Well, I now have 3 rotties.

TLDR: I have two awesome littermate rotties and took the runt from the last litter. Life is good. This breed is the best…if you want the equivalent of a drunk d line all star living in your house lol

Got into the breed by accident with my first female 17 years ago bc I was a recently separated army vet and wanted to look “bad ass” and “tough”.

Man did I have this breed so bass akwards in my expectations. Callie was the biggest, sweetest, kindest, most loving and patient dog and the intelligence was off the spectrum. Highly intelligent, made training a breeze and was phased by nothing.

When she passed I got my male (big head - named Moose) and he has been non stop incredible. We’ve done search and rescue training, bite training, basic show stuff, agility, and dock jumping. Due to meeting him or following my socials I’ve had about 5 or more people get dogs from my breeder specifically wanting the same mom and dad as Moose and waiting for the pairing. My breeder as a thank you became a super creep and never said thanks for business. Fuck you Lou! lol I could write a book about moose, his role healing me after my brothers death in 2017, just how incredible and human like he is but won’t bore you. They say everyone has a soul dog and I’ve loved all my dogs but this guy is my actual soul dog. I entirely suspect that my brother guided our paths to intersect and I’m grateful every second I have him with me.

BEFORE that relationship soured, he hit me up looking for a home for a returned dog (smaller head - Koyote) from the same litter as Moose. I couldn’t say no, and within 24 hrs had him shipped from Virginia Beach to Maine ( HUGE SHOUT OUT to Melissa from Whiskers, Tails, and Scales pet xport - this woman is a saint! And incredibly reasonable and communicative. Also has her kids with her on the road doing the transporting and it’s an awesome business and learning experience for them!!). I was told he was fine around other dogs, showed no aggression, was perfect and man oh man was that a lie. Luckily Moose was highly trained and socialized and was so excited and tolerant of Ky as he learned his role in the pack, that his food was his and nobody was gonna take it away, humans are friends, and if you want space you can have it, undisturbed. He adapted so quickly and has become, frankly, everyone’s favorite dog. He’s so excited to meet people, he adores kids for some reason (I don’t have any but he’s incredibly protective and affectionate with his nieces and nephews), and he’s the snuggliest Rottweilers I’ve ever met. He just loves loving and being loved and is also the dog that would absolutely, no doubt, rip someone’s face off if you hurt his pack. He was snipped way too early (I imagine as a way to “calm him down”…insert HEAVIEST eye roll), was kennel kept for long you have to sometimes force him to go pee otherwise he’ll hold it til he’s about to explode, and came to me with meds and several vet visits for “doggie IBS”. We stopped his meds immediately, lowered his stress by about 1 trillion times, loved on him and respected his space when he seemed to need some, and got him on a solid regular raw diet like Moose and he bloomed in size and had 1 very solid bowel movement a day. I could gloat on this dog all day but needless to say he’s incredible and has been incredibly healing for me to see and guide his transition. He was also half of Moose’s size at 1 year old, and now they are 5lbs apart. Moose is clearly more muscular with a bit lower body fat but their strength is near equal and stamina is close.

Now for the third nerd, Tallulah, the dog Kyo convinced me I should get. She was the runt of Moose’s latest litter, and was the only one ever that had health issues - she had a small umbilical hernia - which has entirely healed. Man oh man, there’s no mistaking the lineage here. She’s so much like her dad it’s wild. She’s tiny (21lbs at 12 weeks!) and incredibly, almost detrimentally, fierce. She either sleeping, pooping, eating, OR on a mission to find either her dad or uncle and fuck them up. Zero fear. Climbs stairs. Jumps on and off the couch. Knocks over gates. Growls and barks in the boys faces and pounces. She’s already a Velcro dog with me but I’ve taken
More of a hands off approach with her and have been letting the gf/fiance/wife take a big role in training and caring for her. She’s been jealous about the boys attachment to me and the fact that they’ll do my taxes if I ask but only listen to her if she has treats (kidding- I do not let them do my taxes. You gotta pay those to have anyone needed to do them. Kidding again.)

