Rottweiler Questions - Is it the right dog for me? Questions

Hi,

I've been a 'fan' (how adolescent does that sound? ) for some years, a man who lived round the corner owned 4, 3 males and a female, and he used to take them on walks with local children, they were beautiful and had fantastic tempermants. I've got a few questions about them though...

Firstly moulting, what are they like? My boyfriend occasionally reacts to my friends Utonagan, and other dogs, but not always, but he also has heyfever, etc...so not 100% sure it's dogs. So how much do they moult generally?

I would love to have children one day, and although some uneducated family members have said I can never visit with my dog if it's a Rottie, I still think I could have one and children. I have several breeds I'd love to own, Rotties, GSD's, Utes, Greyhounds etc, but nothing is definite. I'm trying to find out as much about all the breeds I like so I can make the right decision for my family one day.

I've always been told that a female is better choice for a first rott, this the general thought here too?

When I first met rotties, they seemed to have a different headshape to now...now they seem more round and wrinkly, some look closer to bullmastiff heads...is this a deliberate move in the breed? If so, why? I personally prefer the 'gentler' headshape, is this more likely if I find a 'pet quality' dog?

What health problems are more common in rotties? I've always thought of them as healthy compared to GSD's who some seem riddled with problems...


I've rambled enough, anyone who's finished, well done...feel free to answer any/all questions and if you want to add pictures (esp with kids) then feel free!!
Melanie

i have a 4 yr old rottie male i would say a male is a better first choice females r quite giddy he doesnt molt loads either just like ur average dog! i have a 2 yr old lil girl and he is absolutley amazing with her supose it depends on how u bring them up mine is soooo soft he was bought up with a boxer they are the best of friends they are really affectionate 2 i cant say anythink bad about then i love mine 2 pieces xxx

rotties have problems with there hips ive been lucky so far only had a problem with his knee he has just had an op on fri just make sure u get it insured if u get 1 ops r expensive

My lot are moulting at the moment, as I have all 4 in the house just now.......it seems like a nightmare, im finding hair in my coffee...everywhere..
but it just seems worse because they are all indoors just now,, but yes they do cast hair,
coat length can vary in rotties.. vinnie has longer hairs than holly.. some people find they are more irritated by shorter hair than longer some the other way round...

Yes you can have a rottie along with a child, if you put the work in with the breed anything can be done, here is a photo of gail {my frieind } with her son and her rottie {one of my pups} gail got sol two years ago from me, little baby conner came along last xmas, she has had no problems with them what so ever...



so long as you keep to the common sense rules of kids and dogs you should not have any problems with rotties and babys

females tend to be more loving and cuddly than the males, but I have found the males easyer to train.. again look at the lines your buying, some males are harder than other.. some bitches are harder than others depending on the breeding

much depends on breeding..

holly...




though you can get two very diff looks in one litter, here is her brother vinnie

the main ones are bone cancer, HD, ED.

there are others such as
Cruciate ligament ruptures
Acute Moist Dermatitis
bloat
allergies

they can also be more prone to parvo than other breeds

HTH

this is a pic of the op he has just had done hope u like my rottie pics i think hes a perfect example

hes lovely, how the leg doing today?

yer it was fine but i had 2 pop out when i got back he managed to lick a staple loose took him the vet he got a full leg bandage but it just fell dwn after hr aload of had 2 diy a bandage on hopefully he will leave i slept on the sofa last night just too watch him

ouch that sound sore.. how about one of the collars Anne-Marie mentioned, more like a normal collar but wide so he cant bend his neck round? that may help

ur dogs are gorgeous too the dark faced one is nice most have the original tan i love rotties would recomened them 2 anyone i had to have patience with tyson tho he was quite chewie as a puppyhe ate my carpets, doors, skirten boards were any of ur males really chewy?

the vet said its healing really well despite him licking it as he is only going at the bottom bit he gets them out on the 30th if he aint done it himself ts mean i just wish they understood ur trying to help them!

