Let's talk about Rotties!
- Thread starter Buddy'sParents
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I'm going to kind of go off on a tangent a bit. Try to stay with me.
Like many dogs that were bred for a purpose, Rotts for protecting, when getting a show animal or what not you strive for "good lines". "Good lines" would mean that the parentage has succeeded in a sport that relates to the dogs breed specific "jobs", rotts maybe PP we'll say. If you get a rott that's not neccessarily "pureblooded", or that doesn't have good "show lines", I don't think you would run into as many problems.
Ok, I'm going to give an example to try and clear my post up! LOL
My bf wanted a presa canario. )There's a man at my school who has a 4yr old female as well as a 7yr old mutt. This sparked my bf's interest in them) After looking at many breeders, I found one in WI that I thought I would at least speak to about any upcoming litters. She told me that presas DA is soo bad that they wouldn't be allowed to be left alone unsupervised regardless of the fact that they were all raised together.
This lady bred her dogs for the sole purpose of competing in PP. Now, a couple of people on this forum, and the man at my school, have begged to differ. The man at my school got his presa from a breeder that's purpose was for pets/guard dogs.
All of the rotts I know have just been family pets and have always gotten along notoriously well with other dogs or cats in the family. Kids especially.
Like many dogs that were bred for a purpose, Rotts for protecting, when getting a show animal or what not you strive for "good lines". "Good lines" would mean that the parentage has succeeded in a sport that relates to the dogs breed specific "jobs", rotts maybe PP we'll say. If you get a rott that's not neccessarily "pureblooded", or that doesn't have good "show lines", I don't think you would run into as many problems.
Ok, I'm going to give an example to try and clear my post up! LOL
My bf wanted a presa canario. )There's a man at my school who has a 4yr old female as well as a 7yr old mutt. This sparked my bf's interest in them) After looking at many breeders, I found one in WI that I thought I would at least speak to about any upcoming litters. She told me that presas DA is soo bad that they wouldn't be allowed to be left alone unsupervised regardless of the fact that they were all raised together.
This lady bred her dogs for the sole purpose of competing in PP. Now, a couple of people on this forum, and the man at my school, have begged to differ. The man at my school got his presa from a breeder that's purpose was for pets/guard dogs.
All of the rotts I know have just been family pets and have always gotten along notoriously well with other dogs or cats in the family. Kids especially.
Hey, yano I knew that!! But after that I've read that they were used to guard Roman posts.
Roxy's herding came out when I was working at a ranch last summer. Constantly nipping at hocks and trying to get the "herd" moving.. LOL. Little brat.
Edit: Although you don't seem them used very often in "herding" competitions, although they are classified as a working breed. Do they classify them as a working breed because of herding or protection I wonder... or it doesn't matter regardless they "work" . LOL
Roxy's herding came out when I was working at a ranch last summer. Constantly nipping at hocks and trying to get the "herd" moving.. LOL. Little brat.
Edit: Although you don't seem them used very often in "herding" competitions, although they are classified as a working breed. Do they classify them as a working breed because of herding or protection I wonder... or it doesn't matter regardless they "work" . LOL
IMO Roxie is perfect, except for shedding. I have never had a dog shed like my rottie. I have to vacuum, sweep and brush her everyday, and you could still have enough fur left over to clothe a naked tribe in Africa.
I could not ask for a better loving or well mannerd dog. She is sharp, incredibly smart and very protective. Wary of strangers, but controllable. She is a nurturing dog. She is a great role model for puppies, and is very patient. She has to keep both Brutus, and now Spike in line so she has to be. lol yet she teaches them, and expects them to know and understand the rules of the house.
I have always had males around her except for Maggie. She could rip Maggie to shreds if she wanted to, but she doesn't. Maggie was a full grown dog when we brought her home, granted Maggie is much smaller than her, but it is still two females. Roxie actually met her with open arms, Maggie was the testy one. But, Roxie is now 9 and she has her own idea of how the pecking order goes in this house as far as the dogs are concerned. Maggie has her order, Brutus, which I have to say...is Roxie's beloved no one can mess with Brutus, but there are certain things that Maggie does outrank Brutus on. Spike is at the bottom of the totem pole. It may sound wierd but it works, no fights or problems here. If one gets too out of line, Roxie quickly puts them back into line with a warning growl.
Rotties are very verbal dogs. Roxie talks through little growls.
I could not ask for a better loving or well mannerd dog. She is sharp, incredibly smart and very protective. Wary of strangers, but controllable. She is a nurturing dog. She is a great role model for puppies, and is very patient. She has to keep both Brutus, and now Spike in line so she has to be. lol yet she teaches them, and expects them to know and understand the rules of the house.
