Rottweilers & children: Best case scenarios

[seldown]

Thank you for the original message. It is excellent. I am home full time with
four children, 8, 7,5,3, and an eight month old rescue rottie. It is a lot of work and requires massive energy on my part. But, I enjoy the rottweiler breed and have had two others in my lifetime. I was exposed to them during my childhood because my parents owned and bred a show quality rottie (I am unsure of the correct terms). I felt I knew what type of dog I was choosing. I absolutely would not have chosen such a high maintaince breed if I knew there were more babies in our future. At times I remind myself, "This was your decision." I would honestly discourage most other moms of young children from bringing in a rottie unless they did lots of research and took time to evaluate the breed. The husband of a friend of mine started considering a rottie when they found out we were...every inch of my being screamed NO!!! because I know them,their family life, their children's lack of limits, and I know a bit about rotties. Thankfully, they did not pursue it any further and I did not have to scream at them! It would have been one of those times where they gave it up because it got big, took too much time, was too stubborn, etc
Thanks again for a very honest message. I aim to live up to the very high
standards you have set! We are now in our second obedience class and am
enjoying it greatly.

[R&Gsmom]

Ok I have some major issues with this whole thread.

Maybe I am reading it wrong, and please correct me if I am, but are we saying that if I own a Rottweiler I have no business having a child?

Isn't that just playing right into the sterotype of our wonderful breed?

I have a 2 year old male rottie that is a rescue dog. I have no idea of his background or socialization. At the time of my son's birth I had a 9 year old female and 1 1/2 year old male both also rescues. All I know is that I love them and when my son Collin came along I never even passed the thought of getting rid of them. I worked (an continue to with Duncan) on everything from accepting the scents and sounds of an infant to walking next to a carriage. Due to a horrible illness Duncan is the only one left with us and he is a wonderful part of our family.

I realize that this is meant for Joe Public Parent owner but at the same time I would be worried that if we stickied this and Joe Public read it that it would scare them into believeing what awful things are said about our "baby killers." And in turn would just lead to more abandonments because the baby came home.

Please give this a second thought before you sticky it.
Thank you

[JeanT]

Originally Posted by R&Gsmom

... Maybe I am reading it wrong, and please correct me if I am, but are we saying that if I own a Rottweiler I have no business having a child?

I reallydon't read it that way. I read it to say, among other things, that if you have a child or young children, give very serious thought to delaying getting a Rottweiler until the children are older. For the very good reasons given. One or more young children are a job and a half (or more) in and of themselves. Most children are not trained themselves. (OK, flame me, but I think it's true too often.) Most parents are not equipped to handle both a growing Rottweiler and young children. There are always exceptions, but what makes it so absolutely essential that a young Rottweiler puppy be brought into a family while the children are still in basic obedience? And I believe that it's not just Rottweilers that can be a problem for young families.

A lot of Rottweilers make very good family pets and are wonderful with children. But the timing and training for both the children and the Rottweiler is crucial.

And if you already have a Rottweiler, and (s)he is not already very well trained, then delay having the baby! And if the baby is a surprise, then get down to some hard work in the few months before delivery and start making a difference. Waste no time! Get the Rottweiler into LaMaze with you :D

The common, and in my opinion wrong, last resort is to send your Rottweiler to the pound. But that is what the OP is trying to prevent. Experienced Rottweiler owners know what they are getting into. Some choose not to do the two (young children, young Rottweilers) at the same time because they are experienced!

Being a dog owner through my teens did not give me any experience for owning a Rottweiler. I suspect that is true for many non-Rottweiler dog owners. So someone looking for a dog for their family must be made aware that these wonderful dogs take far more work to be wonderful dogs than the average person could ever imagine, and often more than the average person would be willing to take on if they are brutally honest with themselves about their abilities.

That's all (and it sure is a lot) that I read the OP to mean.

[LavenderRott]

I have been following this thread trying to figure out the best way to say what I think about it.

