Ive bought a puppy Rotty, I want the dog to turn out to be a family pet and not a Guard dog. Ive been given some good advice on how to bring him up, and were off to puppy classes next week. But, how do I ensure that my pup Travis will know that I am boss and my wife and 2 children are also dominant to him ???. My family is my number one priority so I would hate to have to lose him over a bite to my girls.
Any suggestions!!

Hi Deancrook

You should not have to BECOME the alpha male you should already BE the alpha-male!

Treat your pup as a dog, forget about breed and the supposed macho image of the Rottweiler.

Be firm with him - don't let him get away with anything now that he will not be allowed to do as an adult such as jumping up, climbing onto furniture, begging for food or taking the children's food from them. Don't forget though that he does not yet understand the English language and will have to learn what the words and their associated actions mean.

Go to the training classes and remember that they are purely to teach you how to teach your dog, it is the work you do with him between classes that is most vital, if you can get your whole family involved in this.

You don't give the ages of your children - if they are youngsters then you will have to keep them separate or supervised, have you checked out the advice to new puppy owners thread there are some good points on children and dogs there

It concerns me that you have got a dog you sound as if you are already scared of, and thinking the worst of - he is a dog - YOU have the ultimate power of life and death over him. He is a baby puppy and YOU will be largely responsible for how he turns out as an adult. Be consistent, fair and firm and he should repay you all with many years of loyalty and companionship

Christine

Its funny reading your comments, which im greatfull for.
Im scared of Travis becoming one of the countless statistics that bite there owners kids. My girls are 2 and 4, and I am a responisble owner. I think preparing before travis arrived and now that he is here, and the actions im taking (puppy school, reading, chatting to people) prove that. At the moment he is fantastic, going out to the toilet during the day, he now sits on command and things like that, so I am training him already and teaching him right from wrong. I just want to get advice on what todo and what not to do, so that travis and my family will grow with respect together. Sorry if this sounds desprate, maybe im already doing everything right, but I welcome any advice and thanks for the link to advice on new puppy owners.
Kind regards
Dean

Hi,

I have a 2yr old and a 4yr old and we've got a 10mth old cocker puppy. I'd like to offer 2 peices of advice for you with regard to your children and the pup.

1. Never, ever leave your puppy alone with the children. It's really hard to get children to understand that the puppy needs time to himself and that they have to leave him alone. A tired puppy can become a snappy puppy.

2. Watch out for your little one and the dogs tail!! My 2yr old is fascinated with Holly's tail and will follow her around laughing as she tries to grab hold of it - Holly has perfected the art of walking across the lounge floor whilst crouching down to keep her tail hidden!!!!

Do you have an indoor crate? If not, then get one. I find Holly's crate invaluable and it's great to be able to feed Holly in there and put her away for some peace and quiet. I always encouraged Holly to sleep in there during the day and my oldest child (6) took responsibility for closing the door behind the pup so she was safe.

Good luck with your pup,

fiona
x x x

You say "Dont let them get away with anything" -- How do you stop them? They jump, you say "No!" they jump again.

All breeds of dogs have inbred characteristics..thats why we choose certain breeds. Its a good thing to be aware of your dogs natural tendencies from the get go.
Being Alpha isnt only about dominance and "winning the fight" for first place. The Alpha male is so because of his quiet self confidence and control over every situation. He controls the food, when its time to eat, who eats first, what is eaten. He sleeps and sits where he wants but others sleep where HE wants them to. He opens doors, he hold the leash on walks - he is in control of the universe.
He also decides the order of the pack. He feeds his children and shows them affection FIRST. He sometimes allows his children control over the food of the dog, THEY decide when the food will come to the dog. (lol they put his food bowl down for him).
When he comes home, the dog greets him, not the other way around. The Alpha male is always greeted by the pack - they grasp him under the chin in a show of submission.
I dont allow my kids to tickle the dogs under the chin, always on the top of the dog - to show that it is subordinate to them. The dogs arnt allowed on the kids bed but the kids can sit on the dogs bed (not in quiet times - just occasionally to show the dog that its the lowest pack member). If you all crowd around the dog and give it affection - you are mimicking pack behaviour towards the Alpha male.
Dogs are happy and secure when they know and accept their place in the pack (family). A dog which is always battling for top place with its owner will have a miserable life.

If you treat your dog as a dog and do everything with confidence and consistency - your dog will learn its position, accept it and be a good family member.

Good luck
Muffinsmum
(lol please feel free to ignore my advice - its just the way I have always done things based on my own research )

Hi Muffin,
You might have your kids pet/tickle your own dog on the head and not under the chin for 'order' reasons-- it's a new concept for me :) . .... but please let them be aware that petting a dog out on the street/at other people's houses can be much different than at home :)

I prefer kids reaching under the chin and I've seen it on others--especially the smaller breeds. The dog's eyes are not covered and they can see what's going on. It's not as an agressive a motion.

