Rottweilers

Post by **Agent-X** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:45 pm

This is kind of off topic but im thinking about getting an Airedale Terrier. Has anyone here owned one or had experience with one. Id just like to talk with someone who has. I have an Irish Terrier and I like the attitude but would like something bigger.

Post by **R00k** » Sun May 07, 2006 4:08 pm

Nightshade wrote:I had to put mine down last summer after 11.5 years. He was my first dog, and after owning one, I can honestly say that it's the only breed I would pick if it were solely my decision. Moose is an incredibly sweet dog, and he's going to be massive, but I still would rather have a Rottie.
As far as the choice of breeder, if you can find someone that's gotten a dog from them in the past, that would be ideal. Also, meet the sire and dam if you can. Remember that NO Rottweiler should be aggressive towards humans, or other dogs either, for that matter. Protective, yes, aggressive, absolutely not. I would prefer to get dogs from a breeder that does site inspections for prospective owners, this ensures that the breeder has a high level of committment to both the dog and the would-be owner.
A breeder with kennels in poor condition is an obvious red flag. Take your business elsewhere, and spread the word about them. Puppy mills need to be put out of business.
Remember that OFA certification of the parents doesn't guarantee immunity from hip displaysia, but it's a good sign.
Once you get you pup, know one thing: You'll get back the time you invest in his/her training 10x over time. I trained Loki myself, and while it took a LOT of time overall, it was well worth it. Rotties want nothing more than to make their master happy, and repsond well to structured training. Obviously you want to start with short sessions while the dog is very young, and increase to about half an hour at a time as they age. Treats as a rewards are an option, I just went with praise.
Make sure you have enough room for a Rottie, as they're VERY active dogs (they're part of the Working Group for a reason) and they need a great deal of exercise. As an example, Loki's favorite toy was a CAR TIRE. He'd throw it around for 30 minutes at a go.
I would advise against any sort of protection dog training, it's really not necessary due to the breed's natural instincts.
Proper socialization is critical, both with other dogs and humans. Start from the moment you get him. If you have kids, they need to be around and all over the dog from day one.

That's my $.02 for your use or disposal. Good luck, enjoy your new pup. IMO they're the best breed on the planet.

Good advice, I'll take it. Like I said I'm going to look at one this morning. My biggest fear is that I'll fall in love with the damn thing the moment I lay eyes on him and throw the rest out the window.
I'll certainly check their kennels/houses to make sure they are clean and they're given enough room - anything else I should check for?

I'm definitely going to have enough room for him - I'm fencing in the back yard, so there should be just shy of half an acre inside he can have all to himself. I'm a dog lover - I've loved all mine so much as a kid, that I haven't owned one in over 10 years, simply because I've always lived in apartments and I can't bring myself to keep a dog in one. The biggest reason I looked for a house with a big yard is so I could finally have a dog again.

The training is the part I'm most worried about once I get one. I've never trained any of my dogs beyond just fetching and potty-training, and I barely have any idea how to start. But I fully plan on going to obedience school, so I'm hoping besides training him, it will teach me a lot about how to train him myself, and what to do and what not to do.

I plan to use nothing but positive reinforcement for training, but there are a few areas where I'm not sure exactly how to do it. I've done a lot of reading on it though and got some good ideas.

My parents were the old, rub the dog's nose in it school of training, they weren't aware of what kind of mixed signals you can send animals with that kind of behavior. Since I've been reading how it affects them, it makes me see why some of our dogs growing up behaved the way they did - like why they would never use the bathroom in our presence.

I want to be a responsible owner and make my dog healthy and happy - I definitely have the desire to do this, I'm just afraid of doing things in complete ignorance that I shouldn't be doing.

Any tips on training would be immensely appreciated too. Thanks. :icon14:

Post by **Agent-X** » Sun May 07, 2006 5:59 pm

Get this book http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/aboutbook.php

I know hes becomig kinda cliche now but his methods work.

Post by **R00k** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:19 am

Cool, I'll probably check it out because of all the good things I've heard about him.

So anyway, I drove out to look at this pup. The breeder was so experienced, the parents were so great-looking and well-behaved, the environment was so clean and friendly, and this pup looked so good, that I picked him up.

Meet Metzger. :icon25:
[lvlshot]http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9185/metzger011pk.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3349/metzger023ar.jpg[/lvlshot]

I'm in love.

Post by **lars63** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:27 am

Thats a awesome looking puppy you're going to be so glad you got him their a great dog to own

Post by **Dave** » Mon May 08, 2006 3:34 am

You named the dog butcher... Better teach him to slaughter something so he lives up to the name

Post by **Nightshade** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:42 am

Congratulations man, he's a gorgeous pup.

