Rottweiler/Lab mix dangerous?

Phenix · 12-07-2006, 12:47 AM

Hi this is my first post on this forum. I have a 11 month old female Rottweiler/lab mix on hold at the humane society where I live. She is adorable and very sweet. Some people are telling me that she could be mean/dangerous due to the rott in her. Could she be a mean dog becuase of her mix?

The other question I had is...she has no training whatsoever....her previous owner payed no attention to her. As a result she doesn't know her name and is not house broken. How hard will it be to train an 11 month old dog? My brother and I have experience training dogs, we trained both our family dogs who have sinced passed, but they were pups when we did the training.

This dog is a love muffin and I would really like to take her home, I just need to make sure she wont turn ou to be dangerous and that I will be able to train her.

Thanks for taking you time to read my post!

Crazy Acre · 12-07-2006, 01:04 AM

I adopted a similar dog from a shelter that had a no-kill policy. she was a shepard/rott and her name was Chloe. She was house-broken though and as tame as they come. She was with us 3 wks and playing fetch in the back yard...when she decided to jump a small openeing in our fence where the fence and gate come together on the corner. She ran down the street to the neighbor's house two doors down and attacked our neighbor's dog which was on a leash and on a stake in front of their house. no reaction time and the neighbor jumped in between Chloe and his dog to try to pull her off his dog. He sustained injury to his hand and his dog had to have over 100 stitches. His dog made it...but to make a long story short he sued me and my homeowner's coverage paid him actual damages of $25,000. I was cancelled from my house insurance and I moved out of the neighborhood. Chloe had to be returned to the shelter and she was then adopted by another party almost 2 years later. The only moral of this story is she too was a love muffin but noone told us the dark side...the shelter didn't disclose any bad about her yet they had previous knowledge...our neighbor was able to get a sworn statement from the previous owner that she had informed the shelter of this bad behavior and they didn't divulge it on the paperwork (it was ommited on purpose!) and can you even believe that this dog was adopted out again??? Be careful...I hope it works out for you...there was probably some abuse in her past I'm thinking that she turned out that way...you never know with any dog you adopt really....Take Care

Dulce · 12-07-2006, 01:06 AM

You can never know ahead of time.

It depends on the work and effort you put into the dog. Put the dog in training classes, and be consistant.

I house trained my 4 year old dog, and my 1.5 year old dog. It's possible. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

Be patient, as it will take LOTS of time, and consistancy, and patience.

There's no quarentee that he will be exactly HALF Rott.

Good luck!

Nastya · 12-07-2006, 01:09 AM

Well, I know many Rotts that are sweet, so I don't think the dog will be dangerous.
As for the training, the prime age for training is a year max because they attain more information or something like that. But, you can still train it, it'll just take more time.

DogAdvocat · 12-07-2006, 01:55 AM

A dog can be trained at ANY age. Even old dogs CAN learn new "tricks". Get her in a training class, and be consistent. Use a trainer that teaches positive reinforcement, and you do the training - don't send her away to be trained. If you already know a trainer, have the trainer go with you to the shelter and evaluate the dog. There's never any guarantees, with any dog, and the larger the dog, the harder it is to control (physically), which is why it's so important to train and build a bond with the dog.

As for training an adult dog, I've always thought it was easier than training a puppy because puppies are so interested in everything going on around them that it's hard to keep their attention. That's not true with an older dog. It's like the difference between keeping the attention of a squirmy 2-year-old child and a 10-year-old child with a longer attention span.

The only thing I would be concerned about would be bringing in a large power breed with smaller beings like young children or smaller animals. If you don't have those to worry about, then give it a go.

As for housebreaking, do it like you were dealing with a young pup. Get her out frequently, go with her, and name it/praise it. "Good girl, potty!!!!!" When inside, be vigilant. If she has an accident inside, say NO!!, and then say "Let's Go Outside!!!!" If you find it after the act, roll up a newspaper and whack yourself across the nose for not being vigilant.

skelaki · 12-07-2006, 02:13 AM

And don't be afraid to issue appropriate voice and leash corrections when needed. She'll need to know both when she's done something right and when she's done something wrong (as long as you catch her in the act of either one).

Sawyer · 12-07-2006, 09:35 AM

I think this breed is misunderstood.

He will need socialization and training - all dogs do - but with a dog this strong and big you should ask your shelter for referals for training classes right away. Get him started asap. I like DogA's suggestion of taking a trainer with you to the shelter!

Phenix · 12-07-2006, 11:45 AM

She is actually not that big. She has the body of a lab and only the coloring of a rotteiler. I looked up pictures of rotweiller/lab mixes and she looks nothing like them. She doesn't have that big powerful rottweiler build.

