Big Rott vs Little Cavalier King Charles

[taimantis]

My husband and I have had a Cavalier King Charles since she was a pup. She is 2 yrs old now and a real gentle, lovable sweetheart. My husband (who has owned a Rottweiler in the past) had been wanting to get a second dog, so we just brought home a 7 wk old Rott puppy about 3 weeks ago. Although our first dog was a little jealous at first, she has adapted to the newest member of the family and for the most part they seem to get along fine. My only concern is that our Rott puppy doesn't seem to know her own strength and tends to play a little rough with the smaller dog by pouncing on her and "play biting" each other as dogs do. She's not intentionally mean or agressive - just a little over zealous. Since our Rott has not finished her series of shots, we have not been able to take her for walks as a precaution. I'm hoping that once she can go for walks she won't be so wound up and maybe play nicer perhaps???

If anyone out there is in a similar situation or has experienced having a Rott with a smaller breed dog, I would love to here about your experiences.

[SABELLESMOM]

We have a Cocker Spaniel and two Rottie girls. Everyone gets along fine. In fact the Cocker undertook to sleep by each of the girls crates the first few nights they were home. No whining or crying from either.

However there are a few things you should be aware of. All of our dogs participated in formal obedience classes. You can learn a lot about what motivates canine behavior and how to guide and teach them. Your pup (at 7 weeks) was just a tad young to leave his mother, so she'll reap even greater benefits from active training.

You can use things like diversion, when she gets rough. She shouldn't feel it's OK to overpower the other dog. You'll need to provide your first dog with puppy free places, if she needs them. Crating the puppy when you are not at home would work to keep the puppy safe (not chewing electric cords) and your Cavalier from having to avoid playful puppy nipping. And puppies do nip. They need to learn better ways.

Walking won't help as much as you'd probably like. Rottweilers are intellegent and thrive on learning. Sign up for classes. You won't regret the time you put into training and guiding your girl to be a great companion and friend. Your Cavalier will appreciate it too.

[Anne]

I have two Rottweilers and two Cavalier KC Spaniels, one being a 7 month old girl. The other Cav is a 20 month old male. My Rottweilers are 13yo and 5yo, both girls.

Believe me the Cavaliers can move quickly and soon learn to keep out of the way of the big dogs. They are very good at dodging the feet of the big dogs too.

Mine all get along very well and the old Rottweiler looks out for the little ones if the younger Rott gets a bit boisterous in play.

[taimantis]

Thanks for the advice! My husband is disabled and home full time, which helps and the dogs take turns being crated so the other one can have their space and spend a little quality time with us. We've also use diversion tactics and let the Rott know when she is too rough, so I guess we've not doing so bad afterall. Training is definitely in the future. Hearing from you that they eventually settle into their roles and get along in the end is the confirmation that I needed to hear. Thanks again!

[TamieK]

My cousin, who introduced me to this great breed, had two Rotts and an old girlfried of her husband dumped the shih tzu he had bought her off on their doorstop. They were quite the crew. The shih tzu became boss though. When he had enough all he had to do was snarl a bit and the big dogs left him alone. They were very entertaining.