Considering a Rottweiler?

Thinking about getting yourself a Rottweiler as the newest addition to the family? If you've done any reading up or told anyone of the breed you're considering, you've probably heard the following (several times):

- They're banned!

- You need a license

- They are super ferocious

- Dont you want kids / what about your kids - the dog will kill them

- They are too aggressive

- Dumb, untrainable, and ferocious, go for a lab!!

It doesnt help that movies always show rottweilers to be stupid, ferocious animals. No other breed is repeatedly shown with a rabid, snarling expression with even the best of protagonist running from it.

After growing up with labs and telling myself no other breed can compare, I am now the proud owner of a rottweiler. I did a lot of research, reading up and talking to rottie owners to make sure I knew what I was getting into. And to be completely honest, it took a while for me to trust my dog and not remember all the horrible things I've read and heard about the breed. Two years down the line, I am sure I will always keep one.

So this and the next few posts are for the fellow dog lovers, who are considering keeping a rottie. Hopefully these will help you make an informed decision, and help you decide what works best for you.

Rottie Basics : Things to know and consider before getting the breed

About the breed

Just a brief overview of the breed, to give you some food for thought. This excerpt is from the Wikipedia entry for the breed, the complete article can be found here.

"The Rottweiler, or Rottweil Metzgerhund ("Butchers Dog"), is a "medium to large size, stalwart dog" breed originating in Germany as a herding dog. It is a hearty and very intelligent breed. Rottweilers also worked as draught dogs, pulling carts to carry livestock to slaughter, meat and other products to market...

In modern times they are often used inter alia as search and rescue, assistance, guide dogs for the blind, guard and police dogs in addition to their traditional roles.".^"

can you imagine a dog who is difficult to train serving all these different roles? Is it reasonable to assume that a dog which is not obedient would be popular to herd and work with cattle? Can you even imagine a dog with lockjaw, mindlessly attacking, but still being trusted to not spoil prime cuts of cattle while herding them? And does your imagination stretch far enough to visualize a snarling, rabid, dumb, untrainable rottweiler being used as a guide dog or for search and rescue?

Again, dont believe everything you hear, and also, dont discount everything you see. Especially for this breed, going to the right sources for information will make the difference between making a decision thats right for you or one you'll curse yourself for in the months to come.

Research: go to the right sources

Good sources:

- Kennel club sites for your country: will have a breed description, with a section on temperament

- Families that own rotties: good feedback on whether the dog is a family dog, possible problems etc

- Neutral / user driven sites / forums: eg: wikipedia. These usually give you a balanced idea, since ppl can post both supporting and contradictory views

- People with rotties who have kept other breeds in the past as family dogs: if you know someone took the effort of training and being objective about one breed and now have a rottweiler, they'll be able to tell you pros and cons

- Book on the breed: From a good author, or a series about different breeds

Bad sources:

- The punk next door who has a rottweiler: thanks to the negative perception of the breed, it attracts people who want the breed because of it

- The pet store guy: who'll figure you are considering one. and then will say whatever he needs to to convince you

- Someone who doesnt and hasnt ever owned one: Their only source of information will be what they've seen and heard. That will usually be negative for this breed, but even if it isnt, its likely to be a very embellished version of the truth

- A rottie owner whos kept other breeds, but even the rest are untrained and unmanageable: A dog is only as good as its master. Someone who keeps one but cant be bothered to do much else is not a dog lover, and wont have a balanced opinion. They would tell you all the problems without having tried any solutions

Important Differences with other breeds : not bookish / practical stuff

Stubborn: This breed is incredible stubborn. To be able to deal with it you need to have both enough patience and enough experience with dogs. I've been around dogs of different breed my whole life but there are enough days when Cahira tests my patience to new levels.

Strong: An adult rottie can easily weigh around 45 - 50 kgs. Labrador Retrievers weigh around 32-46 kgs, thats around 16 kgs lesser, although the rottie isn't that much bigger. The extra weight is more muscle then bulk, I've seen grown men being dragged by a slim rottie. That coupled with its stubbornness means that no matter how much of a dog lover you are, unless its well trained, you'll have a huge problem on your hands when your adorable, cuddly pup grows up

Intelligent: Your cute cuddly pup needs to learn its boundries and that you're the boss while its still small. Once it realizes it can get away with something, you'll go crazy trying to change the behavior. I'm hoping with summer around the corner, my erstwhile pup will get her huge butt off my bed and back on the floor.

