Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have 2 german shepherds and a wolf husky mix. our neighbors brother has a rottie and she just had pups. there were only 2 kinds of dogs that my husband wants a wolf and a rottie. I wanted the german shepherds. I know that there are a zillion people out there that think rotties are mean, evil, aggressive, and will eat my children. I'm not one of them. now the hubby wants a rottie. can anyone give me any advice for NOT getting as much crap for having a rottie. the pups we're looking at are only a few weeks now. born mothers day. the mother is a sweetheart. she had no problem letting us reach down and pick up her pups. (i was a little nervous). I'm not worried aobut them hurting anyone in my family. I just dont have a clue what to say to them when they show up here one day and theres another dog. I will admit that i am one of those people that thought rotties were 'bad' dogs and since i'd never met one, i didnt really have the chance to know any different. my family on the other hand is still getting used to 2 german shepherds. (my dad about hit the celing when my older shepherd woofed at him).... anyone else have a family like mine? anyone have a success story for me?

You know, with my relatives I've basically put a ban on them talking to me about my pets. Not only do I not need their opinion I don't want to hear it. I've told them the moment they start bashing my pets I've stopped listening so they might as well stop talking. Their opinion will not change my decision to continue to bring animals into the house. In fact, it might prompt me to retaliate and bring in another 14' reticulated python foster.

IF the decision to bring in a rottweiler is a good decision for your husband, yourself, and your family, that's all you need to know and all that matters. I personally couldn't handle 4 large dogs with two kids, but that's me and not you. It can work. I just don't have the energy at the end of the day to do any more than I do.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

hehehe. i'll have to use that line about 'when you start bashing my animals, i stop listening so you might as well stop talking' lol. thats great, i might have to put it on my door. there is a list of other 'rules of the house' on the door that include something like "i have dogs, they live here, you don't, if you dont want fur on your clothes, stay off the furniture". things like that. its very cute. I dont work (at a salaried, taxing job anyway). i stay home and rescue reptiles and play with kiddos and dogs all day. the work never ends but hey, thats what happens with 2 kids and a bunch of critters. I often 'hear about it' when i get a new reptile. my mom is near ripping hair out when she hears about the next 'new addition' and thats part of why all the 'giants' are in the garage (fully heated and AC-ed) my in laws know better than to bring up reptiles in my hearing distance b/c it ends with me picking up the kids and leaving the kids go to thier room and they leave my house immediatly. I don't put up with herp bashing. i dont know why its so much harder for me to defend dogs. they have just heard so many more 'horror stories' about rotties and wolves and shepherds i guess.... anyway. thanks for what you said, it gave me a few good ideas, i really appriciate it.
Beth

You won't like my answer, but here it is. You need a Rottweiler like a hole in the head. You have neither the skills or experience at this point to raise one safely. I am rather appalled that someone who gave the answers you did on the other thread owns a wolf and GSD. You now want to add a FOURTH dog who is also known to be dog aggressive to the mix? Your relatives would be right, your home is not going to be a safe place and with your training "insights" on the other thread, I am surprised you haven't been in the newspapers already. I know that sounds harsh, but I would rather be straight than have disaster fall on your family.

Tell hubby you BOTH need to learn more, study more, take the dogs you HAVE to training classes, learn to train without HITTING. Until you can do all that, you truly do not need another dog, much less a rottweiler. Quality of ownership, not animal collecting should be the goal and right now with all your pets, with your resorting to hitting the dogs you have to train, you are already over your head. Step back, do what is right not only for you and the family but for the dogs you have.

And quite frankly, your neighbors are backyard breeders. Study, learn, get a well bred dog when you do finally decide you are really ready for another dog.

