Step son bought himself a Rottweiler...

[Dueller]

OOOOPS...."Step son" not "don"...freudian slip

Despite my suggestions about not having a dog to take care of while completing his last year and half at college, step-son bought a Rott puppy. But not just any Rott...he bought a $2000 prime champion yadadadada dog. Sire is a multiple show winner/direct bloodlines have won at major shows. Sire is 130+#'s; dam is 120#'s. A hoss for sure. Anyway its what he wanted and it was his $$$ so I don't get a vote. I wish I were a "broke" college student.

Now he's trying to come up with a unique name. Any suggestions?

I did check in with my veterinarian brother and he gave me some interesting background on history of Rott's. Often owned by butchers in old country: Butchers were part of the wealthy class and needed them for protection of their loot and meat supply. Also...needed to be a butcher to be able to feed the damn thigs. Very susceptible to parvo and other bacterial maladies so shots are crucial...perhaps should be given in 2 week intervals rather than normal 3 week. Ration feeding in first year as they can pack on pounds too quickly. Early weight gain can cause hip displaysia. Ditto with not training them too hard or training them to jump up in truck bed until at least 18-24 mos of age as it will contribute to hip or joint problems later in life. Interestingly he felt 50% of hip problems with larger dogs were caused/aggravated by owners pushing the diogs in their formative years.

[red-beard]

You know you can edit the title in OT, right?

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by red-beard

You know you can edit the title in OT, right?

Now I do Thanks, RB.

[deanp]

If he still lives with you check your homeowners policy to see if there is breed specific exclusions. Not sure what the legislation is in Mississippi relative to this.

[Tim Hancock]

My old boss had several. The original two eventually ended up with bad hips and he had to shoot another one for aggressive behavior towards some of his kid's friends. His first two went everywhere with him in the back seat of his nice leather interiored car. The d@mn things slobbered all over and ate a ton. He used to feed them venison and occasionally would fill up his freezer with McDonalds hamburgers to give them as treats. He loved those dogs, but they were a PITA IMO.

[M.D. Holloway]

Great family pets if gotten early and climitized to grabby kids - I think I would have got a Boxer instead.

[Taz's Master]

Love the breed. I would like to not have a dog with such a reputation, or trendy following, but they are intelligent, easy to train (in my experience), self-disciplined, low maintenance animals, I love them and don't intend to be without one. Not sold on an owner that isn't responsible enough to wait until after graduation and future housing is secured, but...

Grendel if a girl, Zeke if a guy.

Taz is a terrible name, but he was a great dog.

[gprsh924]

Why would you want a dog in college? Responsibility and accountability are two things are greatly enjoy having very little of right now.

[futuresoptions]

I like Eugene or Hans...

[Dueller]

In his defense, stepson did not set out with a Rott in mind. He seems to have put some thought in the idea of a dog as pet companion, researching different breeds etc. He secured a rental house with yard before deciding on dog. I think with the death of his father this summer he was really longing for a companion. He talked about different breeds such as labs, goldens etc before coming up with the Rott finding much on their loyalty, intelligence, etc.

While he is not a "thug" kind of kid, he is very into martial arts, personal fitness, ultimate fight type of sports, boxing, etc...and that's where I have a bit of concern...the "macho" image of the Rott as a breed and the possibility that that is the attraction. He is 6'4" tall but very lanky (165#'s)...does a lot of weightlighting trying to bulk up.

Maybe I'm over-analyzing but I feel a need to remind him that he must not get into the habit of rewarding "cute" agressive behavior in the puppy stage in order to avoid problems down the road. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a breed basher. My brother had one of the most loveable pit bulls on the planet. But when the dog exhibited its first sign of agressive behavior despite its gentle upbringing, the dog was put down. I'd hated for stepson to have to make that choice down the road.

[MRM]

I love Rots. Friends of ours used to have two, a male and female couple. They had an acreage, so the dogs were free to roam but were inside dogs too. They were the hugest, meanest looking and lovingest dogs in the world.

The male, in particular looked like he was perpetually about to bite someone's head off. But he was nothing but a big cuddler. If you sat down with him in the room, he would start out in the middle of the room and lay there, looking at you. If you didn't call him over to be petted, he would just lay there but would discretely inch his way over to you. If you waited long enough, he'd end up at your foot. And if you could stand to ignore him even longer, he would eventually lay right on your foot, kind of cuddling up around your leg. The funny thing was that he would do it inches at a time, so slowly that you couldn't see him do it unless you watched for it. When you scratched his ear he would emit this low pitched sound that could have been nothing but purring. Now that was a sight to see. A hundred and fifty pound male Rot, laying on your foot, ear cocked at you, purring as you scratched his neck.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Now he's trying to come up with a unique name. Any suggestions?

Perhaps:
- Money Pit
- Trust Fund
- Easy Money

you get the gist.

[Dueller]

LITTER and SIRE:

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Now he's trying to come up with a unique name. Any suggestions?

Dad named his Rot "Rommel" (police K9). Great dog with lots of "busts" before he was KIA.

[svandamme]

should get a second one,
Then name em Heckler & Koch

[URY914]

Not to rain on your parade but a Rotty was just in the local news here. Seems a 3 year old child dropped a cookie at a birthday party. Rotty got the cookie and the child. Child's dead and the dog was put down.

[Bill Douglas]

I hope you like the dog because as soon as he graduates and moves to a location where "he isn't allowed the dog" the dog will be yours.

My GF has a newe dog and has taken him to puppy pre-school, puppy school, and obedience level one, your step son should do something similar or he will end up with a dangerous dog on his hands.

Not meaning to be a kill joy, but I see this happening all the time.

[carambola]

great dogs. i have a male and a female, both two years old. they interact great with my 4½ year old son. very smart, so smart that they act dumb. they are really just a big ball of love for the family, not so much for unknown people. if i give the OK then they are fine but if i am frightened then they go bonkers, not a bad thing in my book.

[Rikao4]

had a few....
simply the best IMO..
if you know what your in for..
SOCIALIZE !...PEOPLE AND OTHER DOGS..
REPEAT.....
dog needs little training.
owners need alot...and best he get insurance
this was a bad move..
Rotties should NOT be your first dog...
feel sorry for the dog already..
D, hope I'm wrong..fear this will not end well.

Rika

[discovery2]

Diesel