People seem to think that if they get a dog it will act like the one they saw in the movie they just watched. They think that if they go buy a cute little puppy, it will grow up to be just like that dog on T.V. Calm, gentle with the kids, fetches the paper, growls at burglars, etc.

It doesn't matter what breed you get, be it a chihuahua or an Irish wolfhound, it has to be trained. Period. And in today's world, people don't seem to want to take that time. Or don't have that time. It is evident in the number of dogs in the shelters and the behavior of the children in our schools.

We live in a throw away society. If something breaks, we throw it away and buy a new one. If the dog doesn't do what we want, either because it wasn't trained or has gotten old, we take it to the shelter and get a new one. Or drop it off along the road somewhere.

And the people who need the information in this post the most are the people who think that they know it all about everything.

[vshund]

R&G's Mom, I feel if I explain this simple premise any more I'll go blue in the face.

Not one person used the term 'baby killers'. So please don't. Certainly no one here thinks the breed is full of baby killers. No one is claiming every single parent with a new baby or toddler is going to have a baby eater on their hands. I'm conveying we must insist that utmost caution be used before acquiring this breed or any larger dog. Heck, any dog for that matter. Most new or newer parents simply don't have the time or energy. I don't understand how that's so controversial.

In this breed, too many novice parents hear a dog grumble or growl at the kid or kids and go berserk over the idea that their former precious Rottweiler will be eating their now more precious kid. There seems to be a total lack of perspective from these parents. The dog is either all good or all bad. Mostly judged all bad for just acting like a dog! Are most of the Rottweilers turned into shelters well trained and obedient? No. Most are rambunctious handfuls. Not mean or evil but spunky dogs who need a firm leader and hand, love and time. Time with the dog developing it's talents and enjoying it. Can a harried working parent do that, honestly? Doubtful.

Jean T. hits the nail right on the head.

One or more young children are a job and a half (or more) in and of themselves. Most children are not trained themselves. (OK, flame me, but I think it's true too often.) Most parents are not equipped to handle both a growing Rottweiler and young children. There are always exceptions, but what makes it so absolutely essential that a young Rottweiler puppy be brought into a family while the children are still in basic obedience? And I believe that it's not just Rottweilers that can be a problem for young families.

A lot of Rottweilers make very good family pets and are wonderful with children. But the timing and training for both the children and the Rottweiler is crucial.

And if you already have a Rottweiler, and (s)he is not already very well trained, then delay having the baby! And if the baby is a surprise, then get down to some hard work in the few months before delivery and start making a difference. Waste no time! Get the Rottweiler into LaMaze with you

Can't get any clearer than that, can it?

[Dee]

[quote=Judi W]

We also just finished a long thread regarding a young adolscent dog who was threatening and biting the household children and it was not realized that it was a problem until he started in on the adults. That one I believe is getting well in hand and I am sure the children are appreciative.



I was the original poster in the above thread that Judi is talking about. It is UNTRUE that we did not realize there was a problem until Koda started in on my husband and myself. Our first post to this board (on 10/10) was about our problem with the snapping at our kids and there have been a few inbetween. We have taken everyone's advice and seen some short term improvement, but not enough for us to EVER trust our dog, which is why he was almost always on a leash unless we're in the room to supervise.

At this point, thanks very much to the advice of Judi (and her CTJ meeting explanation) and others on this board, we are seeing dramatic improvement in our dog but it will take a very, very long time before I can trust him like I do our other dogs.

I have never, ever in my life had to treat a dog like we've treated Koda (CTJ meeting) and it's so foreign to my nature. For all of my 45 years I've always been kind and gentle with my animals and have never had any problems. But I will learn with the help of all of you and my love for this dog.

I really thought I'd done my research on this breed before we acquired him but obviously I've not done a good enough job. No fault of the dog's and we're prepared to change our way of thinking and handling him so that we can be good, responsible owners.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. We'll get this right someday......

