Advice Needed........

[RoxiesMama]

We live in a neighborhood that has a walking trail that surrounds us. On the other side of the highway lives this gorgeous Rottweiler that we have stopped to wave at, talk to, and admire for the last 3 months! We've even named him! His family was doing everything right; they had him in a big fenced yard (6 ft. privacy), kept him inside when it was too hot, and playing with him outside. We will be picking up our Roxie puppy this weekend so we went over to meet this Rottie's family last night to ask questions about raising one. That's when we found out they were doing everything WRONG!!!

They got him from a friend "who couldn't keep him" when he was 5 months old. He is now one and weighs 120lbs.! He's definetely going to be a big boy! They have done absolutely no training with him because they were told, "Rottweilers are too stubborn and it would be a waste of time and money." He has shredded all toys ever given to him because they are giving him ropes, socks, and plastic balls! They keep him in the open basement when they are gone-not in a crate!

When we asked if we could see him, Rocky, (we were close as we were calling him Rusty!-LOL!) it took both the Mom and the teenage daughter to get his leash on and bring him out the gate to us. The Mom's exact words to us were, "Well, it's obvious that he knows you!" He never barked or carried on in any way! He came right up to us with lots of licks and then just laid down on my husbands foot!

And she believes this dog can't be trained!!! He is so full of love and has such a desire to please and adores attention-it scares me that this is an accident waiting to happen. How do I tell these strangers that yes, your dog can be trained. Yes, they are one of the smartest breeds and crave work and want to please their owners. My husbands advice was to train our Roxie and take her over there and show them that a Rott can be trained. I'm looking for any advice you have to offer.

Thanks,
RoxiesMama

[Sharon Marples]

I think your husband gave you the best answer there is. When you get your new puppy, train, train, train!

And when she is trained, take her over to see them (being sure to NOT let their dog have access to her, keep a fence inbetween them!) and tell them you want to show them what she can do!

Then put on a nice display of heeling, telling her to sit, down, fetch, stay and any other cool tricks that you may have taught her. The best way to teach them is by your actions. And the fact that you will be taking a smart, well-socialized, well-trained, well-mannered puppy over to show them should do wonders to their train of thought.

[TR Young]

To add to what Sharon has already said, I would suggest letting them know about this website, then add that Rotties are highly intelligent and eager to please their owners, especially when proper training methods, such as NILIF, are used correctly.
Do the owners of Rocky strike you as the kind of people who will listen when you tell them things, or do they seem like the sort who will give you the 'you don't know what the heck you are talking about' look and brush you off?
I hope that you can give them the boost towards the change of heart that they so desperately need! Good luck!

[BostonRott]

You could also go back over for another visit, a few treats in hand and work on getting him to sit / reward. Break him out, do it again. Do 3 to 5 reps, then say "Boy, he is VERY smart, I bet you would have a LOT of fun in obedience class with him. Rottweilers are often the best in their class because they learn so quickly."

[JuneyB]

Just a thought....how about you suggest the rottis owners participate in training sessions with you when you take your pup?

Could be a good way to help this boy and his owners???

[Sharon Marples]

Originally Posted by JuneyB

Just a thought....how about you suggest the rottis owners participate in training sessions with you when you take your pup?

Could be a good way to help this boy and his owners???

Well, from what the OP said:

When we asked if we could see him, Rocky, (we were close as we were calling him Rusty!-LOL!) it took both the Mom and the teenage daughter to get his leash on and bring him out the gate to us.

makes me think that Rocky needs to have some one on one training BEFORE they risk their pup possibly getting hurt by having them interact. I would NOT be letting my pup be with this dog until they know for sure he is not dog-aggressive in any way. Even if he is not aggressive, all it takes in one step on a puppy's leg to damage it beyond fixing.......and it might be caused just by his being so happy to see the pup. They need to have him under control on a leash first.

And from what the OP says, he is friendly and willing to please so hopefully they will take her advice and get him into some training once they see what a good puppy can do!

[StephanieandToby]

Have you referred them to RDN????

[JuneyB]

Totally agree Sharon...I was thinking of 2 owners taking their dogs individually thru the same classes...tho obviously a lot of work should be done with the older dog prior to any interaction of any kind with any other dog. I tend to think of training classes less for socialization than for skill development....no way meant to infer this dog should be allowed near a puppy!!!!!! My error totally in incorrectly expressing myself!!!