New Rott owner with many questions...THANKS!

[deadhead]

Just got Bailey, 6 mos. old, 50 lbs, and rescued him from the local shelter. This dog is the best. Nicest personality, obedient, house broken, friendly, sweet and loyal. Crated while we are at work, but never otherwise. Sleeps next to the bed. Gets along well with all people, and out cat!

To date, I have had several labs, but no Rotts and I am so please. I know dogs and know how to raise them well, but this is the biggest dog I have had, and the first Rott, so some questions come to mind.

Bailey has his tail, and a long one at that. The people at the pound said he was a giveup and is half German Shepard, but I don't see it.

Could not be more pleased, and as much of a fan of Labs as I am...I can't ever see myself not getting another Rott. These dogs are the best.

Either way, I have some questions:

1) How much should I be feeding him? He is 50 lbs, 6 mos old and has an appetite.

2) I am giving him Purina as that is what he was on before, what is the BEST food for a healthy growing 6 month old rotty?

3) Do you see any other type of dog in him? I thought maybe some lab, but do you think he looks mostly rott?

4) Good toys for a big puppy who is chewing? I know rawhide can be bad as he can eat the whole bone in one sitting and the rawhide can hurt their stomachs, what suggestions to you have for good bones?

5) Good places online for Rotty info and maybe a token piece of merchadise or something to that effect?

6) Any and all advice welcome to keep him happy and healthy! Good toys, tricks and techniques for training and raising a great Rott?

THANKS ALL

Meet Bailey:

Picture1 Picture2 Picture3

[LavenderRott]

Congratulations on your new pup and welcome to the forum.

I got my girl from animal control six years ago and she is the bomb!

Many people on the forum feed Canidae or raw food. You can do a search and find out what are considered top quality foods and what to look for on the label at your local pet store. What you feed has direct bearing on how much sometimes.

He looks all rottweiler to me.

Kongs seem to hold up pretty well. You can get them almost anywhere.

This is the best place on line for rottie info that I have found.

Again, welcome to the forum and thanks for the pics!

[jbach]

I've heard of shelters throwing in a "mix" to expedite the re-homing process. Your dog looks all Rott to me. And if the shelter adopted him out as a German Shepard "mix" then you will have a lot less trouble finding insurance as a lot of members have had.

Please do a search to determine which quality food you want to start out with. Throw the Purina in the trash or donate it to a shelter. Canidae seems to be the preferred kibble here. I feed mine Nutro, but will be switching to Canidae this week.

This is the best place for Rottweiler information. And if you can't find what you are looking for here, there will be a link to it somewhere on this board.

We use Nylabones and kongs. The nylabones hold up for about a month.

Make sure your Rottie gets formal training. They need it for the first couple of years. Glad to hear he is an inside dog!

Welcome and best of luck with your new companion. This board is a great place for info. jb

[flyballmom]

Congratulations on your new pup! Looks 100% Rottweiler to me!!I also feed Canidae. It's considered an "all life-stages" food. Appx. amounts to feed a pup can be found on Canidae's web-site, I don't think it's on the bag. Canidae can be hard to find. A couple other good foods are Wellness and Innova. My Rotties "best" toy is her Galileo. Expensive but it's lasted forever.
Have fun!

[deadhead]

this is all good info.

never even heard of canidae but will look into it today.

yeah, he loves his kong, even better when i stick a lil milk bone or peanut butter inside of it.

how rare is a rott with a tail?

i think it looks cool frankly.

this place is very good, i appreacite all the help!

[LavenderRott]

In Europe it is illegal to dock tails, so they are becoming quite common. I must admit, I have a weakness for those little nubs.

[jbach]

Originally posted by deadhead
how rare is a rott with a tail?
i think it looks cool frankly.

Not rare at all in Europe. They can't dock any tails there.
I've seen a few around here, though.

[Birdie'sMom]

Bailey is adorable! Looks all rottweiler to me, but what do I know!:D I love his tail! It gives him character! Good luck with him!:)

[nynewbie]

Congrats! Bailey looks all Rott to me, too! Nash loves kongs, basketballs, pigs ears, nylabones, bowling ball for outside. Her favorite is a Buddy glow ball and a doggie frisbee that she has learned "be nice" with and has now had for about 3 months! She is on Nutro and does well on it, her coat is glossy, and maintaining a good weight! My vet says don't change her food, she's perfect as she is on it. Find a class and go! We did a clicker training class, still do it at home. She gets all excited when she sees that clicker come out! I think Rotties are like kids, keep them busy and they do well. If they get bored, they can get into trouble!:D I agree with you. I don't believe I will ever have any other breed of dog! This forum is great! I learned so much here when we first got Nash! I still learn something new every time I come back here!

[Carina43]

He's gorgeous! Looks all Rottweiler to me.

"Rottweilers For Dummies" is a great book to have on hand. I've had Rottweilers for 18 years, and appreciated that book when I got Cooper as a puppy 2 1/2 years ago. :) Other than that, I honestly believe THIS place - rott dot net - is the best resource for Rottweiler information anywhere.

I would love to have a tailed Rottweiler. They're not too common here, I bet it will get him plenty of attention! I have a long haired Rottweiler and I can't take him anywhere in public without every third person asking me about his coat....

Canidae is excellent, there are many very good commercial foods. Raw & cooked diets are wonderful - either in conjunction with kibble, or alone. You can check the archives for feeding info.

Beef ribs are great chew bones. :)

Group training classes, group traing classes, group training classes! Cheap, fun, and a great way to learn lots of stuff with your dog.

Welcome!

[Samantha_2816]

Hi and welcome to the site.
he looks all Rottie to me and thank you for saving his life 2

[deadhead]

thanks for all the info..this is good stuff!

[RottnByrd]

Congrats on your new puppy! He is gorgeous! Canidae is an excellent choice for food but if you cant find that in your area Flint River Ranch is also a very good food. That is what I feed my girl and she thrives on it. The good thing about Flint River is that is shipped to you free froma distributer so it never sits on a shelf. You will always know that you are getting the freshest food. If you do a search on yahoo you will find many distributors and almost all of them ofer 20% off for first time customers. It will seem a little expensive compared to Purina but just remember that w/o all the cheap fillers you wont have to feed as much so you wont have to buy it as often. Good luck with Bailey and get him in an obedience class now while he is young, you'll be glad you did when he gets into his "teens."

[lewis]

I am sorry to have to correct you but tails are still docked in the uk an most parts off europe

[LavenderRott]

Really, when I was in Germany 10 years ago, it was illegal to alter any animal natural appearance. That included tail docking, doberman's ears, and declawing cats.