I have always had males around her except for Maggie. She could rip Maggie to shreds if she wanted to, but she doesn't. Maggie was a full grown dog when we brought her home, granted Maggie is much smaller than her, but it is still two females. Roxie actually met her with open arms, Maggie was the testy one. But, Roxie is now 9 and she has her own idea of how the pecking order goes in this house as far as the dogs are concerned. Maggie has her order, Brutus, which I have to say...is Roxie's beloved no one can mess with Brutus, but there are certain things that Maggie does outrank Brutus on. Spike is at the bottom of the totem pole. It may sound wierd but it works, no fights or problems here. If one gets too out of line, Roxie quickly puts them back into line with a warning growl.
Rotties are very verbal dogs. Roxie talks through little growls.
B
Rottweiler is a good choice of dog. Mine never dug up the yard or anything like that, but as a puppy he destroyed alot of things. Table legs,window ledges and a whole linolium floor were destroyed when I wasn't home. But he grew out of the chewing and became the most loving dog a person could have. He never was aggressive to my other dogs even though he outweighed them. He weighed 153lbs and was very passive. Actually the doberman picked on him and now the german shepherd still picks on him.
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Aw, great pictures Corso, Roxy and Borgorn..
Red, do you have pictures of your babies?
Dog aggression concerns me greatly although I've never had a problem with it at all. My parents have six dogs, 4 female, 2 male and they've never had a problem (I lived there when there was only 5, 3 female and 2 male). The dogs have always known the "order" of the house.
We've also never experienced DA with Buddy. Are dogs more accepting of animals that they already know? When we dog sat this last week, we were concerned with how Buddy would handle another male dog and except for his jealousy (I could not pet Cooper without Buddy being 'what about me' but this was directed towards Cooper) he did very well. Is this because he's played with Cooper almost every day at the dog park?
From what everyone is saying, I will do a TON of reading before we ever get a rottie. Buddy was a lets-go-to-the-spca and see what pulls at my heartstrings. Our Fila is being very well planned for. Any other purebred also will.
On a side note, I always said I would never buy a pure bred dog. But when Hubby fell in love with the Fila, we knew for sure that that was a dog that would need to start out with us right as a pup and I get the same feeling about a rottie, unless he/she is a rescue which has had extensive temperment testing.
Red, do you have pictures of your babies?
Dog aggression concerns me greatly although I've never had a problem with it at all. My parents have six dogs, 4 female, 2 male and they've never had a problem (I lived there when there was only 5, 3 female and 2 male). The dogs have always known the "order" of the house.
We've also never experienced DA with Buddy. Are dogs more accepting of animals that they already know? When we dog sat this last week, we were concerned with how Buddy would handle another male dog and except for his jealousy (I could not pet Cooper without Buddy being 'what about me' but this was directed towards Cooper) he did very well. Is this because he's played with Cooper almost every day at the dog park?
From what everyone is saying, I will do a TON of reading before we ever get a rottie. Buddy was a lets-go-to-the-spca and see what pulls at my heartstrings. Our Fila is being very well planned for. Any other purebred also will.
On a side note, I always said I would never buy a pure bred dog. But when Hubby fell in love with the Fila, we knew for sure that that was a dog that would need to start out with us right as a pup and I get the same feeling about a rottie, unless he/she is a rescue which has had extensive temperment testing.
R
I had a rottie/dobe mix (75% rottie), and I only had 2 problems with her. She LOVED to chew on everything. She had a doggie door, and I would go out to the yard and find chewed up shoes, clothing, plastic soda bottles, grocery bags, books from the library, and a pillow with the stuffing pulled out.
The second problem was potty training. She struggled with that.
She had lots of energy so I took her for a mile walk in the morning and a mile walk in the evening. On the weekend she went to the dog park.
She never had a problem with dog aggression, but when she turned 7 months old, she wouldnt back down from a fight, if another dog started it. Thank god she never got into a serious fight. She enjoyed playing with other females and males, but she played a little too hard at times. She loved people and she was very confident.
The second problem was potty training. She struggled with that.
She had lots of energy so I took her for a mile walk in the morning and a mile walk in the evening. On the weekend she went to the dog park.
She never had a problem with dog aggression, but when she turned 7 months old, she wouldnt back down from a fight, if another dog started it. Thank god she never got into a serious fight. She enjoyed playing with other females and males, but she played a little too hard at times. She loved people and she was very confident.
L
My dad has a Rottie/Hound mix. I swear he's like 95% Rot and 5% hound. The ONLY thing "houndish" about him is that his legs are about 2 inches longer than a purebred Rottie and he's got a slightly (very slightly) smaller chest - width wise. He was docked before he was given to my dad as a birthday present almost 13 years ago. He weighed 90 lbs (last I heard) and was definitely getting up in years. He's old and slow now and has some arthritis (I think).
