New owner, need general advice....

[Smokey]

I'm a newbie Rottie owner so please excuse me for not being educated on this stuff. I recently got a 6 week old Rottie puppy for free and we now have had her for approximately for 4-5 months and need to know all I can about this dog. I'm not for positively that she is full bred but looking at her you sure can't tell. So far this dog is great and has fit right into the family and loves everyone. She even gets along with our two cats (loves to chase and bark at them in a friendly way) and our Palmarainian. She even loves the neighborhood kids and practically everyone she comes in contact with.
What I have been told though is at a certain age that they start to show their aggressive side. Is this really true?
I have not cut her tail as our Vet said that the trend is not to cut them anymore. Is this also true?
Her markings are great has a smooth short beautiful coat and is now seems to about 60-70 plus Lbs. She just about acts like what everyone has described about there dogs to including the snoring..LOL
So could someone please take some time out and help me with her and tell me what the best things are to do. The only bad habit is when we get home or someone she knows comes in the house she gets very excited and likes to jump up but we are now getting a good handle on that.
Other than that bad habit we love the heck out of her.
Thanks in advance for any help y'all can give

Smokey

[Brooke&Ryan]

The best piece of advice I could give you is to get into a training class with your dog & keep up with continuous training until the dog is at least 3 years of age. Our dog, Julius, started training at 4 or 5 months of age & now he is 2 and a half & still in OB classes. Rottweilers are slow to mature & need constant classes.....

Also, because your pup was taken away from the littermates & mama a bit too early, training will be very important.

For the best things to do, check out the forums & use the "search" feature to check out threads on nutrition, behavior, training, etc.

Welcome!

Brooke

[LavenderRott]

Tail docking should be done when a pup is just a couple of days old. Now it would be considered major surgery and really unnecessary.

Training classes would be a wonderful thing. It would help you and your dog bond more closely and make her a great ambassador of the breed.

Oh, and get her spayed. Lots of problems can be avoided if she is spayed.

[SABELLESMOM]

Best thing is to get in to some obedience classes with her. She sounds absolutely lovely and will probably surprise you with her intellegence and willingness to learn.

Then stick around and learn more about the breed. Dogs who are well raised don't reach a certain age then suddenly turn aggressive. Why would they?

[Smokey]

Originally Posted by SABELLESMOM

Best thing is to get in to some obedience classes with her. She sounds absolutely lovely and will probably surprise you with her intellegence and willingness to learn.

Then stick around and learn more about the breed. Dogs who are well raised don't reach a certain age then suddenly turn aggressive. Why would they?

Well, the reason I ask this is I had a bad experience with another dog we had. She was a beautiful Chow. The Vet at the time told us that they had a habit of turning aggressive at about the 8 month age. Well, to make a long story short this lovely dog that we loved so much seemed like she changed right at about eight month mark. She started showing aggressiveness to me and my wife. More to the story but I'll leave it there for now. I had thought that something was bothering him or maybe not feeling well and took him to the Vet and sure enough nothing wrong health wise.
I know from past experiences and the way people always tell me now "Oh you have a Rottie? There mean dogs!" All I do is just shake my head at that and tell people it's just the way you bring them up. Well until that Chow....
Any how looks like I'll get her (Angel) into training classes. Any idea what to expect to pay? Just so I don't get ripped.
Please and any other tip's you can pass along to me and Angel would be much appreciated
Thanks for all of you that are so kindly answering my questions.
Great board and I'll be here to stay it looks like

[LavenderRott]

Well, my girl is about 10 years old now and we are still laughingly waiting for her to become the mean monster she is supposed to become when she is "older". If your vet told you that she would get aggressive - find a new vet.

Many people will tell you that when this breed hits the teen age, they become a bit of a hand full. I think that is pretty much true with just about every breed. This one just happens to have a bad rep so people scream "aggression" instead of "training".

If I am not mistaken, we have a member or two on the forum that are active with Rotts Across Texas. See about getting a hold of that rescue group for help with finding a training location.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by Smokey

Any how looks like I'll get her (Angel) into training classes. Any idea what to expect to pay? Just so I don't get ripped.

We typically pay $85 for 8 to 9 weeks of OB class....

Sometimes our agility classes are a bit more because they run longer.

[Wally31]

I was also told by many people "they are good when they are a puppy but when they get older you can't trust them." To me that is nonsense, dogs are as good as the owner that has them barring mental problems. Training is the key so stay at it and be responsible.

[SABELLESMOM]

Depending on the number of weeks, classes can be as low as $65. Some are $85. One session will only get you started. Rottweilers take about 3 years to mature, so there should be a sprinkling of classes thru out each year with regular practice in between.

The trick to having a well raised dog is the training. They are also a breed the enjoys being with you, doing what you are doing. They particularly enjoy activity and exercise. I enjoy hiking with my dogs, or long walks around one of the area lakes or exercise parks.

[PharmGuy]

Hey Smokey. I am just up the road from you in Allen. I am going to be getting a pup in May. I have read everything I can get my hands on. This forum is more valuable than anything. All these people have experience and a plethora of knowledge. Here are some links to the different training areas I have found around Plano and Allen. I am still in the process of choosing. I would like to visit these places first.
http://www.advancedcanineconcepts.com/

http://www.topdogdallas.com/

http://www.topdogdallas.com/Other%20Links.htm

http://www.letspractice.com/

http://www.collincountycanine.com/

Maybe I can help sometime. Let me know.

Mike