Rottweilers and mini's

[CAM]

We have owned Rottweilers for 7 years now and although I love them dearly, I don't think they are for everyone. You have to have the right temperament and so do they for it to work out. We have two right now, a 7 year old female and a 3 year old female. Both are great around our young children and fine around the horses but as a rule, they are not allowed IN with the horses. The older one has been through obedience training as a pup and was admittedly, by the trainer, the most well behaved in the class. I am not naive enough to think they are all this way though. As with many breeds, each has its own temperament and this breed is not for someone with a passive personality. That said, I will always own one. Their threatening appearance alone deters most which is helpful for me living out in the boonies with no near neighbors and a husband often away working.

We also have an Anatolian Shepherd livestock guard dog in with the horses. So far he is great to warn predators, barking only when there exists a threat and he is a good buddy to our horses both big and small. Now I think the real protector though is the llama! :bgrin We had our pet sitter bring her dog in the horse pens with her to feed while we were gone (she won't be doing that again

and fortunately, our llama went after the dog right off and nearly stomped it to death. She doesn't mind the Anatolian because he belongs there. I must say, Tippy the llama just proved her worth. :bgrin

 

[miniwhinny]

Here are our Rottie's as pups. They are the best pair. They were raised with horses, kids, minis, peacocks, chicks,GUineas, ducks etc It really is not the breed that is the problem.

Oh they are sooo cute. I think how they are raised is a big key. My brother has a golden lab..supposedly one of the kindest breeds but I wouldn't trust him around my mini's for one second. He's very aggressive with them. I think because he was never raised round livestock of any kind (city dog)

CAM,

I'm not far from you over in Redmond (between Redmond and Sisters) I tell you what we've had here and all around this area...HUGE and I mean HUGE coyotes. They are breeding with local unfixed dogs. It's giving them extra height and no fear. Two weeks ago one dug under our fence and came into the pasture. Luckily the ACD's got scrent and went balistic, got into a fight (before I knew what was going on) and sent it packing. We have a horse vet living just down the road and his vet tech was telling me how they are cross breeding and how it's changing their personalities. It scares me. The one I saw was as large as a malamute and could have taken a mini down in a split second. Glad my dogs won that fight (for now)

 

[SilverDollar]

I'm so glad your dog is okay. What dumb crooks! Very scary to be burglarized. We were back in 1988 and it made us move from our city apartment to the country. Now, our entire property is gated.

What about geese? One place I used to board had them near the house and you didn't dare get near them. They raised such a ruckus! And if someone went in their yard, they'd attack them!

I like the idea of a llama. I know that the alpaca breeders around here always have a llama to protect their herds, along with the Anatolian Shepherds or Great Pyrenees. Do the llamas have to be raised with the minis? Do they know not to attack them? Just curious. I have heard they can be pretty aggressive to intrusive animals. What about if there is a pack of coyotes? One coyote doesn't scare me too much but it's the packs that are causing problems around here (due to drought conditions).

 

[LittleRibbie]

First ,thanks " Sterling ", I never realized how Cane Corso was pronounced. I have 4 G. Shepherds and completely trust all of them with my horses...but ..that being said they are Herd dogs and they will try to chase them Im pretty sure. So NEVER NEVER do I let more than 1 dog in the pasture at a time...and that is only if Im in with them. When I let the horses out to just graze on the front lawn then my dogs are asked to do a down stay on the porch so they can only look....I think German Shepherds are the way to go NO ONE GETS OUT OF THEIR CAR WHEN THEY COME TO MY HOUSE...although if my guests would only bring the dogs any squeeky toy my dogs would let them right in and show them where we keep the gold !! Good luck

 

[Marty]

We have a bad dog that bites and attacks. Sure, he's great protection, but he never can distinguish between who he should and should not go after. He is a major liability. He's slowing down in his golden years but he still is very capable of nailing you or another animal. I do not recommend having an aggressive dog.

I also am a German Shepherd person. My GSD Tracey would never hurt a flea without good reason, but given the right circumstances, if someone would approach me in a threatening way, she'd take them down in a heart beat, no questions asked. A German Shepherd just seems to "know" who can be trusted and who cannot.

However, being a herd dog, she would chase my horses if I allowed her to. She had to be taught not to.

I'm presently raising another GSD puppy. She recently had her very first close encounter with a horse.........she about had a heart attack too! Oh, this is going to be so fun........

:

I think any dog, left to his own devices, and unsupervised, can and will hurt another animal. There are no gaurentees, so for this reason, I suggest you do not rely on a dog for your burglar problem but an alarm system of some kind.

