Forgive me as I have not read all the other replies...
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Originally Posted by Optimus My Rottweiler is 16 months old and he recently started going to the bathroom in the house while we sleep. |
Answer is simple. Crate him while you sleep.
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He demands affection constantly
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Your dog should not demand anything. He is the dog, YOU are the master. YOU determine what is and is not given and when. YOU set the rules and YOU must enforce them CONSISTENTLY with no wavering.
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He use to be able to be taken out back without a lead, but recently started dashing 3 houses down where a Yellow Lab lives to wander around their yard. He now can only go out with a lead.
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Unless you have a tall, physical fence surrounding your yard, the dog absolutely should not be allowed out off lead. What if he gets into a dog fight? Actually I should not say what, but when as chances are extremely high that he will at some point if allowed to roam. Say bye-bye Rottweiler and expect to get sued, especially if he kills a domestic dog or cat. What if he chases something and is so focused he gets turned into road pizza? Again probability is very high that this will happen if he is allowed to roam. Only takes a split second for an accident to occur. Or say he goes after some kid riding on a bike and the kid gets hurt as he is acting out his prey drive? Or say he chases some kid and takes them down because the kid is acting like prey and seriously hurts (or worse) the child. Have you ever for one second thought about the liability involved in letting your dog get loose like that? Every scenario there WILL be a sensational new story and ever single scenario will get you sued, prosecuted or even possible convicted should it happen. Also be aware that police officers can and will shoot large roaming dogs that appear to be a danger and are backed up byt he law in most cases.
Even with serious obedience and distraction training, he should not be anywhere off lead (except in a physically fenced yard or supervised training environment) for HIS safety....especially in a more urban/developed environment. Sorry if that is not convenient, but rarely is dog onwership.
Males are a whole different ball of wax. And Rottweilers vary in personality from one to the other....there is not one cookie cutter personality. Traits may be stronger in some than in others and each dog will present its own unique challenges.
My advice is to get this boy and yourself into formal training 10 minutes ago. You need to learn how to handle this boy as much as he needs to learn obedience. The only way he will respect you as a leader and listen to you is if you work with him, offer him firm and consistent leadership, make sure rules are established and consistently enforced and to handle discipline in a fair and unemotional manner.
HTH and please stick around and ask lots of questions here.