Hi everyone, this is my first post,, so I will give a small amount of background on my dog. I have an almost 13 month male rottie, intact. My first male ever, my first intact dog ever, not my first rottie. We have come through the last year with my husband and I learning a lot about dogs and training. Only recently have I found this site and ordered a few tools, a few videos, and a remote trainig collar. We are only now coming to the end of the collar conditioning time.

He is a great dog, and he is a very smart dog. he has an excellent excellent temperment. We have had some great successes over the last year, and some issues. SOme have been worked through, and others are still being struggled with. I hope to share them all one at a time here and figure out how to overcome them. I have a lot of plans for him, and I want him to be a success. I want him to be the kind of dog that changes people's minds about rottweilers after they meet him. He did that in his second class, and was big hit at least with the teachers in his last class. I want him to always be that way.

The most pressing problem is very new, only been going on for a few days. he weighs a hundred pounds and I weigh 120. I have some orthopaedic issues, so i don't take a hit very well. We made it through all this time without him running into me on purpose. My husband has since told me that he has done it to him a few times in the past. A few days ago we were outside playing with a ball, and we collided. I blew it off as an accident. Yesterday morning, he is running down the hall to get to the door where my husband was calling him to go out, and ran into me again. Again, I kind of stepped in front of him accidentally, and we have wood floors that are slick. I blew it off again. This morning, I am walking in the yard, back turned to him, and he runs up behind me and runs full speed into me, almost knocking me down. Good timing that I had a chiropractor appt that morning.

I am stuck on how to get him to stop this. Up to this point, he would run to me if called and stop, or if he was playing, run by me. Why the change? And even when I am not interacting with him. I have the remote collar to start using, but do not want him to associate running up TO ME to be a bad thing. I am up for any ideas as to how to curb this behavior in the bud. This could get serious for me if he hits me the right way, using himself as a 100 pound torpedo.

From watching as much of the videos as I have, I would have to say he is a hard dog. I have actually corrected him off his feet as a smaller dog, with a flat collar, and he bounced right back up and went right back to barking at me. Holding him down until he gives has gotten the same result. He will give and then go right back to what he was doing. Upon further learning, I don't think that may be the best way to get any ideas across. I look forward to learning a lot here. Thanks!

Hi Julie,

Welcome to the forum! I know the more experienced folks will chime in, but I have a few thoughts.

Your dog is at the age where the hormones are starting to rage and he is probably pushing the envelope. He may not respect you too much either... can you imagine a lower ranking wolf doing this to the dominant wolf? Have you read any of the info on pack structure/ground work? There are some great videos on these topics as well.

How much exercise is your boy getting on a regular basis? He might have some excess steam which is not getting burned off and in addition to the hormones, things are ramping up a bit.

What behavior was he doing which led you to alpha roll him? (And yes, you are correct - that method is pretty good for only causing you more issues or getting bit in the process. Don't go there.)

What types of training have you been doing with him so far and what "plans" do you have for your boy?

Pictures - we love pictures. Again, welcome.

Also, what did you do when he ran into you (if you have reacted)?


And I'd probably play off-leash with him only after the major steam had been spent with someone else (husband?) while I was still working on "Don't come into my space uninvited."

That's a broad spectrum, for me, including me walking through the dog who is in my way, me not going around the dog or stopping or slowing or otherwise allowing the dog to determine pace, direction, use of space, etc., all fun/movement stopping when there's a violation (game over), directing where the dog is in relation to me while I make his food, rewarding and praising when the dog is where he should be (and looking for this just TO reward/praise so that I'm showing what I do want and not just what I don't), teaching the dog to approach me for petting, etc. (if he enjoys that) on invitation (and of course giving the invitation when the dog is where he should be) ... practicing NILIF in all things ...

I agree with you 100% that this isn't an e-collar situation, and for the same reasons.

All JMO.

Thanks Connie. I had one rottie before, and she had been gone a little over a year when I met the breeder we bought from. We loved the temperment of her dogs, and she really is a great breeder, she genuinely cares about her dogs. I know almost nothing about showing, but I have watched her show a couple times, and she truly has a great time at it, and so do the people she is helping along. It's not just about the winning. I like that about her. Unfortunatley, even though both the bitch and the sire had had previous succesful litters, two of this matchings puppies had elbow problems, and we were one of them. He was diagnosed at 5 months with elbow dysplasia. She has been great support with him over it also. We have been treating it pretty successfully, and that is a whole other story, but I tell you that background to tell you that we are not exercising him as much as we would without the elbow issues, but he still gets regular exercise, we couldn't live with him without it.

