Can a Rottweiler ever be trusted with goats and chickens

[terrilhb]

My DD bought a Rott pup. He is 14 weeks old. Her and her fiance have broken up (another story) We have 4 dogs that are good with our animals. I love rotties but do not know how they will do with goats and chickens. He will not ever be allowed around them unsupervised or off leash. At what age would he be able to be trusted with them? How do we train him to be trusted? I am just worried he will hurt them. If he does he will be gone. Thanks

 

[carolinagirl58]

I had rotties for many years. Some were as dumb as rocks, others were brilliant! I think it's going to depend on the dog. How smart is he? Does he learn things easily? Is he really anxious to make you happy? If so, it should be easy enough to teach him the rules. Originally they were dogs with a high prey drive but now there are some that excel in work and some that are calm and easy going. If he has a lot of Schutzhund in his pedigree it may be a bit harder since those are strong working lines. If he has registered therapy dogs or dogs with obedience titles in his lines then the training should be easier. Good luck!

 

[terrilhb]

Thanks for answering so quickly. He seems to be very smart. He already sits and lays down on command. He does not stay down long but that is to be expected being so young. I also have to get my 4 used to him. And my DH is not going to be happy with another dog. Somehow we always end up with our kids pets. Hopefully we won't this time considering she spent 300.00 for him and no papers. Now I am just ranting sorry. But better here that to him. That could be really bad and ugly.

to her ex.

 

[glenolam]

I think if you start from day 1 teaching the pup that it's no OK to "play" with the animals he will probably get it and finally be able to be around the animals unsupervised, but carolinagirl is correct - it also depends on the dog.

 

[carolinagirl58]

For $300 and no papers, he could come from any kind of bloodlines. There are a lot of puppy mills out there breeding some really crappy and unstable rotties. As much as I love rotties, I really didn't want one this time around as we looked for a new watchdog. When I had the last ones, my kids were older. My old rottie died a few years ago and my pit bull is way too sweet to be a good watch dog. Plus she is a house dog and sleeps like a rock. Because I have a 3 year old grandson I did not want any breed that had a prey drive so I chose an Anatolian shepherd. It's good that you are training him early. At 14 weeks old, he is old enough to learn basic obedience. Don't let him get up on his own because it teaches him to disobey you. So don't set him up for failure. If you tell him to lay down and he obeys, make him lay down only for a few moments and then let him up and praise him. He needs to not get up on his own. If he tries to get up, put him back down until YOU let him get up. Also, if he isn't neutered, I'd make sure you get that done. He will be much easier to handle if he is neutered.

 

[Msbear]

Rotts are herding animals and are bred purposefully for helping to care for you and your animals. Their biggest desire is to do you proud. It's not the breed I would be concerned about but rather the dog's training.

 

[Heathero617]

Rtties must be trained as part of a pack, with the head human the alpha. So if he is your daughters, then she is the one to be the alpha, the rest of the family comes down the line. They are herding dogs by nature. They are super smart although they may ACT dopey or dumb. 14 weeks is still very much a puppy, but should be trained very strictly from the word go. I went through some very strict training, just to learn to train my big German boy prperly. I was then able to trust him with a lot, including kittens and bunnies. Rotties have a bad reputation, just as pit bulls do. But with the right conditioning, training, and love, they are some of the best dogs out there. Mine thought he was a lap dog at 165lbs! As far as paying 300.00 without papers, it seems to be the "going rate" for pet quality dog of just about any breed. When I got our German >bought him for my hubbs 18th birthday< I paid 400.00 with papers, his pedigree was well documented, the lineage was awsome, both parents from strict breeders in Germany. This was nearly 20 years ago, so by inflation standards, the same dog I got for a mere 400.00 would run you about 1000.00 to 1300.00 now if not more. So don't allow the cost and lack of papers make you think that he came from a puppy mill, poor breeding, or anything negative. Each dog is different, but if you train, and train hard with these guys you wont be sorry at all!


ohhh ps...they are super food motivated so hotdog pieces or pieces of boiled chicken work wonders with training. And a very important word of advice on feeding of the baby, always feed from an elevated surface. When we got ours there was nothing in any literature i could find about it, but Rotties are prone to suffering from bloat. Thats how my guy died at 4 years of age
)O:

ood luck to you and enjoy the new addition to the family.