Training and behavior

[Judi W]

OK folks. Those of you who believe that you don't need to take your dog to formal training classes either because it is such a good pup, or because you are so smart, or because it is just not handy, or because you can learn all you need to know from sound bites on the internet, or from a book or from a video...............

Please take some time and read through the behavior and training forums about those adults and adolescents and what they are going through. I say what they are going through because it is much harder on the dog when it has been raised in a permissive home without any formal training by an owner who does not have the advantage of an instructor (coach) to observe and prompt them. Some breeds do not bond properly without working and that means formal work and training. The Rottweiler is one of those breeds. Please do not wait until you are in trouble with your dog in an attempt to prove me wrong. Correcting problems always involves harsher and more extreme measures than raising it properly in the first place - and yes that means formal training. It also means continuing formal training. The puppy is not the adult dog. Training needs to be ongoing from little to full and mature adulthood. Raising a good Rottweiler is not for the lazy.

The dog's very life depends upon proper raising. Not only does the individual dog's life depend upon it, each and every time there is an incident with a member of a breed, that entire breed then comes under suspicion and risk of being restricted.

Now in all fairness, I will also state that some dogs are not wired correctly, but those are few and far between and even when that is blamed, proper raising and training can cover a host of inherited problems. It won't turn poop into gold, but it can turn poop into something liveable.

So, while you are busy admiring your cute new pup, make a committment to that pup that it will attend training until it is at least 3 years of age. Attend with you, not be sent off to bond and learn to respect someone else. And also please keep in mind not to "admire" that pup too darn much. Pretty is as pretty does and it is not done for several years.

Read and learn. That does not mean read and learn after you've posted a problem. It means read and learn the result of not promising your new dog that it is going to be the best possible dog it can be. That is a promise you should make to yourself and to your dog.

[DNeff]

Great post!!

IMO formal training classes should be a lifetime commitment. Even an older dog can benefit from an occasional training class. Not to mention it helps us polish our training skills, which is always helpful when living with such a smart breed!

Dawn
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[Judy Chrusch]

WEll said as usual Judi and it upsets me to no end when a pup young and old gets into trouble when no.1 he was never taught right from wrong and no. 2 is unsupervised and gets into trouble . People don't realize that rottweilers LOVE to work, they love training class and most importantly LOVE to please. They will be as enthusiastic as you are. They love to play games and find certain toys if you ask them. For example: Every morning I play a game with Czar, I pick a toy and make him find it, now he will have lots of different ones around but I will ask for 1 specific toy and he must find it and bring it to me. You can see the wheels turning and him looking for that certain toy, as I repeat what I want him to find, so teaching and training can be a fun thing and done in many different ways:D.

Question: is it possible for another dog in your household to train your rottie and if you NEVER formally train, what then, just curious? We all know that dogs teach each other manners, to a point that is, etc. so is it possible? Of course I know they can't teach sit, stay and down, lol. But is it possible to have a rottweiler that has never been in formal training?

All my dogs I trained I was so thankful to go to class and find out if I was doing something wrong so I could better myself for my dog so training isn't always just for the dog, right?

Our pets depend on us to keep them safe and make them the best darn rottweiler they can be:D .

Thankyou Judi for your once again excellent post and all your knowledge, it's much appreicated!!

Judy

[Judi W]

Another dog can do a lot of teaching, but if the owner doesn't do his/her share, all it does is establish that other dog as leader...... and the owner as lazy and one of those "hopes for the best" types. Like sending a dog out for training instead of taking it, the dog is taught to obey someone else. Whoopeedo, now that is useful!

[damp]

Great post Judi!!!

[samanthac]

Well said Judi and about high time, too!

[Miabella]

With this breed, you truly reap what you sow.

Great post, Judi.

[yuki]

It's also very entertaining for your neighbors:) I had behaviorist coming to the house and now I am building my dog's confidence. That's mean creating something looking or sounding unsual on my backyard and let dog investigate it. Yesterday I dressed a chair in my clothes and stuck a broom in the middle of it, hid behind it and made a funny noise. Neighbors from all houses around us were sitting on their patios, probably with popcorn and drinks and enjoyed free entertainment:) Neighbor's kid came over and asked when we are going to do it again.

[Judi W]

Perhaps you should send out invitations?