I watched the pack video, and I agree with it, but I know that I could not do the keeping the dog in a crate for week, 2 weeks, etc. I can do the restricting his movement in the house. And I have initiated periods of him being on a leash and in a down where I tell him. Still beside me at this point. I know that isn't optimum, but I would be lying if I said I would follow the crating program. I have not done all the things you mentioned, only just lately implementing the moving him out of my way, ending up with the toy(still forget to do that a lot).

I had studied so much on dog training for the year prior to getting him, I thought it would be easy. Oh was I wrong. My first rottie was missing some of the real drive and personality of the true rottie, even though she was a great dog. This little boy has opened my eyes about them. They are a fantastic breed, but they take a lot, and my husband and I will both be much better dog people when we come out on the other side of this experience. I wanted an easier dog, but I truly believe you get what you need, and we will learn a lot with him.

He has been through 4 classes so far. A small puppy class where they played loose together, another puppy class where they greeted on leash but no playing, and we also used a private trianer some who follows a lot of Cesar Millan's ways, and we took his CGC class and he got his CGC at 8 months old. The last class was retaking the CGC class at the dog trianing club just to stay out there around other dogs and people.

From day one until about 6 months, he went a lot of places with us, we would just carry him or plop him in the cart and everyone thought he was sooo cute. Then he got bigger and people started to make a wide berth around him. We had trouble getting him to stop mouthing strangers and jumping up, and then he started peeing on things and the trips to stores slowed down. Now we stick to normal dog places like the park.

When we first got him, he came into the house like a holy terror. I didn't expect this little monster who bite holes in our hands and feet and ran from one thing to another trying to chew everything up. Day 4 he had me in tears, literally(can you believe that) and I called the breeder for help. SHe said roll him, so i did and he settled down quite abit. We implemented some new rules, and we concentrated on house trianing(he peed every ten minuted for the first month, wow what an expereince, I can laugh now)It took a bit for us to bond after the rough start, I contemplated sending him back and letting the breeder home him to someone more experienced, but I knew if we didn't step up and learn what we needed to, I would never have the confidence to try again, so we buckled down, and I started studying more, and trying, and one day I realized just how much I loved him. I wouldn't have traded him for the world, bad elbows and all. I was gong to do whatever I had to do to make him into a success. And we are still plowing away at that.

A lady at class told me about leerburg as a place to buy a leash, and I read for two days I thnk when I got here. I like Ed's mixture of positive. SOme of the positive books I read had nothing to offer for problems, like 100 pound dog talking back when you tell him no. And people kept telling me that rotties needed a special kind of firm hand. I also believe someone is the leader. That doesn't alway fly well with everyone.

We take a walk every morning(20-30 minutes), my husband and I share depending on work schedules. Part of the walk is structured on the left side heeling, part is wandering sniffing. I only work one or two days a week, so he is with me almost all the time. I have found an improvement in leash walking once we left class as it seemed he was better able to grasp it in a low ditraction environment rather than class, even though the majority of time was practicing at home, once a week we went into that environment.

I do not think he truly has respect for me, and that worries me. He started backtalking me a while back and I cannot get him to stop. If I step towards him when he does it, he will scoot out of the way, but not stop. If I turn and walk away, he stops becasue I am not engaging him, but I feel like that is letting him get away with it. He will not get off a bed if he gets into our bedroom and hops on the bed. I had difficulty teaching him off excpet in context of jumping on a person because of his elbows. I always pulled him off butt first. I also cannot get him to release things he picks up, and I have resorted to squeezing his nose to get him to open his mouth, which I hate, but the trick they teach you in class to open their mouth by pushing a certain spot does not work on him with his super strong jaws.

he doesn't show all the dominating qualities. I can take a bone or toy from him with no growling, etc. SO can my Mom who came to visit and met him first time last week. He waits hwile i walk in or out the door, and he has perfect food manners.

My first hope for him is to be a great pet and companion. I want him to be an ambassador of the breed, he certainly has the temperment for it, and he is gorgeous. He would have knocked-em dead in the show ring. I am reading a book on tracking from leerburg but am going to hold off on teaching him until all pulling is under control. Tracking would have only been for fun on our property as practice, and out and about for fun. I do want to do therapy with him when he is older, and technically I have a disability, so I had hopes of him being able to be certified for service work for me. That remains to be seen. Right now I can't get him to walk down the aisle of a store without hiking his leg on something. He seems to not even have to stop, he misses one step and he's peeing.

I know it sounds here like I am listing all his faults, but he really is a great dog, and only our skill will set the limits on what he can achieve. I am hoping that this forum is the bginning of us being able to finally overcome some of the issues we have been dealing with, and getting on track with his having more respect for us. I know that is key for him to see us that way. I also bought the obedience video and the remote trianing one, so we are set up in that way. Sorry I wrote a book, it is hard to figure what is importsnt to include and what is not. I hope that helps.

