Puppy Rottweiler

Hughesy84

Anyone got a Rotty?

Iv seen an advert in the local shop - just £100 for an 8 week old male......really considering it!!

Anyone know of any common ailments they have or anything?

The girl selling....is due to the fact she has a little lad and the pup is being abit nippy (as per any puppy)

alyth

Well I have a six year old rottie, and I would say that you should only considering buying the puppy if you have a lot of time to train him properly. I got my dog when he was a year old from a guy who bred, showed and trained rottie, and my doglet is fantastic, but I have always been very strict with her. You have to be in control all the time, I live on an estate where there are animals, if my dog sees a deer in the distance she will stand and look at it as I've always trained her not to run after anything, other dogs tear after them.

Aside from the fact that you will have to deal with people commenting on the fact you have a rottie, (I'm small blonde and nearly 40) they make fantastic companions. I've been on my own for the last 18 months and my dog is extremely loyal to me, most people she will welcome into the house, but I have relied on her judgement in the past, she would not let one male friend into the house for some reason, it was the only time she demonstrated scary rottie barking and growling, she he was turfed out!

With regards to ailments, your main problems will be hip and cruciate problems. My dog's had both cruciate ligaments replaced at a cost of £3500, but I've posted on this site before about that and it seems common amongst other dogs as well.

Insurance is a must of course - not only to cover illnesses, but in case your dog bites someone as they sue! it's not a decision to be taken lightly, having a rottie, or any dog for that matter, they are huge powerful dogs, because mine is a !!!!! she's not as large as males but she's still 35kgs!

If there is a rottie rescue place nearby why not contact them for more infomation - in Fife there is a fantastic place. They are not status symbols, your post implies slightly that you're considering the dog for that aspect, rotties need a huge amount of training, care and attention and you should only think about taking the dog if you can devote a lot of time to it.

Raksha

Rotties are susceptible to hip problems - a cheap Rottie possibly even more so because the cost for getting the parents hips checked are expensive and the breeder will be looking to get those costs back. The vet treatement (if the condition is treatable, some aren't) is expensive and life long.

A Rottie is not the sort of dog to get on a whim - nor is any dog come to that. If she's only paid £100 for it, it's very likely to come with all sorts of problems and not be well socialised

I'd run, rather than walk away from this one if I were you. Plenty of nice Rotties in rescue.

BonandDom

We have four year old boy rotty and what a soft, stupid, loveable buffoon he is.

Fantastic dogs if treated right - have to be strict with them, train them well (they are v. v. v. intelligent) and watch the exercise - as with any dog - whilst they are stilll growing.

People are scared of them, people round here have known our Blobs since he was a little tiny thing but seem to forget he has grown somewhat so when he sits, waggles his bum and "leans" for a stroke, they often look as if they're about to topple over.

He is kept on a lead except when in a large open field with no other doogs about. This is for one reason only, every other dog attacks him, not sure whether they are intimidated by him or sense that he is the lowest in our pack, below me, OH, DD, jack Russell and Border Collie!

We thought long and hard about getting a rotty, lots of experience with many other dog types (border collies, jack russells, GSD, bearded collies, labradors) and did lots of investigation before making one of the best decisions of our lives.

Hughesy84

First of all im not just getting a dog 'on a whim'. Iv had dogs before and iv also got experience with my best mates Rotty.

Iv wanted a dog for ages (living with missus parents) so it wasnt an option, however I now have the option to get a 'good' dog for cheap and also I have a place for it to live....

It wouldnt be my choice dog...simply because I want a Blue Staffy, but for £100 I thought it was a good deal.

The woman that owns him paid £200 for him, and is worried that her little boy is tormenting the dog too much.

BonandDom

If that's the case - GO FOR IT!

I can't recommend the breed highly enough for temperament as long as previously mentioned are trained right. (Click & reward everytime for me I'm afraid).

