Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Rottweilers: Anybody own one now, or in the past?

We got Mauser (pictured above) from a breeder 50 or so miles south of Dallas. At his farm he had the mother, stud, and a brother from a previous litter, named Kodiak. I noticed a couple of coyote hides on the barn and asked what he shot them with. He replied, "not me, Kodiak got them"

A little while later we were outside with all the pups running around, and Kodiak walks up looking to be petted. The litter of 4-5 week old pups starts swarming around him. He looks around nervously, and then steps with exaggerated care, carefully placing every foot, to move away without stepping on a pup. So he could catch & kill yotes, but was careful around young pups. Very well balanced personality.

I have a 14 week old Rottie and she is 35 pounds of joy. She can be be a little stubborn but she sure is smart. I am a very happy camper, so far. The neighborhood kids come down and play with her. I introduced the dog to the parents and explained the need to socialize while it is a pup. I am retired and have plenty of time to spend with her.

If I had not owned this breed I would be very cautious around them like any other guard dog breed and understand there are those that hate Rottweilers as much as Pit's.

I am less concerned with Dobermans, and even less so with German Shepherds but I had two GS's growing up.

My homeowners insurance would not insure me with a Rottweiler as well as a list of other breeds, I will address that when the time comes.






Clint, is this your first?

I can't say if socializing or being Alpha is more important but I believe you can't go wrong socializing the puppy with a lot of different people (strangers), the breeds instinct to protect their "space" should take care of those who are up to no good.

Never had one, but their body types really run the gamut. You find slender, not particularly muscled, Rotts and you find some that look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. And it's not a matter of them working out. It's just genetics. Definitely insist on seeing both parents before buying a puppy if you want to have a clue as to which type you're getting, if that matters to you.

Actually, they were, due to their size, employed by the Germanics as cattle guardians and draft dogs, but they were originally imported into Germania by the Roman military, i.e., they were dogs of war, bred for menacing and attacking anyone not wearing the uniforms of their handlers.

Bavarian Draft Dog.

My research indicates the ancestors to the German Rottie were Roman cattle dogs.

I owned two and to clarify, I owned their arse.

A few years back I was doing chores around the buildings and noticed some cattle milling around in the barnyard. When I investigated they were breathing hard and wide eyed. I climbed up on the corral loading chute to have a look around and spotted a yearling beef down on its forelegs about 300 yards out in the pasture and what appeared to be a canine harassing it

Got the Savage 99 250-3000 out of the truck and jumped on the ATV. When I got to within 50 yards a Rot quit chewing on the beef's back leg and stared at me. A Sierra 90 grain HPBT put him down.

The beef's ears and tail were bit off and a lot of blood was foaming out of its mouth. A bullet put it out of its misery.

In another incident, I was on a fence division Township committee to settle a dispute. While surveying one of the landowners showed up with a Rot. The Rot jerked the leash out of his hand and within seconds had one of the committee members by the leg. One guy prodded the dog with a prism pole and it let loose of the guy and bit on the pole. When the guy was clear I put three 9mm rounds from my Kahr CW9 into it.

Yes, this is my first Rottie. I have had Great Danes, shepherds and other mixed breeds. I have a GSD mix that goes about 75 lbs and the Rottie's head is a perfect fit for the shepherds mouth.The shepherd shows great restraint when playing with the Rottie.

We had a rotty/lab mix, a rescue dog.

Jack was a lot of fun most times, but he definitely had a protective/aggressive nature.

We had a neighbor caring for two mentally and phisically handicapped adults. Jack sensed their weakness and it brought out his killer mode. I had to be VERY careful with him.

Eventually he started killing deer in the yard at the cyclic rate. He became too much of a liability to keep.....

Since then, we look for a certain profile in a rescue dog. Smaller herding breed blood (heeler, border collie, cattle dog, mix etc) and female.

Here's a few pics of ol' Jack Boy,

One of the biggest mistakes people make with the "Guard Dog" breeds is to let them roam free. They should be securely fenced and/or leased at all times.

