# Rottie



## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

After all my puppy homework I acquired a 5 yr old Rottweiler on the weekend from a friend who is not allowed to take her to their new rental.

Now I know this dog fairly well as her former owner is one of my best friends but I know next to nothing about the breed itself.

She's very overweight, entirely not ambitious but she'll try and keep up on my daily runs (Im only doing about 2-3km now as she tends to tap out at about 3km and I don't want her to not like going) Follows me everywhere even room to room in my house. Unsure of what to make of that...if she's just not sure where she is or if there's a bit of separation worry. Ive only had her since Saturday but she's known me for years as well.

She was owned by the same family from puppyhood so is used to kids etc but they didn't have time to do much with her so she wasn't walked and basically lived the life of a big cuddly ornament for the most part. 

Has the very basics of obedience and listens most of the time. Really thinks she should be allowed to retaliate against my suicidal cat. 

Her name is Cocobean (she was named by a 1 yr old) I call her Beanie


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

I love Rots. They can be really sweet dogs.

I haven't owned one but a friend/neighbor had a Rottie named Sophie. I walked my shepherd with Sophie for 12 years and got to know her pretty well. I also watched Sophie for a few days while her owner was on vacation.

From my experience, Rotties are very physically affectionate--much more so than a GSD. They will definitely follow you around and want to be in physical contact with you. They are leaners big time.

While I loved Sophie she had her issues. Besides her owner I was just about the only man she liked. She was also aggressive with small dogs and even puppies--very high prey drive. She would also eat just about anything and was constantly puking up sticks and wood chips.

Sophie crossed the bridge a few months ago. My friend just imported a Rottie pup a few days ago from Belgium. Here she is. Her name is Tootsie and she is 10 weeks old in the pic. As you can see, Tootsie is already leaning on her people. She crashed out on my foot for about 20 minutes while I chatted with her owner.

Good luck with Beanie and keep us posted. I'd keep up on the exercise and put her through some obedience training.


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## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

Mister C said:


> I love Rots. They can be really sweet dogs.
> 
> I haven't owned one but a friend/neighbor had a Rottie named Sophie. I walked my shepherd with Sophie for 12 years and got to know her pretty well. I also watched Sophie for a few days while her owner was on vacation.
> 
> ...


 
She doesn't eat much actually. Im going to switch her over to a raw diet (or I hope to) she's currently on SD large breed kibble.

Good to know about the leaning thing. Wasn't sure if her need to be with me/on me/around me all the time was just an insecurity thing since her whole life is now new but I guess it's a rottie thing.


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## Eiros (Jun 30, 2011)

Congrats on taking this girl! She sounds really sweet. 


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Cat dog thing you can go here for more tips 
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/132410-introducing-shepherd-cats.html

You still need to bond with this dog if shes following you around she might be a little stressed? Big change so give her a little time to settle in more down time quite time in her new home.

They can also be a little growlie, All the ones I've know have been way, way more growlie/talkie than any other dog I've had. Lots of my friends had them.

I find them a lot easier to get used to than a GSD myself. I find them to be a bit more laid back in comparison.

Your a good friend!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

She's beautiful. I love Rottie's. They're pretty awesome dogs. Very into their people. They are leaners. Give them a good scratching and they'll love you forever pretty much. They a herding breed/working breed. Pretty versatile dogs when in the right hands. I don't know of any breeders who breed for more than looks anymore but I imagine they can still be found overseas pretty readily. 

You say she doesn't eat much. If memory serves, rottie's are prone to thyroid problems so besides inactivity, thyroid could attribute to her being overweight. Example, Shasta, though GSD, is really lazy. She's my couch potato. Content with the short walk down to the mailbox and back. She gains weight pretty easily from inactivity and 2 cups a day. I watch her weight closely and if she starts looking a little chunky, she gets dropped to a cup a day split between her morning meal and her evening meal. Within a few days to a week, she's got her girlish figure back which is saying something because she's a pretty stocky girl. If she didn't drop the weight with the food intake change and slight increase in activity (against her will lol), she'd be checked out for possible causes as to her weight issues. 

Give it a few weeks of the runs and keep an eye on her physique. Bear in mind, rottie's have more of a barrel shape to them but should have some tuck when in good bodily condition.


