Rottweiler question

**cassiesmom** · 11-28-2007, 11:01 AM

Okay, dog people, I have a question. I went to Petsmart last night for cat food and litter. In the cat aisle with me was a young couple with a Rottweiler. My only experience with Rotties is my mom and dad's former neighbors - they had two who were always in the back yard whether it was good weather or not. This dog was magnificent. I can't think of another word. He was big, his coat was very black and shiny and he had that "I'm a happy dog" face. He was sniffing at all the big bags of cat food as his people shopped. They said he was 11 months old. All I could say was wow. He really was handsome, he just looked healthy and happy. Which got me thinking about the neighbors' dogs who were never well cared for - we used to put a bucket of cold water and ice over the fence in hot weather, because they never had clean water. I know that Rottweilers have a mean dog reputation but this dog at Petsmart was clearly not mean. The breed Web site said their heritage is working, so they're tenacious. Here's my question. Can a family teach a dog of a certain breed away from that reputation? You want tenacity, but not meanness - can that be taught to a dog? Or - is it true that all (breed of dog) are (characteristic) no matter how you teach them? (example - all pit bulls are said to be aggressive, all Rottweilers are said to be mean) I wish you all could have been there with me. I didn't ask to pet the dog, because both of his people were hearing impaired - but he did wag his tail when I was talking about him, so I think I was okay. I don't know if he is a hearing helper dog or not. He sure was handsome! Some day, when I have a proper house and yard and a more consistent schedule, I hope I'll get to have a dog.

Thanks,
elyse

**Pawsitive Thinking** · 11-28-2007, 11:06 AM

Can a family teach a dog of a certain breed away from that reputation?

Its not the dog that needs to be taught - its the people around who need to get rid of their misconceptions about a breed

**pitc9** · 11-28-2007, 12:04 PM

In my personal opinion, no matter the breed it's all in the way the dog was raised.

For example...
You could get a pit puppy from a well known dog fighter that has the meanest dogs in the city and raise it to be a therapy dog!!

It's all about socializing and training that puppy from the start.
We have (had

RB Angus and RB Rocky) a few Rotties here on the board, and we also have a few pitties on the board and they all are sweet as pie!
Jada, Ebony and Diamond!! (along with others)

My sister used to live with a friend and they had 4 Rotties. I used to house sit for them when they went out of town and they all were VERY sweet!

**Ginger's Mom** · 11-28-2007, 12:09 PM

Your thread made me smile. I love Rotties. Fortunately for me, I have never met a mean Rottie, and I have met many many Rottweilers. My very first experience with a Rottweiller was while camping out for tickets about twenty years ago. One person in line brought his Rottweiler with him for the camp out, and this dog was a wonderful example of the breed. Of course the owner was a great owner; he knew everything about the breed, how/when/why it was breed, what it should do, how it should do it, etc. We spent a lovely 22 hours in line with this dog. He was happy, playful, attentive to his owner, and just a real pleasure to have around. I think everyone in line left there with a new admiration for the breed. No, dogs of a certain breed do not all have to be mean, or for that matter, not all dogs of a certain breed have to be sweet. To a large extent you can train your dog to behave the way you want it to behave, no matter what the breed.

**luvofallhorses** · 11-28-2007, 12:35 PM

I have a rottie mix and she's the best dog I have ever had. She isn't colored like a rottie, her mom was a rottie and she has lab in her. So she's yellow but I love rotties and never had met a mean rottie. It all depends how you raise and socialize them.

you will need to socialize them a lot because they are very people oriented dogs just like pit bulls are.

you can't quit socializing them with people or they will go in a skiddish stage and that isn't good at all. my Jenny loves kids, other dogs, cats (LOVES our cats) some aren't good with cats so you have to watch out for that if you have cats.. she's great with other people, etc..

she's a big mushy face.

where are you located? there may be a rottweiler rescue in your area and they could help you more to research the breed since they work with them day in and day out.

we have had a few rotties where I work and they all were sweeties.
it all depends how you raise them and socialize them imo. they are wonderful dogs but just like with pitties you have to be very, very responsible and you have to be very dominant with them because they can get stubborn. make sure you let the dog know YOU are the leader and not him. good luck!

here's a list of rottie rescues in the united states

I just saw you're located in IL so there are a few rescues if you scroll down.

http://www.rottrescue.org/national_l...tt_rescue.html

**cassiesmom** · 11-28-2007, 02:14 PM

My dad called the city about their former neighbor's dogs. They were in the yard in all kinds of weather, never got petted or played with. The city told him there was nothing they could do.

I wish you all could have seen this dog with me. He was just magnificent. Alert, strong, glossy black coat. I like to go to Petsmart when people are there with their dogs. Some day ...

**Freedom** · 11-28-2007, 03:51 PM

As with any breed, it depends on the people; and on what the line is being bred to do. Many Rotties are bred as family pets and they can be wonderful dogs. Friends of ours had one, before they even had children. As the children (3 in all ) arrived and grew, they woud reach an age and size where they could lean on the dog and get "horsey rides." They only did this with the parents watching, but that was in case the child fell off; the dog was a BIG rottie! That dog was always slobbery fun!

I believe many reputable breeders do more to breed for family life; and certain breeders focus on breeding for trial work (herding, tracking, agility, whatever depending on the breed). It's only the low lifes who breed for fighting today -- IMO.

I am SO glad you met this wonderful dog! Look at the impact he has had on you, he hee.

Oh BTW, if he was a service dog helping them due to hearing impairment, he would have been wearing an ID vest.

**Danegirl2208** · 11-28-2007, 05:33 PM

A reputation is just that..a reputation. In the public and medias eyes pit bulls and rotties are ALL "monsters"..which of course is just not the case.

A well bred rottie and pit bull should NEVER be agressive towards people. No where in either standard does it say they should be a "child killer," "monster," or "mean"..infact human agression is a serious fault in both breeds.

You talked about "tenactiy" above, which is obviously a trait that cannot be taught. It is a trait that is often taken advantage of in both breeds. For instance, the pit bulls tenacity is what makes them the breed of choice for dog fighters, they were bred to never give up.

Aslo have to point out that tenacity and gameness does not equal agressiveness. Here is a well known dogman pictured with his child and dog..the dog pictured was a fighting dog. The pit bull has been bred to be extremly people friendly. It's when people start breeding away from the standard and irresponsibly that we get the problems.