Rottweilers are very popular pet dogs today. However, most Rottweiler owners do not realize that pet life is very new to this particular dog breed!
In decades and centuries past, Rottweilers were only bred and kept for one simple reason: to work alongside people at important and often difficult or dangerous jobs.
Traditional jobs included herding, droving (cart pulling), and guarding.
Rottweilers have a reputation as awesome guarding and protection dogs today and that makes them desirable pets.
But it is so important to teach your Rottie puppy how to curb their innate breed tendency to nip or bite, which is part of their herding dog past. In this article, learn more about when Rottweiler puppies will stop biting.
When Do Rottweiler Puppies Stop Biting?
Rottweiler puppies bite for many reasons – because of teething pain, to explore their world, to play, to test boundaries, and to communicate.
Teething-related biting typically only lasts for a few months while the baby teeth are growing in and falling out and the adult teeth are growing in.
As for other reasons why Rottweiler puppies bite, this will be up to you to teach your puppy not to bite! So it will last until you give your Rottie puppy other skills to use instead.
Learn How to Stop Puppy Biting from a Pro K-9 Trainer
This excellent YouTube video from a professional dog trainer shows you exactly how to train a Rottweiler puppy to keep it from biting you during playtime.
As the trainer points out, the key is to avoid doing anything that might confuse your puppy about what you want, such as pulling on a toy to get them to drop it.
The trainer also gives tips to help you teach your Rottweiler puppy that your hand is not a potential target for biting or nipping during play.
Understanding Why Rottweiler Puppy Teething Is So Uncomfortable
Rottweiler puppies will start to get their baby teeth around the age of two weeks.
This stage can last for several months and often it is quite uncomfortable for the puppy as the puppy teeth grow in and fall out and the adult teeth grow in.
So biting is a natural outcome as the puppy tries to ease the discomfort, irritation, and pain of teething.
As Fantastikrott Rottweiler breeders describe, Rottweiler puppies will often experience the situation where an adult tooth starts growing in before the puppy tooth in that spot has fallen out.
Sometimes the puppy tooth won’t fall out naturally at all and then there will be two teeth occupying a space meant for one.
Understandably, this can make the pain and discomfort of teething worse – and makes it easier to understand why your Rottweiler puppy might be tempted to bite everything in sight to ease the pain.
Why Do Rottweiler Puppy Teeth Bites Hurt So Much?
You may have heard puppy teeth described as “tiny needles.” This is because these teeth are smaller and more fragile but also much sharper – especially the canines.
So when your Rottweiler puppy teething-bites or play-bites you, it can feel like your skin is being pierced by a set of tiny needles!
Rottweiler Puppy Teething Timeline
Here is a timeline to help you gauge when your Rottie puppy has completed the teething process.
The first thing to know is that Rottweiler puppies are supposed to have 28 teeth (contrast this with the 42 adult teeth that will grow later).
So your Rottie puppy will start out by growing 28 puppy teeth.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), this is what to expect as the teething process commences and continues.
Age: 2 to 4 weeks
Unless you are breeding Rottweilers, you won’t witness this first phase of teething when the puppy teeth are starting to grow.
Age: 5 to 6 weeks
Depending on the puppy’s age, health, diet, and genetics, most or all of the 28 temporary puppy teeth should have grown in by around week six of life.
Age: 12 to 16 weeks
In most cases, even if your puppy comes home with you as early as eight weeks old, you will have a puppy with nice sharp puppy teeth!
However, around 12 weeks of age, those same sharp little puppy teeth will start falling out.
It is not uncommon for tiny puppy teeth to be swallowed or re-absorbed, but they often fall out as well. If you see little rice-sized white things on the floor, these are probably the puppy teeth falling out.
Age: 6 to 12 months
Somewhere around the age of six to 12 months is when the adult teeth will have fully grown in. For some dogs, it may take up to a year to grow a full set of teeth.
Other dogs may speed through this process. It will be important to watch your dog’s mouth closed as you get your Rottweiler used to tooth brushing and oral care.
If you see puppy teeth still in place, especially in places in the mouth where adult teeth are clearly trying to grow, you may need to bring your dog to the veterinarian to have the puppy teeth safely extracted.
Tips to Help Teething Rottweiler Puppies Bite Productively (Or Bite Less)
Teething Rottweilers are going to be biting Rottweilers – the discomfort is such that most puppies simply can’t help it.
But there is a lot you can do to help minimize the pain and discomfort of teething for your Rottie puppy without ending up becoming a puppy chew toy yourself.
Give your Rottweiler puppy chilled chew toys
Just as ice and cold can ease swelling for you, a chilled Kong toy or puppy teething bone can really help ease the pain for your puppy.
You can offer puppy popsicles as well – a little chicken broth and water make a great frozen treat for a teething puppy.
Make sure your Rottweiler knows not to bite you!
This is an important yet frequently overlooked aspect of puppy training during the difficult teething stage of life.
After all, your puppy has no idea at first that it is not okay to bite you, especially when their mouth is hurting. So you have to teach your puppy what they can and cannot bite.
The video you watched here earlier demonstrated a great technique to teach a Rottie puppy that hands are not part of a tug-of-war game.
Hiding your hands and withdrawing your attention temporarily if your puppy bites you can also be an effective way to teach your puppy that you are not a chew toy.
Use distraction toys to re-direct your Rottie’s attention
Just like many new parents distract a crying baby with a new toy or sound, you can use the same technique to distract your biting, teething Rottweiler puppy.
This is especially useful if your puppy has gotten hold of something you really don’t want them to bite or chew, like your couch legs or brand-new leather belt.
Always stay calm while redirecting your Rottweiler
As Coalfire Rottweilers breeder highlights, Rottweilers are very people-centric dogs that want to please.
So your Rottweiler puppy will be highly attuned to your energy whether you are aware of it or not.
This is why it is so important to stay calm even as you may feel frustrated by your puppy’s biting or even in pain yourself from those sharp puppy teeth.
Keep your voice level and at a normal volume and reward your puppy with praise and pats the moment they stop biting and switch to another behavior. You can be sure your puppy will pick up the hint quickly.
Reinforce “bite inhibition” by walking away or turning your back
Your Rottweiler puppy will also need to learn that when they bite you, it hurts. You may think your puppy should know this, but the American Kennel Club (AKC) explains that they need to learn it from you.
With a high-energy, excitable, powerful dog like the Rottweiler, the best strategy is to withdraw your attention.
Simply turn your back or walk away until your Rottweiler gets the message that your attention goes away when the biting starts. As soon as your dog stops biting, you can reward your puppy with praise, pats, treats, or their favorite toy.
What If a Rottweiler Puppy Won’t Stop Biting?
To some degree, your Rottweiler puppy will not stop biting until teething ends. The discomfort and pain that teething can cause will guarantee this.
But what if your Rottie puppy won’t stop biting after all the adult teeth come in? This is always the right time to consider working with a K-9 training professional.
You and your dog can benefit from learning training tips from a professional so you minimize time and frustration.
