Why is my rott so much trouble?

[katfob]

I'm writing this post out of exhasperation with Spike.

Spike is a 4 yo male rott.
In early 2001 he had a strange, large..sack, for lack of a better word, surgically removed from his elbow.

In August 2002 he was diagnosed with ACL damage to both his rear knees which I have not yet acted on and am still unsure of what exactly to do since the cost is astronomical. I am taking him back to the surgeon for another consult to make my go/no go decision. At 4 years old, I want to be sure incurring the cost of over $4000 CDN will still be a reasonably good idea. I do not want to buy another 1 or 2 years with Spike if the majority of it will be uncomfortable on him. For now, he has stopped limping and pretty much adapted his walk/posture to accomodate his knees. We continue to keep him on low activity. :(

On Christmas Day, Spike got free from the house (door was not locked and wind blew it open). He bit a little girl on the knee as she was playing in the snow and she required one stitch. First the police came. Then Spike was quarantined by the City for 10 days (house arrest), now Animal Control will take over to determine if they will issue a muzzle order on him.

I love Spike with all my heart but he is soooo much trouble. My GS dog, Jesse, 8yo is easy as pie. Remaining pretty healthy and requiring very little external care. (other than a lot of baths for de-skunking as she repeatedly gets sprayed by the little buggers) :D

Are all rottweilers this much trouble!!!????

[Judi W]

Originally posted by katfob

Are all rottweilers this much trouble!!!????

Simple answer: No (not ALL).

Quibble answer: Some can be.

[RottiMomCT]

How much training has Spike had? Get him back to or into classes. As for the bite - quarantine is typical procedure - not sure 100% why they quarantine if he's up to date on vaccinations.

Healthwise - yes, they can be troublesome if not bred properly and/or properly fed (crappy chemical filled foods), and not given proper and prompt veterinary care. Have you discussed supplements to ease joint pain? How much does Spike weigh? If overweight, it is stressing his joints and excacerbating joint pain. Get excess weight off him - if he enjoys the water, find a nice big lake, get a 20-50 ft lead and let him swim - fabulous exercise for those with joint troubles.

You can't compare dogs....even siblings will be different (heck, twins are often completely different)! Spike will calm down - eventually!

Good luck - keep us posted!

[Rottlva]

As RottimomCT and Judi have said in a nutshell... It depends...

Kids are different, dogs are different, we are different. Everyone has a different genetic makeup and a different environment. All of these factors will influence weather or not certain diseases/injuries will affect the dog. Environment, experiences or lack there of will also influence how the animal behaves.

What we can do as owners is provide a good environment for the animal making sure it is properly trained, feed him a good diet, socialize him well, work through any fears or agressions he may have and provide consistency throughout. We also have to remember that these are DOGS. Dogs don't understand that biting someone isn't alright unless we teach them not to.

I'm sorry of your troubles with Spike. Keep learning. Dogs are so different, each and every one requires different handling techniques, different training forms, medical fixes. Don't give up. Realize that your dog is different... be happy because he is.

[CarolineS]

The health issues you've faced are sometimes just luck of the draw. They happen to even the best bred dogs.

Behaviour issues are a different story. Quite often it is something lacking in their upbringing. I'm not saying this to point a finger at you by any means, but some Rotts are more work than others and really need an extra effort. I have an 8 year old Rottie girl that is so easy and laid back she seemed to train herself. I also have a two-year old girl who is a totally different kind of a dog. I thought I was a pretty experienced owner/trainer until I got her and there were times she almost drove me to drink! LOL

She is very high energy and full of prey drive. She is also very, very smart and if you don't give her something to do, she'll find something to do on her own (and guaranteed I won't like it!). She's been in obedience classes regularily, she's also doing tracking and I have her back in agility (she missed quite a few months due to an injury from a dog attack). She is a happy, happy girl when she's working at something and much, much easier to live with. She is also a lot of fun and very rewarding to work with but she would be h*** on wheels if she weren't involved in something.

I realize that your guy is on very limited exercise and may well be in some pain. This could have played a part in his biting. I've never had to deal with ACL issues, but from what I've read on this forum, most people seem very happy with the results of the surgery. If you do a search under "ACL" or "cruciate ligament" in the Vet's forum you'll probably find a lot of threads. They should be able to help you decide if you should go ahead with the surgery or not.