TOO MANY NEGATIVE RESPONSES ON GETTING A ROTTWEILER !! - Page 1

HI, 
Just got myself a 1 month old Rottwielr pup whom I have named Leo.
For the last one year I always wanted to have a dog and I could not settle for anything but a Rottweiler.
However after acquiring one , many friends ,relatives have rally scared me off , describing me violent stories of how this breed has maimed,crippled or killed victims.
I would ask from other Rottweiler owners..are they really so bad ? Does a Rottweiler owner always need to be on his toes to manage this dog??
Please let me know,thanks.

Sad isn't it? The Rottweiler has the most undeserved reputation.

Socialization is the name of the game with this breed. I own 5 of them and I can tell you that my property is well protected. I have the two youngest in training right now and I made sure to have them well socialized when they were puppys. The traffic in and out of your home should be routine for your dog so that he/she will become accustomed to who comes or goes. Remember the rottweiler is a working breed so their territorial instincts are very high. They are very loving and affectionate to those that take the time to know them, and are also very protective of loved ones. The key is a strong but fair hand, and always remmber, exercise, discipline, then affection. No time is too soon to have obedience training done. Start with the basic commands of sit, down, stay, and then progress from one to the next when he/she understands the earlier command. Rottweilers are very strong willed intellegent dogs, and are not for the average dog owner who does not want to take the time to raise and nurture this wonderful breed. It is the careless owners and poor breedings that have given them a bad reputation.

I totally agree with AAMT. I have 5 Rottweilers also and i actually do agitation work with them. The older ones are stable and they pretty much listen to me. However, because I know the kind of damage they can do I would not allow them to be with children without my presence. Having said this I have to explain that my Rotts have grown up in a kennel setting. www.sinaikennels.com I use them as guard dogs at night in my farm and I can sleep soundly at night. They are quite rambunctious and can be a handful when they are first let out of their kennel. My Rott at home is a different story. She has been socialized around my family and the everyday household scene and is very stable around daily activity. However, early training and socialization is important in order to have a great all around dog. This is more true if you have a bloodline with strong working lines.

@ AAMT,Tonycan,thanks for the feedback.It is encouraging to hear from you.

First of all, it´s really important that you have done a lot of research on the breed, BEFORE, you go out and by a puppy. And it´s also really important to make sure you are only buying a rottweiler from, and supporting, serious and carefull breeders, that only use dogs that are healthy fysically and mentally.

Second of all, it´s crucial you have thought about WHY you want a rottweiler. What is it with this specific breed, that appeals to your needs? Appearance and size is NOT guilty reasons for buying a rottweiler. Have you asked yourself what you can offer a rottweiler? Do you have enough room? A garden with sufficient fence around it? Time for socialization of the puppy and time for training at minimum once a week? Do you have experience with a large powerfull breed or working dog?

The rottweiler is an extremely intelligent breed of working dog, and in my opinion the breed is not fit for unexperienced people, with no interest in training. The breed is a fabulous dog, an excellent companion for kids and a brave protector of his family, BUT, all of this is something you earn through thoroughly socialization, hours of obedience training and ALWAYS making sure your dog is under control. Obedience is important, because it is the very minimum of people, that fysically, can handle and control a grown rottweiler male .

I have had the great pleasure of owning a rottie-mix and to real rotties. They have all been phenomenal dogs, but I´ve spend huge amounts of time with them, as one of my friends, a german shepherd breeder always says: "you get the dog you deserve" meaning if you don´t spend time with your dog, you WILL get problems along the way, as in oppose to spending time with your dogand getting a happy, well-balanced dog. I´m always cautious to make sure the present themself in a nice manner in public and is under my full control, we can´t afford the breeds reputation to spiral down.

The breed is a guard-dog so you must expect some level of guarding (depending on the bloodlines, is it a show dog or a working dog?) and some level of protecting you and your family. That doesn´t mean you can´t have visitors, but you can´t expect strangers to be able to walk into your home, without you approving.

A mentally healty rottweiler doesn´t attack or bite people. In most cases the owner is directly or indirectly responsible when dog attacks or maulings happen. A healty dog will always warn before charging, he will get stiff in his bodylanguage, he will stare, he will growl, show his teeth or snap without biting. Most working and guard dog breeds will not flee if severely threatened, the will defend themselves if they feel cornered. If the dog bites, previous warnings haven´t been respected. I have never been bittin or threatened by a rottie, though I know several breeders, am head of the rottweilerclub ind northern denmark, train rotties at our training grounds and spend a lot of time tracking, traning obedience and bitework. I would say I´ve spend at least 14-21 hours week with rottweilers the last10 years, so if they were ferociuos monsters, I should have experienced it by know

The reputation the breed has got isn´t well-deserved, but a rottweiler should definetely be sold with a "responsible-owners"-manual

If you haven´t got experience and have bought the dog becuase you think it is a beautiful breed, I would advise you to contact a training-ground (with experience with working and guarding dogs) near you. Contact you breeder and ask for advice considering socialization. Spend some time reading on the kennel club and rottweilerclubs websites around the world. If you still feel unsecure about the breed after this, I would return the puppy. It is a very bad cocktail if you are scared and insecure of the dog, even before it´s grown up.

I would have send you a link to my website, where you can read all kinds of info on the breed and training, unfortunately my site is in danish and we all know google translate isn´t the best. The adress is http://rottweilerbrugshund.weebly.com/

I truly hope you find the best solution for you and your pup.

Kind Regards Anne Pedersen

And as a last remark my present rottweiler bitch is out of working lines and has a lot of drive, never gets tired, but besides being my partner at the training grounds, she is also the most kind and gentle family-dog at home. She loves when family and friends visits, she plays with several of my friends dogs and is the best "mother/big sister" to my 4 month old german shepherd bitch. I´m sure she would be a pest if I didn´t make sure she was stimulated mentally and physically, but I chose the working lines and knew it would demand a lot of my sparetime.

Her breeder have had the breed for 30 + years and have never had any bad experiences with any of their dogs

Very well said, Anne P. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4KBxaZslx4&feature=related 

I get negative comments about gsd's here but mainly from folks who don't know anything.

You need to make sure that you Socialize your Rottie. This doesnt mean let everyone come around and pet or play. Take the dog everywhere so they are used to new situations and people. DO NOT GO TO THE DOG PARK! It is an invitation for disaster. Also Rottweilers are very territorial. You must establish that you are the super alpha and in charge. Obedience training is a must. It goes beyond the basics. You must be the center of your dogs world. Food, Play, everything must come from you and only with your approval. Rottweilers are working dogs and must have an outlet. If you allow them to create their own fun they are destructive and can become dangerous. What may seem cute and fun to you could create a dangerous situation. Always keep your Rottweiler under your control.
I have had Rottweilers for twenty years and have had one unfortunate incident where one of our smaller dogs was seriously injured. As young dogs they do not know their own strength and can play too rough with small dogs and children. Of course it was my fault because I was not paying attention and the play got out of hand.
It takes a good owner but if you put in the time your Rottweiler will be the best friend you have ever had. This will include your family and children. My first male ran off a burglar when my step son was walking him. A couple of years later a teenage bully pushed down my four year old son and threatened my step son. Zeus let the bully know quickly that he wasnt going to let anything happen to either of those kids. Put the time in and you will not be sorry.