Advice needed

[HarleyShelby]

Hi there! First off, my question is regarding two (2) MONGREL Rottweilers, so if this is inappropriate in this forum, I'm so sorry. I have a 3 year old male Rott/German Sheppard mix (Harley) and a 6 week old female Rott/Sheppard mix (Shelby). We've had Harley since he was 10 weeks old and he is wonderful!! We have a 5 year old daughter and a 3 year old son, and he gets along GREAT with them. He's very protective but very good natured. We just brought Shelby into the mix and she very much favors a full bred Rott. I want to do things right from the beginning with getting the dogs to like eachother, making everyone get along and setting dominance. Any and ALL advice on how to make this work well would be so appreciated. Again, if I'm out of line for asking a question about a mix breed, I'm sorry.

Also, Shelby is already beginning to "nip" quite a bit, at all of us. Harley seems to "back away" from her, even though, her full size is not even as big as his head?

Thanks so much!

Mariea

[codglvr]

Welcome to the Boards, I believe that if you search the archives, I have seen this discussed before, in case you are in a hurry before anyone else can respond. Mixes are most definitely welcome here!:D

[HarleyShelby]

Thanks, I tried to go back to some of the old posts, but really couldn't find anything. I'm starting to worry too, my Harley and Shelby actually had a bad encounter today over food. Harley knocked Shelby half way across the room when she tried to invade his bowl. Also, Shelby is getting REALLY "nippy" with me and my two children. My vet told me to put my hand on her muzzle and say sternly "no bite" but that just makes her bite me harder when I let go.

Any advice would be SO appreciated!! I want the 2 dogs to get along .

Another thing that I forgot to mention, we had a collie/sheppard mix female already in the home when we brought Harley home as a pup. She was 8 yrs old and he was 3 months old. They never fought, got along great! She died about a year ago, and we tried to bring home an Akita full bred (he was 2) and kept him only for 2 days because he almost killed Harley. Can Harley ever forget what happened to him with this Akita and do you think that will effect the way he treats Shelby?

Sorry this is so long...

:(

[Burnsway]

Originally posted by codglvr
Welcome to the Boards, I believe that if you search the archives, I have seen this discussed before, in case you are in a hurry before anyone else can respond. Mixes are most definitely welcome here!:D

I sure hope so....lol. I have been here almost a year and own a mix...ROFLMAO!!!!

[Burnsway]

Oh I guess I should add my Psyche would laugh at the no bite and the harsh dicipline.......that just challenged her....lol.......gave her a game to play. It takes time and presistance but go with lots of training and positive reinforcement. Nexat time your pup snaps at you tell her NO!!! Then give her a toy immediatly to chew on and say good dog and add a treat....:D And I would also feed them seperatly till you get that under control. Get in some classes for the dogs. It could be fun and a way to get a lot of tips...:D

[moondog]

Somehow the word "Mongrel" and the word "Rottweiler" don't fit together........any dog with Rottie in it is OK with me - I'd just drop the mongrel part! :D

Male/Female housemates tend to get along better than Male/Male or Female/Female, so you're already one up on that one. If Harley hasn't had to deal with a puppy before, he might be backing away because he's not sure what he's supposed to do with her.

First off, feed them in completely separate areas so they don't have access to the other's food (one inside/one outside or in different rooms with a closed door). Pick the dishes up when they're finished. An empty dish can set off food aggression, too. No treats handed out unless they each have an opportunity to enjoy theirs in peace, without interference. Don't want to get off on the wrong foot and start any food fights. Good idea to teach your kids to stay away when the dogs are eating, too, just to be safe.

When my dog got nippy as a puppy, I would tell her "no!" and immediately divert her attention to something she was allowed to bite on and praise her when she played with it. Those little needle-teeth hurt but a puppy does need to chew on something! Show her what that something is.

Is it Harley that hasn't forgotten what the Akita did, or maybe just you? ;) There's a difference between bringing a full-grown dog home and a very young puppy. She's 6 weeks? That's pretty young to be taken from the litter and she's missing out on some of the corrections she would normally get from rabble-rousing with them (like when biting has gone too far).

