and gently put them in that position and praise like crazy.

Save "no" for serious situations like running in the street. For an unwanted behavior use a sharp grunt like "aa aa!"

Please no spanking or time outs.

I repeat, go to classes!

It sounds like the dog is asserting herself & viewing herself as higher in the "pack" than you are. This may be because you weren't involved in the initial training & obedience work, or because you do not have a dominant body language. There may also be (real or perceived) nervousness, apprehension or fear on your part when giving commands & reprimands.

This type of behavior is often seen between the dog and children in the family. They key to changing this behavior is to work on basic obedience commands, with proper rewards.

What you have tried so far (spanking & time out) is not effective, and likely wasn't administered properly, which has made the behavior worse. Especially considering the breed, if you physically tried to correct behavior, the dog probably viewed you as not in control of the situation, and decided to take the upper hand.

Because the behavior has escalated to growling I strongly urge you to get professional advice from someone in your area. If possible, you & your roommate together should take the dog to an obedience class & work on basic manners. Find someone that works with a positive reinforcement method.

Additionally in the home, stop using the word "no". It doesn't mean anything to the dog. The advice I gave my husband so he understood what to do with our dogs is to give an 'obeyable command'.

We use a sound to get the dogs attention (think of making a buzzer sound, agh agh!) and then the command. So if the dog was chewing on the furniture, it would be sound, then "leave it". As soon as the dog stops chewing on the furniture, an immediate praise is given "good boy!" or "yes!".

Now, if the dog still had its mouth on the furniture, but halted the chewing, the praise was still given, and if necessary, followed with a second command, such as "come here", which when the dog leaves the furniture & comes towards you, more praise is given, both verbal & petting, or maybe a treat.

This type of positive reinforcement teaches the dog that #1. you are the one in control & #2. doing what you command results in good things happening.

In the same example above, lets say the dog was not stopping the chewing behavior. With puppies, I would suggest physically removing the object, but you are dealing with a dog that has already exhibited growling behavior, so instead find a substitute, such as a bone, & offer it to the dog. As soon as the dog takes it (redirection of behavior), the praise is given.

The key to this type of training is #1. Always give an obeyable command. "No" means nothing to dogs, and becomes noise after a while. #2. Always always praise! If you are telling the dog to do something (which is the same as telling it to not do something else), then you must let the dog know when it did the right thing!

Even if the dog doesn't change their behavior on command alone (such as offering the bone to stop the furniture chewing) still reward the behavior, because the dog did make a choice. Think of it as the dog learning to read, it needs to memorize the letters first before it can make words. Eventually, the commands will start to make sense, & the dog will become more willing to perform them for you, in order to get your praise.

Some common commands that we use in our household:
"Leave it"
"Come here"
"Go away" (which really means, go leave this immediate area, usually given with a sweep of our hand pointing away. Great for getting a dog to stop begging for food! Say it nicely, in the same tone as the other commands)
"Bring it here"

Once you have begun incorporating this change in behavior correction, you should also work on basic obedience commands:
Sit, Down, Stay, Off (Off is for off the furniture, or no jumping, Down is strictly for laying down)

We have our dogs sit & wait for their food (fed 2x a day). If your dog has food always available, you can do this with a treat instead. Sit & wait to be released, with your release word as being "OK!" followed by praise & petting. Practice different lengths of time, from just "Sit... wait... ok" to a 5-10 second wait before release.

The goal is to have the dog willing to respect you in the household, and follow your commands without dissent.

I am a breeder trainer owner of Rhodesian Ridgebacks since 2000, & draw on my experience & knowledge to help others. All advice given above is simply that - advice. I have not met you, or the dog, or seen the interaction & behavior, and as such, the situation may be more extreme & require further intervention.

Again, if possible, go to a trainer together, or at least consult with a trainer on your own. Be safe, and if you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to send me a message.

T. =-)

Get her in an obedience class. Puppies don't know how to behave unless you teach them. You also need to take an active role in the classes show she'll know to listen to you.

Hitting or using a kennel as punishment will make behavior worse. You need to take the dog to a trainer who can not only train him properly, but help you guys learn how to reinforce that training and to stop doing things that will set training back or create aggressive behavior, like hitting.

What would I do?

oh my! I would STOP spanking the dog!! It's that type of behavior from humans that make dogs react in a defensive mode. You are contributing to the dog's bad behavior. How would YOU react to someone hitting you?

Hire a professional trainer. Go to obedience school WITH your room mate. If you room mate is unwilling to go, then neither one of you should have a dog. You BOTH need to be on the same page in care and training of the dog so she does NOT get mixed signals on what is right and what is wrong.

How do you expect a dog to understand "time out"?

Please learn about dogs and their behaviors. They are pack animals as almost everyone here has told you. They need a leader. The dog does not see you as a leader.

S.

I would hire a professional trainer to help me and teach me how to train this dog. These dogs get big and you need to establish who is control now. One thing about training... it is not a class and then you are done. It is ongoing, daily, 24/7. The dog also needs a lot of exercise.

Best wishes to you.

If a puppy doesn't behave, it is not the puppy's fault. If you're yelling at her and hitting her, you have completely failed. And with a rottweiler that can be a dangerous thing down the road. You know how big they get, right?

You have to either get a trainer to come to your home so you can properly understand the mind of a dog and how to train it, or you have to go somewhere for classes. My daughter used Barkbusters and they were excellent. Like anything else though, you have to follow through and work with the dog to train it properly. It sounds like you and your roommate don't know what you're doing. Sadly, this is why many dogs end up homeless. Please get training or go to classes. Anything else is abusive, in my opinion.

This is a dog not a child. Spankings and time outs?

Training is in order right now and MUST be consistent. If you roommate is not going to train the dog, the dog must go. Very simple.

Yes, both people need to reinforce the training, several times a day would be best.

Training has to be constantly reinforced. Go back to the beginning and "reteach" her, and make her practice it every day.
You will find information from the late great Dick Russell, the best dog trainer in the history of ever, here: http://www.dickrusselldogtrainer.com/

oh, my dear! you are systematically creating a dangerously mean dog. you must stop 'spanking' it and giving it time outs, right this second. a dog is not a child, and you are the ones who have caused its behavior to deteriorate.
your roommate needs to get a trainer for this dog and you BOTH need to heed the trainer's instructions. basically YOU need to be trained in how to treat a dog appropriately.
an out of control rottie around kids is a bad, bad idea.
khairete
S.

If you are sick of this now just wait until the dog is a year or older. Dogs remain puppies in their heads long after they are full grown. Your roommate's dog will get bigger and less easy to control before it mellows out.

She's going to need to invest a lot of time in training and exercise in order for the dog to become a safe and enjoyable pet. She needs to take him to a professional obedience class.

In answer to your question as to what I would do...I would have told her six months ago if she goes through with getting a Rottweiler puppy she can start looking for a new roommate.

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE A DOG!!!! Keep your hands off the dog. My hearts breaks for that poor dog. You need to learn how to treat a dog and maybe them she will respond.