new rott, needing advice...

[wot_racing]

I am going today to get a 1.5 year old male rott... It was an elderly couple's dog, and the husband died, and the lady doesn’t think she can care for it... I have not seen it, but they say it is 26 inches tall, and VERY healthy... It is a purebred dog..... Supposedly it has never shown any aggression, and the guy that I had go look at it said it walked up to him and let him pet is no problems.... I have never owned a rott before... I have never owned a dog before...

My girlfriend was getting me a rott puppy for Christmas, but this dog needs a home, so I figured I would give it a shot... they were going to send it to the animal shelter next week, and I couldn’t let that happen....

[godfreyc]

Good luck, I'm sure things will go smoothly. Just do a search about trasitioning a dog into your home. I'm glad you decided to take this boy instead of getting a puppy. And the up side is that you get to miss all the potty training :D

[jakesfostermom]

Thanks for opting to give a needy Rottie a home! You'll be rewarded and challenged for your decision. Merry Christmas to you! Best of luck with your new dog - you'll find tons of advice here - these dogs love to be busy and please their owners - love him, provide for his physical & emotional needs, provide training and he'll reward you with companionship like no other! You've picked a strong, smart, beautiful breed as your first dog - learn all you can about Rottweilers.....they can do most anything they are trained properly to do!

[wot_racing]

my biggest question is, is it too old to take it to obediance school? Ive always heard that you cant teach an old dog new tricks.. how true is this, and is this 1.5 year old an "old dog"??

[Wookie'sMom]

Nope, never too late to start training and never too late to continue training:). Rotts are so smart they're scary sometimes so they're pretty easy to train if you can out-stubborn them. At 1.5 years he's not even fully mature yet, so he's definitly not an "old dog". Thanks for giving that boy a good home.

[jakesfostermom]

I agree with Wookies' Mom - NEVER too late to start obedience classes. You'll have to keep us posted on his social skills - sometimes that's the only delay to entering training classes, if he needs to learn basic social skills first - which is also training :)

Best of luck - and :D :D :D lots of us on this site are thrilled that you are getting the older pup - because 1.5 is still REALLY young!!! Have a great first day with your new dog! What's his name?

[Karyn]

WARNING - rotts have have been known to cause addiction - they get into you heart and you can never get them out. Good luck

[wot_racing]

I'm excited about going to get it today.. I have always wanted a rottweiler.. Not anyone other kind of dog other than a Rott.. I honestly wanted a pup, but I cant let this dog go to the pound where it would more than likely be killed...

[JeanT]

Welcome ! It's wonderful that you are going to take this dog. Nice, too, that you can get him straight from the owners. Ask them to tell their vet's office to give you a copy of his chart. It's really an advantage to have that kind of information. Keep reading and posting here - I find the help invaluable.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Also----you may want to pick up "Rottweilers for Dummies" if you haven't read it yet. It's a wonderful overview of what it takes to raise a Rottweiler. It was a very interesting book for me to read & it's a good resource now when I need to check something out.

Good luck!

:)
Brooke

[Anne]

Good for you for giving this boy a home.

He is still young and will take to obedience training without problems. You will both enjoy it and it will cement the bond between you.

Please keep coming here with any queries you have. This board is an amazine source of knowledge about our beautiful breed.

What is his name?

[Diane Heller-Vaccaro]

While its true there is something special about a pup the same can be said for rescuing an older dog. When I adopted my 2 Rotties my girl was around 3-4 and my male was around 1.5 years old. The fit was like a glove, like we were together forever honestly, I forgot that I didn't have them since they were puppies. I wish the same for you and if you have the time and finances you can add a puppy to your family in the future.

[LavenderRott]

My Chase is about 8 years old and I am hoping to enter her in her first obedience competition in the spring!

They are never too old to learn and with a fellow that age, finding a good class will be a priority, I think. Since this is your first dog, a class will be a good way for you to bond and learn what are reasonable expectations for you to have.

He may well try to test his boundries in his new home.

Great choice by the way! Rottweilers are not for the weak-hearted and this boy could be perfect for a newby.

Just remember, the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask and there are lots of people here with lots of answers. And opinions.

[shybird]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, for not letting this boy be thrown away. (the shelter) Let him get to know you, and you him. Get into class and away you go to a wonderful life. Dogs, like people are never to old to learn. I think that old saying should read "people are to lazy to teach a old dog new tricks."

[wot_racing]

I got him last night... He is HUGE, but just a big puppy... It was at the owner's son's house... He btw had the most beautiful female rott I have ever seen... I saw my dog’s mom, dad, and brother.... The female was a sweet dog; the father and brother were MEAN dogs.... HE said that’s why he wasn’t going to keep mine, because it was kind, and "a kind rott is worthless"... The dog was chained under a tree all by itself, and had been there a few weeks... It had no collar, just a chain around its neck.... I game the man 50 dollars and we loaded it in my truck... I was worried on the 2 hour trip home, because I stopped every 15 minutes or so, and it would just lay there, was afraid to move... When we got home, I took it to its lot and chained it up (a fenced lot is in the works)... I came over to me, and I would pet on it. A few hours later, it was showing so much personality... I fell in love with it so quick...

It’s funny when you walk to it... It will run at you like there is no tomorrow, and stop a couple feet from you... Then when you look at it, and start to pet on it, it lies down and rolls over....

We came home from Wal-Mart to get it a bog bone, and pulled in the drive... It was an eerie thing... All you could see was the eyes as it was dark, and when it growled and barked it was enough to kind of intimidate me, but I walked to it slowly and petted it, and it laid down and made the "grumbling" noise I have read about...

I dont believe it is purebred... As for looks, it has the rott structure for the most part, but has Long hair... The lips and gums are BLACK... The paws are absolutely HUGE... I have a picture of it that I will post shortly... It isn’t a great picture as it was late...

I finally stopped playing with my new dog about 3am, and got up for work at 5am, and I will go home at lunch to walk him...