Anyone Have a Rottweiler?

[2mickeys1minnie]

DH has been wanting a rottie puppy forever. I'm really not sure...he had one until it passed away and he said it was the sweetest dog ever. I have 3 small children and I am just concerned because of all the stories you hear. Anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks

 

[tlh0726]

Before you get a dog, check with your homeowner's insurance as to what dog restrictions they have. There are 5 dogs listed on ours that if we or anyone we rent to has one of these dogs, they can drop our insurance immediately. Rotties was one of the breeds they mentioned to us.

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

Before you get a dog, check with your homeowner's insurance as to what dog restrictions they have. There are 5 dogs listed on ours that if we or anyone we rent to has one of these dogs, they can drop our insurance immediately. Rotties was one of the breeds they mentioned to us.

OMYgosh! Really? Well forget that then....wow!

 

[ShiPooOwner]

We have a rottweiler/doberman mix and your husband has described our dog perfectly. I know the breed has a bad reputation. Ours is a sweetheart marshmallow who is loving and gentle. Our shipoo, on the other hand, is a wild man! (They get along great!) A lot has to do with how the dog is raised and treated. I wouldn't write off a rottweiler pup as a bad bet. Do more research and make an informed decision.

 

[Disney Doll]

Dogs like Rotties and Pit Bulls get bad reputations because bad dog owners train them to be mean, and because they are big, strong dogs, when they are mean they can do some damage!

My friend had a Rottie...he was a big boy...probably about 120lbs., named Bert. He was the sweetest most good-natured pet I've ever seen and she had 3 kids and numerous children visiting constantly and we all cried for days when he had to be put down.

The PP who said something about your insurance is onto something though. Check that out before you do anything.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I don't have a pure bred Rottie so you can take my opinion for what it is worth. My dog has a little lab in him but he looks the Rotti and is mostly Rotti. We adopted him from the Humane Society at about a year old. He hadn't been treated well but despite that he has never been aggressive. He is very loyal particularly to me . He does love the kids and they can do anything to him. He does bark alot when people come but once he knows that the person at the door is allowed in he is fine. He is a big boy at his ideal weight he is 110 right now he is 123 pound mostly due to the trash he has been eating which has caused me to have to kennel (cage) him when I am gone. However he is outsmarting me and breaks out of the darn thing comes up the cellar stairs and squeezes himself through the cat door to get into the kitchen and then gets into the trash. I have to dog proof this weekend! Even though he is being very naughty with the trash, I would get another Rotti. They are really good dogs I will admit though sometimes he doesn't realize how big and strong he is and he has on occasion knocked one of us over when he is running around. Not on purpose he just isn't paying attention to where he is going! That has been just a few times in the 9 years we have had him.

As to the insurance do check with your provider because there are dogs that people get specifically for rasing up for "gaurd dogs" or fighting basically rasied to be aggressive, it has given those breeds a bad name and thus insurance Co are not generally interested in insuring people who own dogs on that list.

I encourage you if you are going to get a dog to look into Rotti Rescues or Humane Societies both places you can get a Rotti even pure bred and you can save a life too.

 

[chirurgeon]

My step mother and brother have had 2 Rotties and both of them were indeed a couple of the sweetest dogs you would ever want to meet. The one thing I have worried about most about the current Rottie, Zoe, is the bruises I get from her tail. It wasn't cropped as a puppy and when she wags it, it can hurt.

Kim

 

[stm61]

I've had Rottweiller's for over 20 yrs and I agree with your husband. I've got 5 kids of my own, plus I do foster care so we've always got kids running in and out of the house. I've only had 1 dog that I would not trust around the kids. She was an older pup when I got her, about 8 months I think, she was the 2nd rottie I had, and she hadn't been socialized well before I got her. The rest were all great with the kids. As long as they're raised with kids you should be fine. Read up on them before you decide. They need alot of room, since they're large dogs, and they need plenty of exercise. They don't realize how big they are and will try to sit on your lap and climb in bed with you. They also like to eat, a lot! They're very protective of their families, make great watch dogs since they sound very impressive when they bark or growl, and are usually easy to train. The one I have now is the only rottie we've ever had that I could say is dumb. I usually say he's brain dead, but the rest have been very intelligent dogs. We've never had a problem with insurance, they've never asked if we had pets, but I do know a few people who were asked. If you decide on a rottie, be sure to ask for hip certification on the parents. Hip dysplacia (sp?) is common in rotties, and several other larger breeds.

 

[Rebelmom67]

We had a rottie that was a big baby, just precious. Our neighbors were scared to death of him and always gave us the evil eye. One day we found him dead in his pen, he had been poisoned by antifreeze (the vet determined this after several tests).

We moved soon after, what kind of person would poison a pet in their pen?!

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

The one DH had was 100+ lbs and his name was Tiny DH just loved him and talks about him all the time even though it has been years since he has gone over the Rainbow bridge.

I just did a quick check online and ofcourse my insurance co. DOES have a bad breed list and rotties are on it That doesn't seem fair to me. Anyway, we were going to go to a breed rescue or the local shelter. How about a mix pup...do the insurance co. consider those a bad breed too? I think I need to do alot more research.

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

We had a rottie that was a big baby, just precious. Our neighbors were scared to death of him and always gave us the evil eye. One day we found him dead in his pen, he had been poisoned by antifreeze (the vet determined this after several tests).

We moved soon after, what kind of person would poison a pet in their pen?!

That makes me sooo angry. How could someone DO something like that? I feel sick...