I have been really lucky with my lot... they have never really chewed anything..the only problem I had with them was there obssesion with ripping paper.. if when young they got there gob round loo roll... well you have a winter wonderland to come home too.. I did go a bit daft when my pups were little with things to keep them busy. My lot did tend to dig holes in the garden quite a bit.. I also work from home so they didnt tend to be left for long.. I somethimes thing haveing more than one dog in the house helped too, but many of the pups went to homes were they were the only dog and didnt really chew.. again just the paper shredding thing seemed to be there only vice..
here is just one of the things

a ball pool

thats acute pic are tyson dug holes quite alot luckily hes grew out of it now and i have grass - he also loved my daughters ball pond robbed the balls popped them abd ran back for another 1 she has non left but she dont care!

If you were to believe the press you would never have a Rottie and children but personally I think it is utter cobblers my boys are 20 and 17 they have never been without a Rott throughout their lives. They are the perfect family dog if you can cope with the size and strength. Reputable breeders do conduct health screening and with all dogs and the cost of vet fees insurance is a must.

they are great dogs in good hands and need to be worked with as they love to learn things ours molt loads but having 6 might be y it seems like all the time plenty of breeders will talk to u about their dogs or go to a open show and see what types of dogs u like breeders will have their door open to see their dogs also if not ask yourself y

What a great post Shona.

I have to say how pleased I am to read that someone is asking sensible questions about a breed they are interested in, makes such a nice change!!

We were told (many moons ago!!) when we got our first Rottie to go for a bitch also. The general concensus being they are less dominant and not as headstrong than the males. We were a bit unlucky in some respects as our first (and only) bitch we got turned out to be the most dominant of all our Rotties!! It was a good lesson to learn anyway, she taught us so much!!

I don't find Rotts as bad as some other breeds for moulting TBH, my GSD was way worse!! That said they do have a top coat and undercoat so there is a bit to shed

Their foreheads should not be overdone and too wrinkled, certainly not like a bulldog, this would be classed as a fault. This is a shot of my Marius, as you can see he doesn't have lots of wrinkles (only his Mum does after years of Rottie ownership lol )


Although I don't have children, I can confirm what's already been said and there is no reason why the two cannot get on well (supervised of course). Marius adores kids, they all know him around here and come up to pet him. I am sure if you did get a Rott, your family and friends would come around once they see the dog for themselves. I had similar feedback when we got our first one - my Mother In Law said "why do you want one of those" as if she were an alien or something!! She now is a HUGE Rottie fan and jumps to their defence if anyone says anything negative lol

I would only chose a puppy from parents with good hip scores. Have to say two out of three of my Rotts have been healthy as horse and never ailed anything.

I do believe the key to success with Rotts is the training (after you've located a good breeder). Rotties are not a dog who can lig out all day and do nothing, they need good exercise and stimulus. They really are very bright and do need to use their brain cells too. They do make an effort to get their own way.

Mine has an obsession with paper ripping. It's crazy. Like anything from a newspaper to a cardboard box will be shredded if given the opportunity. It's gotten better as she's grown up though.

Another thing I like about rottweilers is that they seem to shed WAY less than other dogs I've had (huskies, labradors, golden retrievers). There were points with the labs, when they would brush against your leg and it would just be covered with white fur. Never been an issue with rottweilers thought...they shed a bit, but if you keep them brushed and groomed, it's not a crazy amount.

Thanks everyone for your informative answers.

Sadly it seems as though my chance of ever having a rottie is slim...I have just found out that my brother in law, and both nephews and boyfriend are all allergic to dogs to various degrees, my bro in law had a bad chest for 3 days after being in contact with the 2 dogs I was looking after.

My choice of breed after much research is leaning towards the Airedale, as I've read many first hand accounts where they are severly allergic to other breeds but have many Airedales without problems...When it's time to get a dog, I'll be taking said people to meet some before I get one of my own....

I really find it very hard to believe that ANY vet would say that it is cruel not to let a bitch have a litter before you spey her. I have worked at a vets for over 14 years and this goes against everything that we advise.

I can't believe that 3 pages of posts have been deleted.
There's me thinking we had the freedom of speech ... obviously not!

where did it all go?

They have been moved but the title is wrong, hang about...