Questions About Buying a Rottie Questions

Well, I have been considering getting a new dog, and a rottweiler seems to fit the bill. (Although veeery different we were considering a Brittany, but not very many of them, and a greyhound, but not many puppies circulating. I liked pugs but horrified cries from eldest daughter "They're ugly!" stopped me there ).
I'm not rushing into anything, we'll prob not get a dog until next year some time. I've done all my homework, thought a lot, looked at many different breeds, narrowed it down, and it seems we *might* be getting a rottweiler. All the kids love them, we've researched the breed together. We met a lovely rottie bitch in the park two days ago, so excited about the snow (but plagued with health problems, said the man, the vet bills huge! Poor girl:-( ) and even my 18 month old toddler seemed smitten.
I have looked on many sites and they say that when buying a rottweiler you should ask the breeder about:
hips
elbows
shoulders
Some suggested asking about the parents genetic tested for hypothyroidism, cataracts, sub-aortic stenosis, or von Willebrands Disease

Is there anything else I should ask? Apart from the usual (can I see the parents, how many litters has the bitch had, etc.) And what did you ask your breeders when you got your rottie puppy, including the usual stuff?

All comments welcome, even if it's just to tell me about your rottie! pictures welcome!
Suggestions for suitable breeds are welcome too, but please don't suggest rescues or adult dogs (my ex has decided that with our toddler rescues and adults are ruled out, only puppies that we know the history of, blah blah is acceptable...) ;-)

Hi,

I have a Rott she's nearly 7. Neither parents were health tested for anything so yes i'd definatly advise making sure they are. My dog's had numorous problems addmittedly not all hereditry but the cost has run into thousands and thousands.

Hips and Elbows are the main 2 some do heart testing. Shoulders is not one i've heard of i didn't know there was a test for that. Not too sure about the others you mention but i know some good breeders which will know.

I think they're a fantastic breed i wouldn't swap mine for anything she's fantastic.

Getting a puppy is advisable with a young child a lot of rescue centres wouldn't consider letting a dog go to anyone with young children anyway.

I don't have a quick pic to hand but you can see my dog in this link
http://www.dogfathertraining.co.uk/articles-and-tips/child-safety-with-dogs-dogfather-advice

thanks i will keep that in mind
Your dog is just beautiful!!!

Yes definately ask about health testing.
I would recommend visiting a few different litters so that you can compare, rather than buying from the first litter you see.

Things i asked my breeder:

• Health tests
• Temperament of parents (you should be able to see Mum at the very least)
• Watch how the litter interacts, personally I like to see toys down with the puppies
• Ask about what the breeder has done socialisation wise, handling etc
• I always ask how the puppies are fed. Any signs of food aggression and I personally will walk away from the whole litter
• Are they kc registered? Vaccinated? Microchipped? Tattoo'ed - that sort of thing
• What age is the breeder letting them go?
• Will they sell 2 from the same litter? If the answer is yes, I will walk away.
• Why are they breeding and what do they know about the breed?
• Where are the puppies raised?
• Are there any health guarantees? Will the breeder take a puppy back? Are there any breeding restrictions?
• Has the breeder done any training with their own dogs? Personally I was looking for a rottie from working lines, so it was important to me that the parents were titled in Schutzhund for example. If you are looking from show lines, are the dogs a good example of their breed?
• All the puppies should be pleased to see you. I'd be wary buying a puppy from a litter if the puppies were nervous. Both parents should also be confident. Barking at a visitor is normal, but they shouldnt be aggressive or nervous.

Oops.. that might have been alot of questions, lol. But dont forget, the puppy you buy will hopefully be in your family for the next 10-15 years, so its important you get a good puppy to begin with.

Price wise, I believe the going rate for a well bred Rottweiler puppy is around £600-800. This is something to bear in mind when looking for a good breeder. Also, alot of dodgy breeders will probably be charging the same price as a good one. So my philosophy is, why pay £700 for a puppy that is likely to have problems later in life, when you can buy a puppy for the same price elsewhere that is healthy and from a good breeder

From when I was looking not long ago, there seem to be quite a few good rottie breeders in Scotland

thanks.
One of my daughter's is interested in showing and may show the rottie lightly, but apart from that it will just be an all-round cuddly loyal friend for the family.
I will *try* to keep all those questions in mind, I really appreciate them.

Jay.

It is normal for dogs to resource guard food, it is hard wired into them, and in fact for some of us, a dog that is NOT interested in food will be the one(s) we walk away from!
Many breeders will deliberately NOT vaccinate their pups as generally speaking when they go to their new homes the new owner's vet will just repeat so the pup potentially gets 3 vaccinations instead of 2 (unless you get the second part to take with you) so for me this is neither here nor there.
Many breeders will not tattoo or microchip either as many owners have individual preferences, so again this is not an indicator of quality or not IMHO.

