I have a 3yr old rotti who is psycho?

Question

i have had him since he was 8weeks old have taken him to training classes he has been castrated but he still is a very dominant dog, he has never been hit or had food taken off him but he is very protective of food and toys. he lets you stroke him for a while but when he has had enough he growls. just been speaking to a lady who thinks he is nervous and not aggresive, the vet says he has a screw loose. he came from good breeders as we know them personally. i love my dog but i donot trust him with other people or dogs, he ignores cats though. has anyone got any suggestions please?

Answer 1

Have the breeders not been able to help you with this?

Sounds to me like he doesn't know who is the boss in your house. Or maybe he does....it's him!

You might try Nothing In Life Is Free
http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm
http://www.goof.com/~pmurphy/NILIF.html

And a good article on leadership
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/leadership.html

Other good articles:
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/artlibreg.htm

Answer 2

Sounds a lot like my friend's Rottie. She has a littermate to mine. Mine is the perfect dog. She is dominant, but she has never growled or snapped at me. She loves to resource guard things, but will always let me take it away from her.
However, her sister is a different story. She growls and has snapped at my friend. She is also not trustworthy around strangers or other dogs. She makes me nervous, but my friend dearly loves her and would never think of putting her down. Both these dogs are almost 12 and we have owned them since they were 8 wks.
My friend has just always warned people to not approach her dog. She keeps her away from other dogs. She has always put her in a crate when she has growled or snapped at her...sort of a time out. I'm not sure I could have kept a dog I could not trust, but my friend just could not even think of putting the dog down. And, that is the only thing to do if you can't keep the dog. Unless, you can find an experienced owner who is told all the problems and still wants the dog.
I don't think he is nervous. I think you are right, he is very dominant and has learned to get his way. I bet you do stop petting him when he growls? So, he has learned this works.
Rotties are large strong dogs. I would get help from a behaviorist with him. Find someone who understands Rotties.

Answer 3

Wow, he growls at you? He may be badly bred. You say you know the breeders, but do you know how a Good breeder operates? Just because you know and trust them, does not mean your dog is well bred. If it is not anything you've done, then is has to be the breeding.
Right well it could be that he is not sure of his place in the pack. This can cause your dog to be very upset and/or aggressive. Try these things and see if there is any improvement. -


Don't greet him when you come in

Never let him walk through a doorway before you.

Make him wait before he eats, and teach him a command to eat, like 'ok eat'.

Don't let him on any furtiture

Never get below him or let him get higher up than you (as in, dont lie on the floor with him)

I hope this works.


He might just have a mental illness. It can happen in dogs too. I once knew a dog that would rush around in circles for ages. He was a very strange dog. A screw loose to quote you.



Good luck, and I hope he improves!

Answer 4

I'm sorry but there must be a reason for this behaviour
And as for your vet saying he's got a screw loose , that's just disgusting
I would have gone mad if the vet said that about my dog!

It sounds to me he has serious dominance issue which i sense he has learned through you because your not a good pack leader
That doesnt mean you not a good dog owner!!!!!!!
I would suggest getting in some help
With a dog his size he is capable of anything, so i dont think you should tackle this problem alone

Answer 5

you shouldn't use the word psycho, it reinforces the negitive stigma for mental illness you know?
As for your dominant dog! I would take the tack that he is highly strung and will calm down as he ages, you say he is only 3.
You do seem to have done all the right things so far, some dogs do just have a bad attitude like some people!
You sound like you are keeping him safe from causing any real problems but aside from allowing for the attitude, there is little more I can suggest.

Answer 6

Are you sure he is growling when you stroke him?
I had a friend with a rotti boy and when he was stroked he would start "purring"! To me it sounded like a "I've had enough of that" growling - and very noisy at that. Friend assured me that the lad got most upset if people stopped making a fuss of him just because he was showing some appreciation!
The only thing, I suppose is to muzzle him in company, for his safety and their peace of mind.

Answer 7

Thought you were asking us to decide 'who is psycho' between you and the dog. Incidently, use the term all you like mate. 'Psycho' is short for Psychopath not psychotic - psychopathy is not a mental illness - its a personality disorder. I wonder if H1976 is concerned about stigmatising the likes of Peter Suttcliffe, Fred West, and Harold Shipman from her soapbox.

Answer 8

Is he bored? Unstimulated? Do you spend enough time with him when he IS behaving and being good? Are you taking him out enough for long walks? What are you feeding him? If the food is "wrong" sort it might be making him neurotic and over active.

Suggest screw driver if screws loose!

Answer 9

As someone else said, are you sure he is growling? Many Rotties "talk" If the breeders are as good as you say they are, they should be the ones to talk to about this.

Answer 10

How much exercise is this dog getting? walks a couple of times a day and a tie out in the back yard is not going to cut it. if this was my dog i would have him hiking(this is a large strong dog) and he needs to be physically and mentally tired each day. He may need a job as in carrying a pack etc.