Over the head can be startling and sudden. I usually explain it to kids by asking how would they "like it if the first thing I did was reach up and touch them on the head so they can't see me?" They'll agree and eveyone is much happier that way :)

I also have trouble with kids running up and crowding me and my dogs. They love kids, just not being raced up to and then pressed in by bodies so much bigger than they are---- especially when not 'introduced' properly :rolleyes: I don't like it either :(

I only say this because there many kids out there who think that the dog they have at home represents every single dog out there in the world. Not saying that you don't teach your children how to behave around other dogs, but there are a lot of parents out there who don't :( Sure dogs are supposed to be subordinate, but there are many who just don't come in contact with children on a hourly or even daily basis to realize that the child won't hurt them.
toodles

I have to admit, my dog sometimes blinks/flinches if my children pet her on top of her head with quick movements. We've NEVER struck this dog, but who knows what happened before she came to us.

Quinn ..*I* would flinch if someone put their hand on the top of my head suddenly ;)

Maybe just a reaction to show she isnt used to it possibly?

Melody

You just keep saying no ..keep at it until they stop and then praise them.

Melody

dear dean
you do sound like a reponsible owner as you are asking for advise, as some people leave seeking advice till it is to late,firstly i would be teaching the children how to respect the puppy this may be hard with a two year old, always be present when the children are playing with the pup,never leave them alone,children can sometimes be a bit overpowering to a puppy, and of course a puppy's only defence is to use its mouth. i have found new owners that have took a puppy and then rang a few days later and said the pups vicious and attacking the children, when ive gone round to the new owners home you find the puppy been subjected to constant play never been able to rest ,parents allowing children to play unsupervised and one child held a puppy so tight that the poor pup could hardly breath,and of course the pup is going to find this annoying and retaliate, once this was pointed out to the children and parents all problems ceased. a very good book to buy is the dog listener by jan fennel , this will explaine to you how to become the leader, and make the dog the bottom of the pack as this is what he must be, i think this book will help you and believe me jans methods do work.i would recomend this book to any new puppy owner as it covers many problems new owners can face priced around 15.00 is well worth every penny, carry on with your training class, but dont make the mistake most people make when they come to our training class , every thing learnt in the class goes straight out the window when they get home until they return to class the next week carry on with the exercises given at home good luck let me know how you get on

Firstly, my kids are NEVER allowed to pat a strange dog anywhere on its body! ;) They are introduced to a dog (belonging to a friend etc) by giving a hand to sniff and then with pats on the back. The kids have been taught to recognise the signs of fear or aggression in any dog and to respect the fact that if growls dont work then biting may come next.
Our own dogs are different of course but they still dont pat the head (I would hate to have my head patted too lol) except of our huge Lab who doesnt seem to feel it anyway.
My kids dont get down on the floor lower than the dogs either. They sit with them with stay "taller" as a lower pack member will always approach a higher one by scrunching down low. If a dog is "standing over" you - it is asserting its dominance.
Most of these "rules" were strict as the dogs were growing up - they are more relaxed now that they are older (except our JRT pup who is still learning).
My three dogs are even fed in accordance with their pack order. My oldest dog (who was the smallest til the JRT appeared ) is always fed first, the Lab next and finally the pup. Even small dog treats are given out in this order.

I have NEVER had problems with the dogs being aggressive towards any family member. The kids treat the dogs as living creatures who dont HAVE to patted or pulled if they dont want to and the dogs treat the kids as members of their pack who must be treated with patience and affection.

Lol - the funniest thing at the moment is teaching a Jack Russell pup that it is lower in the pecking order than three cats! It seems to be working (until an especially wiggly cat tail happens past lol)

Muffinsmum

Thank you all for the sound advice.
Ive found now that Ive had Travis 2+ weeks that My initial question "How do I become the Alpha male" was the wrong question. I now know that when a new pup arrives in your home it already looks to you for advice as you are the owner/master. Ive found a fantastic website that has answered every question I have had about my puppy Rottie. Please check out http://www.the3rtclub.co.uk/ Im sure you will all be impressed. I was particulary impressed with the section on pack ranking, with my soon to be Large breed dog, here's just a snippet of what was said.
How do we establish ourselves as the leader?
Easy! We do this by establishing ourselves as the controller of all the important resources – food, attention, play, toys etc. Work to these simple rules :
Who eats first?
Who decides when attention should be given?
Who makes the decisions?
Who leads the walk?
Who decides how to greet people?
Who decides when to play?
Answer to all these questions is you!
Regards
Dean

HI Dean

Just wanted to wish you luck with Travis, you sound very keen to get things right and i'm sure that you will, and that you and he will have lots of fun together over the years.

If you are keen to follow the pack leader route, do try and get hold of John Fishers "Think Dog" which explains all the whys and wherefores, and also dispels a few of the myths surrounding how to be a good pack leader.

Dont' forget also, that there are plenty of owners who let their dogs eat first, lounge on couches, etc etc...I put my hand up as being one of those. My way is to basically ensure my dog always obeys my command as long as I am totally sure the dog understands me.

John Fisher along with many others later felt that the rank reduction programmes suggested and followed are successful because they give the dog a sense of familiarity and order in his or her day, rather than because of the ranking being manipulated.

