DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF .................

YOU ARE FASTIDIOUS ABOUT THE NEATNESS OF YOUR HOME.

The Rottweiler's short coarse coat and undercoat do shed . Generally shedding is confined to once or twice per year, but Rottweiler females may "blow coat" during their heat cycles, and some Rotties shed more than others. I don't mean to imply that you must be a slob or slattern to live happily with a Rott, but you do have to have the attitude that your dog's company means more to you than does neatness and you do have to be comfortable with a less than immaculate house.

The Basenji is perhaps the cleanest, due to its cat-like habits.

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU DISLIKE DAILY PHYSICAL EXERCISE. Rottweilers need exercise to maintain the health of heart and lungs, and to maintain muscle tone. Because of his mellow, laid-back, often lazy, disposition, your Rottweiler will not give himself enough exercise unless you accompany him or play with him. An adult Rottweiler should have a morning outing of a mile or more, as you walk briskly, jog, or bicycle beside him, and a similar evening outing. For puppies, shorter and slower walks, several times a day are preferred for exercise and housebreaking.

All dogs need daily exercise of greater or lesser length and vigor. If providing this exercise is beyond you, physically or temperamentally, then choose one of the many small and energetic breeds that can exercise itself within your fenced yard. Most of the Toys and Terriers fit this description, but don't be surprised if a Terrier is inclined to dig in the earth since digging out critters is the job that they were bred to do.

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU BELIEVE THAT DOGS SHOULD RUN "FREE".

 Whether you live in town or country, no dog can safely be left to run "free" outside your fenced property and without your direct supervision and control. The price of such "freedom" is inevitably injury or death: from dogfights, from automobiles, from the pound or from justifiably irate neighbors. Even though Rotts are home-loving and less inclined to roam than most breeds, an unfenced Rott is destined for disaster. Like other breeds developed for livestock herding, most Rotts have inherited a substantial amount of "herding instinct", which is a strengthened and slightly modified instinct to chase and capture suitable large prey. The unfenced country-living Rott will sooner or later discover the neighbor's livestock (sheep, cattle, horses, poultry) and respond to his genetic urge to chase and harass such stock. State law almost always gives the livestock owner the legal right to kill any dog chasing or "worrying" his stock, and almost all livestock owners are quick to act on this! The unfenced city Rott is likely to exercise his inherited herding instinct on joggers, bicyclists, and automobiles. A thoroughly obedience-trained Rottweiler can enjoy the limited and supervised freedom of off-leash walks with you in appropriately chosen environments.

If you don't want the responsibility of confining and supervising your pet, then no breed of dog is suitable for you. A neutered cat will survive such irresponsibly given "freedom" somewhat longer than a dog, but will eventually come to grief.

READ THIS PARAGRAPH TWICE!

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY, FEED, AND PROVIDE HEALTHCARE FOR ONE.

Rottweilers are not a cheap breed to buy, as running a careful breeding program with due regard for temperament, trainability, and physical soundness (hips especially) cannot be done cheaply. The time the breeder should put into each puppy's "pre-school" and socialization is also costly. The "bargain" puppy from a "back-yard breeder" who unselectively mates any two Rotts who happen to be of opposite sex may well prove to be extremely costly in terms of bad temperament, bad health, and lack of essential socialization. In contrast, the occasional adult or older pup is available at modest price from a disenchanted owner or from a breeder, shelter, or rescuer to whom the dog was abandoned; most of these "used" Rottweilers, after evaluation by an experienced handler and vet check, are capable of becoming a marvelous dog for you if you can provide training, leadership, and understanding. Whatever the initial cost of your Rottweiler, the upkeep will not be cheap. Being large dogs, Rotts eat relatively large meals. (Need I add that what goes in one end must eventually come out the other?) Large dogs tend to have larger veterinary bills, as the amount of anesthesia and of most medications is proportional to body weight. Spaying or neutering, which costs more for larger dogs, is an essential expense for virtually all pet Rottweilers, as it "takes the worry out of being close", prevents serious health problems in later life, and makes the dog a more pleasant companion.

Rottweilers are subject to quite a few genetically derived health disorders, however, two conditions in particular are extremely prevalent and can be costly to treat: hip dysplasia and parvovirus. Your best insurance against dysplasia is to buy only from a litter bred from OFA or foreign hip certified parents and [if possible], grandparents. Yes, this generally means paying more. While suceptibility to parvovirus may have a genetic predisposition, there are no predictive tests allowing selective breeding against it. Your best prevention is to follow the vaccination schedule recommended by your breeder in concordance with their veterinarian. As far as other genetically dreived health disorders, such as entropian, elbow dysplsia, cataracts, von Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder), and heart disorders, ALWAYS buy from a breeder who gives you a written contract guaranteeing against these disorders.

 Finally, the modest fee for participation in a series of basic obedience training classes is an essential investment in harmonious living with your dog; such fees are the same for all breeds, though conceivably you will need to travel a bit further from home to find a training class teacher who is competent with the more formidable breeds, such as Rottweiler. The modest annual outlays for immunizations and for local licensing are generally the same for all breeds, though some counties have a lower license fee for spayed/neutered dogs.

All dogs, of whatever breed and however cheaply acquired, require significant upkeep costs, and all are subject to highly expensive veterinary emergencies. Likewise all cats.

