Rottweilers

Post by **R00k** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:51 pm

I'm starting my search for a rott pup this weekend.

I know a couple people here have them (NS?) and know a lot more about them than I do.

I've been told to look for the brown triangle under the chin, as well as the spots on the paws and above the eyes, and I've also been told to make sure they have solid brown eyes. I'm going to be calling around a lot to make sure I find a reputable breeder that's not a puppy-mill (going to their house, seeing the environment and the pups, making sure they don't have a dozen kennels in their backyard, etc).

And that's about all I have to go on. Aside from those, what should I look for in a pup? Are there any ways I can make sure the breeder knows what he's talking about & doing?

I just want a strong, healthy purebred pup that hasn't been mistreated or neglected in anyway, and I want to make sure I don't give any of my money to some jerk who doesn't care about the dogs.

Post by **R00k** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:55 pm

BTW, I'm doing a lot of research online myself to learn more about the breed. What I'd like is some firsthand knowledge from people who have them or know people who have them, and can help me weed out some of the bullshit.

Post by **bitWISE** » Fri May 05, 2006 11:58 pm

We had one when I was young. Awesome dogs. I can't really help you with selecting one though.

Post by **dzjepp** » Sat May 06, 2006 12:01 am

Look at his asshole. It should be shaped like a starfish.

Post by **Canis** » Sat May 06, 2006 12:35 am

They get more irritable in the heat. There's something about that breed that people have guessed is due to the mouth size to body ratio being relatively smaller, that causes them to overheat in hot climates, so they get more fiesty. Other than that, I'm not sure about specific temperment problems or things to be aware of, beyond folks getting intimidated by them...

Post by **lars63** » Sat May 06, 2006 12:46 am

I had one for eleven years very smart dog, loyal, excellent with the grandkids. I've never had any trouble with the one I had. Good luck on your search. If you get one post up the pics I would love to see what you bought.

Post by **Pext** » Sat May 06, 2006 1:53 am

here's a real rottweiler:

N A R I - N A R O

Post by **Dukester** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:03 am

This is what I did looking for my dog. (this is not breed specific, I don't have a rotty)

Do an online search for breeders in your area. Just concentrate on the breeders that are in your area that are drivable (even several hours away). Look at the websites of breeders that are breeding purely for show or confirmation even though none of us can afford that. Those breeders are way too expensive even though they always have pups to sell as pets/companion dogs. Now check out their links. Those people always have a shitload.

You will see a lot of the same links over and over so check them out. None of their links will be disreputable and most of them will be for show dogs, but this is where you will find the breeders who are "good breeders", but are raising puppies to be pets, nursing home dogs and such. There will always be some breeders in those links that are selling their dogs cheap enough so you don't have to be Bill Cosby to buy one, but you can be pretty confident they're not bred in a cesspool.

This is just how I did my weedling down process. While you can find good breeders in the newspaper, the two I went to were in the business of just quickly cranking out dogs. I had to drive about two hours to get mine, but it was worth it. (and I found the breeder online)

Also the obvious route, talk to someone you know who has one

Oh, and any of those breeders of the overpriced showdogs will answer your email if you send them one, so don't be afraid to email them and ask them the same questions and tell them what your looking for, they can probably narrow down you pet search very quickly. I emailed a show breeder to ask about the kennel I was buying from (that bred no showdogs) and got a response of high praise, which prompted me to give them a chance.

This is just my breed-generic advice, good luck

Post by **PhoeniX** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:19 am

Get a German Shepherd, their slightly more friendly

A friend of mines, it's absolutely giant.

Post by **Underpants?** » Sat May 06, 2006 2:58 am

I have a rotty mix, very good dog, very mild mannered, smart as a whip and loyal. Don't know which half is the better, but the dominant coloring and characteristics are all rottweiller.