Tendency to be overprotective: Like all breeds, rotties are devoted pets. They can get over protective if the perceive a threat to you. Its important to have a confident, well socialised rottweiler because unlike a smaller breed who over-reacts, a rottie over-reacting can have serious consequences. Again, the onus lies with you, to ensure your dog knows what is ok. If you encourage your dog to bark and snarl as a pup, and then one fine day act surprised when your fully grown rottweiler bites someone, its not the dogs fault, its yours.

energetic

Normal behavior across breeds

Chewing as pups: Pups of all breeds chew, unless you're really really lucky. Some breeds like Labradors can be really destructive for as long as one year. My rottie was much better in this respect then all the labs I've had (four in all). They grow out of it, with firmness and some toys to distract them.

Demanding Attention: Dogs are social animals and need attention and time with their human family members. If left alone, without a family member, for long hours, they tend to express their insecurity and unhappiness. They either get too clingy, refusing to let family members leave, or get destructive when left alone. Either way, its the dogs way of telling you it misses you and doesnt want to be left alone.

Destructive if left alone: Some dogs can get destructive if left alone. This usually happens if they're bored or left alone for long periods. If your pup tries this and gets away with it the first time, you can be rest assured this will end up becoming a lifelong habit. Be firm in conveying the behavior is unacceptable, but at the same time identify the reason for the behavior. Some pups, when teething, turn to this to relieve the pain - a good toy can work wonders in such cases.

Testing bounderies: All dogs can trace their ancestory back to wolves. Although a lot of them dont look anything like their forefathers anymore, some deeply ingrained behaviors remain the same. Wolves are pack animals, they live and hunt in a pack where every member has a place in the hierarchy. For your dog, your family is his pack. The whole purpose of being firm with the animal as a pup is to clearly establish the boundries. A 'good' pet knows that you are the alpha wolf, and will thus obey you and do its best to please you. A well socialized and trained dog will treat all members of the family as being above him. Without training and guidence to convey the ideal hierarchy, an adolscent dog will try to assert its superiority over some if not all family members. This explains instances where a pet behaves with the adults in the family, but growls at and disobeys children. This is especially likely with larger breeds, who instinctively because of their size would assume they should assert themselves to the smaller members of the group. All dogs do this, across breeds.

Positives over other breeds (yup, including labs)

Quick learner: Rottweilers are extremely intelligent. This and their devotion to their owner makes them etremely easy to train. However, because of their intelligence, they tend to get bored quickly, which can become a problem for an inexperienced owner.

Everyones heard the horror stories: The fact that its a rottie alone is good enough to keep you safe and make others think twice. You dont need any special training for your dog to be a good guard dog, all you need is a well socialized and happy pet. Her repution will do the trick in most cases. If, God forbid, you do need a guard dog someday, her undying loyalty to you and generations of instinct will turn her into a defender who will do anything to protect you. The key words here are 'to protect you'.

Not a one man dog: Most dogs, including labs are one-man dogs. This means they have a special / stronger relationship with one member of the family. Some breeds are notorious for being one-man dogs, like Alsatians and Doberman. I didn't quite believe it when I read that rotties are not one-man dogs, they usually adopt the entire family and treat every member with the same degree of adoration. Having been the proud owner of one for two years now, I know this is true. My rottie turns to my husband to play, for a scratch. At first glance she appears totally devoted to him, at the expense of ignoring me. In reality, her relationship with me is totally different. If she's hurt or in pain, she heads for me. She trusts me to help her, turning to me to keep her favourite bone. Shes also much more protective of me, if left open she ensures she walks with me or ahead of me, and runs if needed to keep up. So although she expresses it differently, I know we are both as important as the other for her to feel happy in her little universe.

Still sure? Ask yourself:

Have time : to spend and train

Have money: big dog food

Have patience: large dog, stubborn, very intelligent

Have enough experience?

Pedigree matters: gentle parents

Must dos with rotties

train
I always advocate training your dog yourself, its no rocket science and their are enough resources available to help you figure how. However, for rotties, you need to have had enough experience training dogs. Training usually works by repetition, rewarding the dog for expected behavior and quitting while you have the upper hand and the dogs still interested in the process. Rotties learn fast, so before you realise it, they've learned the trick and have lost interest. Once a dog reaches that stage, its difficult to bring them back on track.

socialize

high human interaction

encourage positive behavior