continues to bite

[susan O]

I have 4 month old male Rottie who is a rescue dog. He continues to keep biting despite all our efforts. We have done the following: substitute chew toy, hold muzzle, yelp like a puppy, walk away, time outs, Alpha role with submissive back roll, release and pop with choke collar, listerine spray bottle, and shaking cans. We have had two trainers that feel this is puppy playing behavior. The problem is that he jumps on you and continues to bite hands, feet, legs, etc all while growling and wagging his tail. If you try to walk away he just continues to bite.He does assume the pupply play position but it really hurts and he has drawn blood on more than one occassion. I'm worried about this behavior because he is going to be a big dog and I feel it will only get worse. He is very socialized and gets along with other people and dogs so I can't figure out how to change this or why it is happening. I would appreciate any help!!! Thanks

[LetsPlay]

Hi there,
it sounds like you are using all the right methods. Some puppies are just so full of life that everything is play to them. Especially if he is confident dog with some dominant behavior traits.
You are absolutely right to be worries about it, because as you said he will be a big dog. A lot of people think that puppies will grow out of it, but if you don't teach them they don't just grow out of it.
Always look at the behavior of a puppy and think whether that is a behavior you would tolerate in a big adult dog. If it's not you will have to nip it in the bud.

Have you tried the time out?
Have you got a room/box/kennel/shed or anything like that that is small, boring and easy to reach? If so just grab him by the scruff and put him in the room/shed for a 5-8 minute time out. You might have to do that many times each day at the start, but hopefully he will get the message that way.

It just seems that everything is play to him. Even if you ignore him he will still follow you and bite your feed, so if he is locked away he won't be able to do so.

You can also use a short chain and tie him up in a place that is away from all the action. It's important that he feels socially isolated and no one talks to him or looks at him.

He might cry and scratch, so make sure you only let him out of the time out the second he calms down. After that still ignore him for at least 10 minutes.
If he starts biting again put him straight back. If he doesn't praise him.
You might find that he will be in his time out spot for most of the time to start with, but hopefully he will learn quickly.

Rottweilers are beautiful dogs, but they need to be trained well, otherwise they can be a real problem.

Let us know how you get on.
John