Since my brother and I are the kids in our house....27 and 24 respectively (I know I know...time to move out) we dont need to worry about youung children and there really aren't that many young kids in the neighborhood anymore. I have already looked into training classes for her.

Thanks for all the input, it has been really helpful!

Keno's Mom · 12-07-2006, 01:13 PM

She should be ok. Personally I don't like the rotties, and am a little leary of them. But I do know not all are "bad" dogs.

Anyway, enroll her in basic obedience immediately. You might have a little problem with her as she's full grown and hasn't any training. Maybe speak with the obedience people first and explain the situation. They may suggest private lessons instead of group. Also you will have to be patient on the housebreaking. Kennel/crate her or only allow a certain area that can be cleaned up easily till she is housebroken.

The good thing is she's not a puppy and should be able to hold it longer periods of time. Set up a routing time to take her out and encourage her to potty before she is allowed to play, walk, etc. She should catch on fast.

The lab part is very intelligent and easy to train. We taught Keno to potty in a certain area of the yard (not fenced) in about a week and she was very reliable - we adopted her at 14 months. But she was trained/housebroken too

finallykatie · 12-07-2006, 01:46 PM

Honeslty, there's no reason to think that she might be aggressive just because she has the coloring of a Rott. She may not even be Rott since alot of dogs are black and tan.

Even if she is, our half Rott (the mom was a rott, that's how we know) is as sweet as can be. His dad was, we think, German Shephard with perhaps some heeler, and chow...

His mom was a little over protective and years after we got our boy, she was shot by the police. Our dog, though, is as sweet as they come, and he doesn't have the benefit of something nice like lab on the other side. He's never snapped at our grandchildren, even when they've grabbed his fir and sat on him. He's 70 pounds of sweet.

He's definitely protective of our property and us, which we like, but it's all scary bark and hackles. If you speak to him he disolves into wags and grins.

He's ALOT sweeter than our little Peke.

So look at her as an individual, make sure she's spayed, and don't assume she's aggressive.

Alot of dogs are actually timid which makes them aggressive when threatened. She might be under alot of stress, shuffled around as she's been. I think if you treat her kindly, take her to obedience, and make sure she's socialized, she'll probably be fine.

Lorina · 12-07-2006, 01:54 PM

My neighbors had two Rotties, an unaltered male and an unaltered female. These dogs were soooo "dangerous" that someone was able to break into their house and steal their tv by just bribing the dogs with milkbones. They were intimidating looking dogs, but very sweet.

I'd feel pretty safe about adopting the dog from a shelter. Most do temperment testing and evaluations, and won't adopt out a dangerous dog. They couldn't afford to risk a lawsuit by adopting out a dog that may be aggressive.

Dags · 12-07-2006, 03:06 PM

I adopted a 6 month old lab/rott/shepherd mix recently. I would not buy into that "rotts are mean" nonsense. Dogs are individuals just like people. Plus, it's all about how you train and play with them. Don't hit her to punish her, be rough with her during play or play tug-o-war or other mouth games with her. Train her to be patient, gentle and tolerant early on, and when she gets too rough, ignore her - do not even entertain her with a response if you can. 11 months is plenty young to train, as she will still be very much a puppy well into the 2 yr mark. You can train her after that as well, your techniques just might change as she matures.

My dog sounds a lot like yours (some rott markings, but smaller build) and she started out very timid and therefore nippy. But as we've trained her she has become more confident and no longer nips or cowers. She has never shown any aggression towards any other dogs, people or children. She's actually kind of lazy, reluctant to fetch more than a few times in a row.

She learns very quickly, mastering the basic commands: Sit, stay, lay down and shake within the first few weeks. We struggled a little with potty training and chewing since she is still teething, but after a few months, a whole lot of spot cleaner, and a lot of experimentation to find the right toys, she's caught on. If anything you might get lucky and surpass some of the chewing stage since she is a bit older. Labs and rotts looove to chew.

If you want to guarantee that she will not be a biter or over-protective dog (with you, her toys or her food), try messing with her while she eats. Give her food and take it away, then give it back to her so she knows you are in control but fully intend to be her friend and provide her with food. If you think it's not too risky (at her age it shouldn't be), put your hands down in her food dish while she eats (protect them if necessary), and get to the point where you can put your face down next to hers like you are going to eat her food. Pet her and mess with her while she eats or is concentrating on a toy or chew bone and it will teach her patience and tolerance. Have other people do it to her as well so she trusts others too. Then next time you have a toddler in house that wants to pet the puppy while she eats, you have nothing to worry about. She'll be a good sport and just assume it's just another annoying human.

