Hi all

I would like some reasurance. My brother is getting a bitch rottie soon. The pups are now 3 days old and they will get her at 8 weeks. My brother and his girlfriend have 2 kids.
His girlfriend visits my house everyday and will bring the pup with her when they have it.
I have 4 kids and a 6 month old lab bitch. How do you think the rotti will be? Are they safe to have around kids and dogs?
And would they have to train her any different to the way i train my lab?
I am probably worring other nothing but these do grow into big dogs and i have only ever came across one before as  i child which had to be locked in the owners garden eveytime we went to visit because it didnt like children.

Thank you

Debbie

PS. I have read the breed guide on this site which in fact has worried me even more.

Ive met loads of lovely rotties!

Basically it depends what you expect from a dog, if you expect it to put up with kids crawling all over it, prodding, poking etc etc, then id advise you to do your best to keep kids away from the dog.

If the kids that will come into contact with the dog know how to treat a dog respectfully (ie calmly and kindly) then i really dont see a rottie as being any more potentiallyl dangerous as any other dog of a similar size.

If your brother is set on getting the dog, get him to make sure the parents have had all the necessary tests, (ie hip scoring etc), make sure he is going to take the dog to puppy classes at least, and the dog is goingi to be fully socialised and trained.

Em

Rotties make lovely pets just like any other dog. It all depends on how they are raised and trained. Never leave a puppy unattended with children or children unattended with puppy. Puppies can nip or children can hurt the puppy. As long as the puppy is properly socialized and the children know how to play with the puppy I can't see any problems.

I have a rotty cross and he's the best behaved pet I have, all the children and neighbours love him, he's very gentle and loves attention and nothing small about him. My friend rescued a 2 year old rotty who was beaten because she wouldn't be mean and she is very well behaved, just a real lovely dog.

I don't see anything wrong with the puppy playing with your dog as long as it is supervised since puppies can get a bit anoying to older dogs, just have something to keep the pup occupied so not to annoy the older dog when the dog has had enough of puppy play. Basic obedience you still teach the no nip, sit, down, heel, come ect, no difference there.

Don't worry so much :)

rotties do make lovely pets but it is the way they are raised,my male lives with a chinese crested and loves her to bits, he has also been raised with my children who are young, and he goes into the local nursery and infant school to meet the children there and he is gentle with them all,he loves all the guinea pigs we foster and trys to mother them all, our friends have a parrot and he lets it sit on his head and walk all over him when lying down, when we go up to the farm, when they had lambs about, he used to try and herd the orphan ones all together and would cry if they wanted to run away and play,
so try not to worry.
Carol

It has nothing to do with the breed really, a well behaved dog with good temperament starts with the breeding and continues through the training. Any breed, badly bred and reared, can and will bite the only difference is the larger the breed the more the damage.

A rottie pup is like a blank tape waiting to be recorded on :-)
give him a good upbringing,good food and gentle exercise and you will have a lovely dog.

Make sure it is from a reputable breeder who has done the health checks needed
and is there if you need them anytime in the future.

I think the easiest way to break a rottweilers heart is to ignore it,
they want to be with the family,playing fools,nicking kids toys
and just being close.

At this exact moment I have 3 in bed (they arent morning girls)
a pup so close to my feet its like slippers :-)

Best of luck and if you need ANY help click on my name and I
will help as much as I can.

Thank you all so much for your replys. My dog Buffy will still be a pup when my brother gets the rotti, (she will be 8 months old).
There isnt any worry about dogs not getting socalised propaply here, we just have far to much going on.

As for the kids since i got Buffy they have all learnt what is and isnt exceptable when it comes to playing with a pup/dog and they are all really well behaved.

I'm sure i will have lots more questions soon and i am really pleased that there are lots of people here able to help.

Thjanks again
Debbie

Don't worry, Rotties can be lovely pets. They are just a misunderstood breed of dog, I know lovely Rotties. Dont worry!
Hope this was reassuring
Izzi

Hi.

After reading your posts here and also some info about rotti's on the net. I was staring to get excited about the new pup, my brothers girlfriend and i then went to see the pups which are still only 3 days old. We were only allowed to look but we are now all really excited. Mum dog seemed fine and happy too.

Thanks Debbie

My uncle used to have a rottie with 6 kids 3 of whom were very young, the dog was so well behaved and friendly and loved them all. I also went on a school trip once where we stayed in a house with the Rottie, he was the first Rottie i had come into contact with and he was SO sweet.
As long as the kids are careful with him and dont hurt him it should be fine, but as you say they have gotten used to having a pup around :)
Leo (our 5 month sheltie pup) isnt too keen on strangers at first until he's examined them but he is brilliant with kids, he seems to know that they are young and that you don't hurt them.......ive known a lot of dogs like that so maybe its a 6th sense in a lot of dogs

Hi Greatbrit girl

My lab is the same, she isn't keen on strange adults and will make sure that she has one eye on them untill she is happy but she's great with kids. we live in a school house and our front garden gate is right on the schools entrance, she will sit out there all day wagging her tail and letting the kids play with her. She is also fine with the parents. Its only adults without kids that she is iffy around.

Debbie