The only thing Harley (yes, my dad named him Harley Davidson...aka Harley D.) ever did was bark at strangers and...ummm...anyone that wasn't caucasian. It was NOT something he was taught, but he did catch the "vibes" from my dad whenever someone unwanted would come by, regardless of color. He's very loving and get's along great with Buster (male mastiff/mix) and Coco (pit/mix). Buster is pushing 15 and Coco is about a year old.
The only thing Harley (yes, my dad named him Harley Davidson...aka Harley D.) ever did was bark at strangers and...ummm...anyone that wasn't caucasian. It was NOT something he was taught, but he did catch the "vibes" from my dad whenever someone unwanted would come by, regardless of color. He's very loving and get's along great with Buster (male mastiff/mix) and Coco (pit/mix). Buster is pushing 15 and Coco is about a year old.
Rottweilers are such good-looking dogs.
I'm curious, to those of you that own them or are familiar with Rottweilers (that have been well trained by responsible owners) -- What is their typical reaction to strangers in a friendly situation? Guests in the house, someone wanting to pet them in a store, etc. I keep telling myself that I am a magnet for poorly bred/poorly trained Rottweilers, because nearly every one I meet has regarded me (not my dogs, but me) with a belligerent attitude, some were downright aggressive and a couple of them in petsmart scared me by lunging to the end of their leads and barking like lunatics.
An online friend of mine is really encouraging me to look into getting a Rottie, she has two show bitches that sound lovely although I've never met them... I couldn't own one of them if most are as unstable as the ones I've met - I don't want a dog that will be beyond my control, freaking out at a random stranger in petsmart. Since I can't seem to meet any decent examples of the breed that have been raised by responsible owners, I figured I'd ask those of you who own them.
I'm curious, to those of you that own them or are familiar with Rottweilers (that have been well trained by responsible owners) -- What is their typical reaction to strangers in a friendly situation? Guests in the house, someone wanting to pet them in a store, etc. I keep telling myself that I am a magnet for poorly bred/poorly trained Rottweilers, because nearly every one I meet has regarded me (not my dogs, but me) with a belligerent attitude, some were downright aggressive and a couple of them in petsmart scared me by lunging to the end of their leads and barking like lunatics.
An online friend of mine is really encouraging me to look into getting a Rottie, she has two show bitches that sound lovely although I've never met them... I couldn't own one of them if most are as unstable as the ones I've met - I don't want a dog that will be beyond my control, freaking out at a random stranger in petsmart. Since I can't seem to meet any decent examples of the breed that have been raised by responsible owners, I figured I'd ask those of you who own them.
Red your Roxy was gorgeous!!
filarotten you Roxie is also "princess like".
I think "roxy" is a name that should be reserved for intelligent rotts.. LOL
RD I have to admit that before Roxy went to school she lunged at people a lot. Anyone that came near me or spoke to me actually. My trainer said it was because we spent SOO much time alone together. (I got her at 6 weeks, and up until about 6 months we were together 24/7, I also had been physically abused by my bf at the time.) She was EXTREMELY protective. Not good at all.
Most rotts that I've met that haven't had formal training though, seem to be big teddy bears. In my town as I mentioned there are A LOT of rotts. Most of them are horribly overweight, but happy animals.
As, I mentioned in another thread, since her lessons Roxy has improved greatly with strangers. She doesn't lunge anymore (unless provoked; a drunken man approached me awhile back, arms waving, hollering, so she lunged to scare him, snarling etc), but with the general public, people I stop to talk to, she just sits at my side. She's not exactly friendly, like she wouldn't run up to you, but she definitely would not attack/lunge anymore. (Of course this was Roxy's specific problem with strangers being near me because of our unnaturally close bond since she was a pup)
In most situations though, after speaking to a lady with a Rott, I think it's because their such large dogs, that people are afraid to socialize them when their young. And then when they get bigger, it's just a huge mess. A lady with a Rott told me that her puppy was "bad" with other puppies, so she stopped taking him around other dogs. When he's older he won't be as bad... DUH! Of course he got worse when he was 120lbs and hadn't seen or been close to other dogs for years!!!
Yes, that's my stance on it, socialization. Not enough of it!
filarotten you Roxie is also "princess like".
I think "roxy" is a name that should be reserved for intelligent rotts.. LOL
RD I have to admit that before Roxy went to school she lunged at people a lot. Anyone that came near me or spoke to me actually. My trainer said it was because we spent SOO much time alone together. (I got her at 6 weeks, and up until about 6 months we were together 24/7, I also had been physically abused by my bf at the time.) She was EXTREMELY protective. Not good at all.
