Any ROTTWEILER owners?

[RottieInfo]

Just looking to get a general view of the breed from real owners.

Puppy hood. The teenage years. Temperament. Needs etc...

[MrsMozartMkII]

I forgot to put the good bits - though they don't alter my opinion in this instance - as in they're: loyal, loving (you should see these two when I'm home from working away for a few days!), gentle, intelligent, calm presence, and they make a good foot rest (that's what I'm resting on now). They're also demanding of cuddles and attention, so I'm typing one handed

[IamHyouweegobshite]

@millaj any dog could 'rip your throat out'...

I am not a Rottie owner, my dB is, they have a very strong boy, I personally couldn't take him for a walk because he's too strong, but he's not a nasty boy. They need training, which unfortunately, this one has been lacking in. Personally I wouldn't have this type of dog around children, more because of their brute strength than anything else. We are dog owners and ours is amazing around kids, he's a labradoodle, again loots of training needed, I do trust him, he is such a good, placid dog, however I'd never leave a small child alone with him.

[MrsMozartMkII]

I have two Rotties. Brothers.

I love them with all my heart (well, apart from the bit that's kept for the GSD, DH, DDs, etc. etc. etc.), but I don't know if I'd have the breed again, then again I tend not to stick to the same breed as the ones I've had have all been lovely representatives of their breed and I'm wary of not getting another good one.

As others have said - they're big, though not the biggest breed, heavy, powerful, fast, and they guard their spot and their people. So saying, mine have always been friendly with visitors both in and out of the house, though I'd not recommend anyone breaking in or trying to hurt us.

Training - lots and lots and lots (and lots) of training. Kind, fair, and food orientated. Mine are trained to voice and hand signals. You have to be constantly consistent.

They will lock on to other dogs and people. It's never been the precursor to any aggression, but it would possibly look scary to someone else.

Body language - I've done more and more reading up on it. Definitely helps.

Vets - we've had two practices as we've moved house. Both lots have loved the Rotties. The last visit had the vet sat on the floor being cuddled by a Rot. One had a poorly leg (turned out to be a toe) and when manipulated into an odd position did give a low growl, with no lip lift, so since then I've always said use a muzzle, but so far the vets have chosen not to. They were both castrated the same day and the vets and nurses handled them without issue. I will, however, always suggest and it's on the notes, that they consider a muzzle if there's a chance what they need to do will cause any pain.

Power - incredibly powerful. One ran into my DH's knee and broke it. Then licked his head when he (DH) was on the ground. I don't let them sit on me as the weight is too much. Othe than the vet, only I'm allowed to sit on the floor with them. When they're both piling in for attention the power is incredible.

Exercise - they now run free in our field for three hours a day. Before that they were walked for 2 hours a day each. Separately as I was working on their training. I used to walk the two together but want them better trained before I do it now they're full grown: I'm pretty certain I can control them but I don't want to take any chances. This would be the same irrespective of the breed.

I wouldn't have a Rottie and small or young children. They're like children themselves in a way. We plan pretty much our entire lives around them. The GSD can come and go and is far easier in lots of respects; though an interesting dichotomy she's wary of strangers and had to be muzzled at a vet's due to sheer nervousness, whereas the Rotties aren't muzzled and love a stranger if there's a chance of a head rub.

So, sorry but that was a very long winded way of saying that in your situation I wouldn't have a Rottie.

[Branleuse]

If you are looking for a first dog, with children, then its probably not the best choice. They are beautiful though, like bears. The ones ive met have all been quite boisterous and bouncy at best, and strong ad aggressive at worst

[LochJessMonster]

Could you consider a hovawart or beauceron instead? Or even a black and tan kelpie type?

So similar looking, but not as powerful?

[tabulahrasa]

“Obviously being the dog's vet or vet nurse is quite different from being its owner.”

Oh of course, we could all clip and scrub hotspots, give him his painkillers, put eye drops in no problem at all, never mind normal interactions and yet he once tried to have a go (I always muzzled him, so not successfully) at the vet because he gave her his paw and then didn’t like that she had his paw

They’re a breed prone to painful medical issues and not timid about defending themselves - so I’d imagine vet staff get more than their fair share of reactions where other breeds tolerate it better.

I currently have a foster mostly collie staying with me, he doesn’t like the vet, he hides behind my legs, makes it kind of hard to examine him, but they’re not having to worry about if they’re safe or not...

