first time owner needs advice

[Greg2004]

Hi guys i must say that this is a magnificent board i have learnt a bit from it.
i still need some advice tho as this is my first rottweiler. I am from South Africa and have recently purchased a rottweiler male that is 6 weeks old. I was told that it orginates from a Sire Dam or something to that. He is presently very playful with everybody around. What i want to know is how would i go about gettin him to be a good watch dog? At present crime is very high here with a lot of murders and house breakings, at the same time i would want him to be aggressive towards the thieves but not to us.

many thanks

[Judi W]

Well, if your needs are immediate, you are out of luck and should have purchased an adult.

This is a slow maturing breed and the self-confidence and maturity needed for guarding might not arrive until the dog is more than 2 years of age or older. In fact, if you want the dog to be able to be serious, you want to avoid any circumstances that would cause him to be insecure when he is still immature. That means you do not want him to be frightened at a younger age as that simply produces a dog that goes into defense. A frightened dog might look like it is guarding, but it is not in a "thinking" mode and then you can have a dog that will fear bite (often the wrong person) rather than truely guarding.

Raise the best dog possible. Work with a trainer on positive training and a good trainer will be able to judge when the dog is mature enough to start protection training. In the meantime he will learn obedience and social confidence. Social confidence is important because if the dog does not know and understand all kinds of people, it will not be able to recognize a bad guy from a good guy.

Lastly, do not put the responsibility of everyone's safety on the dog as in the final analysis, a dog is just bullet bait.

[Greg2004]

Judi_w thanks for the response you do have some interesting points. What would you recommend at his age now? Is it a good time to send him to training or should i wait a bit longer. By the way i am in no hurry to get him to guard i just want him to be brought up the right way. I also dont want him to grow up scared of people or dogs etc

[Judi W]

Truthfully, at 6 weeks of age he should still be living with his littermates and dam as there are things pups need to learn from their doggy family before going to their new human family.

So, he is really still an infant and simply handle him gently and fairly and with patience.

You should not send him to training, but take him. Start looking for dog training and if you can find a club that also offers puppy classes, but for all training, you take and train the dog yourself with both of you learning. He will not be ready even for puppy classes until he has all of his shots. These are for the little guys and designed to introduce them to the world with a bit of learning. Things will proceed from there. It is important that your dog stay in formal training for about the first 3 years of his life. Dogs go through many stages, including adolesence, and the training must take you through all of those.

[Denise L.]

Hi Greg!

I have family in South Africa and I know that crime there is a huge problem.

All of my family members have high, locked stone fences around their properties and barred windows. They ALL have dogs, usually 2: A big loud one and a little "cuddly" one as a deterrent. The dogs are out most of the day but come in at night. People casing the area would be aware of dogs in the home.

My concern is: Having been to SA many times, knowing the crime rate and the nature of crime...I would not use a family pet as a guard dog. Some crazy stuff goes on there and I would be terrified of poisoning or gunshots.

I don't know what your living situation is, but if it is feasible for you, a big wall, barred windows (most are very decorative) would be a way to protect yourself without putting your dog at risk.

It is a beautiful country, beautiful people...it is terrible you all have to live in fear and I hope and pray every day things will get better.

Durban? Hot and humid! I love it!

[Greg2004]

Thanks Judi i will use your advise.
Hi Denise well for starters South Africa is a beautiful country its just the crime that gets me angry. I have a fully fenced yard with high walls but that does not stop these guys if they want to commit a crime and unfortunately we have to always look over our shoulders. I just wanted a big dog like a rottweiler as a sort of deterrent, but i really am close to my " BABY " lol.
At present he stays indoors with us but i wont be forcing him to do anythin as he is still young.
All i was wanting is a bit of guidance.

Yes Durban is a beautiful hot. humid city and i love it.

Do your parents stay in Durban?

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by Greg2004

Thanks Judi i will use your advise.
Hi Denise well for starters South Africa is a beautiful country its just the crime that gets me angry. I have a fully fenced yard with high walls but that does not stop these guys if they want to commit a crime and unfortunately we have to always look over our shoulders. I just wanted a big dog like a rottweiler as a sort of deterrent, but i really am close to my " BABY " lol.
At present he stays indoors with us but i wont be forcing him to do anythin as he is still young.
All i was wanting is a bit of guidance.

Yes Durban is a beautiful hot. humid city and i love it.

Do your parents stay in Durban?

Not to go off subject...but my folks (in-laws) stay in Springs just outside of Joberg. I have a cousin in PE and friends in Capetown.

The first time I visited SA I was amazed at at how absolutly everyone has dogs! Multiple dogs! I agree a dog as a deterrent is a must there.

My in-law's neighbors, however, left theirs out all night to guard and they were poisoned. So heartbreaking. And it seems so many folks there do leave their dogs outside all the time.

I was just hoping when yours grew up and is trained will be spending his nights inside!

I am thinking about retiring in Capetown...have a ways to go but it's my dream!

[Judi W]

See if you can get a hold of Dudley Bennet, The Rottweiler Working and Breeding Association of Transvaal. He should be able to refer you to a training club in your area. If you have difficulty in reaching the Assoc. contact the Kennel Union of South Africa.

[Greg2004]

Hi Denise

well hopefully my dog will be stayin inside with us. The area that i stay in is not as bad as the other crime ridden areas so i guess im lucky, but i just want to be observent. You guys are lucky cos i am sure that you dont experience the amount of crime that we do.
By the way do you know this breed of rottweiler that i have ?
Was told its a Sire Dam.

[Greg2004]

Originally Posted by Judi W

See if you can get a hold of Dudley Bennet, The Rottweiler Working and Breeding Association of Transvaal. He should be able to refer you to a training club in your area. If you have difficulty in reaching the Assoc. contact the Kennel Union of South Africa.

Judi_w thanks a lot for that valuable information

[lblax]

Originally Posted by Greg2004

Hi Denise

By the way do you know this breed of rottweiler that i have ?
Was told its a Sire Dam.

i dont know what they mean by a breed but sire means the father of the litter and dam means mother of the litter here in america