rottweilers, are they dangerous??

[pazzy]

Hi Pazzy,

Just a question, but if it is your sons fault that the dog bit him, for instance, like when he bit the dog. Why would you have to put the do to sleep ?? :irked:

The dog was only defending himself and doing what is done naturally in the wild.

If someone came and bit your ear, would you just take it or would you retaliate as well ? Perhaps the next time someone does something nasty to you and you retaliate, we should consider having you put down ....

I'm really not being nasty here, but comments like that really get my back up.

The dog was only defending himself, like we as humans do every day. You don't see people with great big needles walking around putting us to sleep.



Marlise

No I would never have put my dog to sleep shes my life! but I was trying to make an example to my son that it was his fault and that she got a shock thats why she turned on him. I had to make him understand that, unfortunately that is the sad outcome if a dog turns bad. He understood and has never done anything like that again, he even tells friends that you have to be gentle around dogs, he has a great respect for animals and will be a great animal lover one day.
Shes a soppy labrador and he was about 3 at the time, if she HAD turned on him, (god forbid) he wouldnt have stood a chance.
My mam was mauled as a kid by a wire haired fox terrier and she was 7 at the time, all she did was throw it some biscuits, she almost lost her leg.

I agree with you when people take the childs side and not look into the reasons why things like that happen, but you have to be open minded too.

I love animals with a passion and would love to work for the rspca (One day) but Im also a realist and if a dog is a wrong'un then something has to be done. A one-off snack at a hand is a warning and you have to keep your eyes open.

Its a fact that children and dogs dont mix well (not all dogs but the majority) but when they are together - they MUST be supervised at all times.

 

[Jaffacake]

Ok, I have read everyones comments with interest and I must say I fall into the category of 'its the owners fault not the dogs'

We have a 7 year old Llasa and are getting a new puppy (just born today :green which is an Alaskan Malamute! bit of chalk and cheese there!

Now, Alaskan Malamutes are very dominant dogs and you have to make sure that they know who the pecking order at all times otherwise they will challenge you for leadership at around 8 stone fully grown we dont want that! lol.

I was a little concerned about this when I first started to investigate the breed so I got a book out of the library 'the dog listener'... it really opened my eyes! ... All of a sudden things that my Llasa was doing started to fall into place..... she thought she was the leader of the pack! and it was our fault that she thought that as we had put her in that position without even reaslising it!!

Everytime I cooked dinner she'd be there 'dinging' her metal bowl with her paw so that she'd get fed.... 'aww, isnt that cute? she's dinging her bowl for her dinner...better stop what i'm doing and feed her cos she must be hungry'........ MISTAKE!! she now eats after us and her bowl is taken away from her after 10 mins so that she doesnt have food on tap all the time (never any left after 3 mins so i'm not starving her lol). I make her sit before I give her anything to eat now and she also sits before I will put her lead on... I also make her walk through doors after me. She has never been allowed on the bed or sofa so that was not a problem, but she did used to try to hump peoples legs which I always thought was strange but later discovered that it was a dominance thing, she hasnt tryed that since we changed the way we do things.

I'd come in from work, dogs going mental jumping up my legs and trying to get my attention (it did this if I went out for 3 mins too!) 'aww, hello doggie wogy, have you missed mumsy wumsy then??' pmsl... dog gets loads of fuss and attention as soon as I walk in the door.... MISTAKE! now I dont even acknowledge her for at least 5 minutes when I get in! I dont even look in her direction until she is calmly sitting down... then when I am ready she gets called over and given loads of fuss, but its on MY terms NOT HERS! i'm not saying dont fuss your dog, fuss it 100 times a day if you want, but when YOU want, not when it demands attention!

What I am trying to say is that we were lucky that she is such a small dog and we have realised our mistakes before the new addition comes along! if we hadnt then the new dog would have been ruling the roost after about a week and then we would have had BIG problems, all of our own doing through our ignorance!! she is a reformed character now and so much more laid back now that the 'top dog' position has been taken away from her.

I know that you cant trust dogs 100% but I think that if we take the time to try to understand the way the pack instinct works we will go a long way to eliminating a lot of the problems mentioned in this thread ie dogs biting because you've gone near its food or toys etc.... get the book, its great! :green:

 

[Tsia]

..i myself have 2 japanese akitas that i love dearly but i wont let any children near them or any adult for that matter its not because they are nasty because they are not it is just to air on the side of caution, i have had two big cages built in my back garden for each of them which are always locked with padlocks and i have never had no problems, i have kept big dogs for 15 years and have never had any accidents or complaints and i believe this is because i always keep them 100% secure, i dont keep big dogs because i think it makes me look hard i keep them because i love them and daft i know but they are my babies, and there is no chance of them getting out of the house as i dont have them in the house unless they are ill then all my doors are locked and no one gets in not even family, if people are going to keep big animals then they have too be 100% vigilant about safety:!:

I am sorry but I am UPSET in reading this post!!
What kind of LIFE do you 'beloved babies' have???

I understand that you are airing caution, but something must have happened to make you suspect that they would probably bite a human.
Cant you just get them used to muzzles and let them live around humans? OUT OF THE CAGE???

I know Japanese Akita's have a reputation for being viscious, but you havent even given them a chance to be nice in my opinion.

I would NEVER lock any domestic animal up to live in a cage LET ALONE a DOG!!!!
(except my hamsters, but even then they live in huge chipmunks cages that are just sooo big)

You say that they are 100% secure and you are being careful etc..
But by locking them up you are admitting that you dont trust them!

NO OFFENSE but IMO any pet dog that cannot live happily along side humans, or cannot be trusted, should not be on this earth. FULLSTOP.

Living in cages... thats NO life. I'm sorry.

I am an avid animal lover and it saddens me just how some people treat their animals.:cry:

Yes i do love them loads they each have a cage of their own that are right next to each other they did used to share a cage but started to fight with each other so when i moved i had two built, my garden is huge and the cages fill the garden, they have the space of a tennis court so have plenty of room to run around and play, i know this sounds bad to some people but it is better than taking any risks, i have had their vet come and look at how they are kept because i also felt cruel keeping them like this and the vet says it is a fantastic living area. they have more room in there living quarters than i do in my house and im been more responsible than people that let their dogs roam the streets or tie them up in gardens or leave them loose in gardens, plus im at work all day so it would be cruel to leave them in the house all day, my breed of dogs are only meant to live to the age of 7 and one of mine is almost 11 so i must be doing something right

Fair enough... just found your reply.

The reason they started to fight is because of the frustration in being contained and have no attention when you are watching the tv nice and warm.. inside the house..they will take it out on eachother.
.. still.... I am so saddened that they are OUTSIDE. They wouldnt be fighting if they were laid infront of the fire in the lounge with the family.

What about in winter??? Fur Coat or not... thats just CRUEL IMO. Sorry.
My rabbits arent in a hutch outside cos I felt gulity. I think the brand new hutch that we bought when we got them.. lasted a week before they were brought inside to live with the rest of the family!! Dogs and all... we all live in harmony.

and by the way.... dont take offense. Its not an attck just my opinion. xxx

 

[Glorsclaws]

Ive grown up with large dogs, Ive worked with large dogs, Ive owned a large dog but I have to say Rotties scare the bejeezus out of me!
Wrotts scare me for all of the reasons that every one of you have mentioned in your posts ... whether it be utter crap, or educated reasoning.
In other words we are all so very different and we handle our animals differently to each other too, so what one person interprets as 'the right way' another will not.
On coming face to face with an animal bursting out the door to 'greet' me how do I know in those few seconds whether Im going to be licked to death or ripped to death? I dont have the time to find out if the person has brought their dog up 'the right way' or not and there are so many irresponsible dog owners out there.

Ive been pinned down twice by large dogs ... once by an Alsation guard dog that my friends mom 'forgot' to shut away. Even though Id known the dog for years, I was on his territory and he did his job. Luckily all I suffered was a shredded coat, grazing and shock!
Second time was by my inlaws 81/2 stone Rottie Bella, who was still in training. It was back in '82 & Id never even seen a Wrottweiler before. On walking into their lounge she dived over, jumped up, paws on shoulders & I went down like a sack of spuds ... and then .... she slobbered all over me :lol:
Having been caught off guard and pinned down by such strong animals hasnt turned me against them as such ... but it has made me so incredibly mindful of the often stupid humans at the other end of the leash!

 

[*Han*]

I think its very sad what has happened again in the news.
I have a Golden Lab and he is massive really big, but he is soft as a brush, Although he does growl if anyone comes by the gate when he is in the back garden, or if we are out walking, but if someone comes over hes like a dipstick wanting a fuss.

I mean i trust my dog 99.9% but i would NEVER leave him on his own with a child ever. I had a kitten a few months ago and she was so so tiny, Charlie loved her he was just licking her even though she was biting him!lol

Recently he went into kennels and the man who was looking after him said he was a wonderful dog, he really enjoyed being with the other dogs!

Charlie is in no way possessive over food or anything....my kitten goes over to him when he is having his food and he just gentle nudges her away!

As for dogs in cages, i have a really big cage in my kitchen which my dog goes in at night or if we pop out(I'm here in the day) we decided to put him in this cage because he was chewing everything, he loves it in there (i know many wont believe me) but he does he goes in there by himself sometimes and goes to sleep he thinks of it as his space i suppose!

Charlie has been around kids as young as 2 and he just licks them and wants them to play ball, I have never left him with a child....Marie(brookzi) her little lad loves Charlie and he loves him the only thing he did do was knock him over(by accident!)

My mum has a Border Terrier and he HATES other dogs no matter what size he bites them, he is fine with humans but he has nipped me a few times to get my attention but i feel this is because he does not get any!

In what i am trying to say is that its not always the breed of dog or size ANY dog can turn nasty i think in some cases it is how the dog is brought up but in some cases it is just how the dog will be (the same as humans)

Sorry for rambling on!This is JMO :hug: xx

 

[*Han*]

What about in winter??? Fur Coat or not... thats just CRUEL IMO.

Have u ever felt a dog that has been outside in the winter, they are as warm as toast!! My Nana had a lab cross Alsatian a few years back and he didn't like being in the house, they tried everything in his kennel, blankets, carpet, hay u name it, and every time he pulled it out!
I mean every time they went out to him when it was like minus degrees they would shout him out and he would be warm as toast, I don't think its cruel to keep a dog outside what would they do in the wild? Thats why they have fur coats! xx:hug: xx

 

[Tsia]

Have u ever felt a dog that has been outside in the winter, they are as warm as toast!! My Nana had a lab cross Alsatian a few years back and he didn't like being in the house, they tried everything in his kennel, blankets, carpet, hay u name it, and every time he pulled it out!
I mean every time they went out to him when it was like minus degrees they would shout him out and he would be warm as toast, I don't think its cruel to keep a dog outside what would they do in the wild? Thats why they have fur coats! xx:hug: xx

yeah they get used to it.... but still.... its freezing in England in winter!!

 

[Glorsclaws]

yeah they get used to it.... but still.... its freezing in England in winter!!

Not really, we dont get winters like we used to.
Hmmm! wonder if the Eskimo's let their dogs share the igloo :lol:

 

[Tsia]

Not really, we dont get winters like we used to.
Hmmm! wonder if the Eskimo's let their dogs share the igloo :lol:

PMSL !! :lol: :lol:

 

[CadenceAlex]

All animals can be unpredictable - there is no way in a million years my baby would be near a Jack Russell/Terrier/Rottweiler/Staffie or even a Cat unsupervised.

I had a beautiful little Staffie who nipped and jumped up and down like a Kangaroo and who went to a good home because we couldn't manage her when I got pregnant, and I was scared of her getting jealous of the baby - I thought better to rehome her sooner than later. We both worked extremely long hours and although we used to take her to the farm to meet our customers, it got too much, and we couldn't manage - we didn't want to leave her all day in the house.

I don't think WE trained her very well. We loved her and looked after her and took her out... but as amateur dog owners, we didn't know all we needed to know to handle such a dominant breed.

My point is this - I think any animal can be a good pet if treated right, so long as it knows its place BUT if I am honest, it would scare me if my baby were around. I couldn't relax.

To own a dog like a Rottweiller... you have to know what you are doing and treat the animal with respect and love to get that back.

There are responsible dog owners, and there are arseholes who give the dogs bad names. It's a shame.

 

[Fab Freak]

Hmmm they wouldn't look like they belonged on the film "the omen" if the media didn't portray them in such a fashion.

Today when the news broke about the toddler attacked by a rottie there was a full frame head pic of a rottie with it's jaws snarling and ears right back, looked absolutely evil....but so would Cuddles the fluffy no-brainer Golden Retriever if you froze frame him when he was playfighting with a pully toy

I hear what you are saying but when did a Golden Retriever ever savagely attack a child?

 

[VHunter]

With regards to cruelty about dogs housed OUTSIDE...

I grew up with a Samoyed (white husky type of dog, sled dog).
I live in CANADA.. yes, you've all heard of Canadian winters right?

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :lol: :lol:

Anyway, Paddy (his name) actually did NOT like being indoors. It was too warm. Only if there was lightening and thunder or if it was mealtime or he wanted some love.. otherwise he was outside. HIS choice, not ours. We did not have a fence, but had run a steel cable from one end of the propery to the back end. Attached to that, a 20 ft chain.. so it was like a yard for him. He had a barrel/doghouse. He would dig in the winter to keep warm and curl up in the snow. Some mornings, it was tough finding him as he was white LOL and if it had snowed.... we'd have to call a few times to wake him up and see where he was at.:lol:
In the summer, he dug holes still, to cool off in the cool dirt.
He would bark at the door when he wanted in. He would whine at the door when he wanted out. His choice.. always! and we never denied him.

Dogs like his breed, and many similar are NOT comfortable in the house. It is NOT cruel to leave them outside. Note again: I live in Quebec Canada brrrrrrrrr lol

I've had other DIFFERENT dogs since that are all indoor dogs, sleeping on my bed.
BUT he WANTED to be outside.

So.... it's not necessarily cruel. It really depends on the breed.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Can't see it being any worse than putting the cat out with the milk bottles at night. They're animals with a lovely fur coat - nature designed them so well. :lol:

 

[1999judy]

I have my dog clipped but I think I will buy her an anorak. I've seen them in Selfridges and they are cute.
Ted may object though:lol:

 

[Good Skin Day]

I hear what you are saying but when did a Golden Retriever ever savagely attack a child?

You've totally missed my point here, because I was using the Golden Retriever as a comparably gentle breed (although, as I have maintained on this thread, a dog is a dog!) to explain how the photos in press coverage can be misleading.

Although, as you bring the subject of Golden Retriever attacks up....here is a link to a few Retriever attacks from the fabulous website Punish The Deed, Not The Breed....

Punish the Deed, not the Breed!

 

[BABSann]

We have 2 dogs,a Westie and a Border Cross/Collie(picture in my avator)
We have always had dogs and never have any of them been nasty or bitten anyone.

Our Border Cross however bit someone about 3 weeks ago.

The sun goes round to the front of the house at about 3 o clock so quite often we will sit outside the front of the house.

There's a big open plan green outside,so you have our front garden then a path then the green.

We thought we would let Sheba,our Collie Cross play ball out there,we have done many times before,no problems.Anyway she was thoroughly enjoying herself when some teenage kids started to play football on the green.

After about half an hour the ball got kicked onto our front green,one of the lads came tearing towards my hubby and me,to get his ball and Sheba thought he was coming for us,so bit him on the bum.

Thankfully he was okay,no skin broken but he did have a bruise just under his buttock.

I said sorry but was really worried about what would happen.I was mortified that she had done this.I knew why she had done it and everything but when something like that happens it's terrible.You reproach yourself and I really wondered how she could do it.

I have heard a lot of people talk about it's how dogs are brought up and I dont think this is always the case.After all I have never had this happen before with any other dog or the Westie.They have all been treated exactly the same.Every case is different.Some breeds are more likely to bite.There is a lot of inter breeding that goes on.

I know Collies in particular are renowned for snapping.After all it's what they do with the sheep,but I dont want my dog to be nasty and she got a damned big telling off.Indeed I made her go in and kept the Westie out there as a way of teaching her that that behaviour wont be tollerated

I hope and pray she will never do it again.I wont let her out the front again if
kids are playing ball for fear of it happening again.

 

[*Han*]

Punish the Deed, not the Breed!

thanx for that link hun was interesting to look at, there was so many incidents where a lab was involed! xxx

 

[jac extreme]

We have 2 dogs,a Westie and a Border Cross/Collie(picture in my avator)
We have always had dogs and never have any of them been nasty or bitten anyone.

Our Border Cross however bit someone about 3 weeks ago.

After about half an hour the ball got kicked onto our front green,one of the lads came tearing towards my hubby and me,to get his ball and Sheba thought he was coming for us,so bit him on the bum.

Thankfully he was okay,no skin broken but he did have a bruise just under his buttock.

I said sorry but was really worried about what would happen.I was mortified that she had done this.I knew why she had done it and everything but when something like that happens it's terrible.You reproach yourself and I really wondered how she could do it.

I hope and pray she will never do it again.I wont let her out the front again if
kids are playing ball for fear of it happening again.

my point exactly, I hope for your sake the lad doesnt report your dog for the "attack"

 

[Martigirl]

You've totally missed my point here, because I was using the Golden Retriever as a comparably gentle breed (although, as I have maintained on this thread, a dog is a dog!) to explain how the photos in press coverage can be misleading.

Although, as you bring the subject of Golden Retriever attacks up....here is a link to a few Retriever attacks from the fabulous website Punish The Deed, Not The Breed....

Punish the Deed, not the Breed!

Interesting reading thanks for the link:hug:

 

[BABSann]

my point exactly, I hope for your sake the lad doesnt report your dog for the "attack"

Well,so do I obviously.