Help with new family dog (rottie cross)

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Our beloved dog was stolen from us about a year ago, and it was a sad time for the family (the kids where fairly upset) Her name was jesse (named after jesse james yeah common name but the missus picked it and im not one to argue )anyway i have been since looking @ getting another family dog for everyone and i wouldn't mind getting a rottie! There is actually a whole heap of free rottie pups (cross bred) in the trading post @ the moment, My concern is though that i have been told to stay away from cross bred rotties because they can turn on you, is this true? Do rotties make good family dogs or are they more of a guard dog? i have also considered a few other breeds like blue heeler, border collie, german shepard & a bob cat, but the missus wont let me get one of those (but would have been good to see them steal that bastard)anyway any help would be great

[MasterOfReality]

I think Rotties make good family dogs, as well as guard dogs. Not sure about the crosses though. We has a Doberman that we had to give away to a security company, he was a great family dog but turned lethal as soon as he was outside our property. He was way too much of a liability and an accident waiting to happen.

If you end up getting a dog like a Border Collie, be prepared to exercise it and keep it busy as they will go neurotic on you. They are recognised as the smartest breed in the world and they will outsmart you at times (eg hiding your shoes, tripping you over on purpose, giving you a kick in the nuts if you dont give it the tennis ball quick enough, closing the door on you etc etc). Mine passed away earlier this year after 16 good years.

[Tom_1569]

Everyone has a negative opinion on Rottie's except the people who have owned one.

YEs they can turn on, but so can any dog. Its how they are raised, its just most people who get rotties, are the wanna be "tough" guys and use them for "protectio," read imtimidation, and thats the reason you here more about them being aggressive.

Personelly I would never get a cross bred, but thats just me. I seem to see more cross-breds that are just feral, and with something as big & strong as a rotty, I wouldnt want to.

[quick308]

nothing wrong with a rotty round the kids. as said on the last thread about dogs just keep the kids supervised round it (same with any dog). it does not take much for them to snap.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Cheers for all the comments fellas I might stay away from the X breeds then! There is also a collie that i am looking @ aswell, so i will see how i go

[TVR-190]

get a dalmation, we have 1 for 10 years now, great dogs.

[Trevor 062]

Go for a Golden Labrador.

[VT SERIES II]

Ive had rotties all my life-

My mum used to show them when I was growing up so we always had at least two in our backyard at any 1 time. Also both of my uncles have Rottis as well so I can tell you exactly what the breed is like. Actually the last rottie we had was a champion show dog best dog I have ever had...
When I was really little I would pull his dinner away from him (I was adding more biscuits!!) he would just sit there and wait for me to slide his bowl back.

You can never judge a dog by its breed- it all comes down to the way it’s brought up. Some dog breeds can be more aggressive than others but it is really all about the way they are trained when they are puppies that dictates the way they will turn out as adult dogs.
With larger breeds like the Rottweiler you got to be tough even when they are pups, don’t let them get away with the slightest growl. You have to make sure your kids understand that it’s not “cute” when your new pup growls they soon learn they can get away with it and will continue bad behavior throughout its life.

Each dog that has been raised by my mum has turned out perfect, after our last Rotti died of old age my mum was so upset she said she would never have another dog again…..six months later my sister came home with a new rotti pup….
She let him get away with everything (as mentioned above she thought it was cute every time he did something wrong) and now as an adult dog we cant trust him around anyone, I find myself avoiding him at all costs.
My other sister has a pit-bull cross rotti- she is beautiful and well behaved.
Cross bred or not they are the same and need to be treated the same
To be honest if you don’t know what your doing and you have young children buy a staffy…..best family dog that will love you forever and ever- not too active but enough for fun family outings and mixing with other dogs. I have a gorgeous staffy at home that will love anyone that comes to the front door oh and my mum has one too….he loves everyone!
So yep we had them all!!!

Good luck

[ProphetVX]

Rotties are a great dog, loyal as, protect the whole family, and gentle around kids. The only people who have bad experiences with them are ones who didn't bring them up properly.

You need to establish authority early, then they are one of the most obedient dogs you can get.

As for crosses, well rottie x staffies are pretty good, they're smaller so a bit more manageable around kids when playing, and still very playful and obedient.

[Shortstuff]

We have a Staffie X. He's about 9 months old now and is really really good with the kids. Very obedient too, but also playful.

[And_ROOS]

I think Rotties make good family dogs, as well as guard dogs. Not sure about the crosses though. We has a Doberman that we had to give away to a security company, he was a great family dog but turned lethal as soon as he was outside our property. He was way too much of a liability and an accident waiting to happen.

