are rottweiler's mean dogs if you raise them with love and care?

Answer 1

Any dog can be a wonderful family pet if you raise them with love and care, rottweilers included. Just be sure to be firm with the rules, so the dog knows you are boss, have the dog live inside as much as possible to be a part of the family, and take the dog for lots of walks to work off excess energy.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

i'm sorry for what i'm about to say but i'm going to call the majority of these answers wrong. True, a lot of what a dog is and how it acts depends on the way it was raised. However, that only accounts for about 60% of what a dog is and its temperment. You can be the nicest person in the world and fully spoil your dog but in the end, the innate abilities and temperment of the dog will decide how it acts around people. I've owned MANY rottweilers throughout my years and I will tell you, the answer depends on the dog itself NOT the breed and NOT only the way it is raised and treated. 90% of dogs are happy when they are NOT in charge. In fact, they prefer it that way. However, about 10% of dogs were born with something more than every other dog. That something is a specific character and temperment. Real dog trainers and breeders call it the "Alpha Character". This is because, simply, the dog was born to be an alpha dog. Again, most dogs in the world are not born with it and most never develop it, even in packs. Rottweilers, Chows, Dobermans, Irish Wolfhounds, French Mastifs and chiuahuas are the breeds most likely born with this trait. Its just part of their character. Normally, these breeds are more territorial and more aggressive towards outsiders. Again, if a dog is brought up to see everyone as an enemy or was abused as a juvenille or pup, aggressivness can develop overtime but will always subside to a "true alpha dog"

Rottweilers were used as guard dogs and even herding dogs in europe for many years. This is something they have built into them from generations of the work and temperment. In fact, because of their territorial nature, they were used to create the most elite sentry dog; the Doberman. If you raise them with love and care and spoil them and take care of them and do everything an owner is supposed to do, then there is a 90% chance your dog will love you and be kind to you and others. Again, remember that 10% of dogs are born with a different character and stature. They may not try to impose their alpha status on you because you are their owner and handler but anyone outside the immediate circle will be seen as a challange. Most children that have been attacked by rottweilers is for three reasons.1) The child was provoking the dog by poking him or pinching him or pulling the ears or hurting the dog in some way. 2)The child did not understand the warning signs or when a dog can and should be played with and when to leave them alone for a few minutes. (Toddlers are at the most risk of this) 3)The dog saw himself as either the leader of the pack or towards the top of the chain and the child didn't understand this. Most kids don't. Most owners don't.

So, to answer your question, (sorry to ramble on but it is important for people to know this), YES, a rottweiler can be a great family pet and great guard dog. I personally do not recommend them if you have younger children (toddler to 10 years old) but if you supervise at all times, they should be fine. This breed is VERY LOYAL to its owner/handler. Also, it is VERY weary of strangers. If you plan on having this dog around when friends or other family show up, SOCIALIZATION IS A MUST FROM VERY YOUNG AGE. If the dog will be outside and away from groups of people than the breed would be great at any age.

Answer 3

I think its the traditional genes vs environment debate. If yu wish to have a sociable kid-friendly- even- tempered dog, best bet would be to look at it's heritage as well as make sure it's raised well. Then there is still NO guarantee so you will need homeowner's insurance and strong high fences and stron leashes and warning signs ....make sure the insurance doesn't ban certain breeds frm coverage-some have been talking about restricting coverage if you own a breed well known for having attacked humans and other pets.(Rottweilers& Pit Bulls)So even if one believes its a "safe" breed the courts may decide otherwise if an incident happens due to the crimes of previous dogs. So choose wisely.

Answer 4

Absolutely not. No animal is mean without means of example. I know many people who own rottweilers, pitt bulls, and dobermans, and they are the sweetest, most loving dogs that i have ever seen. I have a lab and a coon hound and neither of them could ever be as friendly as the other dogs.
So, in conclusion, rottweilers are sweet animals who are really just really big, muscular teddy bears. I would probably take them through obedience school so that you know exactly which agression not to use though.
I hope I was a help =)

Answer 5

Absolutely not! Rotties have a bad reputation, but they are some of the sweetest dogs I have come across. You just have to train them well and socialize them. I have a 2 year old 120 lb. male rottie who is the best dog. He listens well, he is great with my kids and he has never shown aggression toward anyone. However, rottweilers, like all breeds, can't be chained up outside and ignored, he must be part of the family.

Answer 6

I truly believe that animals are a product of nurture rather than nature - in other words, they're a product of their environment. How we treat them, especially dogs, affects their personality. No dog is just plain born mean. Behavioural problems always stem from something the people around the dog has done (freaking the dog out somehow or something) or from some medical reason (if a dog is sick it will be grumpy & tend to bite or whatever). If you're not one of these idiots who gets a dog to be a big mean guard dog & train it as such then you should be able to work with any breed. The trick with a large breed, such as rotties, is to have them in training from little puppies & keep it up all their life - you *have* to be the boss over them or else they will get confused as to their role in the family pack system & try to take over as boss. A busy dog, in mind & body, is a happy dog.

Answer 7

Rott's are actually not an aggressive breed, regardless of popular opinion. They are gentle, calm, highly reliable, and trainable dogs.
Rott's are great dogs if raised properly, as are all breeds of dogs. I have 14 dogs that live in my house, 2 of them are Rott's, 1 is a Pit and they are all the sweetest dogs! I also have 5 cats and a Chihuahua in the house and they all get along just fine. It is actually my Golden Retriever that I have to handle with care, as she does bite. All of my dogs were stray rescues.
Also, I work as a vet tech and I love all our Rotty clients. I've never been bitten by a Rott, I've only met one who growled at me because he was hurting and didn't want me bothering him. But he never tried to bite. I have however been bitten by every small breed of dog their is, I've also been bitten by a Lab, a German Shepherd, a Poodle, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, etc. It all just depends on how the dog was raised. The Shepherds owner praised his dog for biting both me and another tech. He taught his dog to be aggressive and thought this was a good thing.

Answer 8

Not at all. Some of the nicest dogs i have ever known were big, sweet, loving rottweilers. One was raised to be a guard dog, kept on a chain for the first 3 years of her life, and once she was living w/a new owner, she was perfectly happy and sweet. still a great guard dog, but to the people she knew, never so much as a tiny growl.

Answer 9

any dog can be a good dog it all depends on how you raise them.pitbulls,rottwilers,boxers,etc all have a bad name not because of the breed but the person who raises them.First thing,DO NOT hit the dog.if you are training him to go outside and he makes a mistake in a tone voice say "NO","BAD","WHAT DID YOU DO".do not raise your hands and when you say these phrases DO NOT sound mean but say it firm but still with love in your voice.also,the best time to get a breed of dog like that is about 4 weeks of age.as the pup is on there mother's tit,take them and hand raise them yourself.the dog will look at you as it's mother.i also have 4 kids so any dog can be a good dog.

Answer 10

i have always had rotts, they were my dad's favorite breed. Now I have two and they are simply the sweetest dogs. They are very intelligent and they need a lot of attention but they are not in the least aggressive to other dogs or to humans. My little niece, which is 4 years old plays with our 8 year old rott, and he has never been aggressive.towards her.

They tend to be a little rough when they play, but they are big dogs.

I guess that the breed is never responsible for being aggressive, just the owner.