Responsible Breeding
http://hometown.aol.com/debradownsth/myhomepagerespbrd.html

Finding The Right Puppy Or Dog
http://hometown.aol.com/debradownsth/index.html

Your Purebred Puppy, A Buyer's Guide to Dog Breeds
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/yppbook/index.html
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Debra
ebraDownSth@aol.com" target="_blank">DebraDownSth@aol.com
The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
It speaks in the language of hope, trust, compassion, heart, soul.
We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation,
the fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are one. G'kar

who the bloody hell gave you the right to judge me and my training skills? i do what works for me. if i want a dog i want a dog. i did NOT ask for your input on my training meathods. and as far as me being in the newspaper. what?!?!?!?! my dogs wouldn't hurt a flea if it ate thier face off. my dogs dont even bark at the meater reader. he comes in my yard and my dogs love him to death. they've never been formally introduced by me either. so as for me being in the newspaper. maybe you need to be in the paper for jumping down peoples throats for NO GOOD REASON. its people like you that keeps me away from perfectly good forums. I've done my research and i know my GSD's. i did enough research about wolf mixes to feel comfortable enough to have a puppy. by the time shes grown up i'll have finished all the 'research' i need. and btw- you need to read my post again. you dont even have the information correct. its not my neighbors. its my neighbors BROTHER! hes not a 'backyard' breeder. another dog that lives behind him, jumped the fence and got her pregnant 2 weeks before she was to be spayed. when they went to spay her, they found out she was pregnant. I DO NOT support kennels, pet stores, AKC dogs or anything in the like. I'm not saying those are bad dogs or anything like that. I have my own rescue so i know what happens to the animals that are 'made to sell'. they end up in shelters. i get my dogs from shelters and other rescues ONLY. I will never again buy an animal from a store, there are perfectly good dogs and other animals out there that need homes that are living miserable lives in kennels and with people that cant or wont feed them. and dont you dare say i cant feed my dogs b/c you have no friggin' clue how much money we make a week. unless you're going to offer helpful and polite advice- mind your own. i didnt ask for a critiq. if you'd like to come see how my animals live and behave- be my guest. you'll be leaving very dissapointed. and you probably shouldnt even bother with a reply because i wont be back. this is stupidity. i dont need someone with totally different ethics telling me how to train my dogs, run my rescue, or raise my kids- thats all my job. i asked for advice on getting someone to leave me alone i did not ask for another parent.

>>who the bloody hell gave you the right to judge me and my training skills?

-------- What gives me the right? Well, you posted on a public forum so ANYONE has the RIGHT to give their views.

>>>i do what works for me.

------- Yes, and so would agree people who beat their children, their spouses, are verbally abusive, or whatever. If you have to HIT your animals, what is "working for you" is wrong. Period, end of topic. Just because you DO IT doesn't make it good, right, or humane. Hitting animals because you CAN doesn't make it right.

>>if i want a dog i want a dog. i did NOT ask for your input on my training meathods. and as far as me being in the newspaper. what?!?!?!?! my dogs wouldn't hurt a flea if it ate thier face off. my dogs dont even bark at the meater reader. he comes in my yard and my dogs love him to death. they've never been formally introduced by me either. so as for me being in the newspaper.

========= Yes, says animal collectors, people who get dogs they can't control or keep, ... its the ME generation. I want, I get, and to hell with the animal's wellfare. I get that concept selfish though it is.

And your example above simply proves my views of you... letting people into a freaking FENCE with dogs shows that you have little to no comprehension that dogs enclosed in a FENCE are more likely to bite than anywhere else other than on a chain. They KNOW they cannot get out. You lucked out the guy does nothing threatening, and you risked your dogs's lives and HIS on allowing someone you do not KNOW, have not introduced, to do it. That is dangerous and utterly irresponsible behavior imho.

>>maybe you need to be in the paper for jumping down peoples throats for NO GOOD REASON. its people like you that keeps me away from perfectly good forums. I've done my research and i know my GSD's. i did enough research about wolf mixes to feel comfortable enough to have a puppy. by the time shes grown up i'll have finished all the 'research' i need.

===== Sweetie, you gave me PLENTY of reasons before, and reinforced it with steel bolders in this post. Its people like YOU who think they know all and won't listen or learn that don't like forums where people tell them anything they don't want to hear, not me, who are the issue. Please, go post on the behavior board... see if .. never mind.. I'll ask them to come here.

And btw, lol.. your comment you know by the time the dog is GROWN says it all. That you took on a wolf mix PRIOR to knowing it all says more than you can imagine.

>>and btw- you need to read my post again. you dont even have the information correct. its not my neighbors. its my neighbors BROTHER! hes not a 'backyard' breeder. another dog that lives behind him, jumped the fence and got her pregnant 2 weeks before she was to be spayed. when they went to spay her, they found out she was pregnant.