The best source of information on responsible breeders is one of the many Breed Clubs whose members are required to adhere to their codes of ethics etc.

Many Rott breeders as well as conducting the normal health tests also temperament test their breeding stock too, and this is often a good indicator of soundness of breeding.

again Breed clubs will let you know when and where the next character testing takes place, you get either an "excellent" "good" or nothing...........

I am curious because you have considered a Brittany as well as a Rott and both breeds are poles apart?

A Brittany will certainly tend to have a lot more energy generally speaking than a Rott and of course is a member of the HPR subgroup of gundogs and has an entirely different outlook on life than a Rott!

If you google the Rottweiler club sites you will see what health testing is recommended.

Good Luck with your hunt.

I know you don't want to be told to go to rescue but you could use this argument in favour of rescues. Rescues that use foster homes will have a good idea of a dog's temperament and suitability to live with children. A calmer adult dog that's grown up in a home with children may be a much better idea than a puppy that is going to nip and gnaw on whatever it can initially, including little hands and feet.
Here's my "second hand" Rottie cross, adopted at 9 months, showing how fab she is with children - she adores my stepsisters and we've never had so much as a raised lip or a growl.

Thanks everyone!
SmokeyBear - I know that the breeds are very very different. It is just that we, as a family, like many many different "types" of dogs, from loyal, like the rottweiler, to super friendly, like the Brittany (add a pug and there is even more difference!). We have researched both but the final decision seems a Rottweiler for us (if we even get one!) So I know it seems strange we are considering many different dogs but that's the way it is and we like both typical characteristics with the dogs.
I really appreciate the facts - as we know, the web doesn't always speak the truth . I am loving the picture, krlyr! I will try to talk the man round, but its not always easy...

Jay.

I know it's a little late to reply...bein in feb and all...but i wanted to put my two cents in!! I got a Rottie as a pup..she could fit in my jacket pocket!! She was absolutely fabulous. Eris..(goddess of chaos). was easy to train and incredible with kids!! I agree with the pup idea having kids and all...kids play rough too..
She traveled great..I took her just about everywhere with me...I have been told recently..that some states have certain rules with certain breeds...a 6ft fence being one of them. Rotties, as well as pit bulls have gotten bad wrap due to bad upbringing :-( That being said..I loved my Rottie..so much so..that when she passed away..and at 7yrs of cancer, I had her cremated and she sits on a shelf in my living room...I even take her with me on travels! Morbid I know..but I knew I would be moving and didn't want to leave her! anyways...enough of that. I hope you found/find the "one" and that there is much love!!

Very good answer from Indie85

Most first time Rottie owners are advised to go for a bitch, which in theory is the correct thing to do - as they are usually less dominant than Male Rotts. That said nobody told our first Rottie that who was a bitch called Brandy and I have to say taught us more about Rotts than the other two males we owned both together LOL Marius is my third Rottie (think I saved the best until last xx)

I think it's easy to get scared off by the hype. No, they are not the dog for everyone,as they are a very naturally dominant breed, - however, if you channel this in the right way, you will have a fantastic, loyal, biddable family companion. They are not a fire-side dog happy with a half hour walk for the day. Where it goes wrong is when a Rottie ends up with someone who doesn't understand that they are a very intelligent, naturally domimant dog who needs their intelligence and energy channelled in the right way. As long as they have the right mental and physical stimulus they are an unrivalled companion.

Here is my boy .............

I just love rotties. Our first dog chad was a gorgeous big rottie. My parents got him when I was about 2. They told me they picked him because he followed me around the room and wouldn't leave me alone.

He was such a lovely dog and very gentle. When my youger brother was a tot he learnt to walk with chads aid (he used to use chad to pull himself up to walk).

Sadly they do get a bad rep due to irresponsible people who get them for the wrong reasons. My mum has told me that people used to cross the street when we were walking past and she was told by perfect strangers on numerous occassions that she should t let get children near him! Awful people.

But yeah just thought I'd add how much I love them I can't imagin a better dog to grow up with as a child he was perfect

Hello

Just would like to add that the Scottish Rottweiler club will hold the annual champ show in May at Ingliston showground just down the road from you. Try and get there and you will well and truly smitten and be able to talk to consciencious breeders. You could say hello to my new baby Newky No no

Oh my, what a stunner Newky is - she is gorgeous, you lucky sod!!

There is some really good advise here and i completely agree with Anne-Marie

that sums up rotties really, my advise would be to get a bitch too, saying that I had a rottie called Emma and she was very dominant, but she was one of the best dogs i have ever owned, so it's not always the males

Now i have my Bruce, he is a rescue, he is about 5 1/2 yrs
For all the hype around rotties, we had rotties and kids together but of course they all needed training and that's the key to it all

Bruce, Poppy and Megan

What a lovely photo - Brucie has the loveliest soft expression, what a kind lad he looks

Some fabulous advice given above, and if you find the right breeder who takes temperament and health into consideration, you will have a dog that will give you years of the most wonderful companionship.