If you end up getting a dog like a Border Collie, be prepared to exercise it and keep it busy as they will go neurotic on you. They are recognised as the smartest breed in the world and they will outsmart you at times (eg hiding your shoes, tripping you over on purpose, giving you a kick in the nuts if you dont give it the tennis ball quick enough, closing the door on you etc etc). Mine passed away earlier this year after 16 good years.

16 good years of nad kicking, shoe hiding shenanigans?

[trentvy]

I have read somewhere that the dobermans and rotties every few years tend to bite the hand the feeds them, they turn on you and try to become most dominant. Ive seen it happen with a mates dog. I mean he layed 3 shots of a steel capped boot and he pulled his head in and his still bein a good dog.. I've had a few dogs, labs, German Sheppards and dobermans. I used to hesitate with my sheppard around my little sister. after he died we gotta black lab (whom we currently have now) and his great. really smart, well natured, but still a boystus puppy. Id deffantly go with a lab. there great. Although i do miss the loyalty of the shappards

[wildss]

ive got a rottie x pitty and hes the best dog ive ever had.
the only issue i used to have with him was that he was very dog aggressive, some might say thats because hes got pittie in him but ive seen rotties which are just as bad as he used to be (hes no longer like this cos i had his nuts chopped off)

what are the rotties crossed with?

[tittezzzvr]

I had a rotti x lab & he made it to 16yrs befor we had him put down due to cancer & the only person he ever BIT was the VET. LOL
Of coars the bill was quite large on that ocastion but otherwise he was a absoloute ledg with kids
BUT no chance of keeping him out of water. LOL
labs

[jatsvl]

want a good family pet go the bullmastiff, fantastic with the kids! we had a rotti but had to put him down due to cancer at eight yrs he was a great dog, it took us 4yrs to get another dog and we changed breeds cos we would never get another one like him.
we tend to steer clear of cross breeds.

[xavie]

Everyone has a negative opinion on Rottie's except the people who have owned one.

Yes they can turn on, but so can any dog. Its how they are raised, its just most people who get rotties, are the wanna be "tough" guys and use them for "protectio," read imtimidation, and thats the reason you here more about them being aggressive.

Personally I would never get a cross bred, but thats just me. I seem to see more cross-breds that are just feral, and with something as big & strong as a rotty, I wouldnt want to.

This is in fact not completely true. All dogs like humans have instinct and dogs can't control theirs well. Rotweilers were bread to be a dangerous dog, it is in their nature. What it essentially means is that they have more of a chance then say a border collie at turning on a human or another dog.

It's true all dogs have that side to a degree but not nearly as much or as severe.

I'm not against any breed but breeds have there place and I have been told many times from vets and animal behaviorists that Rotts are not a family dog, especially around young children because their instinct IF jealous is to kill. This can't be taken out of them as it is so deeply ingrained.

[ProphetVX]

This is in fact not completely true. All dogs like humans have instinct and dogs can't control theirs well. Rotweilers were bread to be a dangerous dog, it is in their nature. What it essentially means is that they have more of a chance then say a border collie at turning on a human or another dog.

It's true all dogs have that side to a degree but not nearly as much or as severe.

I'm not against any breed but breeds have there place and I have been told many times from vets and animal behaviorists that Rotts are not a family dog, especially around young children because their instinct IF jealous is to kill. This can't be taken out of them as it is so deeply ingrained.

Errr I hate to break it to you, but Border Collie's also have a reputation for snapping around small children.

Rottweilers were trained to be guard dogs, not attack dogs. There is a distinct difference, while dogs like german shephards were attack dogs. A rottweilers instinct is to protect itself or its carers when attacked, they typically do not lash out at other humans unless provoked and poorly trained. Attack dogs can and will attack on their own accord, and are typically aggressive, whilst guard dogs are defensive. Rottweilers are very intelligent, very trainable, and very affectionate to their owners. They can however be hostile to other animals

Border collies due to how active they are, have been known to attack smaller kids when they do not get enough exercise.

I suggest you speak to these vets and behaviorists again, because the information you have received is that of someone who watches the news and hears about a one off attack from a dog that has been mistreated all it's life, and not someone who has any real experience with the breed.