One question, how do I teach him to have respect for my space?

"One question, how do I teach him to have respect for my space?"

 Quote: connie sutherland

.... That's a broad spectrum, for me, including me walking through the dog who is in my way, me not going around the dog or stopping or slowing or otherwise allowing the dog to determine pace, direction, use of space, etc., all fun/movement stopping when there's a violation (game over), directing where the dog is in relation to me while I make his food, rewarding and praising when the dog is where he should be (and looking for this just TO reward/praise so that I'm showing what I do want and not just what I don't), teaching the dog to approach me for petting, etc. (if he enjoys that) on invitation (and of course giving the invitation when the dog is where he should be) ... practicing NILIF in all things ...

Tell us more about his exercise limitations (because that will seriously affect the responses).



" I have not done all the things you mentioned, only just lately implementing the moving him out of my way."

You moving him? I was talking more about you walking through him. That is, HE has to watch for YOU or HE will be stepped on, etc. I don't mean that you try to hurt the dog; I mean that the dog gets out of your way and not vice versa. The dog in this case, IMHO, has to perceive that you are a giant ocean liner or tractor-trailer, completely unaware of and unable to stop or swerve for the likes of him.

"He started backtalking me a while back and I cannot get him to stop. If I step towards him when he does it, he will scoot out of the way, but not stop. "

What does this mean? Barking at you?


Is that half-hour walk his entire exercise regimen? And how much training every day?

Others will have solid suggestions, definitely, but I think I would re-assess this guy's exercise requirements, how much training he gets, and how he earns attention and food and everything else in his whole wide life.

I think that NILIF is critical with this dog.

I think that basic obedience and pack structure trump therapy and service work plans --- not at all to say that you can't have such goals, but to say that they need to be set aside at the moment. For example, I would not have this dog in a store: "Right now I can't get him to walk down the aisle of a store without hiking his leg on something. " He has not earned such a privilege, just as he has not earned this kind of freedom of the house: "He will not get off a bed if he gets into our bedroom and hops on the bed." Rather than ordering him off -- just not allowing the situation to have developed.

There are long-time Rottie folks on the board, and if they can be convinced to read a post of that length ( ), they will be way better sources than I am. (I tend to post wordily too, but it's not a productive habit. LOL)

All JMO!

I will try to learn to be short and sweet. haha

His morning walk is about 20 minutes. He LOVES the treadmill. I let him do 10 minutes at a time, on days when we can't be out so much becasue of the weather. We have 2 acres fenced in and we spend maybe 2 hours outside in a day, maybe more, wandering around, playing with a ball, a stick, etc,. He gets another maybe 30 minutes of training.

Yes, all those lofty plans, are high hopes, not concerns for the moment. My concerns for the moment are gaining better control, gaining lots more respect, and feeling more confident about the whole process.

I am reading about the dominant dog stuff here on leerburg, and I had better get it straight because we are approaching the really great age when all this is going to come to a head. I just asked in the dominant dog forum if the dominant and aggressive dog video is for us if he shows no signs of aggression?

His limitations are imposed by us,not anything by the vet. We are doing a therapy never done on a dog before, and so there are no rules in place. We do not let him overdue, however vague that is, it is just as vague for us. We go day to day sometimes, oops yesterday was too much, kind of thing. I did take him hiking the other day about 20 minutes and he did well. No extra limping afterwards.

I don't try to move him. I walk through him like you said. he will move, but he is surprised that it is happening after all this time of walking around him.

yes, backtalking means barking at me.

he is not allowed in the bedroom and it is gated off, but every now and then it gets left open. he is not allowed on any furniture and sleeps in his own room, not ours.

"I walk through him like you said. he will move, but he is surprised that it is happening after all this time of walking around him. "




Well, he is in for a rude awakening when he realizes that he is no longer king of the castle.

"All this time of walking around him" --- you can see in that one tiny phrase how you have reinforced to him that he is in charge and not you. Why would he NOT run into you?

 Quote: Julie Sloan

I just asked in the dominant dog forum if the dominant and aggressive dog video is for us if he shows no signs of aggression?

He sounds to me more like a pushy dog who has been allowed to get away with it.

But JMO.

I don't know whats on the dominant dog video, but as he starts getting to the age like he is now where he's testing you a little, don't fall into the habit of always trying to stop things and correct for everything, do a better job of being consistant and showing him what you do want.

If he really is a hard dog, you won't do yourself any favors always picking fights and not winning them.