My 12 year old wants a Rottweiler

[rottie relative]

My 12 year old son, who is reactive attachment disorder, wants a Rottweiler.
Needless to say i am here for advise.
We are not new to dogs, we have two rescue Aussies.
My thought is, if he takes the old lady (age 12) to classes and he does ok, then I will talk about him getting his own dog.The big BUT is he really likes Rottweilers.
I am not inclined to a pup as we have a flight of stairs to get in and out of our house. Of course we have a fenced yard.
Tell me EVERYTHING I need to know to decide about getting this kid the dog he thinks he wants.
THANKS!!!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by rottie relative

My 12 year old son, who is reactive attachment disorder, wants a Rottweiler.

Welcome to the forums - I am not personally familiar with your sons disorder but I would say that I don't think a Rottweiler is the breed for most any 12 year old. They require a big commitment in terms of time and training and on going classes. They are slow to mature and would require a commitment from the WHOLE family not just him.

But you have come to the right place to learn. There is a wonderful search function that you can use to learn EVERYTHING about the breed here.

Again - welcome :)

[rottie relative]

thank you for the welcome :-) and learning is what I want to do.
Any dog that comes into this house is a family affair.
Reactive Attachment is a child who is so mistreated they are unbonded. Our little guy we adopted in 2003.
Thank again for the welcome!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by rottie relative

Reactive Attachment is a child who is so mistreated they are unbonded. Our little guy we adopted in 2003.
Thank again for the welcome!

Well it is special PEOPLE who take care of the children - thank you.

[moondog]

How severe is his disorder? How does your son interact with your other dogs? Does he bond with them and is he able to show affection and work on training with them?

Rottweilers form strong bonds with their owners. I'm in agreement with Bucky's Mom that a Rottweiler for a 12 year old is likely not a good idea, but before I stand firm on that, I need to ask...what is your expectation of the dog.....how would a Rottweiler be of benefit to him?

[rottie relative]

He has come a long ways in the 4 plus years he has lived with us. He has not done well with our Aussies (he was NEVER allowed to be alone with them) But the last few months his feelings and teatment of the dogs has undergone a huge change. He is now kind, and playful with them. He has bonded with my husband and I and with his horse. I think given the chance he will bond with any dog.
This is why he will have to do classes with the old lady first. She is 12 and VERY easy going and will be easy for him to work with. Good grief they are the same age.
Our boy has learned about forgiveness from the dogs and trust too. I want him to do CD work with whatever dog he gets. I would expect the dog to be, well a dog. To live in the house and get house broken. To stay inside the fence, to be crate trained, and be reasonable about living with cats and other dogs. I expect the dog will be forced to sleep in the bed with the kid too.

[Bucky's Mom]

I did a quick search and came up with this informational page :

http://www.radkid.org/index.html

From what I read I think that this disorder would preclude a dog with the needs of a Rottweiler.

Rottweilers as a breed are "high maintenance" themselves. While they are loving loyal dogs they require a firm and consistant environment to be a successful part of any family.

Depending on how severely your child is affected I am not sure how you could do all the structure required for your son AND a Rottweiler at the same time.

There is lots to read and learn here.

[MontanaRott]

Welcome, this is a great place to learn, but be forwarned it IS addicitve. It is wonderful that you are doing your research BEFORE getting a dog.

[Judi W]

Unless you want another dog, and a Rottweiler, one should never acquire a dog for a child. To give him a goal for life, he should know that when he grows up and is able to have his own home and support a dog for the rest of its life, he will then be in a position to have one.

Regardless of the love or even responsibility shown, a youngster grows up, goes away to school, or goes to live in an apartment or with roommates or travels to another community to find work. They are not in a position to make a 10 year committment.

I did a very successful adult placement with an autistic child, but the mother wanted the dog and I matched the right dog for that family and for the child. So, although the right dog can do very well with a handicapped child, it is the parent who must want the dog. Those decisions are too monumental to be put in the hands of children

[miccmill]

Have you considered a Service Dog? I know your son wants a Rottweiler but perhaps in meeting with a Service Dog agency, you could find what your looking for in a dog trained to assist people with various types of disabilities.
You son's Psyciatric diagnosis could qualify him for a Service Dog.

http://www.deltasociety.org/nsdc/sdhelp.htm

If he is begining to bond with pets and people, this type of dog could add a positive dimension to his development.

Best of luck and bless you for giving this special young man a chance to love and be loved.

[damp]

I agree with the other here. It’s too much responsibility to put on a 12 yrs. shoulders to be the owner of a Rottweiler.

I found my notes about RAD and they confirmed my memories and MY opinion, that people with RAD should not be responsible for animals and those with severe disorder must be supervised every second when around animals, but they can very well benefit from contact with animals.

No one here knows the degree of the boy’s disorder and which
and how many of all the symptoms being characteristic of this disorder he suffers from.


Rottie relative,

My best wishes for your son’s development.

[rottiluver]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Unless you want another dog, and a Rottweiler, one should never acquire a dog for a child. To give him a goal for life, he should know that when he grows up and is able to have his own home and support a dog for the rest of its life, he will then be in a position to have one.

Regardless of the love or even responsibility shown, a youngster grows up, goes away to school, or goes to live in an apartment or with roommates or travels to another community to find work. They are not in a position to make a 10 year committment.

I did a very successful adult placement with an autistic child, but the mother wanted the dog and I matched the right dog for that family and for the child. So, although the right dog can do very well with a handicapped child, it is the parent who must want the dog. Those decisions are too monumental to be put in the hands of children

I agree, by my own personal experience of course. I got my rottie because I always wanted one and thought it would be no problem. I got him when I was coming out of highschool and starting college, he was my full responsibilty from day one. I ended up having to drop out of a university and move back home and go to a local college because Rottweilers aren't permitted in apartments or at least none that I could find. Now I'm living at home with him, I mean I love him to death and I stuck to my word about caring for the little guy but point being I wouldn't be living at home if it wasn't for my dog. And at the age of 12 you cannot stick to that promise, unless you are willing to take that on yourself when the boy leaves home in a few years. I think you should wait on the decision, Rottweilers are more care than you can imagine, once he gets older and more mature and doesn't change his mind about the whole rottie thing, then decide upon getting one.

[Judi W]

Thank you kindly for using yourself as an example. And the truth is, your family are still the ones who have the Rottweiler even though you are doing the care. You are an exception. Normally in my observations, the child moves on and the dog stays. In this case, dog and child stay although I know that is not what any of you had in mind.

[anni's.mom]

1st time with rottweilers? a child with psychological issues? bad idea.

[rottie relative]

Great advise and a great deal to think about. Our first Rad kid left home and the dog and the cat both stayed here. I am impressed with so many of you knowing or finding about about this disorder!!! Never in the beginning of treatment should a RAD kid be left with an animal of any kind. Our guy has come a long way in 4 years. A Rottweiler is down the road for him. and maybe he will become interested in another breed. He must first stay healthy and interested. It has to be more than a passing fancy. Also any critter that comes into our home is a family animal. Even the dumb(and they are dumb) chickens.