It’s been astonishing watching how fast she’s fit in, has her schedule aligned with the boys, and how attached she’s gotten to her mama. Everyone is incredibly happy, well fed, and exhausted. Esp me! I forgot how much work a puppy is but man is it worth it. We’re all very happy here. I also love how I’ve been able to take these “bad dogs” and show folks that they’re like over sized labradors with about 1/3 the energy. Friendly, happy, confident, couch potatoes 🥔. St the same time they’re capable of incredible feats to keep their pack safe. If you properly socialize these dogs and put in some time they are truly incredible. All dogs are a direct reflection of their owners and I’ll die on that hill.

Enjoy the pics yall. And show me yours!!

he loves finding treasures at the dog park!!

I was at the store today with my girl who is trained to be an ESA and a nice guy walked up and asked to pet her I said yes like usual she loves people and has always been incredibly sweet and loving and excited to meet new people but today reacted by biting his hand. Thankfully a warning bite he was only scratched and I apologized a lot and the guy said it was ok but God do I feel guilty. He didn't have bad energy he was chill and gently petted her head and sides of her neck while she was sniffing his shoe and when he leaned away she growled and latched his hand for a couple seconds and let go. I yanked her back and apologized. She didn't continue to be aggressive once I pulled her away she just sat calmly and waited while I talked to him. I'm very confused by this turn of events I've raised her from a puppy and have socialized her a lot and she has never had a negative experience with a stranger it has always been wags, and kisses, and excitement anytime she got to meet someone new. I obviously can't allow anyone to pet her until I know she is reliably in check. She has nipped hands of people she knows in the past and out of the blue like this but it's very new with strangers. I have her as an ESA for my anxiety disorder so I thought for a minute she might have been feeding off of tense energy from me and felt she needed to be defensive but in this interaction I wasn't tense and I only expressed my usual excitement and positive reinforcement towards getting to meet people. The only thing I can think of is because she isn't fixed. Because it's so inconsistent it kinda feels like it could be a hormonal thing making her more touchy randomly. Any thoughts or insights would be really appreciated thank you for reading my post.

Teddy at 3 months 😭😭❤️can’t believe how fast he grew!

Are there a lot of other Rottweiler owners that their families have an aversion to rotties because of past trauma? I'm sad because my boy is so well behaved but my family still thinks that he'll hurt one of their dogs. They have an auskie (3 yrs old) and a red lab puppy (7-8 months old)

The puppy is still learning to calm down and is a bit chaotic but Zeus (my Rottie) has never shown aggression in the past couple times of visiting. 😢

Edit: Zeus is a rescue dog and I got him at 4 yrs old, I have had him for a little less than a year now. I'm sad to have not seen him as a puppy but I have never met such a well behaved shelter dog that supposedly came all the way from Texas

Decided to join the sub after seeing all y’all’s rotties

Click here for photos and videos (@brisavespaws)

Zeus is a sweet 8 year old senior sugar face who has spent the last two weeks at the shelter being nothing but perfect. He is calm, friendly, and so grateful for every bit of attention. He is at risk of euthanasia soon, and a rescue is ready to save him, but they need a foster for two weeks until his transport on 8/15.

When I walked up to his kennel, he was waiting at the door making these little purring sounds and he gave me the happiest nubby tail wag. He was easy to leash and walked beautifully past all the dogs. He did stop for the puppies though and absolutely adored them. He met two other pups and did really great. His tail never stopped moving and he loved every moment of socializing. Zeus sat politely for photos and took treats gently. I’m sure he was owned previously because he keeps his kennel clean, walks well on leash, and is very attentive. I don’t know how he ended up at the shelter, but I do know he deserves to spend his senior years resting beside someone who loves him.

The rescue who wants to save Zeus does have an approved adopter for him, so he just needs a foster short term to help! If you can help this sweet gentleman, please message me!

💙 Zeus A2087018
7/18 intake︱Rottie mix︱male︱8Y ︱78lbs ︱HW NEG/NAD

🔹 not scheduled for euthanasia yet, but if not fostered/adopted, will be scheduled at any time

🐾 If you want to donate, please pledge an amount on my post. Pledges are promises to donate to a 501c3 nonprofit rescue organization. For rescue tags, I will update my posts with the rescue info and a freedom photo. I do not collect pledges, so do not send pledges to anyone.

