blending families. rotwieler wants to eat maltese. can't keep seperate forever. help?

Question

the rottie is not in any way agressive tward other dogs (airedales) or people .just the maltese. I am not sure if he thinks its a toy or what. both sets of children love their pets, getting rid of one is not an option. rottie is 4 and maltese is 11. where can i find a dog whisperer? live in s. Jersey. zip 08088. we have tried keeping them on different sides of strong fence, hoping they would adjust ( 2 weeks now) it is not working. since other dogs can be together rottie is kept seperate. we add one of the other dogs to the rottie side so he is not always alone, but this dog is unhappy and wants to be with group. Group 1 = 5 year airedale, 4 year airedale, 11 year maltese. 2nd group = golden retriever 12 yrs & rottie 4 years old. Rottie was a puppy when introduced to goldie, and is not used to any other dogs. we have to make this work...HELP

Answer 1

I've had Rottweilers and terriers, so I can tell you from experience - a dog the size of a maltese is a quick snack to a Rottie. Rotts have high prey drives and won't recognize this fluffy thing as a dog - to him it's just a rat. For a dog like this to be good with tiny dogs or cats, it has to be raised with them from puppyhood.

Even if you find a trainer willing to help you with this (even Cesar Millan himself!), I would NEVER, EVER let them loose together. You'd be asking for a disaster. Training is just a layer of control on top of a dog's instinctive behavior. It will all be forgotten as soon as someone rings a doorbell and the Maltese runs under his nose. WHAM! One dead Maltese.

You can do some training that may help to teach him to tolerate the Maltese because you say so. Keep the Rottie on a leash at all times and correct him if he so much as gives the Maltese a dirty look. You can try introducing them with the Rott on-leash, muzzled and on a down stay. This will NOT make it safe for them to be together.

I'd also suggest reading some really good books on training. Try not to do it randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also! These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

Answer 2

Well i have two dogs, the male was bigger ( Way bigger) at first i wanted to keep them apart but that wasn't working so instead i let them pay for awhile of course i was scared yelling your hurting her etc. but after a while they get used to each other. and my male pug helped me teach the female Pug proper potty training. but keep an eye on both of them their play may seem a little rough at first.

Answer 3

i also have a rott, and if my rott see's any dog that is smaller than it, it will think its a toy. mabey the rott was improperly soclized with other dogs when it was a pup

Answer 4

it takes time.. my female doberman thinks all cats and small dogs are toys..my mom has a Pomeranian,and it took awhile,but they got used to one another,now they play..i took us time and patience..