Temperament

[lreynoso]

What are the differences in Temperament from *working lines* rotti to an non-working Rotti. Meaning a champion rottie with working titles to a non-champion dog of not so strong working lines, If any?

Reason why I ask is that I am looking to purchase a rottweiler for shutzund training which has intrigued me for about a year already. My concern is that I have a daugther that is five years old and lit concerns me that these dogs can be too strong. Can someone shed some light.

Thanks

[damp]

My experience is that dogs from working lines are much more stable, than (purebred) dogs out of cute pets or sweet dogs of unknown origin.
The ancestors in working lines have proved they can handle stress/threats to a certain degree!
Dogs from working lines are supposed to have lot of drives and they can be a handful, if their only choice is, to get the outlet of the drives in the living room and not on the training field.
Really, it’s nothing… to be compared to all the work one must do, just to cover e.g. the symptoms of a nervy, shy or fearful dog.

The ancestors in working lines are good proves of working abilities, sound nerves, temperament, tractability and that they can to act rational to everyday situations (they have seen worse threats than kids )

[lreynoso]

Thanks for the response. Makes sense. Now how about training in schutzhund would it be easier to train a male or a female?

Do females or males do better in the ring?

[laurlitt]

First, when looking for a Schutzhund dog or any kind of working dog, a Champion dog does not give any indication of the dog's working abilitites or temperment.

Second, if you truly want a dog to train and trial with in Schutzhund you are best off if you go to a breeding with a strong line of schutzhund titles in the pedigree. I personally would not even consider a breeding if the 5 generations in the pedigree didn't have all Schutzhund titles...

Male vs. Female: Males typically are more prevalent in the sport, especially at higher levels, however there is usually a good mix between males and females. If you are new to the breed and/or sport a good working female might be better for you.

Schutzhund is more than just showing in a ring. It is a lifestyle change. Training requires a full time commitment (day and night, weekdays and weekends). Schutzhund is like training a dog in 3 different venues at one time and can be an interesting balancing act to accomplish all three depending on the issues that may come up with the dog. Sch. also requires finding a good club, training director, and helper that will work with you and your rottweiler. Not all helpers and clubs understand and work well with rottweilers.

A well-bred Schutzhund dog can be a great family companion for you and your kids (of course all dogs need to be supervised around children at all times).

Good luck to you.

[lreynoso]

Thank you very much I guess I still have much more research to do on this all aspect. Thank you very much for your response.


Why do you suggest a female for beginners in schutzhund?

[laurlitt]

Originally Posted by lreynoso

Thank you very much I guess I still have much more research to do on this all aspect. Thank you very much for your response.


Why do you suggest a female for beginners in schutzhund?

I guess it depends on the person's experience with the breed first... A strong male (mentally and physically) can be a lot for a newcomer to the sport. The protection phase can require a lot of physical strength from the handler, so a female may be easier by about 20-30 pounds.

A female however can come with lots of issues as well (heat cycles, more sensitive, more independent perhaps). I think each person will have a different opinion on this matter. I have heard more than one rottweiler person say they never want to train a female in Schutzhund again after having gone thru it once...

[lreynoso]

Interesting. So I guess they both come with their goods and bads. Maybe I should choose on personal preference. Since they both seem to come with their hurdles.

Thanks for the info.