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

meldy said:


> She doesn't eat much actually. Im going to switch her over to a raw diet (or I hope to) she's currently on SD large breed kibble.
> 
> Good to know about the leaning thing. Wasn't sure if her need to be with me/on me/around me all the time was just an insecurity thing since her whole life is now new but I guess it's a rottie thing.



I bet her weight issue is lack of exercise and you are addressing that. She may very well feel insecure which would increase her tendency to follow you around--but the following also shows that she is bonding to you which is great. You may also see a different dog as she adjusts to her new home.

When Sophie stayed at our house she was constantly leaning on either me or my wife. She just wasn't happy unless she was touching one of us. It made my GSD a bit jealous.

Sophie was also quite protective. We had a contractor working on our house while we watched Sophie. We warned them not to enter the house without one of us rounding Sophie up first. Well, they forgot this advice one morning. One of the guys just walked in and Sophie went on alert with a hard stare, tense body, ready to pounce. He didn't notice the big Rot that he just upset and took a step towards her. She then lunged at him growling with teethed bared. That he noticed. Fortunately, my wife was being leaned on just before this was right there. My wife leaped and tackled Sophie before she got to the contractor. They were really impressed by the whole experience and never repeated that mistake again.


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

KZoppa said:


> I don't know of any breeders who breed for more than looks anymore but I imagine they can still be found overseas pretty readily.
> ...
> You say she doesn't eat much. If memory serves, rottie's are prone to thyroid problems so besides inactivity, thyroid could attribute to her being overweight.


Good points. I had forgotten about Rotties having thyroid issues. Sophie had that problem too.

As for Rottie breeders my friend found a total of one breeder in the US that he could trust. Two breedings didn't "take" and he couldn't wait any longer so he found a great breeder in Belgium. Tootsie is the best example of a Rottie I have ever seen--even at 10 weeks she is confident, outgoing, affectionate and super calm. I'm really looking forward to seeing her grow up.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Mister C said:


> I bet her weight issue is lack of exercise and you are addressing that. She may very well feel insecure which would increase her tendency to follow you around--but the following also shows that she is bonding to you which is great. You may also see a different dog as she adjusts to her new home.
> 
> When Sophie stayed at our house she was constantly leaning on either me or my wife. She just wasn't happy unless she was touching one of us. It made my GSD a bit jealous.
> 
> Sophie was also quite protective. We had a contractor working on our house while we watched Sophie. We warned them not to enter the house without one of us rounding Sophie up first. Well, they forgot this advice one morning. One of the guys just walked in and Sophie went on alert with a hard stare, tense body, ready to pounce. He didn't notice the big Rot that he just upset and took a step towards her. She then lunged at him growling with teethed bared. That he noticed. Fortunately, my wife was being leaned on just before this was right there. My wife leaped and tackled Sophie before she got to the contractor. They were really impressed by the whole experience and never repeated that mistake again.




LOL I cant help but laugh at that. Definitely sounds like a rottie! My biological father had one named Whiskey. He came home from work one night and started to let himself in the house. Whiskey had been asleep upstairs. He got into the house, closed and locked the door behind him just in time to see this shadow on the wall at the stairs of Whiskey and heard this low growl, the kind you never want to be on the receiving end of, and he flattened against the door and called Whiskey telling him it was just him. Whiskey flew down the stairs all wiggles and happy. I loved Whiskey but certainly not a dog I'd have messed with. He was very sweet but trespass and you'd need some new body parts.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Mister C said:


> Good points. I had forgotten about Rotties having thyroid issues. Sophie had that problem too.
> 
> As for Rottie breeders my friend found a total of one breeder in the US that he could trust. Two breedings didn't "take" and he couldn't wait any longer so he found a great breeder in Belgium. Tootsie is the best example of a Rottie I have ever seen--even at 10 weeks she is confident, outgoing, affectionate and super calm. I'm really looking forward to seeing her grow up.




Yup. I'd found two here in the states who I would consider reliable. Neither are breeding anymore. One had health problems so couldn't handle it anymore. She still has her dogs but no longer breeding and the other seems to have just disappeared.


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## KaiserandStella (Feb 27, 2014)

She has a cute face. I have a lot of love and respect for Rottweilers even though I've had a couple negative experiences with them. Had to defend myself and my dog from a large-powerful Rotty once but even so, incidents like that happening will never change my outlook on this (or any other) impressive breed.


