Need Help Please !!! - Page 1

Hello,

My friend recently rescued the 2yr old Rotweiller from a breeder. The dog was confined to the bedroom or his kennel with little or no exercise at all. In turn he had gone really aggresive towards people and other dogs. This boy was supposed to be put to sleep by the breeder as he was difficult to manage.

Its been 4 weeks now that we have him. He seems to be extremely happy enjoying the much deserved attention and freedom he gets from the family. I am happy to say that for a abused dog he has come around quite a bit. He is friendly towards everybody at home, the people he knows and loves fooling around a lot.

Something that i and my friend are worried about is the fact that he is extremely unpredictable towards people walking on the street. He hates it if someone is staring at him or comes too close to him. The same goes with other dogs as well. He is perfectly all right with puppies around him, loves them and plays as if he is one of them...the moment he sees another dog who is not shy or is aggresive towards him..he just flips.

We try and correct him as much as we can, but to no vain. He gets into a fit where he uses all his strength to pull. I am sure that he won't hesitate a bit to bite and that's whats worrying me so much. I want him to understand that everything is not a threat around him.

Please if anyone could help me with this. Just to let you know i am a little firm with him but then i don't want to overdo it as he's already gone through a lot. I just want this boy to enjoy his walks...and have a fruitful life period.

Rahul

P.S. : I am sorry posting a Rotweiller question here, but then this board is more active and i hope that i could get a solution to the problem much quicker.

It seems to me that your dog has come around very well from when you first got him so I feel you just need to continue with his rehabilitation and possitive reinforcment. Your new dog needs to learn that you will not let anything happen to him therefore you need to show him you are in charge. Walking him properly for instance is one basic step you need to master first then you need to show him people and other pets are not a threat. Having people coming up to the house and giving the dog a treat has always worked for me. I was a mailman for 17 years and every dog on my route was my buddy because I took time to show the dogs I was there freind. You need to be patient.calm,and trusting,but in control and ready for anything. You must socialize him more but remember he has come along way already and it may just take a little more time for him to trust other situations but it's up to you to help him work past that . Stick with it you are doing well

be very very careful,they are always disoriented when they get to a new enviroment and it takes about a month for the true colors to start to show.if this dog is intact neuter him and quick, feed him alone and seperate as a breed they can be very food aggressive...get some serious professional training with someone that deals with aggression issues and keep him away from any kids

How do you correct him when this happens?

I have a friend whose dog behaved in a similar fashion, and the trainer's advice was to pop the leash really hard to correct him.

She now is with a different trainer, and has found that the leash pops were just making the situation worse, as he associated the unpleasant yank on his neck with the other dog or person he was lunging at.

She now works to distract her dog from the approaching dog or human using voice or a treat or clicker, and he is responding very well.

You might want to try a progressive desensitization program, where the dog is walked past another dog at a distance that doesn't trigger this behaviour. then reward him for focusing on you. (First, teach him to respond to 'look at me'! to get his focus off the approaching dog.) Then, you can gradually decrease the distance between him and the approaching dog or human, as he learns he is rewarded for focusing on his handler and not for lunging at passersby.

Getting the dog to focus on his handler is the key to success. You have to first work on that before introducing distractions.

You cannot be just a 'little' firm with this dog--you must clearly set forth the rules as to what is acceptable and what is not, or else your boy is going to end up in trouble despite your rescue of him.   If you permit pity to determine how you will handle him, you are doing him an injustice, and he will end up biting someone or some dog and could wind up being put down anyway. 

For the sake of his safety, as well as that of other dogs and people you encounter while walking, it would be wise to consider using a muzzle while he's learning to not view every strange dog and person as a direct challenge.  He needs to be taught to look to you for direction when he sees a strange person or dog, instead of taking it upon himself to react, and you need to seek out an experienced trainer who can help guide the two of you through this process.  Advice on handling a large dog that is showing aggression toward humans and dogs outside of its own family is not something that can be safely given on an internet message board--you need face-to-face assistance.  If you can provide a general idea of where you're located, I'm sure there are folks here who can refer you to someone qualified to help you in your area.

Kudos for getting that dog out of a bad situation. :)

I see alot of good advice so far, but here's my two cents..
It sounds like your dog is extremely aggressive/dominant, and that isn't always something you can completely train an older dog out of. But, you can desensitize him to situations that would set him off. Like the others said, teach him to pay attention to you. Does he like treats? If he does, bring them with you wherever you go with him. On walks, when there is another dog nearby, or a human, tell him to 'watch you', then reward him. You need to calm him down, then give him a treat. The others covered the basics.

I do advise you to find help in person, with someone very knowledgeable, if you can.
Also, I know it sounds silly, but it may be a good idea to watch shows like The Dog Whisperer, It's Me or the Dog, etc. Those trainers are actually very knowledgeable in altering an out-of-control dog's behavior.

I wish you luck, and hope this dog gets to live the life he deserves.

-Emily.

Please seek professional help from someone very experienced with fear aggression in rottweilers if possible. They can be very difficult to deal with. The best way is for a professional to read the dog's behavior in person. I have experience with rotties and social issues, and they can be extremely dangerous. Also, keep in mind that many times, rotties are not "social" dogs. He may never like to be approached by people he doesn't know, but he must be under control and learn to tolerate the situation. Good luck! Where are you? Theresa

Hello,

Thanks a million for everything.

I am going to get that muzzle and see what happens. I am going to make sure this boy leads a good life..he deserves it. I have a lab as well and the good thing is that the rotweiller loves him for some reason. I am going to start taking both of them for a walk together. I guess that should help quite a bit.

Yes, i will try and treat him whenever he responds to me. Lets see how he takes to that. I honestly don't want to be rough with him as the previous owner has abused him physically quite a bit. One thing good is that i don't have kids around my house so thats been take care of.

Will keep you posted. I am from India and though the laws are not really stringent here i still feel i need to be responsible for this dog.

The handlers and trainers here are not that equipped...i know for a fact if they would have been in my situation with this dog they would not have even touched him.

Thanks a ton everybody, will work with him harder.

Regards,

Rahul