Rottweiler locking his jaw.

[benw92]

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Hello everyone.

I have a 7 month old Rottweiler named Cooper that loves to grab hold of anything he can find which usually ends up with me chasing him around the table. It's all just one big game to him.

When I do manage to catch him I could easily open his mouth with a few fingers and he'd drop it. However, the past week or so I've noticed that when he grabs something he locks his jaw. I would use all my strength but can't seem to open it even a little. I would usually have to sit by him to make sure he doesn't swallow it and wait for him to get bored and drop it.

I really don't want him to continue this behaviour because I really wouldn't like to imagine if that was someone's finger or arm in there.

Any tips on how I can stop this behaviour will be greatly appreciated.

Benjamin

 

[goldenbear2013]

Hi Benjamin,

Being a previous Rotti owner myself (oh how I miss that dog!) this is something that is a concern. However it can be sorted.

Rotti's don't lock their jaw, they don't have the capacity to do this, but they have the most powerful bite throughout all breeds of dog. If they bite down and don't want to let go, they won't and there is nothing you can really do about it. You're going to have to coax him into it. This is clearly a worrying thing, which is why people are so scared of them as they can break a human bone in one bite and that is something no one wants.

Rotti's are mostly food driven when it comes to training, so you're going to have to teach him the "drop it" command. When he has something in his mouth and he lets it go, so say "drop" and then praise with a treat. This will be every time he drops something whether you are training him or not. He will soon catch on to the word.

When you train him, get him to sit and give him a toy to hold and then pop a treat close to his nose (not too close where he could snap it out of your hands) and say "drop". he should get a sniff of the treat and drop the toy. When he does lots of praise and the treat given to him immediately.

Keep this going. Rotti's are soooooooo clever so it wont take him long to catch on.

In the mean time, whilst this is being taught, when he starts to go a bit mad and thinks its a game, get up and walk out of the room making sure your back is to him. he will know that this means play time is over and he [should] drop his toy. If he does, say "good drop" and praise immediately. If he keeps going mad and running round wanting to play, continue to ignore him, or if it gets too much get him by the collar and lead him into a quiet room, or his crate if he has one and leave him there until he has settled. if he has a toy in his mouth at the time, don't try to take it from him, just leave it alone. Again, he should soon catch on that giving you this behavior gets him no where.

Whatever you do, don't bend down or chase him, as he will think this is play. When approaching him, stay upright and bend from the knees to get hold of his collar. No talking to him, and no contact except for the collar. Don't even look directly at him.

try these few simple things and I would probably say give him a couple of weeks and you should start to see some process. It could be even as soon as a few days.

good luck!

Sophie x

Just to add to that, don't play "tug" with him either. Play fetch as this will teach him to bring the toy back to you and to drop it at your feet on command. This also helps when you are teaching him recall too

Sophie x

 

[gypsysmum]

I agree with all Sophie has said. I would make sure the treat is of high value so that it is worth his while to give up a prized toy. While you are training him do make sure you tidy up so that he cannot grab things he should not have. It is very hard to ignore a dog that has your prized possession in his grip. If he has something and you don't think you stand a chance of getting it then don't interact with him at all.

I used to teach Puppy Classes and we used to advise people to leave old tea towels and socks around for the puppy to "steal" so that the pup could be ignored for this naughty behaviour. They got lots of attention, however, if they brought in an old leaf or bit of rubbish and relinquished it for a treat. It is all about ignoring the wrong behaviour and rewarding the right behaviour. It can work wonders!

If he is going through a difficult patch then why not invest in a session with an APDT trainer?

 

[eingana]

Yep, I'd go with teaching him a 'trade' command- he gives you what he's got and you'll give him a nice treat. If he's clever then you've got the basis for a whole new game