Post by **Agent-X** » Sat May 06, 2006 3:36 am

There should be a rottie club thats AKC affiliated in your area. They should be able to point you to good breeders. I would find out what genetic problems the breed has and see if the breeder test his breedline for them and what kind of health guarantee they have. I know alot of big dogs have hip dysplasia problems so I would make sure the breeders bloodline is tested for that and they let you see the paperwork. It goes to reason if they are healthly and the breeder lets you look at there records(good breeders wont mind), then the dog will be up to standards. Dont worry about markings or whatever. If the breeder is good then the rest will follow.

http://www.netpets.org/dogs/dogclub/breeds/dogrott.html

http://www.amrottclub.org/localclubs.htm

http://www.akc.org/future_dog_owner/ind ... dog_owners

Post by **LawL** » Sat May 06, 2006 3:47 am

Make sure it's had it's shots.

Post by **duffman91** » Sat May 06, 2006 9:22 am

I have a rottweiler and it is the absolute best dog/breed/friend I've ever had. I live in Las Vegas (a desert) and I've never seen my dog get irritable.

Do it now. Make sure you get one with papers!

My best advice is to pick the pup that's the laziest. They generally grow bigger and are much more docile.

Also, make sure that the breeder gave the pup enough room to roam. Rottweilers are some of the cleanest breeds out there. If they have spent most of their life in a confined space, they'll have enough psychological trauma that they'll begin to eat their own feces.

A good breeder should have no problems in showing you the parents documents (to proove that it is a purebred), the parents themselves (to look for odd un-pure markings), as well as the area where the pup has been kept.

Post by **lars63** » Sat May 06, 2006 1:57 pm

Agent-X wrote:There should be a rottie club thats AKC affiliated in your area. They should be able to point you to good breeders. I would find out what genetic problems the breed has and see if the breeder test his breedline for them and what kind of health guarantee they have. I know alot of big dogs have hip dysplasia problems so I would make sure the breeders bloodline is tested for that and they let you see the paperwork. It goes to reason if they are healthly and the breeder lets you look at there records(good breeders wont mind), then the dog will be up to standards. Dont worry about markings or whatever. If the breeder is good then the rest will follow.

http://www.netpets.org/dogs/dogclub/breeds/dogrott.html

http://www.amrottclub.org/localclubs.htm

http://www.akc.org/future_dog_owner/ind ... dog_owners

Thanks for the links I'm looking for one too

Post by **losCHUNK** » Sat May 06, 2006 5:55 pm

have had rotts round me all my life

awesome dogs. just look after there hips n back and yea, make sure the breeder your getting from is a good one

Post by **lars63** » Sat May 06, 2006 9:41 pm

Tried to post a pic in this thread post so little I seem to have forgotten how *this getting old stuff is suckie(lol)* instead here is link to the pic I posted on my website of the Rottweiller I bought today. No name as of yet and he still needs to go to the vet (Monday)

http://home.comcast.net/~m.d.larson/wsb ... ip-20.html

*Pesky edit by you know who*

Post by **losCHUNK** » Sat May 06, 2006 9:45 pm

awesome dog dude

looks like hes gunna turn into a beast

Post by **lars63** » Sat May 06, 2006 9:49 pm

losCHUNK wrote:awesome dog dude

looks like hes gunna turn into a beast

I think he is going be a very big dog his parents were the size of Baltimore with any luck he should keep the riff raff out of the yard *smile*

Post by **R00k** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:08 pm

Aww that's a great looking pup you got there Lars. Makes me want to go get one right now.

I have actually found an AKC male pup, with OFA parents, massive father, full German, with first shots already and a health guarantee for just $450, which is a great price.

But I'm not moving into my house for another 6 weeks, and I may have to live in an apartment for a week or so that doesn't allow pets before I move into the house, so I may not have anywhere to keep him in the meantime.

Great looking pup though, best of luck with him, he looks like he should get nice and strong. :icon14:

Post by **lars63** » Sat May 06, 2006 11:52 pm

R00k wrote:Aww that's a great looking pup you got there Lars. Makes me want to go get one right now.

I have actually found an AKC male pup, with OFA parents, massive father, full German, with first shots already and a health guarantee for just $450, which is a great price.

But I'm not moving into my house for another 6 weeks, and I may have to live in an apartment for a week or so that doesn't allow pets before I move into the house, so I may not have anywhere to keep him in the meantime.