---- sorry again, but your brother IS a byb breeder. he had a bitch, he didn't spay her young, he left her in backyard unattended. People with bitches watch them every second, period. People who let their bitches get "accidently bred" are still breeders of the BYB kind. And frankly, a RESPONSIBLE person would have spayed her pregnant instead of bringing more poorly bred animals into the world. It was the RESPONSIBLE thing to do. So tell me, is he charging money for the pups and refunding it on PROOF of spay/neuter? Doing something like that MIGHT at least prove him more responsible

>>I DO NOT support kennels, pet stores, AKC dogs or anything in the like. I'm not saying those are bad dogs or anything like that. I have my own rescue so i know what happens to the animals that are 'made to sell'. they end up in shelters. i get my dogs from shelters and other rescues ONLY. I will never again buy an animal from a store, there are perfectly good dogs and other animals out there that need homes that are living miserable lives in kennels and with people that cant or wont feed them.

..... Good for you! Truly that is a good thing.

>>and dont you dare say i cant feed my dogs b/c you have no friggin' clue how much money we make a week.

..... okay you wigged out. I said nothing about your feeding your dogs.

>>unless you're going to offer helpful and polite advice- mind your own. i didnt ask for a critiq. if you'd like to come see how my animals live and behave- be my guest. you'll be leaving very dissapointed. and you probably shouldnt even bother with a reply because i wont be back. this is stupidity. i dont need someone with totally different ethics telling me how to train my dogs, run my rescue, or raise my kids- thats all my job. i asked for advice on getting someone to leave me alone i did not ask for another parent.

........... Frankly that WAS polite for me. I mean, had I told you that you are stupid, far from the clue bucket or something RUDE, I'd understand. But the reality is that you simply don't like WHAT I said and there is no way ANYONE can tell you what you don't want that you won't call it rude or whatever. You will find life easier if you learn to separate advice you don't LIKE from accusing people of attacking you.

And yes, our ETHICS are different. I believe in responsible dog ownership and humane training.
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Debra
ebraDownSth@aol.com" target="_blank">DebraDownSth@aol.com
The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
It speaks in the language of hope, trust, compassion, heart, soul.
We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation,
the fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are one. G'kar

Hitting dogs is dangerous. What many people do not realize is that when you "dominate" a dog in such a manner, you teach that dog to do it to those who are weaker. Many is the parent who has hit the family dog and been flabbergasted when the dog bit the family child. It rolls downhill, it really does.

As far as wolves for pets, they tend to be more or less okay as puppies and become unmanageable when they mature. Until the animal is at least 3 years old, you don't know what you have.

What you can get away with in handling some dogs is not going to fly with all dogs. Adding one more dog can create more conflict in the dog group than you would even imagine. At some point, usually around 4 to 5 dogs depending on breed, it requires setting up some sort of kennel facilities that allow you to keep incompatible dogs separated. That is a whole different lifestyle than dogs on the bed.

Please, no hitting dogs. It's a really dangerous thing to do.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I think that we have decided not to add another dog to our family at this time. We're planning to move out to an area with somemore land. We have a huge yard, dont get me wrong that could easily accomidate 7 dogs. (yikes) we think it would be better to just wait until we move and then think about getting another dog again. I was also leaning more towards spending more with the reptile rescue. anyway- i dont think were going to get her after all. as for the wolf/husky. I have heard from several people that they are good dogs while they're younger but you dont know what you have until they're 2 or 3. we are still in contact with the woman we got her from. as well as someone who has several wolf/whatevers. She has a few dogs that are absolutly wonderful with kids and blah blah blah and a few that are in cages you can't fit your fingers through the sides. We are prepared to give her to someone else if the need arises. I'm not big on stereotypes. I've heard people say that rotties, dalmations, cocker spaniels, and chiuauahs are horrible dogs and cant be trusted. I hate it. If you happen to have a reptile, especially a snake, i'm sure youve been stereotyped at least once. I don't like to judge a book by its cover or a dog by its name and i dont. thank you
Beth

Beth I think that's a good decision. Good luck on the move! Thank you also for the email, hopefully we can continue.

Debra
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Debra
ebraDownSth@aol.com" target="_blank">DebraDownSth@aol.com
The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
It speaks in the language of hope, trust, compassion, heart, soul.
We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation,
the fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are one. G'kar