What to Expect

[marleysmom1]

Hi, I am new here and a new rottie X owner. I have owned several dogs in the past and haven't had any issues. I have never owned a dog of this breed, and am unsure what to expect.

We adopted Marley about a month ago from one of the kill shelters in town. My boyfriend really wanted a rot, but to be honest I was very worried about agression issues. We have two cats (male, female). In San Antonio, they shelter does not take very good care of the animals and does not test them around cats so we were told to get a young puppy. Marley was 8 weeks when we picked her up. She was abandoned by her mom and living at a school. We were told that she was a shepherd X and nothing was mentioned about a rot.

After taking her to the vet we were told that she was a rot mix, and was full of problems. Worms, intestinal parisites, and a leg that has suffered trauma and may never heal properly, etc. We decided to keep her because we love her and knew that she would probably not get adopted with all of her issues and we would hate to see her be put down.

She is a great little girl, but has a real problem with biting. She is biting my cat a lot andI don't know if she is playing or what?? We have been trying to redirect her but it's not working yet. We have been squirting her with water, which seems to be working a little. Yelling ouch or yelping seems to excite her more and she will bite harder.

We have been reading books, but I there is so many conflicting suggestions....I was hoping to get some advice on what to expect, to look out for, etc from people who actually own this breed.

Sorry for the novel I just wrote!!

[JemarsSerena]

Stick around and read the forums. Rotties can be very persistent when they want something. Conversley, you need to have constant diligence when it comes to redirecting and training. If you are not already signed up for obedience classes then get there ASAP!

Sounds to me like she is playing with the cat. If she saw the cat as prey and got her mouth on it she would probably have already killed the cat. Keep them separate for now and slowly reintroduce them little bits at a time when the rott is tired.

You've reached the best place to learn about this great breed. Just remember, rotties are working dogs and need a job to tire them mentally and physically or they can become destructive and unruly. Obedience is a great way to start.

How old is this dog and how serious is the leg trauma?

[zorro13]

Originally Posted by marleysmom1

She is a great little girl, but has a real problem with biting. She is biting my cat a lot andI don't know if she is playing or what?? We have been trying to redirect her but it's not working yet. We have been squirting her with water, which seems to be working a little. Yelling ouch or yelping seems to excite her more and she will bite harder.

So Marley would be about 12 weeks old now? Forget squirting water and instead leash your pup to you and control her movement. Why are you yelling ouch or yelping when she's biting the cat, get the dog off the cat. Or, do you mean you do this when she is biting you?