Our First Rottie - We need some advice!

[Gus&Schatzi]

Hello! We are new to Rottweiler.net and the Rottie world! We pick up our newest member of the family, our first Rottie puppy at 8 1/2 weeks on June 1st. She is a girl. We are so excited we can hardly wait! We have read several books and have contacted some local trainers. We were hoping to find out what advice you have for the first time Rottie owner and advice on integrating her with our current pet, a 6 year old Standard Schnauzer.:D
We welcome any advice you might have for us...puppy to adult!
Thanks so much!

[Gumby]

Congratulations on your new puppy!

My male GSD, Gunner, was 5 yrs old when I brought my female Rottie, Lexi, home. I introduced them over at my sisters house. When I brought them home, I didn't leave them alone together. Gunner wasn't very interested in Lexi at first. She would try to play with him but he would just get up and walk away. After about 2 -3 weeks, they suddenly became best buddies and played together all the time - they still do.

In October, I got Phoebe, a 12 week old female Bullmastiff puppy. I did the same things with Phoebe that I did when I brought Lexi home. It took Gunner about 2 - 3 weeks to pay any attention to Phoebe. Lexi and Phoebe loved each other right from the start. They all play together now and I don't have any problem with any of them. Thank god.

You know your dog better then anyone. Does your dog play well with other dogs? I know that I couldn't bring home an adult male dog because Gunner would probably end up fighting with him. My two females have been around alot of other dogs and they get along with everyone.

[Angelica]

Congrats! I'm new to this breed too and am enjoying learning about these darlings. Is your other dog a male? Our males have all accepted our female rottie but my old female springer dislikes her and snarls whenever she comes near. My daughter's in-laws also have a springer female and she beats up the pup every chance she gets. I don't allow that behavior at my home but the in-laws feel that their dog was there first so don't discipline her for this. This really bothers me as she is a darliing and only wants to play. My biggest dog was afraid of the puppy at first and would run away from her. She now can grab him by the collar and tug on him without him getting upset. My beagle sulks when my daughter takes her home for the night, he adores her. They rip and tear around the house all day making messes for Grandma to clean up!

[Gus&Schatzi]

Gumby & Angelica,

Thanks for the scoop on how you introduced your new babies! It seemed to work out great for you! I am more nervous than anything about Gus (my male of 6 years) being jealous. He is extremely socialized with other dogs. He goes on walks with our neighbor's 125 lb. male Rottie no problem. But, then again the Rottie goes home! :D He is a really awesome boy, but VERY attached to Mommy and Daddy! We got a girl to try and avoid the male tensions of Alpha! Besides, I would think he would love the idea of having a lady around the house! ;)

Thanks Again!

:D

[Harleysmom]

Hi,


Welcome to the forum. It is a wonderful place with a wealth of info. Just a note though. Just because you have a female doesn't always mean you won't have alpha issues. Once again WELCOME!:D

[Gus&Schatzi]

Harley's Mom,

Excellent point and I hear you loud and clear! Thanks for the reminder and heads up! :)

And, thank you for the BIG welcome! I just love this forum!

Take Care!

: )

[LavenderRott]

The new puppy is going to take up lots of your time. There is housebreaking and all kinds of "stuff" for your new girl to learn. Just remember not to forget the "old" dog. You might try giving him some special time.

I have always brought the new dog into the home with the "old " dog already inside. I have also always let them work out any issues that they might have about who is the boss with a minimum of intervention, unless it starts to look too serious. I would much rather have them deal with it when I am there than when I go to work.

I would think though, that if your older dog is as wonderful as you say, he will sense that the new girl is just a baby and this won't be too hard.

[Gus&Schatzi]

Thank you, LavenderRott! It's funny, I was again wondering last night who should be in the house first, I figured Gus....but wasn't for sure. We leave to pick her up today! She is 5 hours away. We are beyond excited at this point! Thank you for your advice. It is much appreciated! By the way, I think you are right about Gus. I kept my friends eight month old puppy for her last weekend and he was very poorly mannered (we couldn't believe it!!!!) and Gus was agitated but was a trooper considering what he dealt with! I was very proud of him! Have a wonderful weekend!

:D