magical Merlin Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 hello! I have a 18-19ish week od rotti bitch called Rosie. Shes a rescue, one of 13 pups, taken off mum at 6 weeks then seperated. So she had very poor dog skills when she came to me at 14 weeks. She is much better with dogs but i had a few questions for those experienced rotti people. Ive had 2 rottis before and a rotti xgsd, but they have all been adults (well one was 10 months) so, rotties are stuborn, pushy, hard headed...and absolutley great! love them! what i'd like to know is, what is rotti behaviour and what is worried rotti pup thats not been socilised before...she does have some fear of people and gets spooked easily when out walking. the stuff id like oppinions on is, When she refuses to walk past a moving car...she puts the breaks on. 5/10 times she'll walk past then the other 5 she'll either start pulling on the lead or put the breaks on and stop. She will also put the breaks on when its time to go for a walk. the others are desperate to go, she will stand still and pull back. even when i walk her on her own. the only other thing i've noticed that could be normal rotti or odd pup is her guarding. now yes they guard, But shes not guarding my house or me or the other dogs. she guards when we go to other peoples houses. Went to my parents last night and took her. my brother came in and she bit him...seemed a little odd t guard someone elses house. She gave him fair warning before she bit him and im not worried about that at all...just wonderd if its a little odd? If she was an adult id be saying shes fearfull with some typical stuborness thown in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 awww sorry to hear her story Good on you for rescuing her, please post some photos of her Ive had a rottie before but wouldn't say I was experienced with that breed as his life was short lived Because of the issue the only thing I would advise to look at is getting in touch with a trainer for her and you. I didn't experience these problems with Butch so don't want to advise much. Do you know anyone who has experience with rotties and training them? I have a friend on facebook who has rotties and she seems to be very experienced with the breed in general and maybe able to help you. If you like I can get in touch with her and see if she would be able to help you and if she can I can put you both in touch with each other Let me know if you want me to contact her and will see what I can do Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magical Merlin Posted January 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 hi that sounds good to be honnest im not worried about anything shes showing just wanted a second opinion. My rotts have been boys and other than guarding and being a bit possessive only one had major problems. (all rescues) I take her to puppy training more for socilisation than anything. She can already do all the commands so its to spend time with dogs that dont live with us. i spoke to the traininer, who is a behaviourist (shes been helping merlin as he was abused and has some on lead and child issues) and she said soclilsation as much as possible. I've got a friend thats had a few rotties. He has said that shes just being a typical rotti thats a little nervous and we should wait to see how she develops before doing anything other than lots of soclising... (just a side note, until pups reach 6 months they dont go walking wtih merlin on lead so as not to pick up "bad habbits". Rosie will probably wait until she is a year before i do on lead walking with them both so as not to risk her learning anything from him) He cant walk at the moment any way so hes no missing out on walks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 that sounds like you are already doing all you can for her When I had butch, we was doing training from day one and had him socialising with puppies, dogs, people and children so he got used to it from the start however we had him from a breeder not as a rescue and he had no issues when we first had him (Nothing out of the ordinary to rotties anyway ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 ok - first things first - where's our pics of Rosie I wouldn't look at it so much as Rottie behaviour - but possibly a behaviour in general? Will go through your points made and hope it may help in some way Fear of people / easily spooked Lack of socialisation skills possibly - which could tie in with her being taken so young and coming from a rescue, she wouldn't have had an overtly amount of contact (i'm presuming) with other people. Try having a few people round to your house at first, no loud noises or sudden movements from them, when she sits and doesn't show fear, let them reward her with treats and praise, even better if they can stroke her so that she associates a good "vibe" from humans Maybe even get some friends to pass you on a walk stop and chat then do the same as above, reward and praise when no fear is shown. Refusing to walk past a car 50% of the time The 50% of the time she DOES walk past it, give lots of praise and give a treat....again, she will associate this with a reward, you can then phase treats out gradually as she becomes more and more confident - you dont want to treat if you walk down a whole street of cars lol you;d end up with a rolly polly rottie lol Maybe also, if you walk past a parked car and it's on your left - walk her on your right so you pass the car and she walks at the side of you. Walk with your head up and shoulders back stay alert but relaxed Biting your brother Did he make any sudden movements or anything near her? With what you said in your first comment - about her being nervous around others, just wondering if this was a defense mechanism, maybe she felt uneasy? I think more socialisation again would really help with this situation :0 Hope what i've put helps in some way, i'm no dog trainer by any means, just giving some thoughts and ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 fab post saz, rep added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca_&_me Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Ive had one rottie before and he was much older so I cant really tell you if anything she's doing is "rottie" behavior or not. Chewy had some very similar reactions to moving cars, skateboards, bikes, and even people who would go jogging by as we walked. I did 2 things to help with this. First, I started taking him out to the dog park and letting him explore so he could see that others are not usually a threat, dogs or people. The other thing I did with him to deminish his fear of odd noises, was to take him to the playground/ child park as there was a safe area where no one ever really sits. I would sit on that side of the park and have him lay next to the bench and just listen to noises from a distance. It wasnt a huge distance. He was able to simply observe and listen to noises and people from a safe place, that way he could see that just because the noises are loud doesnt mean that hes under attack. After about 4 times he completely relaxed, and I moved to a bench that was about 3 feet closer to the playground. He was a teeny bit jumpy for about 20 minutes, and then he rolledonto his side and went to sleep, this is the ultimate sign that they are ok. I did not allow anyone to come up close or pat him, and I told people "not today please." after 2 weeks we went on a very good walk without any fear issues. At first I was afraid for anyone to approach him since he scared easily and was a bit nippy, so no patting by strangers was allowed. It might be good for you to do the same. Im sure with all the love and TLC you are giving her she will come around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 She could be going through her fear period, compounded by the fact she's had minimal socialisation in her critical period (8-12 weeks). I agree with Amy that you should consult a qualified and experienced behaviourist. I would suggest this isn't a problem associated with her breed so much as the fact she's not had adequate socialisation at the appropriate time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magical Merlin Posted January 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thank you guys. Doing all of what you mentioned sarah and im also working on sound desensitisation (going to schools, village fates etc) I do have a contact for a behaviourist that works with rotties so i'll give her a ring. Thanks for all the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 good luck hun, please let us know how you get on and what you learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Thank you guys. Doing all of what you mentioned sarah and im also working on sound desensitisation (going to schools, village fates etc) I do have a contact for a behaviourist that works with rotties so i'll give her a ring. Thanks for all the info Good luck, keep us updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magical Merlin Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 here are some pics the ones with the big rotti are my friends dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 aww lovely pics - love the snow one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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