My Rottweiler Flattens dog's!

[Margaret]

Hi,
I wonder if any-one can help me please.
I have a lovely four year old Rottweiler who passed his Gold Kennel Club Test a couple of years ago and he is my third Rottweiler, I only mention this so that you can see that I do do thing's with him. He is brilliant except for one thing, if he see's a dog he doesn't know he act's like he going to be friendly towards it and then very suddenly changes and flattens it, he doesn't hurt it and it has only happened on odd occasions as I put his lead on if I see one I don't know approaching, but some people let their loose dog's come anyway and mine doesn't like that, he is fine with his friends, but it is so embarrassing, as I like everything to be friendly, I really haven't picked up on why he does this and would appreciate any comments.

[Sarah]

I don't know what the Gold Kennel Club Test is, but your Rottie is showing dominance, over the other dogs. In other words the Rottie is saying Hey, I'm boss here not you. You need to hold the leash close to you tight in your hand, but loose and high around his neck, when a dog is approaching pull the dog towards you and say "leave it". Rotties are stubborn but they are very intelligent and it shouldn't take him long to understand what you want.

Once he learns the leave it command you can also use it to teach him to not pick things up from the ground.

Let us know

[Margaret]

Hi Sarah,
Thank-you for your quick reply, it is nice to hear from you.
I find that when he is on his leash he just jumps about, if he is loose and he see's any-one approaching he usually sit's down and waits for me to go and put his leash on, but if the loose dog comes he doesn't sit there and wait and this is when the problem has occured, do you have any advice for that please, like I said previously he doesn't get the chance much, becuase I am aware of the problem and never take my eyes off him, but I really hate him being like this.
The Gold Kennel Club Test is a series of obedience tests that they run over here.
Thank-you for your help.
I really appreciate your comments.

[Sarah]

When he jumps about on his leash, just patiently wait until he returns to the calm, submissive position and then praise him, give him a treat, or whatever you do to let him know he's a good boy. This is called "riding the wave". or Since he has passed these obedience tests, you should be able to put him in a sit position or down stay and wait until he returns to a calm submissive state.

I love Rotties Margaret they are my choice of breed. All of mine [except the last one, Buddy] have been trained for service protection.

On thing about Rotties, the owners need to be more determined than they are. Don't let them get away with anything.

[Margaret]

Hi Sarah,
Thank-you for replying so quickly once again.
I do just stand there and wait if he starts jumping about, I don't speak to him and we carry on when he has calmed down again, I haven't been giving him a treat at that stage as I don't want him to associate it with the unwanted behaviour, I go a bit further and sit him down and he shakes a paw and then get's a treat and some praise, but I feel a complete failure when there is an incident, even though it is only very occasionally.

When he is upset and I say sit, he sit's down but jumps up again, as he doesn't feel he can stay in a sit when a dog is upsetting him.

It makes life difficult doesn't it, I am glad that he is not doing it on a regular basis.

I will try and do as you have suggested, thank-you for your help.

This breed is my favourite as well!

Regards,

Margaret.

[Margaret]

Hi Sarah,
Sorry I meant to ask you, how many Rotties have you got?
It sounds like they do interesting job's. Why has Buddy not done the service protection training?
Regards,
Margaret.

[Sarah]

Hi Margaret, I will tell you this, it doesn't sound as if Toby respects you is why he doesn't stay in a sit stay position. When you put him in a sit stay, and he jumps up again, follow through him and make him stay in that sit position. You will find he would be a much better behaved dog. You know a dog is only as good as the circumstances proves them to be.

When you treat a dog it is not when they are in that chaotic state, it is only when they have returned to a calm submissive state. This way you are not feeding the choas, but rewarding him when he is calm.

I don't have any Rotties right now. I am dogless. Buddy died 4 years ago with cancer. When I got Buddy, I wanted to see how a Rottie was without that type of "job" to have. In other words I wanted a "pet". I raised Buddy very differently than the others I had before. Buddy didn't know what he was, or how strong he was. I taught him obedience myself, and how he should get along with "everyone". Buddy turned out to return to the ancestors and became a natural herder. My neighbour had horses, and Buddy's best friend besides the German Shepherd that lived there, was a black Stallion named Thunder. Buddy could not hurt or kill another animal, but if the owner were having problems getting the horses to do something Buddy would jump up and kick the horse in the rear, moving them. Then he would run to me for approval of what he did. He would get his exercise chasing the wild hare, lol or the rabbits. His protection characteristics were natural. He would not attack a person to bite, but what he would do is get in between the other person and I, growl and pounce. When he did this, I knew there was something wrong with the person, and we left or I would just hold on to his leash.

Thanks for asking about Buddy, I still miss him, and talking about him allows me to honour him..

[Gail]

Margaret - I'm glad to see another Rottie lover on the site
I have 2 at the moment - a male and female
They can be a challenge because of their strength and determination but they are so loving
I love the fact that when Sarah didin't give Buddy a job he created own job - herding
My boy loves dock diving and Schutzhund - he is still very much a work in progress
My girl loves Schutzhund and swimming

[Sarah]

Hi Gail nice to see you... I wished I could have gotten Buddy to swim, but he hated it. He had this look on his face like I was torturing him or something. But when it came to his shower, he wouldn't fight me on that, he would just walk in get in the bathtub and wait for me to give him a shower. When we went camping, and he would get skunked, or roll in something we would go to the public showers and I would just get in with him because I would get wet anyway.

You can say that Bud gave himself a job, because he wasn't professionally trained, he did what came natural for him to do.. Which made all of us happy.

I've never seen a Rottie do dock diving before.. Amazing Gail. Do they like to play in the snow too? Buddy did!

[Margaret]

Hi Sarah,
Thank-you for your reply.
It is nice to hear about your dog's and Buddy sounds like he was lovely, we never forget them do we?
My first Rottweiler was called Teddy Bear, but I lost him with kidney failure when he was just twenty oine months old, then I got Toby who was Teddy's full brother, he got mouth Cancer when he was seven and I lost him when he was eight, now I have got Rupert Bear.
I have training sessions with him on a very regular basis and I can do out of sight stay's with him, but when he is what I think feel's threatened by a loose dog coming towards him, he feels like he has to get up, even if he is on his lead and I ask him to sit, if he is not feeling threatened he does stay in the sit or whatever, maybe it is my fault, I just wish I knew how to sort the problem out.
Thank-you for your help.
Regards,
Margaret.