Most rotts that I've met that haven't had formal training though, seem to be big teddy bears. In my town as I mentioned there are A LOT of rotts. Most of them are horribly overweight, but happy animals.
As, I mentioned in another thread, since her lessons Roxy has improved greatly with strangers. She doesn't lunge anymore (unless provoked; a drunken man approached me awhile back, arms waving, hollering, so she lunged to scare him, snarling etc), but with the general public, people I stop to talk to, she just sits at my side. She's not exactly friendly, like she wouldn't run up to you, but she definitely would not attack/lunge anymore. (Of course this was Roxy's specific problem with strangers being near me because of our unnaturally close bond since she was a pup)
In most situations though, after speaking to a lady with a Rott, I think it's because their such large dogs, that people are afraid to socialize them when their young. And then when they get bigger, it's just a huge mess. A lady with a Rott told me that her puppy was "bad" with other puppies, so she stopped taking him around other dogs. When he's older he won't be as bad... DUH! Of course he got worse when he was 120lbs and hadn't seen or been close to other dogs for years!!!
Yes, that's my stance on it, socialization. Not enough of it!
R
I will start from the beggining... longish story...
I had just moved out of my parents house a few months before getting Kahlua, my rottie mix. I came over to visit my parents one day and there were two little puppies playing in the street. I called them over to me and fed them, because they were very skinny. To cut the story short... I ended up taking one because they were being neglected at 7 weeks of age. I planned on taking both, but my boyfriend said no.
I had kahlua for 7 months when I had to move into an appartment. About a month later the appartment rules had been changed. Only dogs under 20 pounds were alowed in the park. I tried hidding her, but the appartment owner found out and knocked on my door telling me to get kahlua out ASAP. I didnt know what to do, and I didnt have enough money to pack up and move again. I asked my family and friends what I should do, and they told me to find her a new home. So, being 17 and DUMB, I found her the best home possible.
I should have faught harder to keep her... no question about that. They shouldnt have been able to change the rules like that. Another reason that made me want to find her another home was because a couple who lived next to me threatened to turn me in to the appartment owner if I didnt get rid of kahlua. I wasnt going to be forced to drop her off at some pound.
I made a mistake. When the new owners showed up and drove off with her, I immediatly started saying... "oh my god, oh my god, what did I just do?". I still think about kahlua and what I should have done....
I had just moved out of my parents house a few months before getting Kahlua, my rottie mix. I came over to visit my parents one day and there were two little puppies playing in the street. I called them over to me and fed them, because they were very skinny. To cut the story short... I ended up taking one because they were being neglected at 7 weeks of age. I planned on taking both, but my boyfriend said no.
I had kahlua for 7 months when I had to move into an appartment. About a month later the appartment rules had been changed. Only dogs under 20 pounds were alowed in the park. I tried hidding her, but the appartment owner found out and knocked on my door telling me to get kahlua out ASAP. I didnt know what to do, and I didnt have enough money to pack up and move again. I asked my family and friends what I should do, and they told me to find her a new home. So, being 17 and DUMB, I found her the best home possible.
I should have faught harder to keep her... no question about that. They shouldnt have been able to change the rules like that. Another reason that made me want to find her another home was because a couple who lived next to me threatened to turn me in to the appartment owner if I didnt get rid of kahlua. I wasnt going to be forced to drop her off at some pound.
I made a mistake. When the new owners showed up and drove off with her, I immediatly started saying... "oh my god, oh my god, what did I just do?". I still think about kahlua and what I should have done....
Rd, we have company come over quite a bit. Roxie pretty much has the same reaction to company as Brutus. Some she adores, others she prefers to stay away from.
She will bark when a stranger comes in the yard, no lunging though. I can take her to Pet smart and she behaves quite well. It all depends on how much you socialize and work with them.
I can't say that she likes everyone she meets, she doesn't. But, she knows when she is told ok, that means it is ok, and to chill. She will go lie down. Sometimes she will talk back to me if she really senses something is wrong with them, but she doesn't react on that feeling... unless someone would truly threaten us.
With any dog that has protective instincts. It is imperative that they know the difference between a threatening and a non threatening situation.
Red, your girls are beautiful.
She will bark when a stranger comes in the yard, no lunging though. I can take her to Pet smart and she behaves quite well. It all depends on how much you socialize and work with them.
I can't say that she likes everyone she meets, she doesn't. But, she knows when she is told ok, that means it is ok, and to chill. She will go lie down. Sometimes she will talk back to me if she really senses something is wrong with them, but she doesn't react on that feeling... unless someone would truly threaten us.
With any dog that has protective instincts. It is imperative that they know the difference between a threatening and a non threatening situation.
Red, your girls are beautiful.