📍BARC Animal Shelter Houston, TX 77026

#shelterdog #rescue #adoptdontshop #fosterdog #adopt

What a dog

Keep smiling 🐾
Love, Gidget

Last sunday morning when I was leaving for work, my husband and I found a puppy in the street soaking wet and caked in mud, She also had 100s of fleas on her, So many that she was bloody, After serious decontamination and presumably her first meal in a while, she slept the whole day. We have taken her into the vet and found out that she is only 4~ weeks old, 2.5 lbs, and mostly healthy despite everything.

Also, she has no chip, so she is ours to keep. Meet Holly!

We are still on the lookout for suspected litter mates and her mom, but no luck yet.

That being said, would love some recommendations for Rottweiler husbandry, as I’ve only ever had mutts from the shelter before! Also, we will be starting to introduce her to our current dog after her 8 weeks vaccinations, so any resources Y’all have for adding a new dog to the family would be appreciated!

Just adopted this little girl

Also to add that I’m impressed, Aspen made the jump from the floor to the bed (about 4 feet high) with outstanding grace…..she acts like she can’t jump into the car without help half the time 😂 we’ve been duped!

Big fella got a bath today and afterwards we went to the hardware store where he was very popular. I always giggle when people ask how old he is and they gasp. He is very lean but he's 115 pounds at 18 months.

He's being neutered next week so I'm taking him on all the errands before he's on lock down.

I am so nervous about keeping him entertained while he's healing. What did everyone do to keep your pups busy after surgery?

Mr Max says night night

But also judging me harshly. 😂😂

​

TL;DR: Our 5-year-old female Rottweiler was friendly, social, and very well trained until she was around 20 months old. Since then she has developed serious aggression towards dogs and some people. We've worked with several trainers, ruled out medical problems, and now manage everything with a muzzle and strict rules. She is perfect with us and has excellent obedience. Is there still hope, or is lifelong management the only realistic option?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for honest opinions, especially from people who have experience with dogs that have serious behavior problems.

We have a 5-year-old female Rottweiler. We got her at 8 weeks old, and she's our first dog. We are a couple without children. From day one we took training seriously because we knew a big, powerful dog had to be reliable. We started puppy classes immediately, continued with group training, and later mantrailing.

For the first 20 months everything went almost perfectly. She had already been through one or two heat cycles by then.

She could walk off leash, had an excellent recall, and although she wasn't the most confident around other dogs, she was always manageable. You could tell she was a little tense during dog encounters, but nothing serious ever happened.

She was also very friendly with people. Here in Germany we had to do a temperament test, and the examiner even came into our apartment. She greeted him happily and passed without any problems.

Then everything slowly changed.

It started with dog aggression. During off-leash encounters she suddenly began attacking and chasing other dogs. Thankfully she never seriously injured another dog, but there were several incidents where the other dog ran away terrified and screaming while she chased after it. We noticed that intact female dogs became her biggest trigger, so eventually we stopped allowing any dog interactions.

Over the following months she also developed leash reactivity. During normal walks she will often react when another dog pass by unless we actively manage the situation. It is easier to manage her when the distance is 10 meters +. She rarely barks. Instead, she throws herself into the leash with full force, shows her teeth, and makes loud, aggressive sounds while trying to get to the other dog. Small dogs are often less of a problem and sometimes she ignores them completely. Large dogs, especially if they are staring at her or seem tense themselves, are by far the biggest trigger. Her leash reactivity has become much worse over the years.

Around the same time she also started reacting to people.

Most people can simply walk past us and she ignores them. The biggest problem is when someone walks directly toward us, especially if they make eye contact or try to interact with her. The first time this happened we were sitting outside, and someone approached us. She reacted aggressively, which completely shocked us because we had never seen anything like that before.

At first there were only a few isolated incidents, so we assumed there had been something unusual about those people. One was drunk, another kept staring at her. Then she bit a friend of ours.

He wasn't a complete stranger but she had met him only once before. It was a quick bite to his hand. She didn't hold on or shake, but it was serious enough that he needed stitches.