Another thing we have done with our pup is socialize her a lot. We take her to dog parks, to friends' houses to play with their dogs, kids etc. This way she is around a lot of unfamiliar people and dogs at a young age and won't be prone to over react when she gets older. She is, by far, the kindest and most trustworthy dog I have ever had. We are constantly complimented on her sweet nature. I don't think it would have happened without lots of positive training and patience, but in hindsight it wasn't very hard. She's pretty easy to love.

blackrose · 12-07-2006, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorina

My neighbors had two Rotties, an unaltered male and an unaltered female. These dogs were soooo "dangerous" that someone was able to break into their house and steal their tv by just bribing the dogs with milkbones. They were intimidating looking dogs, but very sweet.

I'd feel pretty safe about adopting the dog from a shelter. Most do temperment testing and evaluations, and won't adopt out a dangerous dog. They couldn't afford to risk a lawsuit by adopting out a dog that may be aggressive.

I agree. Any dog can be dangerous if untrained and not socialized. I've known several Rotts and they have all been sweeties! I wouldn't be scared of adopting a dog just because it had Rott in it. If the dog acts like a sweet little baby, then she is probably a sweet little baby!

I'd say go for, just be prepared for both the Rottie and Lab temperment!

Phenix · 12-07-2006, 05:41 PM

Thanks for all the info....and opinions. I really appreciate you all taking your time to post this for me.

I think I am going to get her, she is a sweetheart and I know she will be good. I am definitely going to take her to training classes and definitely going to block off some of the house until she is house broken!

Thanks again and I will post some pictures when I get her. If anyone else has any more info or opinions I would still love to read them!

georgygirl · 12-08-2006, 12:50 AM

When I was a kid my grandparents had both a rottweiler and a doberman. They were the sweetest dogs in the world and they were never aggressive to my brother and I. They were always great with kids. The pair has since passed and my grandparents have another rottweiler. This one never grew up with another dog and she was never socialized with other dogs (she's a farm dog) so she does have issues with other dogs. But she absolutely loves people and will sit on your feet to keep you from leaving her. Bottom line is that Rottweilers get a bad rap. If they are trained and socialized they are great with people.

FranMan · 01-01-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phenix

Thanks for all the info....and opinions. I really appreciate you all taking your time to post this for me.

I think I am going to get her, she is a sweetheart and I know she will be good. I am definitely going to take her to training classes and definitely going to block off some of the house until she is house broken!

Thanks again and I will post some pictures when I get her. If anyone else has any more info or opinions I would still love to read them!

Did you get the dog?

skunkstripe · 01-01-2007, 03:31 PM

I do not have too much to add except:

Black-and-tan markings can be misinterpreted. Believe it or not, there are purebred labs with black-and-tan marks that most of us would swear are part Rottie:
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/mismarks.html

And as far as I am concerned Rotties have earned their place as wonderful dogs right up there with German Shepherds and Guide Dogs. This story is old:
http://www.privateline.com/dailynotes/index40.html
But tells of how a Rottie named Faith saved her owner's life by smelling that her medicine was not effective against an oncoming epileptic seizure, speed-dailed 911, barked into the phone, and unlocked the front door for the paramedics.

siberian husky lover12 · 01-05-2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phenix

Hi this is my first post on this forum. I have a 11 month old female Rottweiler/lab mix on hold at the humane society where I live. She is adorable and very sweet. Some people are telling me that she could be mean/dangerous due to the rott in her. Could she be a mean dog becuase of her mix?

The other question I had is...she has no training whatsoever....her previous owner payed no attention to her. As a result she doesn't know her name and is not house broken. How hard will it be to train an 11 month old dog? My brother and I have experience training dogs, we trained both our family dogs who have sinced passed, but they were pups when we did the training.

This dog is a love muffin and I would really like to take her home, I just need to make sure she wont turn ou to be dangerous and that I will be able to train her.

Thanks for taking you time to read my post!

Oh, no! Defenetly not. This puppy will be a very good companion to you, so If I were you I would take her. Labs and Rotts are usualy very good natured and rotts arent that mean. THey will ust protect you and your home with all there heart. Rotts do not attack people for just anything, they kind dogs but be aware the pup may grow to be HUGE, so if you dont have the time and commitment to train a very large animal, youu should probly take your hold off. Good luck with the pup!

dev22 · 01-05-2007, 07:32 PM

You can never determnie a dogs temperment based on a breed, ever.

Lokum · 01-06-2007, 06:13 AM

I hope one day you put her photos here cuz I am curious about how she looks like other question you are lucky cuz labdores are always ready to learn you didnt miss anything but you should be careful cuz as you said she has a rott part in it so I think you must teach the things with love not like a fight shut or without stubbornness labs are very hot blooded rotts love protection so that's a good mix

but share us her photos please