I am Stressed...(sort of long)

[Boiler]

I think I will give myself another chance, would that be fair to Sydney?

Question...I am have problems getting her to go for a walk, she is really hesitant about leaving the yard. I think it has to do with a couple of dogs she met on her first couple of walks. They barked and growled, and she got pretty scared. I dont walk her past those dogs anymore, but she is still weary about leaving the yard.

[Sargeant_C]

Sounds like you bit off more then you can chew. However there is hope. You can sign her up in classes and be amazed at what this pup will learn. Classes are normally an hour a week and then you work with them at home, practicing.
Yes it sucks during the winter. It is cold and wet and nobody likes to be cold and wet. Well not many. But soon spring will come and it will get better. However the main thing you have to do is take your dog out to go potty. And then you can play inside too. Although I have discovered rotts love snow. You can run around in the snow, chase snowballs etc. They are great fun.
Also if you are not getting some sun for the day you can go into a depression. Winter is the top season for ppl to get depressed.
As for the cat teach your pup to "Leave It" then when the dog goes after it say Leave It. But do remember them cats are pretty smart and will learn how to deal with that dog.
Rotts are a lot of hard work but with each session in training you will be amazed at how smart they are and how well they will amaze you. So call and make an appointment to get your pup in a class an obedient class and soon you will have a wonderful pup.
But if you cannot handle this then do return the pup before it is too late. Do not make this dog a bad dog by not getting what it needs and deserves. Love and attention and discipline.

[lblax]

Originally Posted by Boiler

I think I will give myself another chance, would that be fair to Sydney?

usually people start off gung ho about there new pet but not you you started off discouraged from the start or at least very quickly... it will probably be a downhill slide for you as the responsibilities grow as your rottweiler grows ...i am not gonna sugar coat this and tell you to buck up to your responsibilitie and tell you how it improves because while somethings get better others get harder and right now this pup has a good chance of being adopted by a family 6 months or a year from now after your really stessed over her she wont be so easily adopted not to mention through your lack of interest the bad habits and behavioral problems the dog may aquire. to give this dog a chance she must be returned young dogs have plenty of adoption possibilities but not so for the teenage or adult dog. its not that you have a dog with problems you have a problem with normal dog behaviour and the minimul responsibilities in owning a dog.

[Boiler]

Originally Posted by Sargeant_C

Also if you are not getting some sun for the day you can go into a depression. Winter is the top season for ppl to get depressed.

I am thinking hoping this might be my problem, compounded by getting a puppy.

[Luvs]

I think it would be fair to her ONLY if you are willing to give it an honest shot. Sydney deserves to be with someone who truly wants her and will appreciate her for who she is.
If you are seriously thinking about keeping her then get her enrolled in an obedience class asap! Training will help develop a very strong bond between the two of you, plus you will get a well trained dog in the process

It does get easier as she matures and has some training, if you are referring to simple puppy issues, like getting into things, uncontrolled behavior, chewing and accidents in the house. As far as the amount of care she receives, that will stay the same thru her life.

I am not a winter person. I brought Akasha home December 18, 2 years ago. We didn't have alot of snow but it was very cold! An 8 week old puppy needs to go outside frequently and can spend quite a bit of time out there while you are waiting. Akasha's potty word is "HURRY" because I was always in a hurry to get back into the house This is probably one of the reasons my next puppy will be coming home this spring or summer Actually to be honest I would NOT hesitate to bring home a puppy in the winter again, if that is when they were due. To me the rewards are more than worth freezing for a few minutes here and there.

[rottnelmo]

If you weren't REALLY ready for a pup in the first place, WHY did you go the humane society? Sometimes you walk in with the best intentions of just "looking" then end up going home with one. Thats what happened with Elmo...but that was four years ago. I took one look in his sad brown eyes and knew that he had to be mine, went home talked about it...two days later we decided that if he was still there we would take him home and we did. (he was eight months though and almost out of puppy phase)

So, just before christmas BF and I decided to stop at the Humane Society...just to LOOK! BF fell in love with a 4 month old black lab female, she was beautiful and smart as a whip. BF has a 4 year old son and I have Elmo. Elmo is fine with pups...but do I really want the responsibility of a pup right now? New relationship, getting used to his son and potty training in the middle of winter...NOPE! So, while BF was pleading I told him that we should wait. We should wait until his son is more used to Elmo and dealing with an adult dog before we got a pup. Plus I dont want to raise a pup right now.

When you get a dog, to me, it is for the LIFE TIME OF THE DOG. Its not for five minutes because it was cute in the shelter, but then you got it home their true colors started to shine. When you walked that dog out of the shelter your promised her that you would take care of her and give her the life she deserved.

I will tell you that it is not necessarily easy, but it is rewarding. Elmo was fantastic for the first three months, then it slid down hill. He developed seperation anxiety and would go nuts when in a crate, almost killed himself by coming inches away to flipping his crate down a flight of steps, with him in it. Did we give up on him and return him? Even when we came home the day before our wedding and he had slid the pan out of his wire crate, pee'd and poo'd then ground it into the carpet...nope. We went to trainers, we scoured the interent and we LEARNED how to deal with it.

