new adoptee/general call for advice

[adoptadog]

i recently announced to the forum the passing of my dog, Ivy, who had cancer. during the period before her death i had been scouting around, doing what i thought was preliminary investigation into the personalities of some adoptable dogs i might be able to open my home to after Ivy was gone. as things turned out, i have a rottweiler in my home with me right now. a little sooner than i thought i would, but here he is (not that it was some kind of accident, i'm just trying to keep the story short for now). i was wondering if anyone out there who participates in rescue, or who has rescued more than one rottie would be willing to correspond with me for a little while, at least through this initial adjustment period. i would really like to talk to a rescuer b/c i think this guy is going to have some issues that my girl did not. (the first one i've encountered is a fear of steps, and i live in a 2nd floor apt.) please send me a private message if you have the time or inclination to correspond w/me. thanks.

[RottiMomCT]

I've been involved in rescue for about 2 yrs now and I have fostered 4 dogs (there are others in the same rescue that have had over 50 fosters!). Each rescue will come with it's own set of baggage that will need to be 'unpacked' by you, the new home/foster home. One thing to NOT do with a new rescue is baby or coddle the dog or feel sorry for it based on the fact that it's a rescue and might have had a hard life. YES, if the dog has been abused, you're not going to yell at it and swing your arms in the air to get it to do something...you'll end up scaring the poor dog half to death! Obviously you'll need to treat each case differently.

You say this current dog has a fear of stairs...do you know the reason why it ended up in rescue? Was it abused? it very wel could have been tossed down a flight of stairs, or simply it may have never seen stairs (it's possible!).

What you need to do is be firm yet loving with the dog. Use treats if you have to to get it up the stairs. Each time it takes a step, praise it, let him know that stairs are now a good thing and nobody is gonna yell or hurt the dog again. Each time the dog goes up the stairs by itself, without alot of coaxing, give him a treat, tell him good boy and keep going.

I have three rescued rotts that we've adopted...and three of the four foster dogs have all been adopted (one by my mom in law!)...the fourth is in another foster home after an incident between her and one of our dogs, but she's doing great as well!

It's tough to not compare your new dog to a dog you knew and loved, but not all Rotts are the same...

Good luck with him...sounds like he's off to a great start! :)

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk some more...

[delila]

I would love to talk to you too :)

I have rescued all my dogs (3 are rottwielers, one a rottweiler mix). I work at the local animal shelter too.

If you need to talk - feel free to send me a PM :)

[alexav]

You can count on me too.

The stair thing is very familiar. The dog will "tell" you if you "listen". Some people keep dogs in the basement or garage and punish them if they start up the stairs. If that is the case, he will probably look to you in fear of punishment.
It may be that he was brought home as a pup and thrown in the backyard and never had experience with stairs. (more common than you might think) In that case he will look at the stairs like they are the enemy.
And yes, he might have had a bad exp with stairs due to the cruelty of a human. Again, he'll look to you. You need to reassure him as RottiMomCT described. (excellent advice, IMO!)

In any case, what he needs is confidence. If you speak to him with confidence in your voice, he'll pick that up.

Obedience class and the practice involved will build his confidence and his trust in you faster than anything I know.

Have fun and bless you for rescuing!

[ILoveRotts]

I too am available to talk.

All 4 of my Rotts are rescues and we fostered a few others. (We flunked foster 101 'cause we couldn't give them up).


Each of the rescued Rotties came from a different background with differing levels of neglect and abuse. And I am sure that's the case with everyone else here. So the more input you have the better off you will be. We learned a lot with each new dog.


Lots of love and patience is my biggest advice. Rottweilers have a great capacity to forget the bad. Usually in 1 or 2 months, your dog will settle in and feel more comfortable. All of mine went through what I call the horrible stage. They all destroyed something (we don't believe in crate training so that's the risk we take). If they've been bounced around, I think they give you their worst before they get attached to you. Then when you show them that you are in it for the long haul, they settle down. Of course, training is essential!

Lots of luck and feel free to PM me. And don't get discouraged 'cause there will be days.....

Kris


:) :)

[adoptadog]

again, i have to say, this forum and the people that make it work are the greatest! i'm happy to report that my new guy, whose name is Grover, is flying through what a mere 48 hrs ago i called his "adjustment period". now, i realize there's more to come--always more to come!--but he's doing great on the stairs already, and is so so good-natured, easy-going, gentle, and affectionate. i can tell he's a very resilient dog. though he's fearful, and has probably been treated badly, he doesn't show the slightest bit of aggression. i will remain very watchful, b/c i know how much a dog changes as it becomes comfortable and gains trust and confidence, but so far, so good. good with my cats, understands not to "go" in the house, even though i'm pretty sure he wasn't inside very often, if ever. he was turned in to the shelter by a trucker as a stray in cynthiana, ky, and spent 3 months in the shelter. i'm so thrilled to be able to talk to other adopters. will keep you all posted.

the above was from yesterday. today was his first extended period alone, uncrated. only a few hours, and then a couple more later in the day. the only thing that got chewed was a slipper. (which would've been put away if i, the somewhat more experienced owner, would've been the last to leave today!) we do have one of those balls to put biscuits inside, which my boyfriend remembered to use the second time we left him, and nothing was chewed that time! tomorrow will be his first 8 hours alone, and i'm hoping that if he's not being super-destructive in 3 hrs, he won't be in 8, either--based on the theory that destruction usually takes place shortly after you leave.

he's a really small guy (needs to put on weight, but will never be rottweiler-sized) i believe that even though his colors and markings are rottweiler, he's only 1/2. his body looks like a pitbull's, and he's really strong. also very bouncy and cuddly. his personality is completely different from my girl's, who was more reserved, and a little sulky. it's so much fun to see how different they can be! anyway, thanks again everyone. you will no doubt hear from us again soon.

p.s. beautiful animals, delila!