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

KZoppa said:


> LOL I cant help but laugh at that. Definitely sounds like a rottie! My biological father had one named Whiskey. He came home from work one night and started to let himself in the house. Whiskey had been asleep upstairs. He got into the house, closed and locked the door behind him just in time to see this shadow on the wall at the stairs of Whiskey and heard this low growl, the kind you never want to be on the receiving end of, and he flattened against the door and called Whiskey telling him it was just him. Whiskey flew down the stairs all wiggles and happy. I loved Whiskey but certainly not a dog I'd have messed with. He was very sweet but trespass and you'd need some new body parts.


Good story. I said many times to my wife "I pity the poor fool that breaks into Sophie's house". That dog was serious business--I loved her but also had a ton of respect for her. The only hurt she ever put on me was with her bony butt grinding into my foot as she leaned on me.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Mister C said:


> Good story. I said many times to my wife "I pity the poor fool that breaks into Sophie's house". That dog was serious business--I loved her but also had a ton of respect for her. The only hurt she ever put on me was with her bony butt grinding into my foot as she leaned on me.



oh yeah! A house with a rottie is very rarely in jeopardy! They don't kid around. Even the nervous fearful ones who would normally be cowering instead of defending. They don't play around. They can fake scary if they really want to! 

When we're retired and not moving all over the country, we'll probably get a rottie. I love em. And I love that deep rich coloring on a good well bred dog too.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Oh she's cute. I love Rotties, the goofy gonna mess with you sense of humor leads you to believe they might be of lesser intellect but that's just part of the game

Yup, they lean in on youto show you how much they loves you. She needs some serious exercise and a diet though! Probably doesn't like thSD the vet put her on to loose some weight. Yeah you're going to loose weight if the food is gross.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Thanks for taking this sweetheart in! I'm convinced that Keeta is part Rottie. I've been more convinced of it lately as a friend of mine got a Rottie, and the two dogs' behaviors and quirks are so similar, it's scary! 

Some things about her that I believe are from her Rottweiler background is that she likes to herd you by walking behind you and nudging you with her nose. She does the lean-into-you thing for pets and a good scratch. She loves people in general and will be anyone's best friend if you have treats or willing to give her attention. 

She is very independent and will easily tune me out and go off on her own adventures, so I always have to have eyes in the back of my head to keep an eye out for her and keep her from wandering away. 

She doesn't play well with other dogs - she lack impulse control, and gets hyper, and her way of playing is to jump another dog and grab his/her neck, or chase and nip at the legs. 

She does the Rottie grumble when she is happy - like when she is being brushed or scratched - sounds like a very deep purr - or when she is unhappy - like when doing her nails. Freaked me out at first, but got used to it. 

She puts on weight easily, and didn't need a log of food to stay in good shape. Suprisingly little, to her dismay, as she is quite the chow-hound.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Yeah forgot about the leaning thing! My best friend had two Rotties and every time we came over the girl Rottie would plop her butt down on my better halfs, foot! 

I used to play tug with the male, He had a chew toy with two handles. I had one end in my teeth and he had the other. And we pulled back and forth. We played that game for a couple ofmonths as he grew bigger.

The last time we played, we were doing the back and forth thing, when I guess he discovered he could shake his head!!! Though my neck was gonna snap!!

Yeah that was the last time we did that!


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## ZoeD1217 (Feb 7, 2014)

She's a pretty girl! 

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## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

She's been in my house since Saturday and scared the crap out of me once.
Im currently dealing with a stalker issue. Police and the whole shebang (it's a bit of a nightmare) In any event..
Beanie sleeps in my bed with me. Theres something awfully comforting about having a big warm body snoring away next to me....in the middle of the night I get woken up by a growl. Pitch dark. I cant even seen the dog can just feel her get off the bed and can see her by window-light stalk out of my room. Head level with her body, growling but not overly loud.
Given what I am currently dealing with I was too scared to even get out of the bed.
She did a patrol of the house and came back all quiet and climbed back into bed like nothing happened.
She got lots of love when she got back into the bed. No idea what she heard but I pity the idiot that runs into her in the dark. She's now my dog, and Ive known her for about 3 yrs, and that growl unnerved me. It wasn't loud or savage just very solid. Not a noise I would question in any way shape or form.

