for lack of better terms..too friendly?

[xdaniel67x]

Well I've always liked that my dog is very, very friendly towards EVERYONE. He is so excited to see other dogs, people, he just loves affection from other people.

Well the other day, one of my friends came over and she was as usual giving him lots of attention and love, and then she took the leash and started walking him. The thing is, she was walking in an opposite direction from me and he was just going with her like nothing was wrong.

This seems a little bit odd to me as he was so happy to meet someone that he just went with her ( someone he had never met before)

Is this normal?

[Bec]

Scary isn't it? My boy will do the same thing and I am terrified that he will just go with someone bad someday. That is why I keep close tabs on all of them. Rotties tend to sense their owners feelings so because this person is your friend and you felt comfortable with her then your boy probably felt that way too. If he's never been mistreated by a human than he is probably very trusting.

[LUVMYROTTNBOY]

My rottie Sugar was the same way. If I was out walking her, she aimed for a crowd of people, she loved strangers. If someone opened their car door she would try to load up, even if she was not invited. Sugar was my anti-gaurd dog, so I had to protect her :D .

[xdaniel67x]

hahahaha! i love that term!
"anti-guard dog"

that describes my dog to the T.
Thanks for the laugh :)

[SharonVA]

oh my goodness y'all have just described Rosie to a T. I should mention that was one of the things that I loved about her right from the start.

[SABELLESMOM]

How old is the dog, out of curiosity? A very young dog may be more prone at certain stages of life.

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by SABELLESMOM

How old is the dog, out of curiosity? A very young dog may be more prone at certain stages of life.

Good Point. Parker would have gone to just about anyone. Including crawling into open car doors. :o Much to car owners surprise!! LOL :D

He's now almost 21 months old. He's becoming a little more choosy. He now waits to see what the person does / what I do first (as opposed to before when he did the happy donut dance just for seeing someone ). Now if I speak to the person or if they speak to me - is his queue that everything is okay. Otherwise, he just watches.

I see this as Maturity. I see this as a good thing. He doesn't need to slobber on EVERYONE. :p LOL But at the same time, his response is confident and calm. Like the standard describes! :) It should never be fearful or aggressive.

So you may see a change as your dog matures (assuming it's a younger dog). Rotties aren't fully mature until around 4.

[Dee]

Yup, that's my Koda too! He's never met anyone he didn't LOVE and I have no doubts that he would gladly go anywhere with anyone.

Dee

[Dee]

Originally Posted by TrishB

He's becoming a little more choosy. He now waits to see what the person does / what I do first (as opposed to before when he did the happy donut dance just for seeing someone ). Now if I speak to the person or if they speak to me - is his queue that everything is okay. Otherwise, he just watches.

I see this as Maturity. I see this as a good thing. He doesn't need to slobber on EVERYONE. :p LOL But at the same time, his response is confident and calm. Like the standard describes! :) It should never be fearful or aggressive.

So you may see a change as your dog matures (assuming it's a younger dog). Rotties aren't fully mature until around 4.

Trish, I was wondering about this myself - weather age would make a difference. I love Koda (1 yr. old) the way he is but would welcome his being a little more reserved/choosy.

[Patty1231]

My male, Rocco, is now 20 months and becoming much more reserved. As a puppy, he'd go to anyone and everyone loved it. As he started to get bigger, peoples reactions changed in relation to his size. No one ever comes over to him to pet him and say "how cute" anymore. ;) Children love him and he is very receptive to them. Adults, however, particularly males, he's much more reserved with. My female, Perle, is 4 and I got her from the HS 3 months ago. She pretty much ignores other people beyond giving them a look and passing by. I've noticed she's very attentive to her surrounds and Rocco is becoming more so.

[samanthac]

Originally Posted by xdaniel67x

Is this normal?

Well, IMO, NO its is not normal. According to the Rottweiler standard:

Temperament
The Rottweiler is basically a calm, confident and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. A Rottweiler is self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment. He has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making him especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.

Your dog should go to someone and with someone if YOU direct them to, but not of their own accord.

But, hey, he's your dog and you love him, no? Then that is all that matters. But no, since you are asking, it is not a proper aspect of the temperament.

[Stubby]

Yeah, but, this temperament guideline. That cannot be the standard for a puppy right through adult. There must be a point where the standard can realistically be applied.

Right??

[PuppyLover]

xdaniel67x, your friend came over and as usual she gave him lots of love. That tells me he knows her and trusts her.

She had the leash so he followed her, in the opposite direction that you were going because that is the direction his leash was going it.

I wouldn't read anything into this. I bet he was all excited and happy about going for a walk and assumed you were following.

[samanthac]

Originally Posted by Stubby

Yeah, but, this temperament guideline. That cannot be the standard for a puppy right through adult. There must be a point where the standard can realistically be applied.

Right??

Temperament is temperament. The standard outlines basic traits that should be there from birth regardless of age or fear periods. This is how one very experienced breed person explained it to me as I was starting out.

Neither Disel (now 13 months) or my new pup, Una, ever ran/run right up to people or just go off with people. They LOVE people, but they do not just strike right up with them. Una is a bit more aloof than Disel, but that is the way the breed is supposed to be.

[sophie's-mom]

Originally Posted by samanthac

Temperament is temperament.

Neither Disel (now 13 months) or my new pup, Una, ever ran/run right up to people or just go off with people.

If this is true, then how did YOU get your pup to accept YOU? I mean, you didn't whelp the litter, right? So you would be a STRANGER at 8 or 10 weeks.