Did anyone else read the 3 pages of assorted articles in The Times (supplement) today titled "The Truth About Rottweilers"?

It had a picture of a snarling rotty on the cover?

No, was it all negative?

that doesn't sound good...

Yes I had to admit when I saw the picture I thought here we go again, but it turned into a very possitive piece blamming bad owners and bad breeding.
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article3569510.ece

Thank you for the link Spitze. I have not had time to look, so appreciate that :)

oh, ta for that, it'll be great for my essay!

i have just read the report and i agree with what was said at the end  THERE ARE NO BAD DOGS ONLY BAD OWNERS

i have owned a rottie for 8 1/2 years and my husband grew up with them as a teenager i was scared for years to have one of my own as i thought the reputation was true but after we lost our two collies and were looking for a new dog we wanted to rescue but as we had a child under 10yrs old we could only have a Grey hound (not my kind of dog) we decided to have a look at a GSD and a rottie i fell in love we took her home early as the litter mates had been laid on and died. the owner didn't want use to loose our so asked use to take her early.

we had never had a dog that was not a rescue before and didn't know anything about KC papers she said she would post them on which of course we never received i have learn't a lot since then.

we took our girl to obedience class for three year solid never missed a week i loved it and so did she she was the best there many dogs with problems but not mine they learn so easy when you put into practice every thing you learn all week training never stops at the end of the lesson.

my girl has never bitten anyone i had three kids before i got her and two more since i now have one rottie and three bullies they are a pack and they know their place as do the kids they all live in the house and have their own room where they sleep i do not let my dogs upstairs and when the kids are running about they go into their room (door left open)

every dog needs its space and if more people understood dogs and took time to train them properly with a trainer them we would not be have this problem either in this breed or any other this i not just a rottie problem but i happen in many breed they just don't make good news.

SORRY ITS A BIT LONG BUT THIS BREED HAS SUCH A BAD NAME AND OF COURSE THE LOOKS I GET WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITH ALL FOUR DOGS WELL YOU CAN USE YOUR IMAGINATION

I often wonder , if a survey was done on the Rotti`s that have been in the centre of all these attacks in the last few yrs.  I wonder what sort of breeding and breeders they would have come from, a reputable ethical breeder ...or..

The sort like the people I know, who breed the Rotti gaurd dogs,  that roam a scrap yard and are chained up all day long....yet they breed these dogs,  and sell to the public advertising in the local paper.... for  less then half the price a well bred one would cost.

I love this breed, it is thee most gentle loyal breed,   but will only reach the press for negative reasons.

You would never hear of the PAT work they do, (a friend of mine takes hers to the Dougie Mac )

Or the one I met in Pets at Home, a few weeks back,, 10 yrs old, with an 70 yr old lady owner,  plodding around the store, then sitting by the rabbit pen,  "babysitting them"   the old dear said,  "oh she will stay there all day"  minding the bunnies,   she was adorable..

Benson,

Lucky you, wish I had 3 bullies and a Rottie, i'm Bullie mad and had a rottie previously.

Just have to be content with a manic Dobe for now, until I can gat a Bullie.

This subject really gets my back up.

Rotties are a fantastic breed and would def have another, although I would extensively research the breeding.

I think one of the main problems, or the main problem, is that Rotties became a must have fashion item, with idiots buying them left right and centre cos idiots with no experience were 'breeding' them to fulfill demand.

Couple this poor breeding and the irresponsible owners, you are asking for disaster.

I read this forum religiously but until now have never been brave enough to post. I just wanted to say I agree wholeheartedly with the comments on this topic regarding breeding and stupid people who want a dog as a status symbol, not a companion and friend.

I currently own (or should I say am owned) by 3 rotties, 2 bitches of 2 and 11 months, and a the most recent addition a dog pup of 16 weeks. I know the ages are a lot closer together than I would have liked, but we were fostering the pup and he's now adopted us so we can't let him go.

The story with him is as follows:
Bought by a stupid 20 year old lad for £70 (don't ask), taken home whereby the lads mother said something along the lines of "that's not staying here". The pup was fed only cookies and milk! Passed onto another stupid 20 year old, who already had 2 EBT's, his mum didn't want the pup there either, so he hid it in his bedroom and only fed it once a day so it wouldn't poo too much!!. Passed onto a 3rd young lad who works for my OH, he took it into his home where his lovely little staffie bitch had just had a litter, pup was 12 weeks old at this stage - needles to say the bitch protected her brood and attacked the pup.

My eldest was going into the vets for a minor op, so OH said bring the pup in to work for the day. Well he turned up looking like a bag of bones, with a face like an EBT it was so swollen and infected from the bite. We wormed him straight away - he was riddled with them. OH phoned up his employee and mentioned the worms, to be told - "oh he threw up when I brought him home and I did see some worms in that!", When asked why he hadn't wormed him then, was told "I couldn't afford it!". Why oh why do these people buy dogs if they can't afford even basic veterinary care. We'd been told that he'd had his jabs aswell but there was no evidence of this, so we paid for all his innoculations etc as well.

