We just adopted a rottie and I have some behavior questions!

[Maia]

Hello all. I'm a new member with a brand new Rottweiler and I have a few questions about behavior. We adopted a six year old female Rottie today (her current name is Sadie, we may change that over time). She had a long, sad, history - she was used as a breeder for much too long (when she finally got spayed her uterus was oversized from all the puppies she'd carried), then she was passed from home to home for reasons that had nothing to do with her (eviction, too many big dogs, etc.). We are her fourth, and I hope, last home. My husband and I have never actually had the pleasure of owning a rottie, but my mother and sister both have one and they are both sweet, lovely dogs. We adopted her because we just moved out to the country and have a lot of room, and we were looking to add a new dog to our family who does well with cats, small dogs and our 1 1/2 year old son. The last person who had Sadie (she was a foster mom for her - she saved her from going to the pound, and had known her for years before that, but couldn't keep her due to to the fact that she had too many dogs already)assured me that she is just a big cream puff who has been small dog tested (she lived with a pomeranian), child-proofed (she also lived with a five year old) and scared of cats (she does seem pretty scared of our cats so far) and so far things are okay, but I'm concerned about a couple of things and I'd love any helpful feedback you experienced rottie owners could give me:

1) She has growled at my husband twice today - once when they were playing fetch and he reached for her ball (which we know to be normal dog behavior, but still unsettled us a little) and the second time was when he was on the floor with her; she put her head in his lap, and when he reached to scratch her belly (which she has voluntarily offered up to us several times today already) she growled. Again, no big deal, he immediately said no and she licked his face and seemed guilty.

2) The only other thing she has done "wrong" is suddenly bounding after one of my cats - barking - but she immediately stopped as soon as we said no.

All pretty normal stuff, right? Believe me, I'm taking into consideration the fact that she's in a brand new home, with brand new people and this is her FOURTH home (the poor baby!) and there are new pets as well (including my cranky 11 year old blind chihuahua mix!) but because I have a toddler, I'm just a little nervous - especially about the growling. I would love any feedback about the breed in general, stuff to apply and remember, any tricks or warnings or things to look for, or do!

Oh also, she is trained - she'll sit and lie down on command, but not too trained (she pulls on the leash and sometimes it takes a few repeats to get her to respond) and she is not a huge dog - about seventy pounds (she needs to gain some weight).

Thanks ahead of time!

-Maia

[Monika Malow]

When your husband was rubbing her tummy she was not growling, she was talking. Lots of rotties do that "grumbling", my female does it, just like a cat purrs, she purrs with a grumble. The growling during play was probably just that, play. Give it some time and you will soon recognize when its a playfull growl or a serious one.

[southerncomfort]

Congrats on your new girl, get her into obedience class and take her on a regular basis...this will help immensely.

[Homerhomer]

Hi there.
IMO since she is new in the household, she is trying to fit into the pack. Until the pack order is clearly established, the things I would recommend:
-don't be on the same level (such as the floor) with your dog, if you want to play with her, stand up, be higher than her.
-obedience, obedience, sign up for classes where the trainer is familiar with large breeds
-train everyday
-make her earn the rewards
-make sure that she doesn't achieve anything by growling, this will reinforce the bad behaviour
-your child and the dog always supervised, don't put your child at the same lever (floor) as your child
-buy a crate if you don't have one yet
Good Luck, sounds like she is really good dog.

[Judi W]

Please go to the NERR website and download their "owner's manual" (my words) for rescue owners. Too often people pamper a rescue, giving it an overinflated idea of their position in the family, and then they are hurt and shocked when the dogs gets bossy and unpleasant. The dogs are usually quite careful at first until they think they've got the rules figured out, then you see them pushing buttons. Best thing you can do is make sure those rules start at the beginning so that remedial work doesn't need to be made later.

The articles at the mentioned site will help you to understand where she's coming from.

[Maia]

Judi, NERR? I'm sorry, what exactly is that? Do you have a direct link because I typed in NERR.com and it didn't lead to anything. That owners manual sounds like something I definitely need to read!

Thanks, M0

[Maia]

Oop, never mind Judi! I found it and read the manual you recommended! Very useful! Thanks so much!

-M

[sara979]

congrats on your new girl! keep in mind that shes had a rough life! but lots of love and reassurance will cure any problems she may have! rotties are very 'talkative' it sounds like they are growling but they are talking...like a new baby, u will soon learn what each sound she makes is for...give her time, training & be patient with her and remember the more u give the more u will get in return. good luck

[RottiMomCT]

Until I adopted from NERR I always thought our other Rottie girl was growling when we were scratching her belly (which she offered up the second you sat on the foot stool - now known as the belly scratcher seat!)...I now know the difference between 'talking' and growling.

As for the grumbles when trying to take the ball - trade the ball for a small piece of a treat while telling her to 'Give'. One of the toughest commands to teach our Lab/Shep mix with a grip of steel but when she sees the treat, she literally spits out the ball! Or you can trade the ball she has for another one. She's protecting something she feels is 'hers' and wants something in return for it if she's gonna give it up!

When your hubby reached over to scratch her belly, she may have felt overwhelmed by him leaning over her, or uncomfortable about it.

I agree with everyone's posts about the kids/dogs at the same level. I can sit on the floor with all 5 of my dogs and so can my nieces (9 & 12 yrs old) and the dogs know that we, the 2 legged folks, are in charge. Don't let the dog think its in charge, even for a rescue, they can quickly take over if they figure out you aren't going to always enforce the 'house rules'.

Good luck and many happy wiggle butts from one Rottie rescuer to another!! :D

[Maia]

Thanks for all the support, Folks! We are on day five and Sadie is doing great! She has definitely bonded with me (she is a little more attracted to women, than men, I think) and hasn't had any more growling episodes. I suspect we all just need some time to pass so we can learn to trust one another. She is a sweetheart, and I'm glad we found her!

Thanks, M

[ksyankfan]

Dear Maia,

I am a very new member and also a new rottie mom. We adopted Parker last December from a rescue. He was 13 months old and we too, were his 4th place of residence ( although he only spent one day at a shelter before going into rescue.) Reading the posts and replies reminded me of our own experience.

Judi, you are soooo right on the spot with advise of not spoiling them. I read the NERR "manual" before adopting but still managed to feel sorry for Parker and fell into pampering him. BIG mistake. He became increasingly difficult to live with.

After 5 months of this relationship, we were forced to consult with an animal behaviourist even though we continued to attend back-to-back obedience classes.

Luckily, Parker does have a great temperament, so not only were we able to correct his behaviour, but we also had to learn how to change ourselves and this resulted in Parker becoming a true member of our family.


My hope for you is to have years of happiness with your new girl.

Sheila

:)