LIndsay

Hi i have 2 large rottys one male ane one female, bud the male once faced up to me when he was about 12 months old and was 10 stone, what could i do get bit or hit him, and yes i hit him and brought him back down a peg of two. Every dog will try to take control now and again but you must always be firm and show him you are boss at all times, things like not leting him hold his lead, geting on the furniture, and when playing make sure he never tries to grab u round the neck. We have just had 8 pups and i trained all of them befor they left to go to there new homes, the more the pup is around children the better, not only does the pup need training but your kids do too. the last thing a pup wants is to be pestered by kids. rottys know who there boss is from day one if you are firm with him and give him plenty of your time, he will know you love him and wont hurt him. As for the rest of the family travis will protect them too, take them with you when you go for walks and spend time together. My 11 year old daughter can take my 2 rottys out on her own and i know she is 100% safe that is 23 stone of dogs she has to handle, but because i have trained them well i know they would never hurt her. When my pups have gone to there new home i have made sure the new owner has bought a good rotty book, you can learne alot from these books. You will have plenty of fun with travis, i think rottys are the easyist dogs to train. all my dogs live out side they are not guard dogs they are family pets, but they would protect there garden, and us no matter what. let me know what happens debbie

Hi Debbie

I just want to pick up on something you said
"My 11 year old daughter can take my 2 rottys out on her own and i know she is 100% safe that is 23 stone of dogs she has to handle, but because i have trained them well i know they would never hurt her"

She may be perfectly safe but could she really handle both of them if for some reason they felt she was threatened. Other kids messing about teasing or something like that ??? Could she control them both then if they thought they were doing the right thing and protecting her when really she didn't need it ?

I have nothing against Rottys or other large breeds at all but I am wary of children being reponsible for 1 large dog (let alone 2) no matter how well behaved the dog is normally. The *what if* scenario worries me no matter how responsible the child may be.

Sara :)

hi sara, thanks for your message and i do understand what you say, my daughter has been walking the dogs for 2 years, she takes them every saturday into the field out side my back gate, she meets up with 2 other rottys which are my rottys pups, i know she is ok as i keep a close eye on her from my bedroom window without her knowing i am there, all the kids on the street play golf with my dogs. for 2 years she has never seen me watch her but like you say you can never be too carefull as if somebody was to try and hurt my daughter the dogs would protect her no matter what. It is i that does the main dog walking with the children sometimes withe me, but she likes to meet up with the other rottys on a saturday, she thinks shes a big lady now because she helped deliver 12 pups and she nursed 4 when they died, 2 of my pups have stayed on our street, I dont think any one whould like to rob our street now there are 4 rottys here, we should rename our st to the rotty st. DEBBIE

lol - I'm sure my Mother used to do the same and watch me too ;)

I'm glad you didn't take my post the wrong way Debbie - with a little more explanation it all makes more sense.
I had visions of kids being kids and winding the dogs up when your daughter is out with them and then being surprised when the dogs retaliate but the situation you've described is alot different to her walking through a busy street with them with strangers around :)

I've only really *known* 2 Rotties (both named CoCo) and they were the sweetest natured dogs you could wish to meet. The breed has had bad press but then again if something that size does retaliate for whatever reason the power of the dog and it's jaws is capable of a lot of damage.

Your daughter sounds like a great dog lover and I bet she is never without a dog now through all her life ;)

Sara :)

what a lovely message u are right my daughter will never be without a dog now, all kids should have a dog i hate it when u see kids crying because a dog is near them. We live next to a football field so it is great for the dogs and the kids, the dogs only go in the field and to football with me they love to run so taking them walking next to roads does not please them, i have always had a dog when i left home i took my dog with me and he lasted 16 years. I love rottys they are like big pussy cats, but they have had a lot of bad press, it is not the dogs it is the owners that make them that way. When people come for a pup off me they can not get over how soft the big dogs are. But whilst breeding i have turned a hell of a lot of people away because they were the wrong kind of people to own a rotty. some people just dont have a clue how to treat a dog let along one of my pups, they were wanting to put a pup on a chain in a shop as a guard dog, and i was having none of that. my bitch cleo is driving me crazy at the moment she is due in season and frisky. she is chewing everything and trying to mount the dog bud which is geting on his nerves, they had a fight today and he split his lip, i put blood stopper on and it was ok. i think i will have to seperate them for a while. i dont fancy more pups yet. we all need a break

Well done for getting a rottie!
The best piece of advice i had from the breeder was don't let him do now what you don't want him doing when he is 12 stone!
Bear is such a kind dog, he is now 14 months old and not once has he ever tried to be dominant. Right from when we got him home, he was made to sit and wait until he was given permission to eat his dinner. From when he was little we would control his toys and when he plays with them. He will even leave his roast bone when he's told to, in fact he presents us with his chew when we walk into the room.
we attended puppy classes as soon as he'd had his final vaccination to learn socialisation. He has never growled or had a go at another dog , when a snappy terrier had a go at him, he just sat down.
He lives with 5 cats, 2 guinea pigs and 2 horses and behaves impecabbly.
Treat your boy firmly but fairly and enjoy him.
I'm really ashamed to say that i used to think rotties were devil dogs after all the hype in the papers during the '80s. Now i wouldn't have any other breed, the're brilliant!