As far as weight I really think it's a lack of exercise. So far she gets a short walk in the morning before work. Only about 15 mins. Then after work we do our 3km run/walk. I run as much as she'll let me and walk when she needs it. By the end she is pooped out for sure but I think she'd keep going if I asked her to I just want her to enjoy it so don't want to kill her. We've only been doing that since I got her.

Question for everyone: her front nails are quite long. They're wearing off at a record rate (her backs are already worn down to a suitable level) wondering if I should trim them or let them continue to just wear off on the pavement? They're no longer so long that they touch when she stands flat footed they just still look too long. Is that going to cause soreness or will they wear off quickly enough on their own that it wont be an issue. I hate trimming dog nails myself...it sorta freaks me out >.<


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## Emdog (Feb 2, 2013)

Congrats. Rottis are awesome. You will see shortly that you are blessed. I've had three and they are big ol lovers. Leaners and followers... very smart and eager to please, and big ol clowns. I miss my rottis... Wait till the vet tries to listen to her heart but can only hear her low growl, kinda like a cat purring... funny stuff...


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Emdog said:


> Wait till the vet tries to listen to her heart but can only hear her low growl, kinda like a cat purring... funny stuff...


LOL, yes! Just about any type of handling and I get the rumble/grumble/purr. 

The previous clinic I used, one vet refused to examine Keeta because she started her Rottie grumble when the vet went to listen to her heart. I had warned the vet that it was just her 'talking', and it was harmless, but the vet just backed off and said we were done. 

Changed clinics since then. The vets at the new clinic aren't fazed by her vocalizations at all - they read her well and know she is fine.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Awee I like your Beanie baby! My brothe-in-law has a rottie-very obedient and sweet dog-he follows around his master and loves the kids...

I wish you the best c:


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

meldy said:


> She's been in my house since Saturday and scared the crap out of me once.
> Im currently dealing with a stalker issue. Police and the whole shebang (it's a bit of a nightmare) In any event..
> Beanie sleeps in my bed with me. Theres something awfully comforting about having a big warm body snoring away next to me....in the middle of the night I get woken up by a growl. Pitch dark. I cant even seen the dog can just feel her get off the bed and can see her by window-light stalk out of my room. Head level with her body, growling but not overly loud.
> Given what I am currently dealing with I was too scared to even get out of the bed.
> ...


Yeah I'm pretty sure a lot of us have heard "that" growl! I bet there was somebody out there! I have heard it only twice in seven years with my guy. 

I would cut way back on the 3k thing, that's a lot for a dog that's not use to that pace. To much to fast could hurt her joints.

Someone else can answer on if the nails are to long but you could also take her to a pet groomer and ask or have them trim them if needed.


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## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

Chip18 said:


> Yeah I'm pretty sure a lot of us have heard "that" growl! I bet there was somebody out there! I have heard it only twice in seven years with my guy.
> 
> I would cut way back on the 3k thing, that's a lot for a dog that's not use to that pace. To much to fast could hurt her joints.
> 
> Someone else can answer on if the nails are to long but you could also take her to a pet groomer and ask or have them trim them if needed.


 
I dunno what she heard. I wasn't going to go look and was honestly wondering what my best escape plan was to get the **** out of the house if someone was there. It was a very solid, very low, totally "don't F*** with me" kind of a noise. Ive actually never really heard any dog growl like that before. Most of our dogs would barely growl and go right into a loud warning bark. Beanie seems to favour these sort of soft 'woof' noises that blow out her cheeks but aren't very loud at all.
And Im surprised she took it upon herself to check it out. She'd only been with me 3 days at that point. Had all kinds of awww etc type emotions when she crawled back into the bed after. Sorta hard to describe. There's a lot going on right now >.<

I will cut back her distance. Should I increase the frequency then maybe? I train for obstacle races...I can go for a run without her but I'd like to get her to where she can keep up. As it is now even the 3k we run maybe a 3rd of it in short bursts...like 100 ft or so at a time. She doesn't canter very well but needs to just to keep up with my running pace. A trot wont cut it. She trots and walks to keep up with my walking pace. I am trying to cater what I do for her and stop often to see ducks and sniff etc. And every car as we run on country road so she is not leashed. I just stop and hold her if a car happens to go by.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

yeah that growl can really raise some of those "Boy am I glad they're on my side!" thoughts. I only ever heard a growl like that from Zena, my first GSD, when someone broke into the house while I was home. Never heard that low "I'll rip whoever you are to pieces" growl again. She would growl but it was never quiet as intense for other situations. 