[Laura]

IMO Obedience training was worth every cent I spent and every second of my time. It is the best investment as a dog owner I have ever made

I had posted this awhile back. I am a new dog owner but IMO having a well trained dog is the easy way out.

[mmgy]

I have loved seeing our babies learn from the older dogs!! But I agree that it's insignificant, if the big picture doesn't include formal training. We were fortunate that our older dogs all turned out to be good citizens, but life would have been a breeze if their youthful years had included formal schooling. We have learned our lessons!!! :)

Thanks again Judi, for getting straight to the point.

[RottiMomCT]

If I had not taken Ben to classes, I can pretty much guarantee that he would not be living here. No doubts in my mind. After taking basic obedience, we didn't do much for training....he NEEDED something to do...

So, about 6 months later, we were back to class at a different facility. We continued past Basic, onto Advanced, and now are getting ready to start a Competition Obedience class, as well as a class geared toward getting your dog to watch you, no matter what is going on around them (hence the name "Attention!"). The classes use games and formal training sessions to re-inforce what the dog already know....and every single time those classes are FUN and Ben goes home very tired (me too!).

People tell me "Oh, he's so well behaved and social!". My reply is that he's been to classes - ALL dogs should go to classes, regardless of breed or 'job' they serve in the family. Even the family dog that never goes anywhere should go to classes.

Fantastic post...right on the money. I don't care who you are, what you do. If you have the $$ to care for a dog, that budget should include training classes.

[Sharon Marples]

GREAT post! Needs to be bumped up here again and again.

[MontanaRott]

Great post. And besides all the points Judi made so well, working and training with your dog is FUN.

[Beckysmom]

Originally posted by Judi W
...Please take some time and read through the behavior and training forums about those adults and adolescents and what they are going through. I say what they are going through because it is much harder on the dog when it has been raised in a permissive home without any formal training by an owner who does not have the advantage of an instructor (coach) to observe and prompt them. ...
Please do not wait until you are in trouble with your dog in an attempt to prove me wrong. Correcting problems always involves harsher and more extreme measures than raising it properly in the first place

The post is excellent! I wanted to highlight the parts above and comment on them particularly because I have been concerned by a number of posts recently that seem to be in the mode of "do the unusual thing" (eg don't train, or try to train oneself, or try as a novice to raise multiple same age pups, etc.) usually probably just because it happens that way, but sometimes perhaps in a direct attempt to prove some of the more knowledgeable people wrong.

And sometimes too there are comments about whatever it is being fine (not training, not training with professional help, multi same age pups, etc.) come from people whose own situation is either not yet tested by sufficient time, or is the rare dog that proves the rule, or would be a disaster but for the exact problem circumstances of an untrained dog being a problem not quite coming together to cause the disaster, or actually are in markedly different circumstances.

We do not tend to hear from people who tried the questionable thing, found that they created a nightmare situation and dumped the problem dog(s) off at the humane society or by the side of the road. And my sense is that there are a lot of those--that untrained dogs end up in trouble and dumped--or euthanized--more often than they end up proving the exception to the rule and happily in their homes permanently. I have a dog that was most likely someone else's untrained dog that got dumped. It is a lot lot harder to deal with than properly training a puppy in the first place.

What tends to cause problems tends to cause problems, and the exceptions to the rule are just that, exceptions and rare, not common.

About a decade ago one of my sister's contemporaries at Univ of Calif jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge...and lived--wasn't even very badly injured. Very rare, but yes it does happen. Doesn't mean that jumping off the bridge is likely to lead to a long and happy life though. In fact, it didn't: the young lady went back and did it again, with the more usual consequences. Even the second time things may have seemed like they were going to come out okay again for the first few feet (roughly corresponding to the cute puppy stage).... sometimes by the time it becomes evident that the results are not going to be okay it is too late to turn around and get back up on the bridge at all, not just a lot lot lot harder.

Sometimes someone with more knowledge and experience may see what looks like someone about to jump off the bridge, metaphorically speaking, in regard to the way they are dealing with a dog. Unless the dog's handler/owner/human companion is deliberately choosing to have a bad ending--which I hope is never the case--it would be wise to pay attention before it is too late.

Occasionally the more experienced person may be wrong, either because it is the rare dog that proves the rule, or because the exact circumstances that would result in bite etc. don't quite come together as a matter of luck, or because the information given is not full enough to understand the situation via internet--which last is of course one more reason for in person training with an experienced and excellent trainer.

-Kate-