Anyway rant over - just thought I'd add my two penneth to reinforce the message that it's definitely not the dogs that are to blame here - but the owners. Luckily we got him in time (We think) to prevent what could quite easily have been another "Rottweiler attacks" story in 2 years time, he's turned into a lovely natured, quite outgoing little pup, although still obsessed by food - you'd think we starve him the way he reacts when food is around!!! Even with that obsession we managed within 2 days of having him sitting and waiting to be told he could have his food (just like the girls).

Poor chap, and if he had stayed with such owners he would have been used at stud on some poor bitch in equally unsuitable home, and so the cycle repeats itself.

I know a reputable Rottie breeder, have travelled to a show with her with my girls, and several of her breeding have come to the training classes my friend runs, and I meat others on walks.

Anyone around here who had never heard the anti Rottie hype would assume they were softest most  laid back big bear of a breed.

Certainly the ones around here have never shown any, not even dog aggression on walks unlike the ubiquitous Staffs, but only those owned by certain types of owners (hard boys and clueless young families).

It does have it's benefits - people cross the street when they see me coming!!

The little lad goes to work with the OH, my girls are at home and a lovely dog walker takes them out for a good hour long run midday. She tells everyone that my eldest is the perfect dog - excellent recall, perfect manners. It's only when she's with us that she has selective hearing, and even then it's only when she's found a particularly enticing smell. We found that we've walked on and she's miles back, OK I'm exaggerating slightly, not miles but seems like it when she's ignoring you.

There's a rather tempremental weimeraner that lives near us who i'd heard stories of when we first moved in, turns out he'd been attacked as a 3 year old by dogs that he used to play with, ever since then he was on the lookout, and would attack first. The owner always has him on a lead, I met up with him Xmas eve morning and got chatting, I was talking about how mine are better off lead than on, when approaching dogs, it was 6.30 and no other dogs around so we decided to let him and my eldest off for a run. He got a bit iffy on occassions but Dolly never reacted so they ended up having a nice long run - 1st time he'd been off lead in 4 years!

So I agree with you Brainless all of the Rotties I know just want a cuddle, as do most dogs. In fact I only ever have problems with dogs that have "short man syndrome". I used to own Bullmastiffs, and had a big male that just had an air about him that made other dogs want to have a go. I've left a park before where a couple of cockers were barking and snarling at him (he was on a lead). I asked the owners to get their dogs, but they laughed and said "oh they'll just get caught in his throat". Can you imagine if he'd actually retaliated the local papers would have been full of "PitBull attacks spaniels".

All dogs should be trained to at least a basic standard, the fashion for little dogs who are more used to being carried than walked just causes even more problems. The amount of people I've come across on walks that pick their dogs up as soon as they see us coming, those dogs don't get a chance to socialise properly, and get an overinflated sense of their own importance, resulting in all sorts of issues down the line.

I can honestly say that I don't know ANY nasty tempered Rottweilers / Staffies / Bullmastiff types, and they're not really my type of dog at all, I like my cute fluffy spaniels. But I do know several that are friendly and bouncy and haven't had enough training not to bounce on smaller dogs - all they need is a little recall and 'leave' training. I do however know several snappy Jack Russells and a Scottie that goes ballistic at the sight of another dog - why don't they get bad press? Again of course they generally just need some training. :-)

Hmm mine can be a bit bouncy - just got the middle one to stop putting her paws on the things she doesn't want to move away - like smaller dogs! When I had my bullies I also had 2 cute fluffy CKCS who didn't know they were cute and fluffy, and bumped into a lovely lady last weekend with an OES and a Shih Tsu who had a great time rough and tumbling with my 3 - quite a sight to see.

I think one of mine in particular is well aware of his 'cute' factor - they all love getting filthy just like any other dogs though. :-)

> I do know several that are friendly and bouncy

sounds like my boy, who when/if he does come to me will be getting some serious work done! though in his case he is just a really bouncy boy without a sensible bone in his body!