Tell ya one thing! You'll always feel safe with her around!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I'm kind of jealous. Rotties are great dogs, and I love all that leaning (its a Dobe thing too). I hope you post lots of stories and photos of her.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have a Rottie story for you. 

My brother used to visit a friend in a bad neighborhood. The neighbors had two very large intimidating Rottweilers, that they did not leash or keep in a fenced yard. 

My brother would get out of the car, and the dogs would be coming, and the people on the porch would call the dogs off. The dogs names were Rolex and Demon. 

One day my brother absentmindedly pulled in and left the car. He was nearing the house when he saw one of the dogs coming. He yelled, GET YER DOG! but no one was on the porch!

He figured he was done, dead. So he just threw it all to the wind, reverse psychology or whatever, and said, "Hi Rolex! Hello Baby, How ya doing!?!" and opened his arms wide. Well, at that Rolex woke up from his nap on the porch and joined Demon in welcoming my brother, all happy and wags. 

That is the extent of my knowledge about Rottweilers, except the stuff about them coming from Germany and being the Butcher's Dog.


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## glowingtoadfly (Feb 28, 2014)

Congratulations!


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

meldy said:


> I dunno what she heard. I wasn't going to go look and was honestly wondering what my best escape plan was to get the **** out of the house if someone was there. It was a very solid, very low, totally "don't F*** with me" kind of a noise. Ive actually never really heard any dog growl like that before. Most of our dogs would barely growl and go right into a loud warning bark. Beanie seems to favour these sort of soft 'woof' noises that blow out her cheeks but aren't very loud at all.
> And Im surprised she took it upon herself to check it out. She'd only been with me 3 days at that point. Had all kinds of awww etc type emotions when she crawled back into the bed after. Sorta hard to describe. There's a lot going on right now >.<
> 
> I will cut back her distance. Should I increase the frequency then maybe? I train for obstacle races...I can go for a run without her but I'd like to get her to where she can keep up. As it is now even the 3k we run maybe a 3rd of it in short bursts...like 100 ft or so at a time. She doesn't canter very well but needs to just to keep up with my running pace. A trot wont cut it. She trots and walks to keep up with my walking pace. I am trying to cater what I do for her and stop often to see ducks and sniff etc. And every car as we run on country road so she is not leashed. I just stop and hold her if a car happens to go by.


I think really you need to find a Rottie board and ask them. To me most of the Molossers and Bully Breeds are not very agile with a few exceptions Boxers (my first love:wub: )being one of the exceptions.

Look at a jogging GSD and then look at a jogging Pit or Rottie or any Bully breed. Much more stilted not a smooth and fluid stride. A wide chest and broad shoulders comes at a price. More like a full back than a running back. Rotties herd cattle not sheep. Sprinter not a distance runner. My assessment any way.

In an open field just ripping and cutting corners my Boxer makes a Rottie look like a dump truck.They are more of a 4x4 than a sport car. But as I say find a Rottie Board and ask them what they think of your plan,

But the growl, I would bet money someone was out there (sorry). I heard plenty of growls from my friends Rotties (growly things ) but not that one! As I say I've only heard that growl twice from my GSD in 7 yrs and both times he meant business!


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Oh here's a link:
Rottweiler (Rottweiler dog)


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Oh the growl... I used to dogsit for one. All 125lbs of him! Chief grew up in the house across the street - it's all one big dysfunctional family on this block so me and this dog were tight.

Chief was maybe 3 when I told his owner, Drew, that it was silly to have friend drive over to let him out when Drew went of town overnight. 

I was very deliberate to go over once when I knew Drew would be coming home, just to make sure the dog would let me in. Oh Chief had no problem letting me in during the day, when he probably saw me coming through the window....

The apartment is getting into creepy anyway at night, there's only a fire escape and a back entrance that was built 100 years ago as the servants' entrance. The apartment is up 2 flights of winding old stairs.

I get half way up the second set of stairs and I hear 'rrrrrrrr' 

Take a step 'Chiefers, it's me Jenn!' all cheerful

'rrrrrrrrrrrrr' 

Step step 'Chief, it's me, Daddy wants me to let you out so you can go potties'

ggggg?

