I helped to "raise" a Rottie, sort of. I was dogsat for one 5 days a week from 8 weeks old old to 2 years old.
First of all, I loved him, and I miss him greatly. Going to set up a visit soon to see him again.
Even as a pup, he showed his stubbornness. He could be fairly stubborn when he wanted to be. He likes things his way. LOL. I wouldn't say SUPER easy to train or anything, but definitely willing and able. He enjoyed learning with the bits that I did with him. I had to teach him how to walk on a leash and it took us a long time. He very much did not want that thing attached to him, LOL. So we spent a lot of time with him dragging it and eventually he caught on.
He loooveeddd to give big bear hugs. He did not like strangers as he got older, but you had to earn his trust, and I have no doubt that he would have protected me if anything were to have come up. On our walks, he always had his eye on anything new going on, and would occasionally check behind us.
He loved to play fetch, and would completely wear himself out (I used a ChuckIt to throw him the ball and he would run at full speed). He was really good with Jackson. He knew how to be gentle, even at a young age and when he was pretty big. But they grew up together. He did have some food aggression/resource guarding issues, so I was extremely cautious with them in the house together. But out in the open, at the dog park, they were absolutely fine, or on leashed walks.
His shedding seemed minimal to me, though I've heard they shed a lot. He did have a few health problems, I know he had an elbow problem, which I think they determined was the beginning stages of elbow displaysia. With crate rest and some supplements, they seemed to get it under control (he had limped for a bit there). I know they have short-ish life spans in general.
Overall, I really really loved that dog, but I'm not sure they would be a breed for ME personally.
Oh and photos (he had his natural tail, too)
I find this description pretty accurate of him:
The Rottweiler is loyal, self-confident, calm, courageous, independent, wary, and protective. He's an instinctive guardian known as the world's best guard dog. He's tough, strong, and powerful and possesses a lot of endurance. He's territorial and protective of his home and family. He does not make indiscriminate friendships with strangers. He's cautious, watchful and aloof with strangers until he's properly introduced to them. He can be aggressive with others dogs, so you'll have to keep an eye on him because the other dog could be injured. He thrives on your companionship and wants to be around you always. He's fond of children and protective of them. He's extremely intelligent and learns very quickly. He can be quite a clown around his family, which can be entertaining to watch. While he makes an excellent guard dog he isn't the best watchdog because he may not bark much. There are many other breeds which make better watchdogs.
