Frosty - Rottweiler Puppy Health and Behavior Related Question

by Rahul Pal
(Bangalore, India)

Hi,
first of all, i would like to say that I love this breed than any other.

He is and will be my first choice of a pet to be introduced to my family.

We bought this puppy last Saturday (30 May 2010) in Bangalore. The puppy was told to be 38 days old and I could only manage to see the SIRE and he looked great. No walking issues, broad head and strong body. This puppy is said to be last of the list of puppies.

Issues - I don't know whether this is an issue or something else, but this is my first time with Rottie.

He has little stomach infection due to which he is on some medicine, but my main concern is his behavior. He loves to sleep at secluded place, plays very little, when he runs or plays for a while he takes breaks quite often and sit. I am not sure whether this is due to weakness or is it due to something else. He doesn't restrict anyone touching or playing with him but is not very mingling with us. He also wants to eat the food of his own likeness and refuses to take Cerelac or baby food.

I mentioned the same thing to the vet but he found all okay with the Frosty's health at this time.

I need your help if you can help in someway and suggest somethings to make him more active.

Thanks for your time and support.

Regards
Rahul






Hi Rahul
I think most, if not all, of the issues you mention are due to the fact that your puppy is very, very young. In fact, at 38 days he's barely over a month old and should not have been taken away from his momma and littermates yet. A pup should stay with his canine family for at least 8 weeks!

He's basically a tiny baby, and he will need LOTS of naps and sleep if he's to grow and develop normally. Puppies bodies are working very hard in terms of growth and development when they sleep, so it's a critical to their health and well-being. It's perfectly normal for him to play for a short while, and then sleep, then play again, then sleep ..... and so on. He needs good, nutritious food, lots of sleep, love and attention and his puppy vaccinations, regular deworming and professional veterinary care.

As your vet has already examined him and pronounced Frosty to be in good health, I doubt that you need to worry about his behavior right now. He'll become more active once he feels more at home with you and is less stressed and homesick for his momma, also as he matures and grows his energy will increase. Remember, he's just a baby!

He DOES need to eat properly though, and some puppy formula or goats milk added to his food would be good if you can get it. Check out my Feeding Puppies and Best Puppy Food pages for lots of tips and advice on this.

I know that getting premium dog foods may be difficult in some parts of the world, and if you have this difficulty you may want to check out this page Feed Program For Overseas from the website of the Great Dane Lady. I think it will be interesting to you.

Hope this information helps. Best of luck with Frosty.