I was only objecting to the without warning bit, just because I saw, repeatedly that he’d give off warnings that tbh you could have taken photos of and made up a poster of dog body language with they were so clear and yet most people always found it unexpected when he then escalated...

[avamiah]

Hi all , I have had rotties for over 20 years , I started off with one little pup then progressed to 3 pups ( male and 2 bitches ).
I’m not going to talk about being KC registered and seeing their mum and dad etc but I will say that they grow quickly and become very strong and protective and need to be trained from a early age.
In my opinion only a pup should be considered if there is a child in the family and the child should be at least 12 years old.

[villainousbroodmare]

Obviously being the dog's vet or vet nurse is quite different from being its owner. We are almost always dealing with animals who are outside their comfort zone. While we observe and respond to their body language cues, our job requires us to push them, in a way, instead of backing off, because we are almost always doing aversive things.

In 15 minutes we call in a patient, introduce ourselves to/ greet the client and patient, read over previous history, obtain and condense and create a written recent history which may well be presented in a disjointed manner, incomplete and full of irrelevancies. Then visually assess the animal including its potential to drop dead, be seriously ill, bite us, bite the owner. Physically examine the animal, usually with inexpert restraint from the owner, probably doing uncomfortable or frightening things like squeezing a sore belly or taking a temp or peering into a hot and aching ear. Maybe the owner is afraid of the dog or worried it will embarrass them. Maybe they're terrified it's going to die. Maybe they're worried about the bill or in denial about their animal's issues. We take blood or a urine sample (usually have to discuss costs before this gets the go-ahead). Maybe we make a judgement call to call in a nurse to handle the patient. Maybe things will go better if we bring it to the back. Perhaps it needs a muzzle for everyone's safety but the client regards this as some kind of personal insult.

We have to run through a list of differentials, come up with a plan, choose treatment, calculate dosages, administer treatment (more aversive stuff) and send medication home, count out those pills, type up a label, explain the plan to the owner (including Plan B perhaps), possibly come up with a cost estimate...

With all that to do, with many more encounters with untrustworthy than kindhearted examples of the breed, and with an absolute requirement to protect my staff and clients from injury, I will definitely not apologise for regarding all rottweilers with caution.

Not with negativity, not with a reduced level of care, but yes, with caution. Chihuahuas too.

[Indella]

And now same dog, same child MINUTES later. Clearly not an aggressive dog but a dog that’s saying I don’t like being smacked on the head, please stop. Listen to what they are telling you and respect it and you’ll have no problems.

[Indella]

Here you go perfect example for you. I’ve covered the child as not my child but one person might look at that photo and say how lovely the dog and the child get along.

But just look at the dogs posture in this photo! Ears back, eyes wide, stiff body, fearful expression. A dog that is CLEARLY unhappy and yet has been left with the child invading the boundaries long enough to take that photo. Ignorance like this is what ends up with them having a bad name. Stupid owners who get an animal and make no effort to learn their very clear methods of communication!

If that child ended up bit we’d hear in the papers all about how the dog “turned” and attacked “unpredictability” etc. We wouldn’t hear that crappy owners allowed their young child to continue mauling an unhappy dog until it realised that biting was the only way to resolve the situation and that the poor child was actually a victim of crappy parenting.

[Indella]

Agreed @tabulahrasa 1000000% they give plenty of warnings!

Like I said earlier my Rottie female that we rescued as an adult wasn’t well socialised and could be fear aggressive. You could see EXACTLY when it was coming with plenty of time to intervene and distract her. She never barked granted but she made it well known she wasn’t happy and wanted to be removed.

I agree they are not a novice dog, although my first ever dogs were a pair of Rottie’s but if you put in the work they are amazing. No they are not “big teddy bears” no dog is. They are an animal that will react like an animal, that has their limits like all animals and if you don’t understand and respect that by allowing “the kids to do anything to them” then you shouldn’t own ANY dog.

[tabulahrasa]

“Am I wary of the breed? Yes - I'm sorry but they are very reserved dogs and difficult to read and are known to not give warnings.”

I’m going to argue with the known not to gove warnings part... just because I do have experience with a rottie with behavioural issues...

People missed his warnings, constantly - if you look at any dog body language pictures or videos, he was throwing off classic stress signals and back off appeasement behaviours - all at once in fact.

Stiff posture, looking out the corner of his eyes, yawning, lip licking, rolling over... all read as him being friendly so when he did escalate they were of the opinion he’d given no warnings, he had, lots, they’d just ignored them.