It makes me insane that Maggie was left to suffer like that. I am so sorry for your entire ordeal.

I hope your DA will bring up an additional charge of animal abuse. Poor girl!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Since the horses were not hurt and protecting them is not the problem I would look at your set up.

First off the yard and house need secure fencing to fence the dogs in, then you need signs on the gate saying the dogs are loose and people should not enter, then you need a a couple of good Black dogs- they can be pound dogs, in fact, even though |I LOVE my Dobes I would not suggest anyone get one for a guard dog unless it came from a line bred SPECIFICALLY for guard work- and for me that means "German"!!

Also, these type of dogs do not always make the best pets- the good pet dogs have been bred to be that- you can have both but not often.

Your "pond puppies" would cost you a fraction of the cost of a pedigree pup, give a couple, even three, dogs a good home, and they would get the job done, and done well.

These are the type of dog that will need an outdoor kennel and need to be locked up when friends come- that way they keep focused on their jobs.

All that being said, on a Dobe Forum I go on recently came the sad news that a dog had been killed by burglars- it is actually pitifully easy to kill even quite a nasty dog- hence my suggestion that you get two or three!!

Once word gets out the dogs are loose and nasty opportunists will give the place a miss- determined thieves, however, will just do something REALLY nasty to the dogs and walk right on in.

Be warned.

 

[Jill]

I am so sorry about your little dog. If you would like to take a look at my website (under my signature) you can go to Lakota's page.....we could'nt have asked for a better guardian! She's a Cane Corso....prounounced "Connie Corso".

Cheyenne, I also never knew how to pronounce Lakota's breed! I thought I did :bgrin I'm happy that now I can say it correctly

:

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I was told Cann- ay - still little difference.

 

[Jill]

I was told Cann- ay - still little difference.

Jane, that is because ya'll talk funny over there

: :bgrin

:

 

[Lost Spoke Ranch]

We experienced our first dog attack this past Thursday. You guessed it...it was a Rottweiler. Thankfully my husband caught him in the act and the yearling colt he attacked will be fine phyically in time. He probably will never trust dogs again though. A report was filled out about the incident and the dog was taken away by animal control hopefully never to return here again!

Dawn

 

[miniwhinny]

It makes me insane that Maggie was left to suffer like that. I am so sorry for your entire ordeal.

I hope your DA will bring up an additional charge of animal abuse. Poor girl!

Don't worry

: I'm not about to let Maggie's victimization go unpunished. I've already been in touch with the humane society about what "rights" she has and they are having their people follow up with the case and the Sheriff's department. Charges will be filed for sure. My heart breaks for her. Last night we had a really hard job getting her in (she's outside all day but sleeps in our room at night) I really felt she had PTS or something and was afraid to come in in case she was locked in again. :no:

...and thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[susanminiponygirl]

:bgrin My Pyr is the best! No one is going to even try. For back up is an Irish WolfHound cross. Pussycats with the horses and small animals, but their sheer size is intimidating to most people. Kodi is like a big polar bear when he stands up!

 

[HGFarm]

Oh no!! Tommy and Dawn I hope things are ok there???!!

 

[CheyAut]

I currently have my best friend's dogs here, watching them for her. A rotti and a pit. They are the most wonderful dogs I've ever met, wonderful with my horses, cats, ect. But, it IS all in how they are raised.

I agree with those who say LGDs.

Also, my friend has leonbergers, they are wonderful with her horses and the kids she watches. But they sure do look scary We have 2 leonberger/newfie mixes, and they are incredibly sweet, but BOY will they let the entire neighborhood know if someone is here, and I dont' think anyone would want to mess with them! Not to mention our other large, barking dogs, some of which wouldn't be so nice to a burgler

With our 8 dogs, all but 2 large, I dont' think anyone would be stupid enough to mess with them!

Jessi

 

[miniwhinny]

We experienced our first dog attack this past Thursday. You guessed it...it was a Rottweiler. Thankfully my husband caught him in the act and the yearling colt he attacked will be fine phyically in time. He probably will never trust dogs again though. A report was filled out about the incident and the dog was taken away by animal control hopefully never to return here again!

Dawn

Sure glad I asked about the breed. I'm so sorry to hear about your attack. I sure hope the little guy recoverd fully.

 

[Valerie]

I can only speak of the Rottweiler I owned from the time she was 3 months old.....she passed away unexpectedly when we were out playing fetch and she was only 8 years old. Even though hubby gave her mouth to nose all the way to the vets, it was too late. The vet said she had an aneurism or a heart-attack, and she was very healthy, always well taken care of, it was just an odd thing.