Dee

[Dee]

[quote=JeanT]

Being a dog owner through my teens did not give me any experience for owning a Rottweiler. I suspect that is true for many non-Rottweiler dog owners. So someone looking for a dog for their family must be made aware that these wonderful dogs take far more work to be wonderful dogs than the average person could ever imagine, and often more than the average person would be willing to take on if they are brutally honest with themselves about their abilities.



What a great thread and I couldn't agree more with the OP. Reading JeanT's reply was exactly what I was trying to say (but she says it so much better!) in my previous post.

Dee

[los1]

Originally Posted by Storm's mom

Los1,

When I posted my message I should have said that for all breeds it would be unrealistic to put a young child together with a dog never mind a working breed. My son pulls my hair, bites me, head butts me and will step on any part of my body. No dog should have to put up with that.

Well forget about the dog world you have got some training to do of the human kind. You need to correct your childs behavior first thats not acceptable behavior comming from a child??????????????????? I'm not telling you how to rise your child no one should but like this forum here it's just some advice if your kid does all that to you hum correcting needs to be done . So I'll just leave this topic alone (lol) good luck with you and your family

[Judi W]

Dee, you and some of the others are the best for informing from the real world. I have no hesitation in believing that you will have your dog in hand and my money is on you. You also pointed out that good intentions just don't quite cut it. As I said in an earlier post, some people luck out in the individual dog they happen to acquire, but that does not in itself mean they know what they are doing - just that they are lucky. You have a dog that is much closer to the mean (as in mathmatical mean) and was more than willing to take that mile from the little inch. Just remember, that next time, you truly won't need to use the harsher measures you are using now, because you won't be letting that inch go unnoticed.

[pbach]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and the comments associated with it. Has given me something to think about.

I'm a mother with two teenage children 16, 18 (18 year old is away a college). I work full time outside of the home. We rescued our first rottweiler 1 1/2 years ago and then we rescued another one a year ago. My husband and I along with our two children did not go into bringing a rottweiler into our home lightly - we did a ton of research and each person in our family had to be in full agreement before we did. I was the hold out for several months - I just wasn't convinced that I had what it took to care for this very demanding breed. But with the help of knowledgeable people and my own personal evaluation - I deemed that I could be a good, fair and responsible owner. That being said ~ after knowing the breed and the amount of time it takes to train and work with our dogs daily would I have attempted this feat as a new mother or a mother of adolescent children - ABSOUTLY NOT! Not that being a new mom wasn't challenging enough - I just don't think I personally could have done it. So I commend you who can and do.

[Storm's mom]

Los 1,

My son turned 1 on January 9th. Yes we are obviously working on him. But that is what babies do. He doesn't realize yet that he is hurting you and that why it is so hard to have a dog at this time. I didn't take offense though I didn't want anyone to think I was raising a maniac.

[JeanT]

Dee,

Originally Posted by JeanT

.... they just don't know what the breed characteristics are and how much time and effort goes into training. Some will honor their obligations to their dog and make it work, with gratifying results....

Congratulations to you and your family... it is worth all the effort.

[R&Gsmom]

Maybe I just live in Wonderland. Maybe I have a one of a kind dog. Maybe I have a one of a kind kid.

Collin is turning 1 year old next week. He knows the word gentle and has for a long time because we started teaching him (just like you would a mouthy puppy) from the get go. Never once has he pulled Duncan's ears or hair or anything like that because we reinforced "Gentle with Duncan. Pet nice." As well as with any other animal. Hell he was petting kittens at a friends house last week!

As for Duncan, he is nothing but careful and gentle with Collin. He is allowed in the room when Collin is learning to walk and is ever so careful to step around him and not bump him over. I've even watched him stand in front of a bookcase so that Collin couldn't get into it. Not that I use him as a babysitter because I was right there during every interaction but I let him be a part of the family and Collin's growing process because that's what he wants. He wants to be a part of the family and with us as all of you know they do!

