Rottweiler

Rottweiler

Rottweilers: What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em

 Rottweiler temperament, personality, training, behavior, pros and cons, advice, and knowledge.

 The AKC Standard describes the Rottweiler as "a calm, confident, and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that doesn't lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships."

 Some Rottweilers are serious dogs, while others are happy-go-lucky clowns. But generally, the Rottweiler tends to reply quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment, like strange sights and sounds.

 This muscular dog needs some space and exercise: brisk daily walks, interactive romping sessions, and regular opportunities to stretch out and run. Mental exercise is even more important and appreciated. Mental exercise includes advanced obedience classes, agility classes, or maybe Schutzhund classes if your Rottie is from German Schutzhund lines. Schutzhund may be a dog sport that mixes protection, obedience, and tracking.

 Rottweilers must be thoroughly socialized at an early age in order that their territorial instincts are  controlled indiscriminate.

 They can be aggressive with other dogs of an equivalent sex. And while many Rottweilers live peacefully with the family cat, other individuals are predatory toward cats.

 Most Rottweilers are inclined toward dominance and can test for position within the family hierarchy. But they're going to respect an assertive owner who knows the way to lead a strong-minded dog.

 Overall, the Rottweiler may be a splendid, capable companion within the right hands. But without ongoing companionship, socialization, obedience training, and supervision, he's "too much dog" for several households.

 If you would like a dog who...

•  Is large, stocky, and muscular
•  Is easy to groom
•  Is generally calm and assured
•  Is very loyal to his family
•  Makes an intimidating-looking deterrent

 ARottweiler could also be right for you.

 If you do not want to be affected...

•  An extremely careful search to avoid over-aggressive or unstable lines
•  A heavy dog who wants to take a seat on your feet, lie on your lap, and lean his weight against your leg
•  Rowdiness and exuberant jumping when young
•  Destructiveness when bored or not exercised enough
•  Providing enough socialization in order that protectiveness doesn't become aggression
•  Potential aggressiontoward other animals
•  Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take hold
•  Potential drooling (individuals with massive heads and loose lips)
•  Gassiness (flatulence)
•  Legal liabilities (public perception, future breed bans, insurance problems, increased chance of lawsuits)
•  A multitude of great health problems and a shortish lifespan
• 
  

 A Rottweiler might not be right for you.

 Keep in mind that the inheritance of temperament is a smaller amount predictable than the inheritance of physical traits like size or shedding. Temperament and behavior are also shaped by raising and training.

 You can avoid some negative traits by choosing an ADULT dog from an animal shelter or rescue group. With an adult dog, you'll easily see what you're getting, and many adult Rottweilers have already proven themselves to not have negative characteristics.

 If you would like a puppy, you'll avoid some negative traits by choosing the proper breeder and therefore the right puppy. Unfortunately, you always can't tell whether a puppy has inherited temperament or health problems until he grows up.

 Finally, you'll avoid some negative traits by training your Rottweiler to respect you and by following the 11-step care program in my book, 11 belongings you Must Do Right to stay Your Dog Healthy and Happy.

 More traits and characteristics of Rottweilers.

 If I used to consider Rottweiler, I might be most concerned about it...

 The wide selection of temperaments. There are different "breeding lines" of Rottweilers, each bred for a special purpose and a special temperament. If you would like a family companion, you do not want high-energy working lines; You would like a good-natured dog who won't harm innocent people. His presence alone is going to be enough to discourage intruders. On the opposite hand, if you would like a dog to compete in the sport of schutzhund, you would like high-energy working lines.

 With Rottweilers quite like most other breeds, you would like to know what you want long before you begin calling or visiting breeders. You would like to ask the proper questions. Otherwise you would possibly find yourself with a Rottweiler that may not be the least that you were trying to find – and possibly a private who is just too much for you to handle.

 To make your search even tougher, some idiot breeders are breeding Rottweilers to be dangerously sharp. "Sharp" dogs aren't protective – they're unstable, which makes them more likely to attack an innocent person or anyther animal. There also are Rottweilers who are skittish or nervous – another sort of instability that creates them potentially dangerous.

 Providing enough mental stimulation. Rottweilers shouldn't be chosen by people that just need a dog to hold round the house and yard. These working dogs only thrive once you find interesting things for them to try to to .

 Get your Rottweiler involved in agility (obstacle course), or advanced obedience, or schutzhund, a German protection-dog sport. Play fetch games. Take them hiking. they need to have physical outlets for his or her energy, and mental outlets for his or her intelligent minds.

 Potential animal aggression. Most Rottweilers are good with other pets in their circle of relatives . But some show predatory behavior toward cats, and lots of Rottweilers are aggressive toward other dogs of an equivalent sex. Starting at an early age, you would like to correct the very first sign of aggression; if you let an event elapse , another will occur and another, until the bad habit is firmly ensconced.

 Legal liabilities. Rottweilers could also be targeted for "banning" in certain areas, or refusal of homeowner insurance policies. during this day and age, the legal liabilities of owning any breed that appears intimidating and features a history as a watchdog should be considered. People are quicker to sue if such a dog does anything even remotely questionable.