Figured I better start a new thread for this. So we got Marco, now 8 1/2 week old male rottie on Saturday. As I posted in another thread, I was having a hard time finding a treat that he likes. I think it was Connie who said that bacon was a sure fire treat. He definitely likes that. All I can do so far though is get him to focus on me, mark give treat or lure into a sit mark and treat. I know don't expect too much too soon. I'm not. What I'm trying to do is get him to chase it if only a foot or so to start enticing him into the crate. If I toss it he either doesn't seem to notice it, or he just keeps focusing on my hand and doesn't understand that I tossed it even if he's looking right at my hand when I toss it.

Also, his chewing is unbelievable. I've been through chewing with puppies before but this guy just doesn't stop. I literally spend 98% of the time he's awake redirecting him from things like the couch, chair our pants or my shoe laces onto toys. He'll spend a few seconds on the toy or bone and then he's right back at what he's not supposed to chew on. After 5 days in a row I would have thought he'd start to get the idea. Am I expecting too much with that? I mean if I pick him up when he's chewing on something I don't want him to, he shakes his head back and forth trying to get at my hands. If I put him in the ex pen with all the toys and bones, he just wants to chew on the ex pen.

Outside we can chew on sticks, pee anywhere, poop anywhere, dig holes. Take him outdoors, get him pooped.
I am so happy my pup is grown up!

I am trying to take him outdoors when I can. Of course after probably two months of no rain, it's rained 4 days of the 6 days we've had him. He doesn't seem to mind it and house breaking is going fantastic, but it's not fun for me in the cold rain. Supposed to be dry tomorrow.

Don't let weather screw up potty training. Short period of suffering versus looooong period of fixing. Trust me on this.

I keep my slicker and umbrella right by the door in rainy season. Also thick long towel in place for him to run across on the way back in.


Maybe you need more/different toys to redirect his chewing on. Puppy experts will have advice about that.

About the crate: you might put your hand holding the bacon on the flat palm just inside the crate door, to start. The more the puppy is near or in the crate having a good time, the better. After a few of those, you can lure him in with it in your hand and then have him watch you put it on on the crate floor just a foot inside. That is, baby steps work fine for me!

Door open counts!

Pant legs and shoe strings are more interesting because they are attached to you, and you move. Giving him a toy to "play by himself" is far less interesting and won't hold a young pup's attention for more than a few seconds (as you've seen).

So play with him. Tug, keep-away, hide-and-seek, chase me down the hall--whatever. He wants to engage with you, so USE that.

Treat tossing: start easy. show him the treat and then toss it one inch away, right in front of his nose. Then two inches. Then six inches, etc. Right now, he can't even comprehend the idea that something was in your hand and now it's somewhere else. He'll quickly get the game. Then play the game at the crate, with the door open--with no intention of closing it on him. Just fun times at the crate. Go in, go out, go in, go out.

Ditto what Connie said about the housebreaking in the rain. It sucks. But there's no way around it. Plus, you don't want him to think that rain somehow gives him an excuse to not have to go outside. He'll be peeing in the rain--every time it rains--for the rest of his life. So he better get used to it.

I'm not having any trouble housebreaking in the rain, it's being able to be outside playing in while it's raining. He's doing fantastic housebreaking. He gets where he's supposed to go. There's been I think 3 accidents since we got him on Saturday. 2 were just me forgetting that it had been a while, and one he had just been out maybe 15 minutes prior but had a few sips of water after that. I just didn't think it was time yet.

I am playing tug and tossing the toys for him. He does that. I guess I'm expecting to much for him to chew on them longer than 5 or 10 seconds after I stop tugging or after he chases the toy. He always drags it back to the couch and then starts chewing on the couch. Thanks for the help guys.

Oh, gotcha!

It sounds to me like you're doing great, BTW.

Great advice:

"So play with him. Tug, keep-away, hide-and-seek, chase me down the hall--whatever. He wants to engage with you, so USE that. "





Sounds like a nice puppy!

FWIW, I can see where tossing could be confusing for an infant. He may be a little young for luring, but I've always introduced crate-training by sticking a treat through the bars (halfway back at first and then in the back later), placing pup just inside the door and then luring in. Once in, I fed treats through the bars.