'Chiefers, now stop this, you need to let me in the house or you won't be able to pee. I'll give you a cookie!'

By now I've got the key in the door and the stupid lock was always hinkey so the dog's growling at me again.

I get the door open and he's laying on the floor, nothing but big white eyeballs. I said his name very happy, he jumps up and gets all happy, we went out and peed and he never gave me a hard time.

I had been schooled that I had to say his name walking up the stairs!


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## BahCan (May 29, 2010)

This would probably be the best Rotti site to go to http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/index.php

They are awesome dogs, have owned many in the last 20 yrs. Yes they love to talk with that rumble, they love to lean, love to follow, but can also be independent. I find they are very smart dogs and can become easily bored with training if you don't change it up. Mine all had a wait and see attitude when it came to a strange noise in the night etc, they didn't start barking, they observed before they reacted.
Yes they can have thyroid problems, hip problems, a lot of blown cruciates (have had 3 of those), and cancer is big in the breed.
Try to get her weight down and keep her on the lean side, so much easier on them. Be careful that you don't over exert her if she is not used to the exercise, especially if she is really overweight, I'd be careful of the running her on the pavement while she is still heavy, you don't want to put stress on her joints with the extra weight she is carrying right now.
Your gonna love this breed, they are so much fun.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

BahCan said:


> This would probably be the best Rotti site to go to Rottweiler Discussion Forums
> 
> .


Thanks for the link.


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## LoveDogs (Feb 3, 2014)

The best dog I ever had was actually a pitbull /Rot mix. That dog would wrap it's paws around my neck and waist and swim with me. We lived in the country and he got mixed up with a dog down the road. She had pups and every day we would feed him, he would take his dog dish down the road so momma dog could eat and he would come back home with his dish for a refill. He was an outside dog. Boy did I get in trouble when I would open up my bedroom window to get him in my room at night to sleep. This was many years ago but I remember that dog like it was yesterday.


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## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

I love the dump truck analogy! it's pretty accurate 

I think we are going to take a few days off from our walks. I think the pads of her right paw might be bruised as she is limping slightly and doesn't want to put that foot down if she can help it >.< Im hoping that's all it is and she's just not used to the pavement.

Not awesome...Ive had the dog almost a week and I broke her already 

Gotta check out that Rottweiler board! thanks!! Im still going to stay here though as I do intend to get a GSD pup at some point. On hold now as one big dog is enough for me but if her current athleticism is standard for the breed then Im going to need/want something with a bit more go somewhere along the line 





More Beanie pics from our walk yesterday


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## Rottendog (Mar 6, 2014)

She is beautiful and congrats on having a great friend!! I had Rotties for many years. My last one was a big male, Baron at 156 LBs. Smartest and sweetest dog I've ever had. He even out-shined my other Rotties. I see you have experienced the Rotten Lean, yes, that is a trait of the breed. Every Rottie I've ever had does it. They just saying I love you!  My boy Baron knew his commands in German, English and would work off hand signals as well. We did some SchH and he excelled in the tracking part. I loved working with him, he was a sheer joy to be around. I've never had a dog easier to train. When he passed on, it broke my heart. I couldn't bring myself to get another one, but I love them dearly. I didn't think I could find one in the US to fill his paw prints, and the ones I looked at were not even in the same class as my boy was. It makes me sick what the breeders in the US has done to this breed. So now you all know why I'm over here hanging out with my GSD friends. And I"m actively looking for my new puppy too  From what I'm reading here, I don't think I'll be disappointed with my choice for my next working dog.


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## Montu (Oct 9, 2012)

aw congrats,

I love rotties, I have a gsd/rottie mix and she does the lean

Just picked up a gsd puppy but I think the next dog (a long time from now) might be a rottie 

have fun


*oh and I have also received that growl...one night for some reason my rottie/gsd mix didn't hear me get out of bed to get water...as I was walking back to the room she came walking down the hall doing the deepest slowest growl I've ever heard...as soon as I said her name it stopped...I turned on the light and she looked confused.