Well balanced article I thought, hopefully it will make some people think again about taking on an unsuitable dog (any dog not just rotties), and tarring all rotties with the same brush. However, how many of the idiots who buy rotties 'to look hard' read the Times? Not many I would imagine - should ask them to reprint it in the News of the World or Nuts magazine!
I feel for those who are responsible owners and breeders of breeds that have ended up with such a bad reputation, it must be soul destroying - so many good breeds are spoiled by idiots who don't know what they are doing.

just a wee aside out of interest there is a test you can do on written pieces to figure out a guide to the number of years of formal education you need to understand the article (obviously basic intellegence and genuine self education influence your ability). we had to do these in some training at work, worked out basically that the news of the world was about 6 years (that would be primary six) and the guardian was 15 years (as in university level)- the Times, i always thought a very high brow paper, was 8 years- 1st year of secondry school! i was really surprised at that. hadn't ever read it before then to be honest though (lol i'm a guardian reader!). i just thought for a paper with the reputation the times has it would be much harder

I was at a meeting yesterday where we were told that the average reading age of the population is ***8 - 10 years old***. What a sad indictment of our society.

Doesnt the press have a slogan "If it Bleeds, It Leads"?  Unfortunately, you see many reports of larger dogs, in the paper, which has the breeds portrayed as nasty or vicious. 

I dont particularly like the Rotti breed, but it has nothing to do with their temperment.  I am just a person that likes the deep chests and nice uptucked stomach.  Squarish dogs, arent my thing.  But.....

I do wholeheartedly agree that it is bad breeding and bad owners that make dogs the way they are.  And unfortunaltly, the larger dogs have been used as status dogs.  People are scared of them, because they have a look, and reputation.  And your irresponsible "status" people take full advantage of that.

But, with your responsible people, these big dogs arent allowed to get away with anything.  I would say I am more trustful of a bigger dog, than I am a smaller one.  For example:

My aunts dogs look big and scary to most people.  They sound it too, when they want to.  But, they are the most gentle dogs going.  Fully trained, properly behaved.  Its because a responsible person said "nothing I dont want to happen when they are older, am I gonna think is cute when they are pups"  They were never allowed to jump up, puppy bite, or anything.  And now she has a kennel of well mannered Dobermans.
A lot of toy breeds, arent so friendly.  A lot of people think it is cute when a toy breed growls or play bites.  They are not treated like dogs, and are carried around in little purses, and in peoples arms almost all the time.  Growling is a form of play to these dogs.  Snapping at unfamiliar hands is "cute".  I have been snapped at/growled at/or bitten by more smaller breeds than your so called nasty larger dogs.

But heaven help us, if a person buys a larger breed mainly for aggression.  Thats when you see these attacks. 
It forces responsible breeders to be ten times more careful when selling pups.  But when BYB can sell pups for 125 dollars for a Rotti, then its there that the status people will go. 

yes that the figures...scary isn't it? it actually really annoys me to be honest. we have a very good education system, i would not say its perfect, it certainly has its major faults, but there is a system in place to allow everyone to acchieve a decent level of education. if you choose to dedicate yourself most people can do pretty well at school. similarly everyone can go to uni now, there are not the financial restrictions there once were. i've never had money off my parents etc for uni and i have worked alongside studying right the way through my course so its totally do able. i just get so annoyed at the appathy of some people who doss about then expect benefits to support them (i am certainly not saying this is everyone btw but i'm sure we all know people like this) (lol thisi s probably the most right wing thing i've ever come out with). there are those who are not in a situation to get on further which i can understand and sympathis with but there are those out there who are just plain lazy! rant done :)

A lot of people think it is cute when a toy breed growls or play bites

Totally agree, have only ever been bitten once and it was by my friends mum's Yorkie who didn't like me leaving the room- and it hurt!! My MIL's Westie was a vicious, jealous little madam too!
Its just sad that some breeds get into the wrong hands and are totally ruined, bigger breeds can do so much more damage when they do bite that it makes the headlines everytime! Half of them don't seem to look after their kids either!

I never believe the stats on dog bites etc there are so many variables and things can be massaged to imply whatever is wanted.

I treat stats, tests and findings about everything , including so called averages with a pinch of salt too:0)

This is so true.  Stats can be very misleading.  I can safely bet, that there are more Rottis and GSDs than there are Xolo's.  (if you have to look it up, it definately proves my point.  Xolo's are Mexican Hairless Dogs) So if 5 out of every 100 Rottis or GSD bite, and only 1 Xolo bites, then those numbers look real bad.  But, there are say (pulling numbers random out of my head to make a point) 1 million shepards compared to say 75 Xolos, it actually means by stats and percentages that Xolos bite more.  But when you see 5/100 (5%) compared to 1/75 ( 1.3%) of Xolos, then it does look like the GSD or Rotti is way more mean in terms of bite counts.  The media will portray it like this: 5% of all GSD or Rottis bite, while only 1% of Xolos bite.  They never put out of how many dogs.  Because when you see that there were 1 million GSD/Rotti registered, compared to only 75 Xolos, it then puts it into perspective, and it is more accurate.  But the media doesnt want that, they want only half truths.

Oh, if you happen to check my math, its 8:30 am and no calculater, so I expect it to be wrong. 

The way I look at it is this:  All dogs have teeth, therefor all are capable of biting.