Great looking pup though, best of luck with him, he looks like he should get nice and strong. :icon14:

That is a awesome price mine was 750 is AKC purebred but no OFA I did see both parents which were huge German line dogs both of them had no hip problems of course that doesn't gaurntee mine won't. All shots dew claws and tail docked I think he will do just fine. Good luck with yours I know your going to love it when you get one and post some pics

Post by **R00k** » Sun May 07, 2006 1:42 am

I'm going to look at him tomorrow. If he really is as nice as he sounds I may pick him up anyway.

I might have to let him stay at my mom's for a week before I move in though, and I really hate to do that to him. He'll be staying in my house for 5 weeks, then staying with my mom for a week, and then finally moving into my new house with me. I hate to put a puppy through that much moving.

Post by **Nightshade** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:07 pm

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.

Post by **R00k** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:22 pm

Dukester wrote:This is what I did looking for my dog. (this is not breed specific, I don't have a rotty)

Do an online search for breeders in your area. Just concentrate on the breeders that are in your area that are drivable (even several hours away). Look at the websites of breeders that are breeding purely for show or confirmation even though none of us can afford that. Those breeders are way too expensive even though they always have pups to sell as pets/companion dogs. Now check out their links. Those people always have a shitload.

You will see a lot of the same links over and over so check them out. None of their links will be disreputable and most of them will be for show dogs, but this is where you will find the breeders who are "good breeders", but are raising puppies to be pets, nursing home dogs and such. There will always be some breeders in those links that are selling their dogs cheap enough so you don't have to be Bill Cosby to buy one, but you can be pretty confident they're not bred in a cesspool.

This is just how I did my weedling down process. While you can find good breeders in the newspaper, the two I went to were in the business of just quickly cranking out dogs. I had to drive about two hours to get mine, but it was worth it. (and I found the breeder online)

Also the obvious route, talk to someone you know who has one

Oh, and any of those breeders of the overpriced showdogs will answer your email if you send them one, so don't be afraid to email them and ask them the same questions and tell them what your looking for, they can probably narrow down you pet search very quickly. I emailed a show breeder to ask about the kennel I was buying from (that bred no showdogs) and got a response of high praise, which prompted me to give them a chance.

This is just my breed-generic advice, good luck

Thanks. :icon14:

I have talked to a friend at work who's owned two of them and is a huge rotty lover, and he's given me some pointers on looking around and which breeders to look for.

Post by **R00k** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:23 pm

Agent-X wrote:There should be a rottie club thats AKC affiliated in your area. They should be able to point you to good breeders. I would find out what genetic problems the breed has and see if the breeder test his breedline for them and what kind of health guarantee they have. I know alot of big dogs have hip dysplasia problems so I would make sure the breeders bloodline is tested for that and they let you see the paperwork. It goes to reason if they are healthly and the breeder lets you look at there records(good breeders wont mind), then the dog will be up to standards. Dont worry about markings or whatever. If the breeder is good then the rest will follow.

http://www.netpets.org/dogs/dogclub/breeds/dogrott.html

http://www.amrottclub.org/localclubs.htm

http://www.akc.org/future_dog_owner/ind ... dog_owners

Some good links, thanks a bunch.

Post by **R00k** » Sun May 07, 2006 3:37 pm

duffman91 wrote:I have a rottweiler and it is the absolute best dog/breed/friend I've ever had. I live in Las Vegas (a desert) and I've never seen my dog get irritable.

Do it now. Make sure you get one with papers!

My best advice is to pick the pup that's the laziest. They generally grow bigger and are much more docile.

Also, make sure that the breeder gave the pup enough room to roam. Rottweilers are some of the cleanest breeds out there. If they have spent most of their life in a confined space, they'll have enough psychological trauma that they'll begin to eat their own feces.

A good breeder should have no problems in showing you the parents documents (to proove that it is a purebred), the parents themselves (to look for odd un-pure markings), as well as the area where the pup has been kept.

Thanks, I'm going to look at the one I mentioned this morning. I talked to the breeder on the phone yesterday, and she owns the sire and dam and expected I'd want to meet them. The dad is OFA rated excellent and the mother is rated good. With that known, I guess at this point I should be most concerned about the environment they've been kept in, whether they've had enough space and kept in clean quarters.