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## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

I love rotties, I have a gsd/rottie mix and she does the lean

I find that the rottie GSD mixes almost always look the same, they are goodlooking dogs forsure


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## Tripped1 (Mar 20, 2014)

meldy said:


> I love the dump truck analogy! it's pretty accurate
> 
> I think we are going to take a few days off from our walks. I think the pads of her right paw might be bruised as she is limping slightly and doesn't want to put that foot down if she can help it >.< Im hoping that's all it is and she's just not used to the pavement.
> 
> ...


That dog doesn't look very over weight Rots are massive by design. So far as it goes they don't really need "that" much exercise a couple mile walk is enough for the regular house dog. Get them working that is a new monster. Rots LOVE work, they were bread for three things home defense, pulling carts, and herding cattle (of all things) ...or in the case of my last dog herding kids at neighborhood BBQs =D

But yeah Rottis are dump trucks/bulldozers that lead with their heads, mine was deceptively smart, a total gentle giant, and a total alpha bitch. Not aggressive about it but we went around for a couple months, she was 6 when I inherited her.

It was a **** hard choice between another Rotti or another Sheperd, a sheperd happened to come up first in this case.


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## Rottendog (Mar 6, 2014)

I love the tank comparison too! I used to call my boy my "Little Panzer" And I agree, she isn't much overweight. I think some regular exercise will put her right where she should be on the weight scale. Enjoy her, she sounds wonderful!!


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## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

A rottie named Suzie at my job loves to ram you with her head between your legs and then will stand underneath you all day if you let her. Caught me off guard last week and threw me into a wall (it was not a dignified fall by any means). She's incredibly intelligent and IDK how to describe it...diplomatic (well for a dog lol)?! Alot of the herding and working breeds are what I like to call the "fun police" and like to put an end to any rowdyness which usually causes the situation to escalate and fights to happen. But Suzie is very reserved in her actions, she just watches and when its getting too rough she will calmly walk over step between the dogs and use her body to block them. No barking, snapping, growling exuding nothing but calmness and confidence. The other day there was a pretty intense "scuffle" (the kind of fight that is noisy, snapping in each others faces but not truly intending to bite and tear, throwing their weight around) and I was all alone. Didnt have anything to physically separate them with, tried to use my body as best as I could but one slipped around and it started again and Suzie comes in, nips one of the dogs on the leg and distracts him while I pushed the other dog into the wall and wedged him in there while I put a leash on him and took him out. The only reason I was able to do that was because Suzie blocked the other dog from advancing again. What got me was her demeanor. She was completely relaxed, body loose and balanced, ears nuetral, no hard stare, mouth open when he moved she moved. There was no outward display of intimidation or aggression (besides the fact that she was using her tank like body to block this dog, but didnt add any amount of intensity like barking, growling, stiffness, direct hard eye contact) she knew her power and didn't feel the need to flaunt it. She's a great dog! I would love a Rottie one day!


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## meldy (Oct 23, 2013)

She's lost a fair bit. When I got her there were generous rolls at her shoulder...and I mean actual rolls, I could grab handfuls of dog across her shoulder and in front of her tail. I'd still like her leaned down some as I cant even feel ribs (horse person, I want to be able to feel them. Perhaps that isn't appropriate for a rottie?)
She is very reserved and diplomatic (great word) and a great watcher of everything. Regal is the word I like to use to describe her as she just has that presence that just warrants respect but not in a way that creates fear. It's hard to explain...you just know she is paying attention all the time. 
And soooo smart. Holy is she smart. 
And I cant believe how utterly dedicated she is to me. Even when we go visit her old family she is right at my side or at my feet the whole time. At first I thought it was a security issue as she follows me from room to room at home and I figured maybe she needed me for security. She'll leave my side at home now but Im always in eye sight. 
If we go somewhere else she is with me the whole time. Even when we are visiting the family that owned her for the first 5 yrs of her life. On walks she waits to be told she can go chase geese or wander off and even then she never goes more than about 30 ft.

Im actually kinda surprised by how much I love this dog. I always sorta pictured Rotties as slow and kinda dull and she is anything but. She's slow and I still don't think she'll ever have as much giddy up as I want/hope for but in every other way she's amazing. :wub:
We'll see how things go when the clubs reopen as I still want to try IPO and such. Cant imagine her doing it but the trainer has two Rotties that do compete so we'll see. She just doesn't seem to have any sort of drive and I have no idea how to wake that up. She doesn't even fetch...just sorta looks at me like Im an idiot for throwing the ball and then goes with me to go get it lol


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