I know that there are many people out there that make wrong choices about dogs and kids. But I still don't think that scaring the one's that have already done it by stickying this post is the right thing. At that point the dog has already been brought home and what they need is our advice and education. NOT scare tactics that may push them into dumping the dog.

AND I realize that no one while posting used the words "baby killers" there were a few "baby eaters" however. And I can't even count how many times while I was pregnant that I had people come up to me at rescue events or just in Petco and ask, "When are you getting rid of your Rottweiler? They eat babies you know!" I just agree with supporting this outlook with telling people that babies and Rottweilers can't mix. They can you just need to work at it.

[los1]

Originally Posted by Storm's mom

Los 1,

My son turned 1 on January 9th. Yes we are obviously working on him. But that is what babies do. He doesn't realize yet that he is hurting you and that why it is so hard to have a dog at this time. I didn't take offense though I didn't want anyone to think I was raising a maniac.

LOL I'm quit sure your rising your son right . I was just trying to point out how if this thread keep going it will get all twisted up and blown way off course like I see it doing now. It's like the game where you whisper something in someones ear and pass it on and by the end it's all wrong. See I just stated my opion and than you came along with yours and I started all over again (lol) all in all I respect all the responses to this thread for it's a personal choice wheather you get a rottie while having kids but in lite it's nice to see people making some not all people rethink their choice in getting one. To this it's a hellva good thread thanks.

[wilko]

I am not sure what I think about this thread... obviously ANYBODY getting ANY breed should be careful, educate themselves and make sure they have time to do whats right by the dog...

It might be true to suggest that Rots are "blighted" by lots of advice that they don't EVER mix with kids... however other working breeds are blighted in the opposite direction, by so called "experts" recommending them with kids when they are not ideal either. We have recently taken on a Gordon Setter - one of the largest and most powerful gundog breeds - she was given the boot just before turning 8 because she growled at the toddler. Before that we had a rehomed red & white Irish Setter... reason for rehoming - he was too demanding and very bouncy with the kids. The final straw in his case came when a 7 year old was playing with him with his tug-rope and he grabbed her plait by mistake and flattened her. Setters are often recommended as family dogs but if you think a Rot needs exercise you should see these things go - they will run and run and run. They are headstrong to the nth degree and can be exceptionally hard to train - however, because they are heavily bite inhibited by nature they are often "recommended" with kids - just because they won't bite doesn't mean they will automatically be happy or well behaved.

My Rot has to mix regularly with my brothers kids, and is an angel; I honestly believe they could do ANYTHING to him and he would not hurt them - BUT that doesn't mean I would ever give him the opportunity to, which is the difference between responsible and irresponsible ownership! Having max would NOT stop me having kids should that situation arise in our future BUT to be perfectly honest I would not have taken Max on if I had kids.

I do think it is setting a dangerous precedent if we were to say NOBODY in X situation may own X dog. When myself and my ex-partner took the descision to get a dog we went to most of the major UK rescue organisations and were sent away as at the time I ran a pub and we lived there and didn't have a garden. Max came to us through a friend... not having a garden didn't matter as he was taken out on a lead regularly to toilet and exercise. He was/is a very happy and well cared for dog but the rescue organisations would never have let us have him in our initial circumstances which would have denied a dog a loving and experienced home had it not been for Max coming along through other channels.

Whilst rescue organisations mut be careful and maintain the best interests of the dog, they should also try to judge each case individually and be realistic as to the difference between a good home and a perfect one! There are SOME rots that would no doubt get on very well in SOME families with kids younger than 12. Surely you have to be a little careful not to give people too many hurdles to jump to get a rescue dog or they may just go out and get a puppy anyway; in this case you may end up having to deal with the pup in addition to the other dogs you work with because you didn't/cpouldn't match potential owner with a more suitable dog in the first place? Just a thought!

wilko