owners of 'big' dogs, can you talk to me please

[bunnyfears]

I have an 18 month old rottweiler. she is a big smooch. she loves all other dogs and most people. her recall is 98% great.

she does 3 things that are undesirable...

1. she will bark at some passersby if she is sat in the car (waiting to leave). I can live with this

2. if a man takes her by suprise, she will bark. so for example, appearing out of the bushes, in the woods etc. I'm pretty ok with this also, because we got her for safety having encountered too many weird men out walking/intruder (me and 3 daughters)

3. she will chase after male runners and bark 😬...this is the one that is getting us into trouble. it's not aggressive but it definitely sounds aggressive if you don't really know dogs. many people are great, stop running, give her a fuss and it diffuses into nothing. but as you can imagine, some people are furious. I don't really want to keep her on a lead because 1) it happens maybe once a fortnight (haven't worked out what it is about some men that brings this response as opposed to others that she ignores or can be distracted from and 2) it's ot actually aggressive

because it's not consistent I'm at a bit of a loss

interested in other people's experiences and how they have dealt with inconsistent/occasional unwanted behaviours

This one isn’t one. She’s asking how to train this to keep everyone safe!

Rubbish! I have 4 dogs all with perfect recall. It takes time and training which it doesn’t sound like you have put in. Unfortunately owners of large dogs who behave badly are the one that give these large breeds a bad name! I put you firmly in this category. Find a behaviourist and put in the work!

There should be exams testing one's ability to own a dog responsibly. Something like driving licence.
It should start with simple reading ability test .That would limit people like OP who don't understand that "if the dog chases runners it has to be on the lead".

This is one. She is refusing to put her dog on the lead when it isn't trained well.

Your comment clearly shows you are the problem! You have no understanding of the breed and to be honest if you care about your dog you’ll find her the right home! People like you give dog owners a bad name!

sounds like you didnt socialize you pup to men

@Newbie8918
stupid to have a big aggressive dog on a lunge line, the dog can get momentum on a longer line and take the OP flying. They're fine for training on dogs who wander off and act a bit stupid to teach them to recall but running at someone is high intensity.

Has this worked for you? Imagine finding that despite ignoring passers by people continually stop to say hello to my young dog, my DH said get a sign that says keep walking and no talking to me haha x

My rottie loved a ball. Keep a squeaky one in your pocket. If she does something you dont like, squeak it and get her attention. Then throw it in the other direction.

Owner of a male rottie & a rescue mastiff here so I totally understand.

The rottie is/was very similar to yours &
I've used a behaviourist to try & train the worst issues out with great improvements, but still have him on a lead when we're walking as it's just not worth the risk of something going wrong & him ending up PTS because I failed him as an owner.

I adore my dogs but you have to be so much more vigilant than most other owners because of the potential for such serious consequences if it goes wrong.

They are an amazing & special breed tho.
Welcome to msg if I can offer any advice?

Sigh. I do feel sorry for rottweilers, I've met some lovely ones, from the very rare, very good owners.

But they are definitely one of the breeds that sadly attract the thickest of obstinate curs.

Could try one syllable sentences perhaps.

Keep. Dog. On. Long. Lead. Until. No. More. 'Surprises'.

If. Surprises. Keep. Happening. Keep. Dog. On. Lead.

But then it's often not communicating the message that is the problem. It's beating the importance of the message through those thick skulls that's the issue.

Ha! Yeah that’s the problem! I haven’t actually used this advice much yet as puppy is only 4 months old plus I tend to walk her in quieter places as she just wants to say hi to EVERYONE 🙄 But yes, people coming over to say hi to her is the other “problem” especially as she’s SO cute looking. One suggestion I heard was to put a lead/collar on them that says “assistance dog in training” or similar…

The OP knows it’s unwanted and is asking for advice on HOW to train!

Have you read all OP’s posts @Newbie8918?
She seems quite happy for her dog to scare people by barking; even in her first post she said she was okay with the first and second issues she listed.
She is also minimising the chasing and its impact on others.

1. No one is suggesting that the dog is aggressive. Barking is also a fear response

1. I've also seen plenty of large breeds trained to recall (birds and squirrels) on a lunge

1. That's why I suggested building up from a low distraction area

Absolutely agree, it's not helpful to be repeatedly told off when asking for advice.