This includes German Shepard's, Dobermans, Boxers and all the Molosser breeds.

You want a med to large dog that can roam free get a lab.

You did right. It's to bad people choose to neglect their dogs.

My buddy's rottie was a slobber machine. Got rain-gear?

Absolutely!

Would not have mattered had they been poodles or yorkies, they needed killing.

A neighbor 3/4 mile away used to raise dachshunds. Sometimes he let his male Australian Shepard breed the momma weinie dog.

The brown or blue pups would range for miles in every direction and pester stock. Some of the local ranchers used to hunt them like coyotes, and the little bastards were damned near as sneaky.

I had to kill a few brown ones when I found them killing our Thanksgiving turkeys. Then the Ausie male made the mistake of coming onto our porch and growling at my wife when she opened the door. It took me a week or so, but I got him too.

Yorkies? Yes, one of those little schits got into the sheep pen and tugged on the wool on a ewe's back quarters. The dog never brought blood, but separated the skin from the underlying muscle and the sheep died.

No offense but I will pass on shelter and rescue dogs, my mother and her huge heart was notorious for this and I grew up with psycho or mentally defective dogs, I took in two adult labs 15 years ago thinking they only needed a good home, one was definitely psycho, the other awesome.

I can't take that chance with guard dog breeds, I want to see the parents too.

My oldest daughter wanted a puppy and a friend of her friend had Rott/Lab puppies. The little 6 week old puppy was a round puffball, but he grew to be 150 pounds (on the Vet's scale) before two years old, all the marks of a Rott with a skinny face. Thankfully, he is really lazy and extremely docile, and my daughter can't understand why people are scared of him.

Here is my last Rot, a wonderful female


I am going to echo what everybody else has said. Pick your breeder, look at both parents. Some have been bred for big bodies, giant heads, and aggression. Steer clear. Hip dysplasia is another problem--the parents should have certificates showing them to be free of the problem. Avoid any rescue dogs--they probably weren't well trained. Don't get a Rottie if you don't know how to train dogs. Dominance is an issue--You have to be the alpha. That doesn't mean you beat them to show who is boss, but you need to have the time and know the techniques. Obedience training is an art and a science--if you don't know how, sign up with a trainer who welcomes big dogs.
If you get a good one and train it right, you get a friend and protector without equal.

Thanks for the great information all. If anyone else has any experience, please respond.

I've had 2 rottie's. Both males. Everyone was spot on as far as they take lots of socializing as pups and training. Also the advice on looking for a good breeder and check the lines for hip displasia.
They are highly intelligent, and loyal to their master. Mine have been great with kids.
Our second one has a huge work drive and is most happy when given a job. He's been Schutzhun trained and now is working on doing herding training also. He's a big baby, but when he feels we are in danger, he will put himself between us and the threat, puff up his huge chest and give a growl that makes any sane person stop.

My neighbor about a mile away has an older Rott named crusher.
I don't like to get out of my vehicle unless they are home. They let it run loose but I don't think it leaves the yard.
I always carry a handgun and would shoot as needed.
We have wolves and coyotes already we sure don't need free range dogs in the neighborhood.

I've had mixed results. I got two pups twenty years ago. Betty was a couple weeks older and very smart. I trained her the basic commands and she learned real fast. After that she watched me work with Bigfoot and that was the last time Betty would follow any command. I tried every technique I could think of with Betty but she was just contrary.

A couple of weeks after the initial training a girlfriend who had experience with Rotts worked with them for a summer. Maybe that was Betty's problem, IDK.

Big was the opposite, that big blockheaded guy was just plain happy with me as the boss. Best dog I've had. Great temperament, loyal, protective, stayed home if she was chained up, just a good boy.

I never feared that either of them would hurt anybody, in fact they were too friendly as my neighbors can attest. Amy admitted to overdoing the socialization "but they were so cute" geez.