What can I tell you about Ebony? She was the kindest, most gentle big dog I have ever had. Ebony loved everyone....and yes, she was large, so the sight of her would scare people, but she loved people, she loved cats and she loved the horses...and I mean in a good way...she never chased anything. Ebony thought she was a lap dog from day 1.....very smart, and very obedient. I never did breed her although she came from championship lines...but I didn't want to breed....I would never be able to replace her or replicate her, she was too special, plus I think too many people breed as it is, too many special dogs need homes.

I am sorry for those that have had bad experiences with Rotties, but please do not lump them all into one category....any dog can be made or raised to be aggressive and mean and some dogs are just not pleasant...regardless of the breed.

I will add though, I don't know if I will ever own another Rottie....and no, not because I don't love the breed, but I don't know how I would ever replace Ebony, maybe someday down the road I will change my mind, but not just yet.

I know a lady who has a (chi) and that little dog is the meanest little dog I have ever seen, it tried to bite me on several occasions......don't care much for that dog. I have myself also been attacked by a Bernese Mtn Dog....while I was dog sitting for some neighbors.....it was a freak thing, the dog knew me, but it went buggy and attacked me......I still like the breed though, so I don't fault the breed.

Anyway, I don't mean to get off subject, I hope you find the right dog and most imporantly I am so glad to hear your little girl came out of this ok, that is just sick that someone would lock her up for 5 days....I hope they throw the book at those Hooligans.

 

[CRERS]

I'm so sorry that you and your animals had to go through something so awful! I would feel exactly the same way.

We have a 2 year old Rottie and she is absolutely amazing with our horses and adores our little Miniature - the two of them are the best of friends and she protects that little guy like he is hers, however, she is VERY PROTECTIVE of "her" family and "her" property and "her" horses, which is definitely a liability and something that we must always stay one step ahead of.

Like another poster wrote, Rotties are definitely NOT for everyone. They are dominant, extremely protective and they are large dogs - excellent training is a MUST with this breed. On that note, however, our Rottie Ki is so excellent with other animals and children, but again, she is also fiercly protective over what she considers "hers" and that is just about everything here. She also wizzed through her obedience training classes (which I believe is a must for every Rottie owner) and was the class clown and teacher's pet, lol. She is an amazing dog and is as gentle as a lamb with us, the kids and the horses.

My best friend has 4 Great Pyr's and I have to say that I would give them an A+++ in their skills as horse/farm protectors without being overly aggressive - those 4 dogs are amazing and if I wasn't so into Rotties (have owned them since I was very young) I'd consider one for my family in a second.

My advice is to do a lot of research on the breed that you may be interested in and speak with a lot of reputable breeders & owners once you limit your search.

Here are a few pictures of Ki with our 27.5" Miniature Jaxx when he first arrived:

 

[miniwhinny]

That's the relationship I'd dream of if I had a Rottie...I'd just be scared that I'd not get one with that disposition.. can I have yours?????

:

: LOL

 

[Laura]

Sorry that you guys had to go through such an ordeal...that poor little dog! :new_shocked: But I have to wonder just what this "pet-sitter" was actually doing? Obviously not pet-sitting if they hadn't seen the dog for five days...and it didn't ring a bell? HELLO!! :no: :no:

Sorry I didn't make myself clear. The house was broken into at approx 10.30pm. When the sitter came to feed at 8.00am the next morning the gate was left wide open (the chain was off) and the dog was missing so she knew right away. She posted flyers all over, called the pound, called neighbors and of course called us. We called the pound (daily) managed to e-mail a pic of the dog, called neighbors, everyone was looking for "maggie". Neighbors searched our area to see if the dog was lying somewhere hurt. No one thought to check the inside of the house, as all of the blinds were closed no one could see in. The thieves jimmied (sp) a window to come in and left through the front door, closing it behind them. Everyone was looking for a run away dog...no one suspected for one second that she was "dognapped" in her own house (to stop her from barking I guess) :no:

We have Rottis and Pits and ANY dog is dangerous if not trained propperly. ANY breed dog is safe if taught well/ Goodluck and sorry your poor dog was locked up, and thank god she is ok. Sorry about being robbed also.

I agree with that...and whatever we get will go through training classes (and be a family pet) Our 2 ACD's are awesome watch dogs. Great with the horses and bark like crazy with anything gets near (which is why maggie got shut away..to stop her from being heard). I guess I'm just feeling vulnerable today. I want it all...a dog great with horses but who will eat first and ask questions later if someone uninvited comes calling.

Maybe a house sitter is the easier way to go.

Thanks all.

I've got a great one if you'd like her number :bgrin