What's a dog from working lines really like to live with?

[Miabella]

I'm not planning to get another dog for at least 3-4 years, but I'd like the next one to be a really well-bred pup. I've been doing my research, learning about the dogs that have made the breed what they are today.

What I want in my pup is really good nerves and enough drive and biddability to make it easy to work with. Obedience, herding, tracking,agility, maybe I'll even dip my toe into the Schutzhund pond, who knows? We'll find the right venue and run with it.

But I also need a dog that is going to be a sane house dog that can live in a city house without vast acreage. I can provide a couple hours of on and off-leash exercise daily, but I don't want a dog that has to be worked hard for 5 hours and then kenneled.

The lines I like best are Bea & Doc VD Teufelsbrucke, Rick von Burgthann, Pascha vom Hegestrauch, the various vom Schwaiger Wappens... Does this seem like a good idea, or will I be in over my head?

[samanthac]

Well I am only slightly ahead of you. Disel is the first true working Rottweiler I have ever had...what I mean by this is that he is from some very good lines...some of the best working and conformation dogs in the world. I researched his lines for over 6 years and am very pleased as he is balanced on both sides of both sides of his pedigrees.

He is a lot different than my other Rottweilers. He is drive, drive, drive and then more drive....food drive, play drive, fight drive. And I do not mean hyper. Hyper and drive are two very different things. Until you see it, it is very difficult to explain.

He is curious, inquisitive and absolutely fearless. He is completely unflappable, nothing ruffles his feathers. He has excellent recovery. He is insanely smart. I realize that Rottweilers are smart to begin with, but he is much smarter than my non-working Rotts. He always is doing something, investiagting something. He likes to be kept busy and if you do not keep him busy, he will find something to keep him busy. He is the Rottweiler I have been reading about in the standard for years.

They have to be worked with every day. Now I am not talking hours upon hours of training everyday. Even most of the trainers that I know with top working dogs are not training hours per day.
You have to be very careful not to overwork Rotts or they get bored and will not work at all. But they have to be worked in some manner every day, even if for only 5 or 10 minutes.

I love my rescues, but a well bred dog, and a well bred working dog , are a whole different ball game. You need to be sure that you are really committed to joining a club, going to the club and training on your own in between club training. Its takes a lot of time, pateince and dedication but it is SO very rewarding and a barrel full of fun to boot! And it builds an incredible bond with your dog. There is nothing like working your dog to forge a very deep bond.

[LynnS]

Hi Miabella

My girl Bella definately comes from working lines and she is quite tolerable to live with most of the time . She has crazy ball drive and will work harder for a tennis ball than food (hard to imagine since she is a hoover vacum cleaner) and she is very very easily aroused by anything that moves. Otherwise she is calm and sociable.

Actually Samantha described it perfectly....

[Skip]

Originally posted by Miabella
....
What I want in my pup is really good nerves and enough drive and biddability to make it easy to work with. .....

"Easy" to work with might not be a prime requirement I would expect of when it comes to working lines. Challenging..yep. Rewarding..yep. But a working-line dog is going to make YOU work too.

[samanthac]

Originally posted by Skip
"Easy" to work with might not be a prime requirement I would expect of when it comes to working lines. Challenging..yep. Rewarding..yep. But a working-line dog is going to make YOU work too.

AMEN Skip! It is challenging and he does make me work hard, but it is so rewarding!

How come it takes me a ton or words to say what someone else can so much more eloquently in just a few short ones? :D

[Miabella]

Well, I guess "easy" wasn't so much what I meant as a dog who wants to work. Eagerness is probably more the word I was looking for. :)

Actually, what you're describing doesn't sound so much different from the rescue girl I have now. She's a lot more vroom-vroom than my first Rottweiler, and I love it. Daily training and working hard are pluses for me, it's something I'm doing now anyway.

Sounds good, thanks for the feedback. :)

[laurlitt]

The way I see it... once you have a well bred working Rottweiler w/ all the right drives... you'll never want anything less. I think if you have the proper housing accomadations for these highly driven dogs you can handle just about anything...

[Miabella]

Originally posted by laurlitt
I think if you have the proper housing accomadations for these highly driven dogs you can handle just about anything...

Laurie, what do you consider the proper housing accomodations?

I own my house, but it is in the city and we do not have a large yard. However, we are within walking distance of 2 nice city parks, a 3-4 acre historical cemetary with fencing that is open to off-leash dog walking, a five minute drive from the U.S. National Arboretum with miles of trails, and a 15 minute drive from Rock Creek National Park with even more trails and open space. I also have access to the facility at the training club where I'm a member.