That does make it sound like I was letting people be attacked by him, lol, he wasn’t ever near random people, but to start with I had assumed that vets and vet nurses would be seeing what I saw and back off and got caught off guard when they didn’t.

Obviously after a couple of times I intervened before that...when I realised they were no better at seeing his warnings than any random member of the public.

But when he was having referrals to specialists they were prewarned by my vets that he was unpredictable - where I was like, no, he’s really really predictable, I could almost give a countdown of when it’s going to be too much for him, you’re just not seeing what he’s doing because he doesn’t growl while he’s doing it...

So I suspect that the giving no warnings thing is actually because people are really really bad at reading dogs, they rely far too much on vocalisation and if a breed doesn’t do that part then they’re known as not giving warnings (as rotties aren’t the only breed people commonly say that about)

[thereinmadnesslies]

My dog got attacked recently by an adolescent rottie - the rottie was on an extendable lead being held by a petite 10 year old girl. When the rottie decided to surge towards my dog the girl was pulled over and had zero control. No idea why they were using an extendable lead with such a powerful dog, but I question whether your 9 year old would be able to walk a rottie, seems like adults have enough difficulty holding them when they pull.

[TheoriginalLEM]

Indella - thankfully the Rottie has fallen out of favour as a status dog and mostly I see as a vet nurse, rotties owned by sensible owners. I am an ex rottie owner and I love the breed. It is of course their power and poise that is part of their attraction. I don't see them as giant teddy bears, they are definitely not that and it terrifies me when people say "oh they are big softies the kids can do anything with them" although i feel the same with any breed of dog.

A Rottweiler is not a breed for novice owners and I won't have another now as i simply don't have the time for proper training .

Am I wary of the breed? Yes - I'm sorry but they are very reserved dogs and difficult to read and are known to not give warnings.

Saying all that, give me a rottie in my consulting room over a nervous cockerpoo any day.

OP i think you need to do more research. Which it seems you are. If you look on the Battersea website I believe there isa really good questionnaire about breeds , what you want from a dog and your lifestyle.

A dog is a wonderful addition to the family and well researched = fewer problems. Good luck x

[Wolfiefan]

Please don’t choose any breed because your child has seen pictures of them and likes how they look.
Consider exercise and grooming needs. The job they were intended to do. Health issues and breed traits.

[Indella]

What people don’t realise is that it’s idiot owners, that get these dogs as a “status” dog, that do almost no training, that think it’s funny when they bark / growl etc. that even encourage it that give these dogs a bad name. The vets saying they are wary of Rotties have most likely met ones owned by this type of idiot.

Well bred Rotties, owned by responsible owners that understand the need for training, are miles apart and are lovely dogs. My vet LOVES my dog, my dog walker says he’s the best behaved one out the lot, my groomer is always amazed how he tolerates everything she does without a grumble. That’s because he’s been trained well and socialised well. THATS what is important not the breed.

Yes they are big powerful dogs and yes they could do damage if you raise them badly. But your husband could do damage if he’s a scumbag. Best not get married! Your children could grow up and decide they want to assault you. Best not reproduce! You could die in a car crash. Best not get in a car! You could be mugged, raped, murdered out and about. Best not leave the house!

What a sad live you would lead forever scared of the tiny possibility of ‘could’ happen. And for those that say these things are unlikely. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is more common than being killed in a dog attack!!

[pigsDOfly]

Not an Rottie owner but know someone who had one very well.

The dog was about five years old when I first met him. He was a lovely dog, wouldn't hurt a fly, but the owner was a big man who knew how to train him.

He was devoted to his owner and pretty much ignored anyone else including the owner's wife - dog was bought by owner long before his wife came on the scene. The dog wasn't aggressive with her, just didn't obey her and would pretty much ignore anything she said.

Very intelligent dog, which can be a plus or a minus. And obviously big and powerful. They were originally bred to herd cattle and will take no nonsense and they need a very firm hand in training.

Unless you are an extremely experienced dog owner and have had and trained big dogs before, I would keep well away from Rotties, they are not the dog for beginners, nor are they generally suitable for family pets.

Although the person I know had children, the dog was old and mellow when the children came along and had been trained by a man who had, in the past, trained a very difficult, aggressive Rottie, so definitely knew what he was doing.