All that will do is stop other dog owners coming here for help and it'll be the dogs that suffer.

In your first post you said "some people are great, stop running, give her a fuss and it diffuses into nothing". What exactly happens if they don't interrupt their run to make a fuss over an attacking dog?
No runner should have to stop for a dog. Your dog is out of control, and until you can be sure that this will NEVER happen - not once a fortnight, not EVER - YABTU to let it off the lead.

Rottweiler owner here too. She's nearly 3. At a younger age she had an issue with cars and bicycles.

Cars we took her to Costa and sat outside with a lot of treats. Every time she reacted to a car passing she was told a firm no and ignored for a few minutes. Every time she didn't react she was given a treat. Even now we still take her every now and again to reaffirm the training.

With bikes, when on walks we started with on the lead training and made her sit at the side of the road or path (when a bike was approaching) with a treat in hand and if she didn't react she got the treat once the bike had passed. Then we moved to off lead training with it once she was used to it. You could try something similar with runners.

With rotties it's all about finding their cryptonite... my dogs is gravy bones from pets at home or her ball. Other high reward treats that have worked well with previous rotties I've had are cheese and cocktail sausages.

Also if she pulls I fully recommend a halti face harness.

Yes. With a big old grin and an admittance that it's OK if a runner stops and fusses over the dog.
A bit more acknowledgement that chasing a runner is NEVER OK would have been welcome.

Keep it on a lead.

Yeah and this is a major problem with dogs. No decent trainer or behaviourist will say that ANY dog is ready to be off the lead before the age of about 2 or 3. Even if they seem like they have good recall as puppies, their teen phase will likely see a massive regression so you should keep them leashed through this time.

You can use a long leash and work on recall in that time but you do not let them off.

Your dog is reactive and poorly socialised. Letting it off when it chases people puts you in the irresponsible and incompetent dog owner category. The same as someone who isn't taking the dog out or is breeding XL bullies. Your dog's behaviour impacts on the behaviour of other dogs who may become reactive when trying to protect themselves and their owner from your dog.

Please.give it away to a rottweiler rehoming centre or similar and learn how to raise a dog properly before you get one. Especially a big guardian breed. You've failed the dog.

No you don't.harness a pulling dog, it creates a challenge for them to pull against. You tune up their connection to a leader and you teach them to heel on a leash.

The problem is that like a thuggish teenage boy getting his first XL bully, OP got the dog to scare people so when now the dog reacts in the way she wanted it to towards men, the OP should congratulate herself in raising the dog to be vicious like she wanted it to be.

Big dog owner here. I have a notoriously bonkers breed of dog that absolutely needs off lead time, as do many working breeds. I'd be one of those people who stopped and said hi, but that's not helpful as she's getting rewarded for the behavior. What I would do/ have done is:
Get a trainer and train the living shit out of her re recall. Make sure that she finds you more fun/ rewarding than the runners and a trainer can help with techniques.
Rather than parks/ areas with runners take her to forests, quiet beaches, wilder open spaces where there are more interesting smells to keep her interested. Are least until the training is working.
Teach her the "middle command" using high value treats. My dog will now run between my legs on this command to get a tasty treat, which is really useful for cyclists, other dogs etc and also to keep him out of danger e.g. an unexpected motorblike, quad or tractor on the tracks we walk down. My dog is food oriented but you can do it with a squeaky toy etc.
similarly, teach your dog the words for fun things e.g. stick, ball or have a squeaky toy - anything more fun than runners to distract her.

I also got a big dog so I felt safer walking alone, it's difficult when they are misunderstood by the general public but some people are scared. Wouldn't the world be a boring/ poorer place though if everyone just had cockerpoos and doodles?

Nobody should have dogs that they won't train. I have only ever had guardian breeds so that's why I am very adamant on how they should be trained.

No dog needs off lead time, you just need a long leash and the energy and fitness to be able to properly exercise a working dog before it has good recall. If you're not fit enough or mobile enough to do that, then it's the wrong dog for you.

This is more general than aimed at you because you got a trainer.