Post by **LawL** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:50 am

R00k wrote:[lvlshot]http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9185/metzger011pk.jpg[/lvlshot]
[lvlshot]http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3349/metzger023ar.jpg[/lvlshot]

Awwww.

Post by **R00k** » Mon May 08, 2006 12:28 pm

Thanks guys. :icon32:

Post by **R00k** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:07 pm

Dave wrote:You named the dog butcher... Better teach him to slaughter something so he lives up to the name

Well at one point the breed were called Rottweiler Metzgerhunds - because they helped butchers herd their stock and take it to market in the town of Rottweil.

I thought it made a good name.

I'm not going to teach him to be mean or attack though - they're naturally protective of their territory and owners anyway, and I don't need any lawsuits.

He was still pretty timid in those pics, being in a new home and everything. He's a little braver now, learning his way around and testing everything out.

Post by **R00k** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:07 pm

Please excuse my dirty ass house - we had a couple friends in town this weekend and haven't had time to clean yet. Haven't puppy-proofed it yet either.
[lvlshot]http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/1106/metzger039ts.jpg[/lvlshot]

Post by **Nightshade** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:33 pm

R00k wrote:
Dave wrote:You named the dog butcher... Better teach him to slaughter something so he lives up to the name
Well at one point the breed were called Rottweiler Metzgerhunds - because they helped butchers herd their stock and take it to market in the town of Rottweil.

I thought it made a good name.

I'm not going to teach him to be mean or attack though - they're naturally protective of their territory and owners anyway, and I don't need any lawsuits.

He was still pretty timid in those pics, being in a new home and everything. He's a little braver now, learning his way around and testing everything out.

Speaking of legal crap, be aware that you're really going to have to go the extra mile with this breed when he's grown. People are so fucking sue-happy in this country, you'll have to watch him like a hawk, and no matter what you do, or how much you trust him, NEVER leave him alone with someone else's brat. You probably know that already, but it bears repeating.

Post by **R00k** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:46 pm

Yea I've thought about it already, but good advice nonetheless.

I'm planning on building a 6-foot privacy fence so kids won't even be able to see him, much less get inside and near him.

And I really hate to do it, but I may even put up "Beware of Dog" signs on the fence/gate. They look so tacky though, and make it seem like you have a mean dog.

In thinking about it, I've kinda decided I probably shouldn't even let my good friends leave their kids alone with him. The biggest danger seems to be kids that don't know how to treat dogs with respect - pulling ears and tails and such - and any dog's going to get defensive when that happens.

I remember a couple of times when I was little, where some stupid kid would go jerk around with a neighbor's dog, and would get bitten or smacked down. Everybody would vouch that the kid was being stupid, and the kid's parents would tell him not to act like an idiot next time and he wouldn't get hurt. It's a real shame more people aren't still like that today.

Did you ever have any close calls with yours, or any incidents that just made you nervous?

I meant to ask before too - why did you not get another rotty? Did your wife have problems with the last one or anything like that?

Post by **Underpants?** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:51 pm

no beware of dog signs necessary, once that cute little bastard grows a chest, his bark will resound across the neighborhood. Rottweillers have this really cool snarling recoil between barks that reminds me of a barrel-chested German rolling his R's. :icon14:

Post by **Nightshade** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:53 pm

Yeah, I had a couple of incidents that could have turned ugly if the people involved were morons. None of them were Loki's fault, though. He was a very playful dog, and great with other dogs, but people could easily misinterpret a 120lb Rott running up to play as being bumrushed by a big nasty brute. Heh, I remember running after him because he was bound and determined to check out some mutt that was running away from him. He followed the dog a couple feet into his yard and the mutt bit him right on the face. Loki just looked at him as if to say: "Are you fucking kidding me? I'm 4 times your size!"
The mutt's owner walloped his dog with a rolled up doormat, it was priceless.

My wife had wanted a Harlequin Great Dane for years, so I gave in. Don't get me wrong, he's an awesome dog, but I want a pair of Rotties. She also admitted yesterday that she simply couldn't handle getting another one so soon after losing Loki. She loved that monster as much as I did. Hell, just looking at your pup is getting me all choked up.

Post by **Agent-X** » Mon May 08, 2006 5:13 pm

I have a beware of dog sign. I was told that they get you out of liability if anyone comes into your yard whether they were invited or not. Weve all heard those stories about burglars sueing dog owners. The sign gets you out of the liability.

This is my killer.

Congrats on the new pup.