He's a puppy. I'm not sure why people look at a 4/5 month old pup and assume that the dog will be the same at 2 years of age. Or that the dog at 2 years of age will be the same at 5 years of age.
Dogs go through stages in their maturation and development. Just because a dog is all lovey-dovey at 5 months doesn't mean that at 10 months he'll be the same. Most likely you'll have the ornery "teenager" that requires a "why should I" explanation for each and every thing.
I can't wait until I get my next Fila. It's been a long wait and a lot of having to put off dogs "now" so that I can make sure that my home is properly settled and everything is ready.
As fort solitary bathroom time, I haven't had that in a looooong time (even before my human kiddos...lol). My Rottie was determined to poke her head behind the shower curtain and watch. My Dogo would lie by the door and make sure I was safe. My Fila practically showered with me. My Cane Corso/Mastiff would be in the same room, but not necessarily wanting to be right next to me. And the APBTs....well, they just constantly stay amused at how water can come out of the wall.
I've never owned a mastiff/moloss breed that wasn't extremely devoted to me. But devotion did not equal completely dependent and soft. While my Fila wanted in my lap at rest times, my Shar Pei/Corso preferred to be in the room but not necessarily next to me unless it was his idea. My Dogo also preferred to be in the same room, but was much more of a guardian dog in that he took his place next to the door or a window for look-out duty.
Even so, I've always found that working with those dogs was more like having a two-way conversation instead of me just telling and them just listening. What I was saying had to make sense to them. Sometimes, especially with Wrigley, they thought I was wrong and continued to do things their way. It's like you could see them listening, thinking it over, and then saying "Nope. Not doing that. Kthanksbye.". One thing they were not were blind followers. My APBTs will do anything and everything I tell them to do just because it came out my mouth (or was signaled by hand). Not the others. I had to make sure that they realized I was ALWAYS the smarter one and the one in charge or else they would steal that role right out from underneath me (which happens in far too many ownership cases IMO).
So, IMO, the moral of the story is that such a young pup is just a pup trying to form a bond and figure out to whom he belongs. And IMO just because a dog shows devototion and affection, doesn't mean he's weak, soft, or lacking confidence.
Having these dogs isn't supposed to equal some cool power trip.
Get the pup back to his breeder. I can't imagine a breeder wanting a pup in a home that doesn't care for it and is outspoken in it's disdain for having to even do the basics such as feed it and take it out. I just pray that such an emotional neglect doesn't lead to problems later on. It did in my rescue girl and she was never the same. She paid the ultimate price because of how her previous owners neglected her in every way possible. These dogs have memories like elephants. They don't forget.
An owner owes a dog so much more. So very much more.
JMO as always.
Dogs go through stages in their maturation and development. Just because a dog is all lovey-dovey at 5 months doesn't mean that at 10 months he'll be the same. Most likely you'll have the ornery "teenager" that requires a "why should I" explanation for each and every thing.
I can't wait until I get my next Fila. It's been a long wait and a lot of having to put off dogs "now" so that I can make sure that my home is properly settled and everything is ready.
As fort solitary bathroom time, I haven't had that in a looooong time (even before my human kiddos...lol). My Rottie was determined to poke her head behind the shower curtain and watch. My Dogo would lie by the door and make sure I was safe. My Fila practically showered with me. My Cane Corso/Mastiff would be in the same room, but not necessarily wanting to be right next to me. And the APBTs....well, they just constantly stay amused at how water can come out of the wall.
I've never owned a mastiff/moloss breed that wasn't extremely devoted to me. But devotion did not equal completely dependent and soft. While my Fila wanted in my lap at rest times, my Shar Pei/Corso preferred to be in the room but not necessarily next to me unless it was his idea. My Dogo also preferred to be in the same room, but was much more of a guardian dog in that he took his place next to the door or a window for look-out duty.
Even so, I've always found that working with those dogs was more like having a two-way conversation instead of me just telling and them just listening. What I was saying had to make sense to them. Sometimes, especially with Wrigley, they thought I was wrong and continued to do things their way. It's like you could see them listening, thinking it over, and then saying "Nope. Not doing that. Kthanksbye.". One thing they were not were blind followers. My APBTs will do anything and everything I tell them to do just because it came out my mouth (or was signaled by hand). Not the others. I had to make sure that they realized I was ALWAYS the smarter one and the one in charge or else they would steal that role right out from underneath me (which happens in far too many ownership cases IMO).
So, IMO, the moral of the story is that such a young pup is just a pup trying to form a bond and figure out to whom he belongs. And IMO just because a dog shows devototion and affection, doesn't mean he's weak, soft, or lacking confidence.
Having these dogs isn't supposed to equal some cool power trip.
Get the pup back to his breeder. I can't imagine a breeder wanting a pup in a home that doesn't care for it and is outspoken in it's disdain for having to even do the basics such as feed it and take it out. I just pray that such an emotional neglect doesn't lead to problems later on. It did in my rescue girl and she was never the same. She paid the ultimate price because of how her previous owners neglected her in every way possible. These dogs have memories like elephants. They don't forget.
An owner owes a dog so much more. So very much more.
JMO as always.