When she learns her first trick...you will be so darn proud of her. Or when you get her CGC (Canine Good Citzen) and she behaves so well in public and people comment, it will make you bust. Like when I take Elmo to Children's Hospital and people watch in awe as he befores as dociliy (sp) as a lab, even better in some cases...it makes my chest swell with pride. Or those moments when you are just so darn tired in the morning and they INSIST on waking you up at 6:00AM to give you a kiss and take them out. The thing is they rely on you, for everything! Without us our dogs cannot survive.

You need to think long and hard on this...are you looking for an easy fix? An quick answer...like - "Yup, in 24 more hours, she will settle down in a wonderfully docile dog and will be like the dog in Bruce Almighty and use the toilet...she will be perfection." Sorry...not gonna happen. My BF wants another dog for our household because he sees how wonderful Elmo is with Tyler and how EASY Elmo is...BUT I have put FOUR LONG HARD WORKING years into him.

Only you can answer what is right for you.

[Jake's mom]

I am thinking how far of a drive it is from London, Ontario to Indiana. I know it is 5 hours to Shipshawana(sp). I was thinking of yesterday when we had a freezing rain/snow storm here and Jake 14 month old rottie and Annie my 12year old lab, did not care about the weather or if I was off sick. They wanted to go for their run. I am lucky that I live in the country and we have an abanded rail track by the house so they can run free. I put on my winter/rain gear and away we went. We came back in an hour, pottie done, dogs tired all of us like covered in ice. We all curled up in front og a fire and enjoyed the rest of the day. One hour out of my day made us all feel good hmmmm. You need to get out and enjoy no matter what the weather, you know in the summer it will be to hot

[Boiler]

So you guys think that the Humane Society would be the best place to take her, if we decide to?

Besides the point, I think we will try for a few more days and see what happens, I think the weather man said we are actually going to have some sun this weekend.

[Judi W]

There is nothing wrong with not being a dog person. There is quite something wrong however about not being honest about it. Dogs should not be considered 30 day free trial in order for you to play house and see if you want to become a dog person. Return that poor pup promptly instead of experimenting with it.

[sophie's-mom]

Boiler, quite frankly, I think you're kidding yourself.

And the longer you wait the more difficult it will be for her to find a home.

I think you were more honest in your first post than you are being now.

I feel like are lives have turned upside down!

We thought we were ready for a dog, read all kinds of stuff about rotts on the web, we thought we were ready for the commitment.

So to tell you the truth, I dont think we are ready. We are stressed out and having a hard time learning to cope. I am tired of taking her out in the freezing cold, tired of having to watch her whenever she is out of her crate, tired of saying "NO Sydney"

You KNOW that you are overwhelmed, you state so in one of your posts, so it really doesn't have anything to do with the weather.

You should REALLY step back and realize that this isn't FAIR to the dog and it isn't FAIR to your wife.

Take her back and PLEASE let her have the chance to get adopted before it's too late.

[tvanderwall]

"So you guys think that the Humane Society would be the best place to take her, if we decide to?

Besides the point, I think we will try for a few more days and see what happens, I think the weather man said we are actually going to have some sun this weekend."

I don't want to be rude here but I am having a hard time sitting back and reading all of this, you are so stuck on the weather issue I feel like it's all about "you". There is a wonderful puppy that you have on your hands that needs to have an owner who is willing and able to make it all about "her". This is like your child, would you be like this towards your "child".

You are being VERY UNFARE to this pup, take her back and I agree with Sophie's Mom, it has nothing to do with the weather it has to do with "you".

[Boiler]

You guys have every right to be upset about this, but believe me, we talked about getting a dog, we read about it, we thought about it. We thought we were dog people even though we have never owned one, we love playing with other peoples dogs...so we thought we would get one. I realize we may have made a big mistake

[rottnelmo]

Originally Posted by Boiler

So you guys think that the Humane Society would be the best place to take her, if we decide to?

Besides the point, I think we will try for a few more days and see what happens, I think the weather man said we are actually going to have some sun this weekend.

As much as I hate to say this...yes, take her back to where you got her. Is it low kill or no kill? Do they have time period on dogs? If you return her, what is her fate? Please find that out before you return her.

Did you have to sign a contract before you took her out...if you did what does the contract say? Is she spayed?

Can you turn on your PM's? I would like to talk with your privately if at all possible.

[lblax]

Originally Posted by Boiler

You guys have every right to be upset about this, but believe me, we talked about getting a dog, we read about it, we thought about it. We thought we were dog people even though we have never owned one, we love playing with other peoples dogs...so we thought we would get one. I realize we may have made a big mistake

good now rectify it and call the shelter where you got her

[rottnelmo]

Originally Posted by Boiler

You guys have every right to be upset about this, but believe me, we talked about getting a dog, we read about it, we thought about it. We thought we were dog people even though we have never owned one, we love playing with other peoples dogs...so we thought we would get one. I realize we may have made a big mistake

See, this is me and kids...I like them. They are fun to play with and have around, as long as I can give them back to their parents! (At least thats how it was before I had one and now have a BF with one...you learn to adapt!)