[laurlitt]

Hi Laurie,
I think you can make it work in almost any environment (even a condo). I was referring to crates and/or kennels, especially if you have more than 1 dog. We have 4 (used to be 3) dogs and a fairly small house (800 sq. ft) w/ small property (.25 acre maybe). We have kennel runs (all shapes and sizes) for 3 dogs outside, crates for all dogs inside, and of course crates for dogs in the van. This situation makes having 4 working dogs in the house very manageable...

With a highly driven dog you can control how they use the drives w/ the crates/kennels and minimize the havoc that is caused in your life if the drives are too much at first. I'm not saying that anyone can handle any dog just b/c they have crates/kennels, but I think it's less overwhelming this way.

As for the exercise (which is hard to get in a small house/yard like it sounds like we both have) you seem to have plenty of options and w/ all the extra-curricular activities you have in mind, it shouldn't be a problem.

I hope that helps clear up what I meant... I definetly wasn't suggesting anything too special, but a little bit of restriction helps keeps thing under control.

:) Laurie

[Miabella]

Thanks, Laurie (nice name, BTW ;) )! Crates and gates are already my friends, I can't fathom not using them. Whew! That's a relief. :)

[spoteet]

Sajan is the first Rottweiler for me that has strong working lines and traits. We do just fine in our little RV. Having the lake close helps since he loves the water so much. It makes it easy for me to wear him out when I don't have the energy to do much. I would never have any other type of Rottweiler. He is a tremendous joy and a tremendous challenge. samanthac's Disel sounds a lot like Sajan. He does get bored with training really quick, so I just have to keep it fun and interesting for him.

[Muckdogs]

I have most of the lines you name, except Rick, plus Benno, Noris, Falko, etc.. and I find my dog really no different from the garden variety Rott or any different from my first Rott, a byb. Obvioulsy, if developed correctly, the dog will have the drives to work, but with this breed it doesn't translate into an intolerable house pet. Yes, the dog will most of the time want to play, chase balls, pester you, BUT the difference is that most Rotts will be able to gear back if you indicate that you are not interested. Not so with some other breeds, like Mals. They would drive me crazy in the house. That's what I think coll about a good working Rott, ready for work at any moment, but can also lay around with the best of them.

[mmgy]

Originally posted by samanthac
And I do not mean hyper. Hyper and drive are two very different things. Until you see it, it is very difficult to explain.

Amen. I have this argument with somebody every week over one of my brittanys. She is the most driven, eager dog I have ever owned, but she is NOT hyper. It takes a lot of work, but is incredibly rewarding.

[frontierrots]

Miss Bea ( http://www.angelfire.com/nh/frontierresort/bea.htm )is like the Energizer bunny... she keeps going and going and going...

She's not hyper or spastic but she is very active in mind and body.

She loves to play, loves to work and loves anything that works mind or body.

She is incredibly smart and learns very fast. I can see where in an inexperienced home that she would learn bad habits very easily and could be a problem kid if bored. However we keep her occupied most of the time and manage her environment so she does not learn bad things! :)

[SpotsNRotts]

Wow, sounds just like my rescue girl, Ally...she could have been one heck of a working dog except that whoever owned her previously mis-treated and negelected her and she is bow-legged in the rear and it hurts her to perform much more than 10 minutes at a shot.
My poor girl, she has so much drive in her, yet even to go for a normal walk totally poops her out and she has to be lifted back into the truck. Every day she gets the zoomies and plays HARD for about 10 minutes, but then she's conked out for the rest of the day. She is a true bitch and I absolutely love her for it (even though I have to come down HARD when she gets a 'tude with other dogs), she looks SO beautiful right now sleeping right next to my feet, even though she is black and YELLOW! LOL!
Bummer that she wasn't given a good life from the start so that she could compete in different sports and activities....basic obedience classes are even too much on her hindquarters. BYB's, puppy mills, and irresponsible breeders and owners just suck big-time :-( Leave the breeding/raising of all dogs, but particularly working dogs, to those of us that want to compete and do things with our dogs!!!!
It really rots to see a dog that has such a perfect balance of drives, yet unable to physically handle the actual work. :-(

Originally posted by LynnS
Hi Miabella

My girl Bella definately comes from working lines and she is quite tolerable to live with most of the time . She has crazy ball drive and will work harder for a tennis ball than food (hard to imagine since she is a hoover vacum cleaner) and she is very very easily aroused by anything that moves. Otherwise she is calm and sociable.

Actually Samantha described it perfectly....

:( :( :( :( :( :(