UKTigerlily

I don't know much about Rottweilers, but what I will say is it sounds like at present you don't know much about them either, and so i'd not get this one but spend time researching the breed & see if it'd be the right breed for you. Staffs are my favourite breed, but I ruled them out as not suitable then went to a rescue & the dog they picked for me was a Staff & she's great! I'd work out if you have the time & money for such a breed, they do need firm handling from what I hear & would need to attend weekly training classes, the food & insurance wouldn't be cheap & they may need lots of exercise when old enough (Not sure how much!)

If you live in rented accommodation do you have written landlords permission to keep one? Can you afford worming/flea treatments/vaccinations/neutering (If not done) etc

I'm sure you've thought of all this, but there's lots to consider whatever breed you get, price should be the very least of your consideration though. Also, if you want a Staffy & end up going for one, please take on a rescue one & don't 'support' breeders!

I'm sure there will be people who know about Rotti's here soon & hope whatever dog you get you enjoy even half as much as I do mine!

Fire_Fox

Hughesy84 wrote: »

First of all im not just getting a dog 'on a whim'. Iv had dogs before and iv also got experience with my best mates Rotty.

Iv wanted a dog for ages (living with missus parents) so it wasnt an option, however I now have the option to get a 'good' dog for cheap and also I have a place for it to live....

It wouldnt be my choice dog...simply because I want a Blue Staffy, but for £100 I thought it was a good deal.

The woman that owns him paid £200 for him, and is worried that her little boy is tormenting the dog too much.

What will you do if the pup remains a bit nippy into adulthood, despite your best efforts at training, and then you decide to start a family? Also why isn't the lady returning the pup to the breeder, any good breeder will insist on this?

foreign_correspondent

Firstly - be realistic....

does your lifestyle suit a pup right now?

Will it suit having a large dog for the next 10-15 years?

Can you find the time for training, exercising, walking, every day?

Can you find the time to take him/her to puppy training classes?

Can you afford insurange, food etc (I would definitely insure a dog that may have joint problems in later life) and boarding fees for when you go on holiday?

What does your partner think?


.. secondly, do you like rotties or are you just interested because it it cheap? How do you get on with your friends dog? Do all the research you can, and then decide.

NB - if it is only eight weeks old now, how long has she had it? It should not be parted with mum till eight weeks....

supersaver66

I have a rottie too and they are great dogs, however you have to be firm in training and they need a fair bit of exercise or they will have a tendancy to get bored and start destroying things! (as most dogs do).

I think the benefits of these dogs are well worth putting all the effort into them. Very loyal companions.

Forgot to add they are prone to hip problems too.

Lobell

I will start by saying that I love Rotties...I have a Rottie X myself and hope to own a purebred one in future.

That said, I wouldn't touch this pup with someone else's bargepole. It is a breed that has been massively overbred and that's where the health and temperament problems come from. With a powerful guarding breed, I would be wary of taking on such an unknown quantity...such a lot of temperament is dictated by genetics and it sounds like you have no benefit of knowing much about this pup's heritage. It's parents could have been nasty & aggressive or they could have been big teddy bears but you simply don't know.

And the fact that it is being offloaded at 8 weeks of age for £100 suggests that it is not from top quality, health-tested, prime breeding stock. A good breeder would insist on having a pup of this age back and a well-bred (from health tested parents) pup would fetch at least £500-£600 at that age.

On the subject of health, Rotties have a high incidence of hip and elbow dysplasia....even more likely in 'pet' bred dogs where no health tests are carried out. They are also prone to cruciate tears...my Xbreed has torn both cruciates...cost of 2 surgeries plus ongoing aftercare for the arthritis resulting from the damage to the joints currently stands in excess of £5K and rising. The breed also has a fairly high incidence of cancers. A good insurance policy is a must...expect to pay around £300 per year for one. Spending £100 now on a 'cheap' pup really is a huge false economy as you could end up spending a fortune in future...not to mention the heartache.