Teething....Rottweiler style

For several years the only puppies I raised were pomeranian. They don't really do much shoe chewing since shoes are signifigantly larger than they are. You might find a pom baby in the shoe but he won't grab it and gallop off with it. They have tiny mouths and even tinier teeth. Your furniture is safe and they are rather discriminating in what they will and will not nibble on.

Rottweilers....wellllllllllllllllll. They gnaw; they don't nibble. Even this little guy has an amazingly powerful bite and he is willing to try just about anything. Rocks ...yum. Metal table legs....sure why not. Shoes.....at least at this point I am faster and not quite as clumsy ( that wont last - certainly not the first and probably not the last either) and can retrieve them prior to destruction. Leaves are particularly attractive and seem to taste pretty good as do any size twigs. He isnt what one would call discriminating and is willing to try just about anything that doesn't move and a few things that do, including me. I spend half our time outside digging non-edibles out of his mouth.
We did stock up on variously sized chew toys but I have the feeling we seriously underestimated his ability to chew.

You can tell he really has a nose too...the poms dont really rely on smell ( it's all about cuteness with them ) but this guy is on it. We have serious wildlife trekking through the yard on a regular basis and he knows it. Wow.

We are already working on socializing him..he went to a gift shop owned by a friend yesterday and won the heart of everyone who met him. The owner is terrified of Rotties so it was a good experience for both of them (she loved, loved, loved him) . The problem here is that we live in such a small village there is no real place where people congregate in large numbers so we will have to be creative when it comes to meeting folks.

I am determined that this puppy live up to all the good things about this breed and not the bad. I also know its not the breed that is the problem....its moronic people who don't take the time or make the effort, early on, to train up their puppy in the way he should go. Yes, a biblical axiom regarding the rearing of children but equally applicable to dogs. Also, dogs don't take 18 years to get the basics of civilized behavior down pat. Thank you Lord for giving us dogs !