Anyone own a rottie?

[Animal Guy]

Hi ya'll. I'm considering getting a rottie when we move. I'm not sure when we're moving though, hopefully sometime in the near future. I was wondering if any of you own a rottweiler and how they are with small children. I've researched them for hours and hours and I know a some things about them and I know people say a well bred and socialized rottie is good with children and a good pet but I just wanted to know some of your experiences with them. I'm just trying to figure out which dog I want to get when we finally do move. Thanks.

 

[Zannie]

sorry i don't have a rottie but my friend does and she is a great dog very good with her two year old daughter her dog keena was seven whan she had her baby ....................
ann

 

[Animal Guy]

Thanks Ann. That helps alot. I read alot of stuff saying rotties are good if they're socialized and well bred but it's good to hear real people's experiences. This helps alot because I was a little caustious about getting a rottie with my 3yr old nephew that's here everyday.

 

[kala]

I have two Rotts. These are number 3 and 4 for me. I love the breed and with the ones I've had, they all loved kids. But as you have read, socialization is a must. They are very powerful dogs and can knock a small child down easy. As a matter of fact my second Rottie, Katie, loved to knock kids down and then she would sit on them. I guess it just made it easier for her to lick them. They aren't as agile as Boxers. I would think they would seem kind of clumsy along side a Boxer. But they do make wonderful family dogs, as long as they are socialized.

I don't have kids so I make sure that my dogs got to get out and meet kids whenever possible. The first two Rotts I raised from pups and did all the socializing young. The two I have now are rescues and I do watch them closer but have found they are very good with kids also. I guess it keeps coming back to the socialization the same as with any dog. Love them, make them a member of your family and socialize.

Would you be looking for a pup or rescue? With a pup find a COE breeder, who is very concerned about temperament in their lines. With a rescue you could probably find one who the rescue org. knows is kid safe and it would be temperament tested.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
sue

 

[Mom3]

A family in our neighborhood owns a Rottie who is fine with children he knows and very loving toward the kids in "his" family. He is wary of strangers, though, as I suppose many dogs are. I will say that this particular Rottie has become very dog aggressive and sent another neighbor's dog to the emergency vet last year. This is a dog he had played happily with for a year. (I should note that the Rottie's family not only took the dog to the vet themselves and paid for everything, but also made it a point to come by every day and check on this dog to make sure it was healing okay.) Interestingly, this is their second Rottie. Their first one was a nightmare, apparently, although I never met him. The family was determined to socialize this new Rottie from a very young age and encouraged the neighborhood kids to pet him on his walks and play with him.

I think you hit it on the nose when you mentioned the phrases "well-bred and well-socialized". They are beautiful dogs and if I was ever to get one, I would buy only from a breeder who emphasizes good temperment in his/her line. Good luck!

 

[Animal Guy]

Thanks guys. I'm keeping everything in mind that's been mentioned. There's a particular rescue group I've been looking at in North Carolina and They have 6 eight week old puppies(rotties) up for adoption. A friend of mine also breed rotties so I'm not sure whether I'll go with rescue or get a puppy through a different source. I'm not sure if my friend does health testing or not, I'm gonna ask her tomorrow. I read that for a first time rottie owner a girl would be best because they're smaller, easier to train, and more affectionate. Have you guys found this to be true?

 

[Homerhomer]

Hi Animal Guy.
I own a rottie and can tell you that there are huge differences between one and the other simply because they are still so popular. Our is great with kids (although I always advocate not leaving children and dogs of any breeds unsupervised), we have an 8 year old son, we meet other kids quite often and he is great with all of them. He is also the laziest dog we ever had.
Our dog is a rescue, and I would seriously suggest looking into rescues for the following reasons:
-reputable rescue group will assess the dog's temperament to ensure it will fit your circumstances and by getting a dog that isn't an 8 week old puppy it's easier to tell what the dog is all about, while with a little puppy it is hard to predict what it will turn out to be (infact, rotties that are human aggressive are in most cases euthanized by the rescue group or the shelter)
-reputable and ethical breeders are few and far between, it's hard to find them and once you do they may not have puppies for you
-it's much cheaper to get rescue, and if you are not a big fan of peeing and pooping indoor you probably won't regret it
-you save a life and it's a great thing to do, there are thousands of rotties available everywhere, so I am sure you will be able to find the right match

The drawbacks of rescue:
-well you usually won't know the pedigree and the past, but the truth is that even the puppy from the best breeder may develop health problems early in life, temperament wise, as I mentioned before, a reputable rescue group (and you should deal only with such a group) will do extensive research to make sure that the dog isn't more than you can handle, while a breeder can't exactly predict what the puppy will turn out like.
Rottweilers are great dogs and wonderfull companions but at the same time they are not for everyone. They need an owner who can be loving and firm at the same time.
Best of luck in whatever choice you make.
I don't believe that sex makes much of a difference, either can be handfull.
Peter

 

[heidiho]

My boss rescues rotties. She has quite a few available. She has them listed on:
1-800-save-a-pet.com
pets911.com
petfinder.org

Kennel name Happy Tails Rescue.

 

[Animal Guy]

Thanks again for the info. I looked at the websites and they were great. I visit petfinder.org pretty often. I was going to get a rescue but I read that with a rottweiler you should get it from a puppy to grow up with the family, especially if there are small children. I read some of the rescue sites that they try to match you with a dog so I guess since they know the temperments of the dogs they wouldn't give you child aggressive dog with a three year old in the house. I'm trying to decide whether to get a rottie or boxer. I've been researching boxers for a while and now I'm researching rotties. I'm thinking I'll just get both

 

[Homerhomer]

Originally posted by Animal Guy
I was going to get a rescue but I read that with a rottweiler you should get it from a puppy to grow up with the family, especially if there are small children.

Sounds like you didn't read my reply to you, that's ok, I will try to help again anyway. If you are interested in learning about rottweilers visit their message board at:
http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/index.php
Sure many people will tell you how well their rescues have bonded with families and children even if some of them were adopted at 10 years of age.
Peter