Un-trained 10 mth. old -need advice

[Barney]

Most of the information my brother gave me about rearing this dog seems to be off-base. No petting? No hugging? Why not? I can see no difference having a rottweiler as opposed to any other dog. I was half afraid to take him because of all of this. I haven`t read through all your backlog of messages yet, but do these dog need special handling?

[Sampson's Mom]

Thank God you have Barney with you now. I hate to say it but your brother was well on his way to creating a monster! Rotties are different than some dogs in that they are very stubborn and strong, but like any living creature they need love and companionship. I hug Sampson all the time and get nose to nose with him when we lay on the floor. My kids even use him as a pillow sometimes. He will shove is head in your lap to make sure you pet him. I'm no expert but I would think you should start doing these things slowly so as not to overwhelm him but to let him know that it's okay to be loved.

There are many people on here with great knowledge on training so I will leave that advice to them. I would suggest another obedience class for the socialization and also so that he will start to look to you as his alpha. If you don't have experience with big stubborn dogs it will be a great help to you, believe me. If Barney seems overwhelmed at a class you may want to start with a private trainer.

I'm glad to hear you are getting him to the vet for all of the necessary care. Sounds like you are just what Barney needed for Christmas! Don't let everything your brother said scare you...with some love and training I'm sure Barney will become one of your best friends! Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[AngelBunny]

Barney:

Yeah, Rotties need "special handling," alright.

Treat Rotties with love, train and work them thruout their lives, make them as much a part of your life as possible, give them regular exercise and vet care, play with them, feed them a good quality food and give them access to fresh water, groom them once in awhile--let's see...did I leave anything else out?? Have them live in the house with you.

Barney is a *very* lucky dog that he's no longer in the hands of your brother--I hope you'll do your best to discourage your brother from getting another dog. The ideas he has are so off base that if he treats a dog the way he advised you to treat Barney, he may be creating a time bomb.

Even tho your brother took Barney to class (hate to say it, but it doesn't sound to me that your brother learned anything), it would be an excellent thing for you to take Barney to class. The trainer will train you how to train Barney and will show you the proper way to give commands and to correct Barney. Taking Barney to class will deepen the bond between you and Barney, and will make Barney your dog. Plus, it's just plain fun to work with your dog.

How to get him used to other dogs? By taking him places where there are other dogs. You'll also need to start socializing him, since you say that "Besides the classes when he was very small, he has had no contact with any people or animals." Take Barney to the mall, to ball games, to the schoolyard when school lets out, to the post office on a Sat. Bring along a bag of treats or pieces of his kibble and encourage all different types of people to come over to Barney to say hello.

If your brother offers you any advise or makes any suggestions at all re: Barney, smile politely and say thanks. Then ignore whatever he says.

[AdeL1610]

Hi Barney! I hug, kiss, pet, my 5 month pup all the time. Now i'm feeding her treats/chewy sticks from my mouth to her's, because she has to develop a gentle mouth (she used to snatch things roughly). Lots of scratched cheeks and bruised lips and lots of FUN later, she's SO gentle you wouldn't even feel her teeth when you handfeed her. Now it becomes a game...i'll stare deeplyyy into her baby browns and give commands through clenched teeth...she'll follow and take the treat from my mouth

[pride-and-joy]

Wow Barney is soooo lucky you are his new dad. Hopefully you can recover and he will develop properly now that he is away from your brother's "training" mentality.

Since so much time has been lost, you will need to go slow, firm but gentle, and be consistant. Start classes again. That will help with the missed socialization. Go for walks in the park so he can see other people, dogs, ets. Don't give up, and as you make headway...give him lots of happy voiced praise and treats. And look into his beautiful brown eyes!

As far as the "looking in the eye" thing....hogwash! Intimate eye-to-eye attention is very important in obedience. I have my almost 6 month old boy to the point where I just point to my eye (which gives him a non-verbal "watch me") and his posture pops to attention in anticipation of my next command. He gets sooo excited to please me and do right.

For the "handling" thing....The ultimate goal should be that nothing on his body is sacred. Trust me, vet will appreciate it too. My boy is going through a big dental ordeal and the doc has been able to poke, prod and hold his mouth open with no problems. You want them to be tolerant to nail clippings, teeth brushings, grooming, and just plain lovin and hugs. I would suggest doing a search on key words such as (nail clipping, etc).

Kudos to you for adopting Barney! Good luck and keep us posted



[This message has been edited by pride-and-joy (edited December 16, 2000).]

[ChrisC]

I was viciously attacked by a dog (GSD mix) when I was a teenager and developed a fear of dogs. People thought I was nuts when I got my first rott/GSD mix and even crazier when I got Max a full rott male. Through them I learned the gentle nature of dogs. My girl (who went with ex-hubby) and now my boy are what keep me smiling. I have done all training with pats on the head, stares in their eyes and big hugs. I sit on the floor behind my big boy and rest my head on his shoulder and scratch his chest. I constantly kiss him on the forehead between his eyes - he loves it!! They love lots of contact and need it as much as we do to develop properly. His favorite thing is to walk between someones legs and stop so his butt is in perfect position for bongo playing They are big loveable bears, not ferocious killers. Lucky for both of you that you are together! Merry Christmas & have fun with your new baby.