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU WANT THE "LATEST, GREATEST FEROCIOUS KILLER ATTACK DOG".

Although the Rottweiler's capability as a personal protection dog and as a police dog have been justifiably well publicized, and occasionally dramatically over-stated, the Rottweiler is not any more capable in these respects than are half a dozen other protection breeds. Nor are all Rottweilers equally capable: some are highly so and some moderately so, but many have insufficient natural capacity for such work. Due to his laid-back disposition, the Rottweiler is, if anything, a bit slower to respond aggressively to a threat than are most other protection breeds. For the same reason, however, the Rottie is perhaps somewhat more amenable to control by the handler and somewhat more willing to follow commands to refrain from biting or to stop biting when told to do so.

Whatever the breed, before the dog can be safely protection trained, he must have great respect for the leadership of his handler and must be solidly trained in basic obedience to that handler. Equally essential, he must have a rock-solidly stable temperament and he must also have been "socialized" out in the world enough to know that most people are friendly and harmless, so that he can later learn to distinguish the bad guys from the good guys. Even with such a dog, safe protection training demands several hundred hours of dedicated work by the handler, much of it under the direct supervision of a profoundly expert trainer.

Please don't buy any dog for protection training unless you are absolutely committed to the extreme amount of work that will be required of you personally. Also talk to your lawyer and your insurance agent first.

In contrast to the protection-trained dog, trained to bite on direct command or in reaction to direct physical assault on his master, the "deterrent dog" dissuades the vast majority of aspiring burglars, rapists, and assailants by his presence, his appearance, and his demeanor. Seeing such dog, the potential wrong-doer simply decides to look for a safer victim elsewhere. For this job, all that is needed is a dog that is large and that appears to be well-trained and unafraid. The Rottweiler can serve this role admirably, with the added assets of generally dark color and "bestial" appearance adding to the impression of formidability and fearsomeness. If the dog has been taught to bark a few times on command, eg "Fang, watch him!" rather than "Fifi, speak for a cookie", this skill can be useful to augment the deterrent effect.

Other breeds of dog which are equally suitable for protection or for deterrence include the Doberman, German Shepherd, Briard, Belgian Sheepdog, Bouvier des Flandres, Belgian Tervuren, and Belgian Malinois. Of these the first 2 are also recognized by the general public as "police dogs". The Malamute, though not suitable for protection, is quite effective for deterrence due to his highly wolf-like appearance.

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU WANT A TOTALLY UNAGGRESSIVE AND UNPROTECTIVE DOG.

Most Rottweilers have an assertive and confident personality. When confronted with a threat, a proper Rottweiler will be somewhat more ready to fight than to flee. Thus he may respond aggressively in situations where many other breeds back down. Most Rottweilers have some inclination to act aggressively to repel intruders on their territory (i.e. your home) and to counter-act assaults upon their pack mates (you and your family). Without training and leadership from you to guide him, the dog cannot judge correctly whom to repel and whom to tolerate. Without training and leadership, sooner or later he may injure an innocent person who will successfully sue you for more than you own. With good training and leadership from you, he can be profoundly valuable as a defender of your home and family. (See also remarks on stability and socialization above.)

If you feel no need of an assertive dog or if you have the slightest doubts of your ability and willingness to supply the essential socialization, training and leadership, then please choose one of the many breeds noted for thoroughly unaggressive temperament, such as a Sheltie or a Golden Retriever.

READ THIS PARAGRAPH TWICE!!

DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO COMMIT YOURSELF FOR THE DOG'S ENTIRE LIFETIME. DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU DON'T VALUE CONSTANT COMPANIONSHIP AND SOMETIMES PHYSICAL AFFECTION . A Rottweiler becomes deeply attached and devoted to his own family,

 No dog deserves to be cast out because his owners want to move to a no-pet apartment or because he is no longer a cute puppy or didn't grow up to be a beauty contest winner or because his owners through lack of leadership and training have allowed him to become an unruly juvenile delinquent, with a repertoire of undesirable behaviors. The prospects of a responsible and affectionate second home for a "used" dog are never very bright, but they are especially dim for a large, poorly mannered dog. A Rottweiler dumped into a Pound or Shelter has almost no chance of survival -- unless he has the great good fortune to be spotted by someone dedicated to Rottweiler Rescue. The prospects for adoption for a youngish, well-trained, and well-groomed Rottweiler whose owner seeks the assistance of the nearest Rottweiler Club or Rescue group are fairly good; but an older Rott has diminishing prospects. Be sure to contact your local Rottweiler club or Rescue group if you are diagnosed with a chronic illness or have other equally valid reason for seeking an adoptive home. Be sure to contact your local Rottweiler club if you are beginning to have difficulties in training your Rottweiler, so these can be resolved. Be sure to make arrangements in your will or with your family to ensure continued care or adoptive home for your Rottweiler if you should pre-decease him.

The life span of a Rottweiler is from 9 to 12 years. If that seems too long a time for you to give an unequivocal loyalty to your Rottweiler, then please do not get one!

 Indeed, as most dogs have a life expectancy that is as long or longer, please do not get any dog!

For ROTTWEILER RESCUE Info in your area - please see *Rescue Links.

Linda

  From Tammy [aka: Dixie Chick]