But there is one negative that has to be taken taken into consideration, it has been touched on slightly, is how some people will view you as a Rotti owner, I think you need to have a thick skin, to be able to brush off all the negative feedback you may get.

People crossing the road, people blaming your dog for all that trouble in the park, other owners shouting at you to get that "killer" away from their dog/child.


If you are going to be a Rotti owner, you owe it to the breed to be the best owner you can, you need to be able to have the time to make sure your dog is a true ambassador for his breed, and NOT give others ANY bullets to fire your way.

I am not trying to put you off, but you need to take this into consideration, if you have never been around the breed before, many owners will tell you stories of other people crossing out of their way and even getting abuse.

We met a man a while back, with a lovely puppy, he (man) nearly broke into tears because we stopped to talk and fuss pup, he said we were the first people to do so, everyone else gave him funny looks.:?

I have a friend who has had two, and they have had this sort of thing to contend with on and off , throughout their dogs lives...both dogs fabulous ambassadors for their breed .

You need to think if you are strong enough to take the "reputation" on that can follow them around, sadly some breeds suffer from this, due to media hype and bad breeding and owners.

I would also agree go for a bitch first time, the boys although adorable, can be a bit challenging for a first time owner..( they like to get their own way) the girls seem to be (on the whole) more amenable .

I know that part all too well.
Our rottie mix, Ziggy, is only about half the size of a normal rottie and thus looks very cuddly to most people. That is, until they ask which breed he is and we say he's a Lhasa apso - Rottweiler mix. Then you usually get the reaction: "Isn't that dangerous?!" with an appalled look on their faces.

We even learnt him a trick just for this purpose, if you ask Ziggy "are you dangerous?" then he rolls over and shows his belly Silly I know, but it makes people laugh and Ziggy loves to show off and get attention...

That matter put aside though, the breed is lovely and I've always been a huge fan of them, ever since I was a kid. Rotties are one of the most childfriendy breeds in my opinion, given that you give them a proper education of course, but it seems to me it's ingrained in their nature to love being around children.
Even though ours is a mix, and a rescue, and was already a year when we got him, he's perfectly well-behaved around kids: he loves to play with them and is supercareful with small kids.

On thing I can recommend for rotties is that they love to work for you and one of the easiest ways to keep them occupied mentally is to play search games. I used to do it all the time with Sprout (my neighbours rottie, which I used to go walk with because they wouldn't take him out as often as they should) and now we do it often with Ziggy as well. Supereasy to learn and they all love it!

Great advice from JB - and totally agree with what was said. Sadly there can be lots of negativity surrounding the breed,but as said if you develop a thick skin and ensure you have a well-rounded, well-behaved dog, you can prove that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

It's extremely sad that the man with the pup was grateful for having his dog patted. It's something I've experienced too and it is very upsetting. Even less want to pet an adult one or let their dogs play. That said I've got a few people around here now who know it's 'only Marius' and know it's safe to allow their dogs a good romp with him, which is lovley. I think for some seeing him with Lola helps, I guess they can believe he won't eat their dog if he lives with a little 'un

Marius has helped changed so many people's opinions on Rotties here I am proud to say. Yes, it can get waring when you hear some of the ridiculous things people say, but ignorance is just lack of education and I'm always happy to educate someone where my dog is concerned!

Love your idea Beachlover of teaching Ziggy that trick, good one.

I hope it doesn't put you off Rotts, they are truly a magnificent breed and are a wonderful companion. The positives far outweigh the negatives, it would be a shame if you got put-off one.

A good breeder will know which pups in the litter are dominant types,which you definitely don't want in your first Rottie which is to live with young children.
If you haven't had much experience of training dogs you need to find a good training class.Rotties both need and love training.
Again,hopefully, the breeder should be able to point you in the right direction.
I always advise PATIENCE when going out looking for a puppy.Too many people just fall hopelessly in love with the first pup they see even though the breeder is obviously not a 'good' one.
ALL puppies are cute!
If the alarm bells go off in your head walk away.
The puppy from a good breeder will be every bit as cute.

I've just become a Rottie owner for the first time and my girl is adorable and already i'm seeing people's faces when they realise i'm holding a baby Rott. I was expecting negative comments and reactions towards an adult, but a puppy in my arms? hmm.. Complete opposite reaction to what I got with my Bernese, but all I can say is that I adore her and she is brilliant and the temperament on her is fab and if she is anything like her mum or dad then we are onto a winner!!
Yes you do have to be thick skinned to own this breed and I was expecting that, clearly i'm having to put it on sooner that anticipated, lol.. Oh well other people's problem not mine...