[exLtEveDallas]

the thing with rotties is that they don’t realise they’re big dogs and their brakes are dodgy, so you do get run into and sat on quite a lot

Oh God yes @tabulahrasa I was taken out by the Rott and Mutt playfighting - Mutt came running back to me, Rott on her heels...Mutt veered off at the last second and Rott took me out..think I flew about 5 foot and I had a head sized bruise on my hip for about 6 weeks! Bloody good job I loved her.

[Tamberlane]

Another vet here.
Rotties of the few breeds that scare me. Have met some absolutely lovely ones but the aggressive ones have made a lasting impression.

They are a large guarding breed and do not tolerate strangers manhandling them well ,meaning many learn quite quickly that vets are not to be trusted(fair enough-clever dogs) but that can make treating them very expensive as we may need to sedate for the more invasive procedures as if they change their mind about handling they are very difficult to manage safely, oh and they they are prone to kennel guarding. A Rottweiler sized dog is capable of a lot of damage if you push them. Many owners I've met with them seem to have no idea how much damage their pet is capable of.

If you get one please socialise the hell out of it and get it used to vet visits young. But I've found you see most issues at maturity 18 months to 2 years on, they are often quite sweet puppies.

They also have a lot of health issues-mostly joint related issues and are the main breed we see dying of osteosarcoma(a type of bone cancer) quite young.

Would not recommend as a family dog personally.
There are good breeders out there but there's a lot of less desirable temperaments being bred as well.

I don't consider Rottweilers bad dogs, but personal experience has put them on my list of proceed with caution breeds. I don't think sugarcoating potential issues helps people make informed choices.

[BrokenWing]

I haven't seen a rottweiler in RL for years. Beautiful, powerful looking dogs, but not really family pets.

[tabulahrasa]

“And keep in mind that if it goes wrong, you won't have a hope in hell of pulling him off someone.”

Or any other breed though, most people can’t even stop terriers attacking something...

Rottweilers aren’t as huge as people make them sound, they’re a similar size to some show strain retrievers. I’ve met lots of labs and goldens that are bigger than most rotties.

[PenelopeFlintstone]

And keep in mind that if it goes wrong, you won't have a hope in hell of pulling him off someone.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Relatives of mine had two rotties who were delightful. Another relative of mine is a vet nurse and rotts are on her 'dog breeds I am very wary of' list.

Yes, all dogs are individuals, but equally many breeds have been bred for generations for particular traits and temperaments, to the extent that the structures of their brains differ. Breeding for a look rather than working ability irons out those differences to an extent, but pet-bred terriers are still broadly different in personality from pet-bred Labradors.

[Cabezona]

We had a Rottweiler and unfortunately lost him two years ago at 9 to bone cancer which is very common.

I don't think you will get a better dog. You need a firm hand and patience in the puppy years as they are a destructive force of nature. They have so much love to give and are great around children if raised well.

I'd seriously be concerned about a vet who judged dogs based on their breed when any educated person knows it's the owner that causes bad dogs.

[tabulahrasa]

“The size thing was in relation to him getting knocked over.”

Yeah... there isn’t a size that won’t happen at tbh, lol, the thing with rotties is that they don’t realise they’re big dogs and their brakes are dodgy, so you do get run into and sat on quite a lot...they definitely think they should be lap dogs...


“I don't think I have that level of knowledge in regards to training.”

To be fair, a well bred rottie should have a sound temperament, so they don’t need constant training in case something terrible happens.

It’s because you need to keep them busy or they’ll find their own much less desirable entertainment.

And because other people are less tolerant of them than other breeds, if an over friendly lab’s recall fails and they rush up to say hello to another dog, people do not react the same way as they do if an over friendly rottie rushes up (and show strain ones do tend towards being a bit over zealous with that)

They’re also quite sensitive - they really don’t respond well to harsh training methods (which along with dodgy breeding is why people are saying they’ve met lots of unpredictable ones, because of their reputation they attract owners who are less likely to train positively)

They’re also very unforgiving of training mistakes, they learn quickly and they will learn what you’re actually teaching and not what you meant to if you’re a bit unclear...

They’re great, if you want a dog that does everything at 110% (including undesirable stuff, lol, they’re definitely not halfhearted at anything) and you enjoy training and you want a dog that will involve itself in absolutely everything you do...

But if you want a dog that you can just teach basic commands and then stop once it had those, then it’ll go on a couple of walks, play a bit and then cuddle up... they’re probably not for you..