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Whether your German shepherd/Rottweiler puppy was bred deliberately or is an adorable accident you have rescued from a shelter, you have a very cute puppy on your hands. Depending on how much of each parent she shows, your pup is probably very fluffy, with ears that flop or prick partway. She is a big puppy, with paws that promise a huge dog is coming. Rotties top out around 100 pounds, and shepherds aren't known for being much smaller. While your particular pup may have gotten breed characteristics more from either of her parents and show more Rottie or Shepherd traits, both these breeds have strong instincts for herding and protection, and both are breeds that are loyally devoted to their families. Because of the similarities between your pup's parent breeds, you can have certain physical and behavioral expectations, whichever breed your pup expresses more.
Since both Shepherds and Rotties are known for their protective instincts, it is extremely likely that your puppy will show these instincts as she grows up. For this reason, it is essential that you socialize your puppy very well with people and other animals. If you intend for your "Shottie" to guard your livestock, property, or family, it best that you start protection training early, and acclimate your puppy to the livestock she will guard, as well as beginning to build in her aggression towards predator animals. If you have cats or other small animals, it is very important that you teach your puppy how to behave with small animals and resist her prey drive.
Get to know what motivates your Shottie puppy and begin using rewards to motivate her in training from the beginning. Your puppy is developing a powerful jaw that will benefit from gentle tug games, as well as as many chew and food distributing toys as you can afford. Teach your puppy not to jump up or throw her body around when she is small and harmless, so that as she grows she will not injure anyone accidentally. Rotties and Shepherds are both powerful, fast-growing dogs. Too often their body grows quicker than their self-control, making them hard to handle and potentially dangerous at around nine months. Every week of your pup's young life is essential training time to develop her into a happy, well-mannered adult.
The Mark Good Behavior Method
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Sound means reward
Choose a unique sound, either one you make or with a clicker or other noise making device. If you would like to mark your dog's good behavior even at a distance you can use a beep collar.
Sound marks good behavior
Once your pup understands that the sound means a reward is coming, use it to mark any desirable behavior.
Try to read her mind
Try to get into your puppy's head and see her decision making. If you see her go to a rug, then think of it and go to the door to ask to go out, reward her for making the right decision.
Variable rewards
Once your puppy understands that the sound marks good behavior and indicates your approval, vary rewards from just your affection to desirable treats.
Add command words
Once your puppy is very comfortable with understanding when her behavior is desirable, begin naming desirable behavior as well as marking it with the sound. You can mark behavior like 'sit', or states of mind like 'calm'.
The Mirror Me Method
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Devoted dogs
Rotties and German shepherds are both known for being devoted to their humans. If your puppy is stuck to you like glue, you can teach her how you would like her to behave by teaching her to model herself after you.
Start simple
Perform a very simple behavior like backing up or sitting down. Say the name of the behavior as you do it
Reward mimicry
As soon as your puppy copies you, reward her with affection, toys, or treats.
Ask for commands
Once your dog has mirrored you several times and seems to understand the activity, try asking for it using the command word without doing it yourself.
Build complexity
Build more complex behaviors or ask your dog to mirror your state of being, like being calm when visitors come.
The Tied to You Method
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Working dog
If your purpose for your Shottie is for her to be your constant companion and working partner, it is a good idea to start building that expectation in puppyhood.
Keep your dog with you
Keep your puppy near you at all times, using a harness and long line when necessary. Always have anything your puppy may want on hand.
Frequent work and reward
Train your puppy simple commands using treats to lure and reward. Practice these commands often, and begin to put them into practical use early, like asking your puppy to 'down-stay' at a restaurant.
Build communication
Pay attention to your puppy's attempts to communicate with you, and build vocabulary for things like wanting to go out, wanting a toy, etc.
Build trust
As you work with your Rottie/Shepherd as she grows, she will become accustomed to being your constant companion and will work fluidly with you. Always remember to reward her well with things she desires for the work she does for you.
Written by Coral Drake
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 02/15/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
How do I stop my puppy from biting me
Aug. 12, 2023
Kola's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Check out the article linked below. Starting today, use the "Bite Inhibition" method. BUT at the same time, begin teaching "Leave It" from the "Leave It" method. As soon as pup is good as the Leave It game, start telling pup to "Leave It" when she attempts to bite or is tempted to bite. Reward pup if she makes a good choice. If she disobeys your leave it command, use the Out command from the second article linked below to make her leave the area as a consequence. The order or all of this is very important - the Bite Inhibition method can be used for the next couple of weeks while pup is learning leave it, but leave it will teach pup to stop the biting entirely. The Out method teaches pup that you mean what you say without being overly harsh - but because you have taught pup to leave it first, pup clearly understands that you are not just playing (which is what pup probably thinks most of the time right now), so it is more effective. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Out - which means leave the area, is also a good command for you to use if pup bites the kids. Check out the section on Using Out to Deal with Pushy Behavior for how to calmly enforce that command once it's taught. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Another important part of this is puppy learning bite inhibition. Puppies have to learn while young how to control the pressure of their mouths - this is typically done through play with other puppies. See if there is a puppy class in your area that comes well recommended and has time for moderated off-leash puppy play. If you can't join a class, look for a free puppy play group, or recruit some friends with puppies to come over if you can and create your own group. You are looking for puppies under 6 months of age - since young puppies play differently than adult dogs. Right now, an outside class may be best in a fenced area, or letting friends' pups play in someone's fence outside. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play, let everyone calm down, then let the most timid pup go first to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppies go too when they are waiting for permission. Finding a good puppy class - no class will be ideal but here's what to shoot for: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/puppy-classes-when-to-start/ When pup gets especially wound up, she probably needs a nap too. At this age puppies will sometimes get really hyper when they are overtired or haven't had any mental stimulation through something like training. When you spot that and think pup could be tired, place pup in their crate or an exercise pen with a food stuffed Kong for a bit to help her calm down and rest. Practicing regular obedience commands or having pup earn what they get by performing commands like Sit and Down before feeding, petting, tossing a toy, opening the door for a walk, ect... can also help stimulate pup mentally to increase calmness and wear them out. Commands that practice focus, self-control, and learning something a bit new or harder than before can all tire out puppies. Finally, check out the PDF e-book downloads found on this website, written by one of the founders of the association of professional dog trainers, and a pioneer in starting puppy kindergarten classes in the USA. Click on the pictures of the puppies to download the PDF books: https://www.lifedogtraining.com/freedownloads/ Know that mouthiness at this age is completely normal. It's not fun but it is normal for it to take some time for a puppy to learn self-control well enough to stop. Try not to get discouraged if you don't see instant progress, any progress and moving in the right direction in this area is good, so keep working at it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Aug. 25, 2023
I need to know how to potty train her so she can be a pet not a guard dog like the rest of my dogs
April 14, 2023
Rosy's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Check out the Crate Training method or a combination of the Crate Training method and Tethering method from this potty training article below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 17, 2023