Rottweiler resources

 

by Lynn
(Roseburg, Oregon)

Hello.

I have a 10 and a half year old senior girl. My brother and former sister in law adopted her. She was 25 dollar puppy in front of walmart, I suspect careless breeding or even inbreeding. She was neglected, not socialized and left outside most of the time. They resisted our pleas to give the puppy to us. At seven months, my ex sister in law dropped her off at the way to take Roxy to the pound.

Roxy was hyperactive, anxious and fearful. I had an untreated anxiety disorder and while I’d owned other dogs, nothing prepared me for Roxy. We had a rough few years that included attacks on the blind/deaf cocker spaniel in the house and several incidents of Roxy snapping at people.

I’ve grown as an owner and she’s mellowed some with age. Currently she’s able to live happily with a male mastiff mix (7ish?) and a submissive female pit bull mix (3 and a half). I generally keep her at home or in controlled environments and have not had a fear aggression incident in years (minus the vet’s, where she’s still muzzled if we go beyond shots).

What I’m asking for… well. I’ve had a lot of trouble finding rottweiler experience helped. I’ve had trainers tell me things from ‘don’t bother, it’s hopeless’ to ‘she’s just spoiled, not sure of her place in the pack’. I’ve been unable to join rottie-l or get an e-mail response. Basically, I’d like any suggestions on online resources, how to find a trainer or other resources that might help me deal better with my rottweiler.

We’ve come a long way and I’m able to safely have her in the home, but I would love to be able to walk her and not have her react hyper aggressively to every sighting of a dog, for example.

Thanks!

Lynn

Hi Lynn
It sounds as though this Rottie was very lucky to have found a loving home with you, she had a rough start but from what you say it seems that you’ve done an amazing job with her and that you’ve both come a long way.

At her age it is going to be a challenge to change her behavior as her reactions are well-ingrained by now and are instinctive. However, she has shown that she can adapt given time and the right environment, so I totally understand your wish to be able to take her out without incidents and stress and although it may be unrealistic to expect big changes at this point, I personally don’t think it will be impossible to ‘rub off the edges’ or reshape her reactions to some extent.

You’re right to seek professional help though, but as you have discovered there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings about this breed, even in ‘expert’ circles. Some trainers still think Rotties need a heavy hand and so on, which is totally untrue.

I’m assuming you’ve already spoken with your vet and asked for advice or recommendations for trainers or other experts, but if not then I’d suggest doing that first. Vets often have a pretty good knowledge of the experts in the area.

I’m not sure why you couldn’t join Rottie-l but I’m not personally familiar with that organization. I did some quick research online my self and put together a few organizations and webpages that you may want to check out.

I know you are not looking to have your girl adopted or anything like that, but Rottweiler Rescues may be a good place to go for resources or recommendations. Some get involved with helping owners to understand and handle their dogs are interact with the community at large.

Here is one that you may want to try as it’s an
rescue organization that not only deals with adoption, but also offers community education, support and outreach programs www.goodfellasrescue.org, in Mill City, Oregon. For ‘bully breeds’ but may be able to help you with advice or at least point you in the right direction.

I believe these two are also in Oregon….

Adoptable Rescued Rottweiler Foundation at 503-769-5070

Williamette Valley Rescue for Rottweilers, contact Sherry Lafever at 503-585-1591

Contacting someone here may also be a possible source of help… www.happytailrescue.com

If you take a look at this page on www.netpets.com, scroll down to ‘Oregon’ and you’ll see contact info. and an email link for the Western Oregon Rottweiler Klub, you may also want to get in touch with them and see if they can help with recommendations etc.

I hope that you find some of this useful and that you get some help or advice that will make your task a bit easier.

If any of my visitors reading this can give Lynn advice or recommendations, or knows of organizations in Oregon that could help, please feel free to jump in by using the ‘comments’ function below.

I wish you the very best of luck with Roxy.

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Mar 03, 2011

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second attempt
by: Anonymous

Hey all.

First off, thank you. I’m sorry for the delayed replies. Roxy’s been having some issues with her back legs and it concerned me enough to take her to the vet. The results were not good, but hardly surprising. She’s having neurological issues with hips/lower back/legs and the Vet says it’s fairly advanced. He expects her back legs to eventually stop working altogether this year and it could happen relatively soon.

Given this news, I’ve decided to not adopt a training program or see a trainer at this time. I’m going to focus on giving her one-on-one attention, very brief walks and otherwise try to see that she’s happy and content for however long she has left. The good news is that she’s not in much pain and very capable of enjoying her life, so I’m trying to focus on that.


Mar 03, 2011

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thanks for the replies
by: Lynn

Hey all.

First off, thank you. I’m sorry for the delayed replies. Roxy’s been having some issues with her back legs and it concerned me enough to take her to the vet. The results were not good, but hardly surprising. She’s having neurological issues with hips/lower back/legs and the Vet says it’s fairly advanced. He expects her back legs to eventually stop working altogether this year and it could happen relatively soon.

Given this news, I’ve decided to not adopt a training program or see a trainer at this time. I’m going to focus on giving her one-on-one attention, very brief walks and otherwise try to see that she’s happy and content for however long she has left. The good news is that she’s not in much pain and very capable of enjoying her life, so I’m trying to focus on that.


Feb 19, 2011

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at 10 its not going top be easy!!
by: Charlotte

I have a 2 year old male rottie that is very hyper aggrestive toward other dogs while on walks. I have found it best to walk at a fast pace away from the other dog… Once I can get Zues past the other dog he is fine…. I do use a choker on him as he weighs as much as I do, this keeps him from pulling me… Im sure if you can find what works best for you and your dog she will do fine… Best of luck!!!


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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone