Help needed with out of control Rottweilers

are you serious

Hi guys as most of you know I have 2 Rotts, Buddy a male now just about 16mths and Izzy female 6mths.

My problem starts the minute myself and the other half get in from work. I normally go to the kitchen door and let them out to say hello but its then that the mayhem starts...

They both immediately bolt out of the house and run around uncontrollably in the front garden, tails wagging, jumping/crying/grumbling then when I finally get them back into the house and I have my tea made I sit down and up comes Buddy to say hello, he is now 48kg and my god he feels about 80 when he jumps up on me..

He then with both paws wraps his front legs around my neck and begins to slurp my whole face/head and ears making sure he gets every last part, this in turn sets off Izzy who at this stage thinks she is missing out on some sort of food (my face) and she jumps on the sofa and comes in from the side and headbutts Buddy out of the way, up she stands on my chest. Now at this point because Buddy is on my lap/chest and I have tried to wriggle out from under him and Izzy has made her move I am trapped and need help, this is when my other half has to drag one off me.. I'm afraid I will be trapped one day by these crazy dogs if my other half is not around.

I am really wondering what can I do, they are out of control and am worried they one day will not get off my chest and I will be trapped under them with them licking my face off....

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

tinkerbell

OP, you have got to nip this in the bud NOW. You are dealing with Rottweilers which are obviously very large and strong dogs. You need to stop allowing them to jump up on you. When they go to jump, say NO firmly, back away, fold your arms across your chest and turn your back to them (ignoring them when jumping up is a very good move to get them to stop, as they aren't getting attention from you when they do it). That's just a basic move, however I suggest that you bring them to a proper dog trainer.

Dyr

tinkerbell wrote: »

When they go to jump, say NO firmly, back away, fold your arms across your chest and turn your back to them (ignoring them when jumping up is a very good move to get them to stop, as they aren't getting attention from you when they do it). That's just a basic move, however I suggest that you bring them to a proper dog trainer.

Just out of curiosity

1) have you ever tried this on a large breed dog?

2) How much do you weigh?

Wibbs

Tinkerbells advice has worked for me before so spot on*, but I would also agree with Bambi. Easier said than done if you're slightly built dealing with large dogs, especially two of them. Maybe a call to a behaviourist wouldn't be out of the picture? Just to get other ideas that might work for your situation. Defo needs sorting now with large dogs. Luckily they're not aggressive by the sounds of it(Rotties tend to be big slobber machines anyway:)), but I'd be very concerned if they did this kind of thing with strangers, particularly kids. They could cause injury without meaning to.





*it doesn't work for all dogs though. My current fella being one. Turn your back and he just jumps on your back

gud4u

I have a rottie pup at the moment and have started teaching it the skin is off limits. No or ahah for licking and nippping.

You need to ignore them until they are quiet and then YOU invite them to be played with and rubbed. All affection should be rewarded on your terms, that's what I learnt anyway and it seems to work:)

When you get home, they are obviously glad to see you and will be jumping etc. When you open the door, do it slowly and only open it a bit, if they go to barge in, close it, wash rinse and repeat until they get the messgae of not barging in.

My GSD used to jump on me, i'm 5'2' and he's up to my head when he does this, I tried all the no no stuff but what worked in the end was pushing him away so hard landed back on his ass and I just walked away, he never did it again, some may say it's cruel but a training said he was challenge me.

If he does this with others you really need to be careful as someone getting a scratch from any other dog might be ok but when it's a rottie or other RB it's ....I was attacked by a vicious rottweiler, you know yourself:rolleyes:.

My old rottie accidently boxed me one day and scratched my lip, I know it was an accident but with my reaction she never jumped on me again. I hope others have more to say as I would love to learn more about doing right by my pup.

TooManyDogs

gud4u wrote: »

You need to ignore them until they are quiet and then YOU invite them to be played with and rubbed. All affection should be rewarded on your terms, that's what I learnt anyway and it seems to work:)

When you get home, they are obviously glad to see you and will be jumping etc. When you open the door, do it slowly and only open it a bit, if they go to barge in, close it, wash rinse and repeat until they get the messgae of not barging in.

+1 for ignoring them when you get into the house. I had mayhem in my house until I started doing this. It only seems rude to ignore them if you put human emotions on them, they don't think it's rude. It worked perfectly for me and not that I've built my numbers up to 6 it's essential. It's amazing though, despite repeatidly asking people to ignore them when they come in the house you can tell immediately who does and who doesn't!

I'm strict on door manners too, if anyone tries to barge a door the door gets closed again. They learn quickly to walk nicely through or wait until they're asked through.

gud4u

''I'm strict on door manners too, if anyone tries to barge a door the door gets closed again. They learn quickly to walk nicely through or wait until they're asked through.''

I try to make sure I'm the first through a doorway, if the GSD barges, I make him come back, then I walk through and then ask him to follow.:rolleyes: A total pain in the butt at times, but it makes it easier to handle him now he knows i'm boss, now if I could only do the same to hubbs.:D

tk123

Ok the answer is simple - wash your face and they won't need to lick it clean!!!

It's tricky cos they're so big you're not going to be able to just stand up and walk out of the room...could you maybe put their leads on in advance and then when they start crushing you have your OH hold the leads/pull them back enough so you can get up say your bold word/phrase and leave the room. Or maybe even try it with one of them at a time. Turning your back, folding arms didn't really work with my guy - what worked was saying his bold phrase "too bad!!" and putting HIM out of the room so you could maybe try that if you leaving the room doesn't work. After a few times he knew that when we said too bad it meant he was being bold and he stopped his hijinks.

are you serious

ok ok ok lads and ladies come on seriously I even finished my message off with...

"lick my face off"

come on really you thought it was a serious message?!!!!??

I was joking, well not really everything I said was serious but I meant it light heartedly as I do not have any issues with them doing any of it.....

I just had a bad day at work and my two no matter what make me laugh because every time I leave them if even for 5 minutes I get this reaction... and today I thought I would share it with you all...

I have no issues with controlling them at all, I can get them to do most things I ask of them... Although that said Izzy still cant manage to stir my coffee (yet) :rolleyes:

I posted this to show people that some times everyone really needs to settle down and see the good side of dogs who are crazy and love when their owner arrives home...

For the record I would like to thank you all for the advice (even thought not needed)

Also I am 6' 2 and I weigh.... well I weigh enough to control them when I need to, otherwise I would have never gotten a dog of this size!!

**PLEASE BE ADVISED I COULD ONE DAY POST A VIDEO OF THIS EVENT**

tk123

LOL tbh I was a bit surprised that you were posting a 'problem' with them lol!

Whispered

garkane wrote: »

Also I am 6' 2 and I weigh.... well I weigh enough to control them when I need to, otherwise I would have never gotten a dog of this size!!

Size doesn't matter! One of the best dog handlers I've ever seen is little whip of a fella.

The Sweeper

OP this is REALLY worrying behaviour. It sounds like you don't have a handle on these two at all, and sweet and all as they are, that's a problem.

I'd be afraid of predatory drift in a large dog - that's not to say rotties are vicious, that's not what I'm trying to say at all. However two large dogs completely dominating a smaller person who has no control over them - a squeal or shriek could be enough to trigger a shift in behaviour to something more serious and if you can't fight them off you'd be in real trouble.

(The Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK was kicked off by what happened to a little girl called Kelly, in Argyle in Scotland, who was walking two rottweiler dogs with her friend (also aged about 11 years) and she stopped to have a wee. While Kelly was squatting the dogs, who had no history of aggression, ran in to lick and nibble her face. She started giggling and squealing and it triggered a predatory drift in the dogs and they savaged her to death.)

You need to get a handle on this ASAP. Your dogs should never be on you unless expressly invited and then they should only be invited if you really want your dogs sitting on you, and if you know that if you tell them to get off, they'll go.

I'm all up with the recommendations that you ignore your dogs, but you also need to get a good trainer who'll teach you how to enforce a 'four on the floor' rule, which I think should be compulsory on any dog over 20kgs - they should NEVER jump up on people, and you CAN train to ensure they don't.


/edited to add I've just seen your qualification that you're actually a 6ft 2" bloke and so on. That's all fine, but you know, I'm still going to leave this post up because unless you have an off switch with your dogs, and you can get the two heifers off you and sitting calmly on the floor in the heights of excitement with one or two commands, I'd be in the camp that says they shouldn't be doing it. But I'm all about the canine 'off' switch.

are you serious

@Whispered I only added in that bit to answer a question, even though I know full well handlers size means nothing as when at shows I see that most Great Danes and other large breed dogs are actually owned and handled by petite women!

@The Sweeper... Honestly, come off it!!! :eek:
But in answer to your concerns, I can tell you that if I say either "get off me" or "get down" the dogs will do it (only after one more lick though) For some reason when I laugh and say go away they dont do it... :rolleyes:

God forbid someone actually likes having a dog that acts like a dog!!

Just to add guys most of you all know that I have often replied to comments like my original post giving advice when the poster DOES NOT want it to happen, or is uncomfortable with it.

Me... No I dont care if my dog jumps on me(ONLY ME OR MY OTHER HALF), I especially love on a day off work when sleeping on the sofa the dogs run over to make sure I am alive and they kiss(lick my face) or Buddy's latest thing is to pull the blanket off me...

gud4u

Now that that's established!!;)

Can you tell me what's ''normal'' behaviour in am 11 week old rotti pup, is growling and barking at my other dogs the norm. Or is that a whole other thread.could do with some advice on same.

are you serious

I have no problem with you asking in this thread

The Rottwieler is known by many as the talking breed, this is because of the amount of different grumbles, weird growls and other noises they love to make!

(one example I can give, if I pretend to yawn a few times, Izzy will try do it too, and then she makes weird yawn noise then)

Anyway,

Is your pup male or female.. Either way either sex your pup will do this.
This is just what all pups do, rotties are no different apart from size at 11 wks! If it were an angry bark your other dogs would just not tolerate it from a pup, thats dog life.
My guess it is a play growly bark, its probably asking the others to play with him/her. It will also go through a long period of biting the others (dont worry all dogs do this too, I just think it looks worse when a rott does it because the grumbling/growling they do)
Make sure you dont allow this play biting too much as I have met a guy with two rotts also and his male pup gave the adult male an awful sore on his neck with the repeated biting! Just keep an eye on it, as I said it is playing and you can stop him playing, just no biting all of the time!

Any other info just shout!

gud4u

I think it's playful and the other dogs are all finding their place too. The Jrt is afraid of him and keeps running away:eek:then wonders why it's being chased. The Gsd plays but lets him know who's boss.

The other rottie, who's almost 7 keeps barking and growling at him so I keep an eye to stop Bruce the pup from annoying her too much.

Sometimes he stands there like a right weirdo looking at me and just bites at the air, when i say ahah he stops, is that normal. He's the first pup i've had in a long time, i normally get older dogs.

The Sweeper

garkane wrote: »

@The Sweeper... Honestly, come off it!!! :eek:
But in answer to your concerns, I can tell you that if I say either "get off me" or "get down" the dogs will do it (only after one more lick though) For some reason when I laugh and say go away they dont do it... :rolleyes:

God forbid someone actually likes having a dog that acts like a dog!!

Just to add guys most of you all know that I have often replied to comments like my original post giving advice when the poster DOES NOT want it to happen, or is uncomfortable with it.

Yeah I guess I've just missed the point of your thread.

You described behaviour that I would find unacceptable in my own dog. Then you joked that it's actually okay because you don't mind it. But for some reason you then seem to be saying that that behaviour is okay too, which I don't agree with. I wouldn't have my dog climb me in a million years, or anybody else for that matter. And he's definitely still a dog - licks hands, wiggles, bounces and dances about in delight when you come home, will lick chins and ears if you bring your head down to his level but would never barge over you or climb you to get to your face.

My dogs isn't as big as your rotties, but he's still 30kgs.

I guess I'm just kind of confused, because I don't think the behaviour you describe is the status quo for a dog 'acting like a dog' and I don't see how for some reason a dog that doesn't carry on like a pork chop and climb its owner uninvited to lick them all over their face when they get home is somehow not being a dog?

The Sweeper

Actually even that probably sounds harsher than I meant it to.

I just don't get it.

Cherry Blossom

The Sweeper wrote: »

Actually even that probably sounds harsher than I meant it to.

I just don't get it.

If you think about it, agility is based on the release of pure energy accompanied by sheer joy and excitement - but it's controlled. The dog is obeying your commands of 'run around like a complete lunatic' and 'now stop'. It's perfectly fine to unleash the inner lunatic as long as you still have the ability to make Mr. sensible return on command. Personally I don't think you should try to stop a dog from expressing itself when it is communicating something like this to you, excited dog that can be easily brought back under control is much better than a frustrated dog that is unable or not allowed to communicate it's emotions. I teach bite-inhibition, 'wait' and 'that's enough' early on and I've never had a problem with a dog suddenly decide they weren't going listen today because the excitement levels had gone beyond a certain point. My terrier would happily play tug with the kids all day long if they didn't get bored with it because she was taught where the line is early on and has never crossed it. Same applies to playing tag with the cat (involving running round the couch at high speed being pounced on occasionally by a cat) Does this mean this is allowed to go on unsupervised? - of course not, but there has never been a situation here yet where an adult has had to step in after the initial boundaries were set.

I don't think it matters where the boundaries are in some cases, where the owner is fluent in 'dog' and understands completely what is being communicated and has done enough training it never becomes a problem.

I would hate to think someone was reading this thread though and dismissed their own dogs behaviour as 'normal' when in fact in their particular situation they are not in control though.

** says the person awake at 4am having just had their head used as a trampoline.

The Sweeper

Just a note on agility - I've noticed some agility trainers who are really serious about it and have responsive dogs drop their treats on the ground, or throw them to the dog to catch as a reward while training. They appear to do that because it's difficult to get a dog who's in high drive to slow himself enough to take a treat gently from your hand, and even unintentional teeth-to-fingers contact hurts.

I think the difference in my mind is whether or not the owner is rising the dog - if you're stirring them up to work for you in agility and they're responding, that's fantastic. If you've just come home from work and said hello and you're not stirring them and they've gone bananas and you can't calm them easily, to me that's not okay.

callmekenneth

"help", feckin show off...

2 pages and not one pic of these beasts, sort it out!

BennyBlanc0

Whispered wrote: »

Size doesn't matter! One of the best dog handlers I've ever seen is little whip of a fella.

was that me?

are you serious

callmekenneth wrote: »

"help", feckin show off...

2 pages and not one pic of these beasts, sort it out!

I have no new pics, I will try get some tomorrow.
Here is 2 pictures of them both, the 1st picture is one of the first days Izzy got home she was 9weeks then and Buddy was just 13 months, the second picture is a week later.

are you serious

@The Sweeper, Although I dont fully agree with you I know where you are coming from and I know what mindset your thinking from as well, at least I think I do anyway!

I suppose lads a certain type of dogs behaviour to each individual person and what level of excitement they are allowed to get to again is up to each individual person!

Also how we (on boards) read each others posts can also be very misleading, as plain text does not allow for the reader to enterprit how the words should be spoken (if you get me)

LucyBliss

When I read the thread title and saw who the OP was, I thought that something wasn't right because look at them! They're so gorgeous and sitting so lovely together!! They look lovely in all their photos so I would never believe anything bad of them!

Yes, I'm a Buddy and Izzy fangirl and I don't care!! (Nobody tell Meg, Jack and Rosie or there might be hell to pay.)

garkane, you make a good point there. My dogs used to bounce up on the couch beside my grandmother and she was quite happy to let them with her. Sometimes she'd give out about them but as she enjoyed giving out from time to time, I always knew the difference between her saying stuff for the hell of it and when she actually had a genuine issue. But some of the family thought the dogs shouldn't have been let near her at all. Different people, different opinions.

And I know that how I train and deal with my dogs isn't how other people would do it. But it works for us. They're not barking a**holes, they don't eat the house and as they head towards their fourth birthday, they're a lot quicker to calm down without the use of treats. So I'm happy with the way things are going and I allow them perhaps a little more leeway in the bouncing around excitable stakes than others might. Same with raising kids really. Everyone has different ideas as to what's right for them.

The Sweeper

garkane wrote: »

@The Sweeper, Although I dont fully agree with you I know where you are coming from and I know what mindset your thinking from as well, at least I think I do anyway!

I suppose lads a certain type of dogs behaviour to each individual person and what level of excitement they are allowed to get to again is up to each individual person!

Also how we (on boards) read each others posts can also be very misleading, as plain text does not allow for the reader to enterprit how the words should be spoken (if you get me)

You're dead right.

In a lot of ways I have to keep an extremely tight reins on my dog because he's one of seven pets - and the other six are cats! They all free-range around the house together. My dog had the potential to be boisterous - a real out-of-control dog. He's a hunting dog anyway so he has some pretty high drive but I worked my knackers off in the first 18 months of his life to build in an 'off' switch. If I'd put similar effort into rising him up, roughhousing him and play, I'd still own him but I'd probably have no cats left.

As it stands, when he's allowed go off he really goes (off leash on a couple of miles of deserted beach for instance, or with 12 other dogs of similar size at dog daycare because I'm at work), but he's... I suppose 'reserved' is the best word, when he's at home.

Also: your dogs are gorgeous.

are you serious

Just in case anyone misses it, or does not follow it, I put in a couple of new pictures into the Animal pictures thread!!

callmekenneth

aw, it's the giant paws, class. have had the pleasure of looking after 2 rotties in the last while and i have to say they are a fantastic animals, so lovely and silly. and the appetites on them, they taught my fella to eat all his dinner at once else it'd be eaten for him

quietriot

Those are absolutely beautiful dogs

I understand where TheSweeper is coming from though and would share the concern but at the same time I suppose nobody here knows your dogs, their personalities and your interaction with them like you do. I'm sure you'll raise them responsibly while still maximizing the fun you have with them.

FoxyVixen

Have the photos been removed ??
Dammit missed out :rolleyes:

Never mind, just as I say that they magically appear

Lovely pair you have garkane, always enjoy seeing new pics of them.