 

[momof1princess]

my brother had a rottweiler (he died several years ago) named Thor. he weighed 155 pounds (and he was the runt, lol). he was the most loving dog you'd ever want to meet-i called him thor baby. my cousin breeds rottweilers and has two that sleep in the bedroom with him and his wife-they're big babies who want mom & dad's attention ALL the time. the female sleeps on on the bed his wife's feet and the male sleeps on a rug on the floor on my cousin's side of the bed. i would love to have one myself. perhaps my dear cousin will give me a discount on a pup someday.

 

[hereyago]

I had a half rott/ half husky. He had cancer and had to be put down last November, a week shy of having him for 10 years.

he was one of the most gentle dogs I have ever seen. Dd10 and him were a month apart when I got him when DD was 2 months old.

Any dog, especially the big dogs, the owner has to be the alpha dog. As for kids, well I child proofed our pup and the other one we have GS. I pulled on his ears, tail, and I tell you what, he loved kids and they could mess with him.

Funny story: when they were babies, I had a baby gate. Well, my dog learned how to jump the fence and would jump back as if to try to show DD how to do and couldnt figure out why she wasn't jumping to.


Rebelmom67-people are just sick. I can't even watch animal planet spca becuse I want to knock people out for hurting animals. I am so sorry.

 

[Nette]

Some of my best friends have had two rotties. (Both have passed now. ) And guess which dog bit me... nope not either of the rotties... The lab mix is the one that bit me. Their most recently deceased rottie used to pace around the pool whenever we would let kids swim without getting in ourselves. (We were just on the porch.) She would pace and pace and look at us like... Uh, you guys forgot something in the pool! She was so worried something would happen to the kids!

Dogs are all about how they are brought up...usually. Sometimes you get a dog that is just off... And then you end up with problems. So now, I really think that I would forgo puppies and find a rescue group for whatever dog I want. Both of my friends rottweilers were found this way and our current dog (Golden Retriever) was also. Once the dog is grown, it's personality is pretty well set... makes it easy to pick a dog that will work well with kids... with a puppy, who knows? But all that to say, that you need to do what will work best for your family.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I love Rottweilers. I do feel they need to be highly socialized in order to have a sweet, safe dog. With young children you should be okay if the dog is raised with your children. I started my Rottweiler in obedience school when she was only six weeks old. We did basic obedience and tracking, but I would not allow her to participate in the protection part of the training classes. I mistakenly thought this would cause my dog to be aggressive. I did learn that my dog could have been somewhat aggressive with the slightest bit of encouragement. I never encouraged it though, so she was as sweet as any dog in the world. She was a brilliant dog and everyone who met her loved her.

As far as your insurance company goes. You might ask them if they will insure a Rottweiler if you get its Canine Good Citizen certificate. Most insurance companies WILL insure dogs on the "bad dog list" if they have this CGG certificate. It is given to dogs who pass a ten part test, which is mainly good manners, and given to dogs who show no aggressive tendencies. It is a simple test and you don't have to be a dog trainer or attend obedience classes to get the certificate. Here is a link for more info.

http://www.dog-breeds.net/Canine_Good_Citizen_Test_Information.htm

 

[eeyorethegreat]

We had a rottie that was a big baby, just precious. Our neighbors were scared to death of him and always gave us the evil eye. One day we found him dead in his pen, he had been poisoned by antifreeze (the vet determined this after several tests).

We moved soon after, what kind of person would poison a pet in their pen?!

My neighbors across the street have issues with dogs- any dogs- but particularly mine. I do have to say that they would never come on to my property and kill him though. How hateful and I though my neighbors were bad!

 

[Bluestars]

DH has been wanting a rottie puppy forever. I'm really not sure...he had one until it passed away and he said it was the sweetest dog ever. I have 3 small children and I am just concerned because of all the stories you hear. Anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks

My advice is if you are uncertain about the breed and have small children, then I would not risk it. Your children's safety is more important than a family pet. I know plenty of people will tell you they are fine, but is it really worth the risk?

 

[java]

My BIL had one. It wasn't what I would call sweet. She was very protective. She bit my MIL. Twice. And they really didn't address the issues. She wasn't very socialized as a puppy as my BIL was a single guy. She got more aggressive after he got married. It was almost as if she got jealous.
She nipped my SIL.- just feet- and nothing harsh- but still not great.
So my only interaction with one was one I knew from puppyhood that wasn't very friendly.
Any dog can bite.
It's just the size of the dog that could be the bigger issue. We almost got an English Mastiff. And when I went to visit the breeder and met "dad" he looked me right in the eye! while he was on all fours! He was big. So sweet. Really sweet loving me- licking me ect.
My fear though was that with my 2 littlest guys - their friends might be afraid.
Are you sure it has to be a rottie puppy? Can you talk him into another one?
We have 2 dogs now and I still want another English Bulldog. But I won't right now- 2 dogs is plenty. But someday I'll have another one of those big lumps of love.

And on the dogs that were poisoned, my heart breaks for you. I'm so sorry. No animal deserves that.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I have had 2 rotties in my life...I was young for the first one and I know he got sick. We had champ for 11 years--we had to put him down about a year and a half ago...it was abslutely devastating. He was the biggest baby ever! I know rotties get a bad reputation but all rotties i have known have been sweethearts

 

[worm761]

We have a rot mix. He is very sweet. One of the biggest babies you will ever meet. He is bull mastiff and rot. He is 3 years old and 92 lbs. We almost lost him last summer. He got heartworms and the treatment almost killed him. He is good now. Like others have said...Oz is under the impression that he is a small dog and can do things like sit on you. I am five feet tall. LOL...and I am his primary keeper. He has only nipped at one person and that was a warning. My sister was attempting to spank her two year old. You just don't hit a kid around Oz. He doesn't like it. He just nipped close enough to get her attention but not actually bite. She opted for time outs while she was here.