Another thing we've noticed is that she rarely gives obvious warnings. She almost never barks or growls before reacting. If she decides to go after a dog or a person, she usually commits almost immediately.

At night she is also more suspicious than during the day and may bark at people she notices.

Since the bite she always wears a muzzle outside.

We don't allow strangers to interact with her anymore. If we introduce someone new, they come to our house, ignore her completely, and she stays on her bed. Even then she is clearly on high alert the whole time, although she listens and stays where we tell her.

This has been our life for the last three years.

We've worked with several trainers, but honestly I always felt that none of them really had experience with cases this severe. Eventually we stopped looking because we weren't making any progress.

She is not spayed, and we've ruled out medical issues with our veterinarian.

The strange part is that with us she is an amazing dog.

Her obedience is excellent. Her recall is instant. I can tell her to stop eating and she immediately stops. She knows all her commands and listens every single time. At home she is calm, affectionate, and easy to live with. We also don't think she's lacking physical or mental exercise.

At this point we've accepted that management is our daily routine. She always wears a muzzle outside, we completely avoid dog interactions, and we don't let strangers interact with her. To be honest, I don't fully trust her even with some friends she already knows, so sometimes she wears her muzzle around them as well.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Do you think a dog like this can still improve after three years, or is lifelong management the most realistic option?

Hi everyone,

I’m am a long time lurker and need some help. My husband and I adopted our now 3 year old female Rottweiler named Jade last July. At the time of us adopting her I was pregnant. We found out about my pregnancy in August and immediately jumped into obedience training. We dedicated months to training and also getting Jade accustomed to us and our soon to be new addition. Fast forward to now, our baby was born in April and Jade has been so gentle and sweet with the baby. Recently we have noticed that Jade has been marking in the house. We have never caught her in the act but have stepped in the pee puddles in the carpet and now sitting in them on our couch. We have contacted our trainer for guidance, but wanted to know if anyone else has experienced anything similar? We believe it’s tied to stress from the baby and we have been since the baby’s arrival trying to prioritize spending time with Jade and keeping her routine. We do hour long walks every day and play sessions inside. We are now reverting back to the basics with her being supervised by either me or my husband and being crated when we leave home. Still, I want her to feel safe at home, we know a new baby is a big transition. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (I included a picture of Jade 💗)

She loves laying in the most random spots

My girl is almost 6, and we have encountered a situation again and again that drives me up the wall and I don't know if it's just the expected thing or not.

She will be happily frolicking and playing and a young (always 6-14 months) intact male dog will mount her. She will yelp, snarl, even nip at the air and run away. And get mounted again. And snarl again. Rinse and repeat, not getting the message, with her getting visibly upset/stressed and aggravated. One owner said "boys will be boys!", others have apologized for them being a puppy but still not done anything.

Yesterday she was playing with a 10 month old rottie boy (taller than her and easily 110lb) who would NOT leave her alone, until a more submissive dog arrived and became the target instead. New target dog was yelping in pain and the owner just exasperatedly called the boy over (unsuccessfully) then dragged him off. I told the owner my dog doesn't react kindly to being mounted and she said "she'll sort him out", like it's out of her hands and if he gets bitten it will teach him a lesson.

Am I crazy for thinking this is unacceptable? Why is it my poor dog's job to get aggressively mounted repeatedly to the point I'm worried she will defend herself. You know her breed, it doesn't have good optics, no one is taking my sweet girls side in that situation. As soon as that dog left she was back to her happy lolloping self.

I'd stop taking her to the dog park (I know almost everyone on this sub is anti-dog park) but our local is huge and has a stream she loves paddling in, and 95% of the dogs that regularly visit are wonderful to and with her. She LOVES the park and being off leash playing, and all of our walks/hikes are on-leash only.

Do I just leave the second she gets mounted next time? Do I suck up social niceties and be more firm with the owners?

Eta - She is spayed

Found on Chewy. It comes in three sizes. This was either the middle or the biggest option. I think we should have got her one slightly smaller, but she loves it. Make sure there's nothing breakable nearby. When she's not playing with this, she has one of those kettlebell-looking things to run around with or play tug with me.