[rottmommie]

oh thank GOD im not an idiot!!!!~!!!

[Grumbler]

Hello Barney,

Congratulations on your new dog.....

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">"My brother told me to never look Barney in the eye, to never pet him on the top of his head, don`t hug or show too much affection to him, and snap this pronged collar hard to correct him if he doesn`t respond to your command immediately."</font>

Well Barney my 8 month old is somewhat of a hard dog, good drive and med-medhigh nerve. I have always looked him in the eyes, patted him on the head and given him lots of love and attention. But if your new dog starts growling when you look him in the eyes you have some serious issues on your hand.

I would suggest you get some references for a good trainer in your area and let him or her guide you on training your dog. I am sure more experienced people can explain what each action/reaction means regarding your brothers suggestions.

Good luck and congratulations with your new dog.....Keep us informed with his growth.

------------------
GUCCI'S DAD
Doug

[Barney]

Thanks so much everyone. Barney is adjusting very well to my home. I have been treating him just like any other dog since he came to live with us. This rottweilers are different thing did worry me. They do have a bad reputation. Barney is the first rottweiler I`ve ever seen in person. I think he is very loveable looking, not evil or scary at all!
I ordered real good food on-line, Canidae. The vet also said to give him Flex-a-Min for his joints since my brother fed him grocery store feed and never exercised him. At least his hips are good. The vet said that`s a real problem with rottweilers.
We are starting out slowly with playing. Barney doesn`t know how to play, it seems. About an hour after his morning and evening feedings we go out in the yard and I throw the ball to him for a while. He runs and grabs it, then runs full speed right at me. He`s knocked me down a couple times already. We are working on this. He doesn`t seem to know what to do outside by himself, poor guy. He just sits by the back door.
I guess I`ll be asking a lot of questions in the near future. Please bear with me if some of them are dumb. This is very new to me. I`ll contact local trainers so Barney can get back on the right track.

[rottmommie]

sounds like you got ya a great dog@!@

[Barney]

My brother gave me his rottweiler pup a couple weeks ago. His schedule didn`t allow him the time it must take to properly train this type of dog. I have never had a large dog like Barney, but it must be a lot more involved than the usual dog just by noting the 5000 people signed up on this forum.
My brother did take Barney to the local obedience classes when he was a young pup. He knows the basic commands, and he will obey me when I give commands. He never would do anything my brother told him to do, though. Am I doing something different? Are rottweilers that much different than other dogs? My brother told me to never look Barney in the eye, to never pet him on the top of his head, don`t hug or show too much affection to him, and snap this pronged collar hard to correct him if he doesn`t respond to your command immediately. What is up with all that? That collar does nothing. Barney is immune to it. My brother must have pronged him so much it doesn`t effect Barney anymore. Plus I don`t like to use pain to get results. Wouldn`t rewards work better?
I got him a nice large crate to use for a den. It`s in the kitchen so he will be in the middle of things. My brother always had him in the basement. Now he will be around people at least. How do I get him used to other dogs? I`m trying to get him used to the Gentle Leader harness so I can walk him. Besides the classes when he was very small, he has had no contact with any people or animals.
He does have all his shots, and the first thing I did when I got him was get him fixed and have him x-rayed. Barney is in excellent health.
Any suggestions are most welcome.

[rottmommie]

I MUST be a confounded idiot!!!! I pet mine on top of the head all the time, I look deeply into his beautiful brown baby eyes, and I hug him and give him attention all the time.....I DO however snap collar when my command isnt followed...not a big correcton for a little mistake tho....but a small one , save the real big snaps for real big errors!!!! Also I never needed a prong collar, what I have in the choke chain is enough....

[luvarott]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Grumbler:


But if your new dog starts growling when you look him in the eyes you have some serious issues on your hand.

</font>

It means you did not train him to accept eye contact as a good thing instead of a challenge (which is a fairly normal reaction from most dogs, particularly Rottweilers). I start off when they are little pups...draw their attention to a cookie and then put the cookie up near my face, tell them Watch Me, and as they look at the cookie,and also at my face, praise and give them the cookie....after many repetitions you can start to hold the cookie a little further from your face....they are going to get anxious about how to get that goodie....the eyes will flit from the cookie to your eyes and which point you instantly reward....keep at it and pretty soon you will have a Rott that is boring holes in your head, staring at your eyes cus that means a good thing is coming......

[Barney]

Everyone in the house is more relaxed today, including Barney. Even the wife is warming up to him. We weren`t sure we make the right choice to take him. Rottweilers are portrayed as such scary guard dogs. We want a pet. The shelter probably would have put him to sleep, that`s what they do with pittbulls.
I spent a lot of time reading your archives last night. There seems to be two different schools of thought on training. Since he`s almost a a year old already and at least been neglected, wouldn`t the clicker or reward type training be better than the prong correction or e-collar type? Should I attend different classes and check their training styles?

[Michael C.]

Just keep treating him like any other dog: Lots of Love, socialization, and training and you will see why these are such awesome dogs.