Has Harley spent any time with pesky little puppies at all? He'll wind up having to let her know when she's gone too far as well, which is ok as long as he doesn't hurt her. Make sure you supervise their interactions until they establish their relationship.

There's lots of help here so keep posting your questions and searching the archives! :)

[HarleyShelby]

Thank you for the reply. She's in quite the mood tonight. She just woke up from her nap (she takes so many!!) and when I picked her up to take her up stairs for potty, she actually GROWLED and snapped at my face!! I again grabbed her muzzle and said "NO!". Then she just looks at me like she just lost her best friend! I'll keep trying!

[HarleyShelby]

Moondog - thank you! I have to be honest, I'm still VERY uptight about the Akita incident. He was a beautiful dog and so well mannered, but he really hurt my Harley, and since Harley was here first, and the Akita had a good home to go back to, we made a hard decision. And no, Harley has never been around little ones as wound up my new little Shelby. And yes, she is awful young to be away from mom and siblings. Wish I would have checked out this site BEFORE we brought her home! I probably could have left her there for a while longer. Yet another lesson learned!

I have been keeping my two children away when feeding the pups, but I've also been feeding them at the same time in the same room. I'll change that in the a.m.

And thanks for reassuring me that my two babies (the dogs that is!) and still acceptable, even with their Sheppard blood mixed in! I really appreciate the advice and hope to keep getting more!!

[moondog]

There's not a darn thing wrong with Shepard blood! Hang around with us and you'll get more advice than you ever could have wished for! :D

[HarleyShelby]

Just wanted to give all who are reading some good news! Now that I have some really good chew toys, and correct Shelby as soon as she starts biting then SHOW her how to play with her toys, she is nipping a lot less! Also, it was the cutest thing, as I was sitting at my desk this morning working, Harley and Shelby actually started playing together in the house! They were jumping and loving all over eachother! Harley (who is SO tall!) would lay on the floor on his side and let Shelby climb on his head, then they would roll over together and just go crazy! It was the best thing I have seen indays! Not a single growl or snarl all day! Thanks so much to all of you that responded, the advice helped!

Any other thoughts and ideas are so welcome! I haven't got this thing licked yet!

[moondog]

HarleyShelby - That's GOOD NEWS! :D :D Keep up the good work! Remember that one day does not a relationship make, so you still need to supervise when they're playing! ;)

[AngelBunny]

HarleyShelby:

Male Akitas are *notorious* for being intolerant of other male dogs in the house, so it's not surprising the Akita tried to do your guy in. You made a wise decision in not keeping the Akita.

We have 4 Rotties, 3 females (3 yo down & 2 around 17-18-19 mo old) & a 5 yo male. Everyone is fed in a separate room of the house & all bowls are picked up & put into the sink & washed as soon as the slowest eater (the male) is finished eating (abt 2 minutes). They can all be fed treats together--they're all put into a sit stay--but I'm alert, readt to squelch any attempts by any dog to jump on crumbs another dog drops. Fights over food can be ugly.

When we give frozen raw beef marrow bones, everyone gets his or her bone in a separate room of the house, on a blanket. When each dog has finished the bone to the dog's satisfaction, they run around & steal from each other. I let them do this & only intervene if someone starts acting too much the bully.

Sounds as tho you're doing well with controlling the nipping. Having a spray bottle handy worked for me.

[pandora's daddy]

Welcome to the forum.
Since your pup is in the process of getting over nipping, she will probably get into the "chewing everything in the house inclding the house" phase next. You will want to pick up a bottle of bitter apple spray. just spray it on anything you don't want your pup to gnaw on, furniture, drapes, etc. This stuff works wonders. You can also use it on your hands is she is getting too nippy

[thoradopter]

Just wanted to say welcome and you've been getting good advice. Rottie mixes are very welcome on the forum.

Our first dog was a rottie/GSD mix, Sammy, was responsible for our getting to love rotties so much. We would have adopted a second rottie/GSD mix if we hadn't been alerted by a local rescue group that a pure bred rottie had only 5 days left to live.

You have a great attitude towad wanting to get advice and do the best for you dogs. Good luck and keep us posted. Linda