The key to owning any medium to large size dog is training. Especially with dogs that have as much strength as a rottie. If you establish who is the boss early, they are one of the most obedient breeds out there. If you screw up the early stages of development however, there is a chance that things might go down the wrong path. My ex's rottie, you could place food on her feet and say stay, walk away for half an hour and the dog would still be there salivating at the food on her feet. They are not the actions of a dog that does not have control or respect for its carers. It's all down to training, you can teach them to be as vicious or as placid as you want.

[slo_firo]

i grew up with a rottie x german sheperd - awesome old girl, was a great family dog, had her from age 10 - 18 had to put her down she was riddled with cancer,

miss her alot in fact had alot of character, we replaced her with a pure bred sheperd now (a lil bit crazy this one)

[MasterOfReality]

Yeah,

Border Collies can be a bit moody and get over excited. Ours had a lot of patience and it took a lot to get him to snap. However, towards other dogs and people on our property he was downright vicious.

The vet once told us that he most commonly gets bitten by Border Collies!

I wouldn't recommend one if you have kids, they will try and round them up like sheep and generally overwhelm them and try to keep your kids in order (which might or might not be a good thing hehe).

[MEANVY]

NEW OPINION!

I've had crossbread dogs all my life, with the ecxeption of two (pure bred german sheapard and my parents current dog....bischon frieze)
Couldn't say a bad word against them, and they tend to be better looking and stronger than pure bread.
You know all the chromosome crap?
Well it's the strongest genes that make it into the kid, or puppy.
So theoretically, your getting the best of both breeds when you get a cross bread!

My current dog is a rottie/german shepard/kelpie/wolfhound.
Best looking dog i've had. Obedient, quick thinking and goofy.
Taught him how to sit a couple of days after i got him, come, drop, stay and all the rest.

Can't say a bad word against him, except he is still in the 'i love to chew things' stage.

I'd say go for it, and start it's training young. Get it all out of the way, and make sure you walk it every couple of days (at least). Even if your yard is big, they need the extra exposure they get down at the park or the oval, somewhere different (like humans)

Well that's my part.
Go for it, especially if it's free! Vets/worming tablets/registration is expensive enough without shelling out a couple of grand for a pure bred.

Cheers

[Beardie]

i have a border collie for the last 11 years and he has been the best dog i have ever had. never gave us any problems. they are very hyper but (mines 11 and still thinks hes a pup).
he has never been aggreserve with anybody. hes actually a bit of a player. everytime my misses comes over he will follow her around. same with my sisters friends. so if u give them plently of exercise and there well trained you wont have a problem with them.

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Thanks everyone for all the comments! Well all the free rottie pups have been given away, so am looking @ another dog @ the moment, its a Border Collie X 4months old Vacinated ect but i have not heard back from the owner as yet so will see how it all goes Anyway really appreciate all the input everyone! some very good info

[ProphetVX]

i have a border collie for the last 11 years and he has been the best dog i have ever had. never gave us any problems. they are very hyper but (mines 11 and still thinks hes a pup).
he has never been aggreserve with anybody. hes actually a bit of a player. everytime my misses comes over he will follow her around. same with my sisters friends. so if u give them plently of exercise and there well trained you wont have a problem with them.

I agree they are great dogs. I was just saying it's a poor example, because they have a bit of a reputation themselves. Any dog with the exception of a few are as gentle as the owners allow them to be, unless they have issues to begin with.

With any intelligent dog it comes down to training, sometimes they are too smart for their own good and make decisions for themselves unless authority has been established and that's where problems arise.

[Sharoo]

I adopted a 10 month old Staffy x mastiff (not sure exactly) from the RSPCA.
I have 2 toddlers and when I was picking a dog for us I went on personality not the breed.
She was described as a 'marshmellow'. She is a very loving, tolerant, placid dog.
My kids adore her. She usually follows them around during the day and watches over them.
I take her to obedience classes every week and she is progressing well.
I have seen rotties in level 4 and they are very obedient for their owners. Theres and older lady with one and even though she is small she has complete control over her dog, my dog is starting level 3 the next term.

Have you tried looking fr animals through the RSPCA? They have puppies needing homes all the time.

Heres 2 pics of my dog- even though she looks like a guard dog shes not. The black collar in the bottom pic is actually covered in diamontes..lol
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/n...8/IMG_0014.jpg

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/n...8/IMG_4508.jpg

[Joey_21]

my gf has a blue heeler one of the smartest dogs ive seen understands when the talk to it in maltese i kid u not like the will say "minnow" however u spell it it means "whos there" and she will run to the door and listen if anybodies coming and bark if theres some1 there i reckon she knows about 20 different words in maltese very smart blue heelers