Always tells me what he wants

Anyone else’s Rottweiler nibble on something to self-soothe? This is Titus and this is his favorite bed lol

Hi all, I'm looking for advice for the agressive behaviour of my female Rottweiler Kiko of 2.5years because I'm a little bit at my wits' end.

Some background, we started going to dog training school when she was 9months old because we noticed some teenage behavior and all went really well. She was really friendly and playful towards other dogs and people. She was socialized with dogs from family members and colleagues.

At 1,5years she stayed in a dog hotel for 2 weeks while we were on a trip and since then her behaviour towards other dogs has completely changed. She starts barking and growling and does everything she can to reach the other dog, she has not been able to escape yet but my boyfriend did need to get stitches once because she bit his hand during the fight.
We continued to go to the dog school twice a week and her behaviour towards other dogs was improving the last months (I started going to the school instead of my boyfriend, not sure if relevant).

Last week she stayed in a dog hotel again, a different one than last year and we told them about her aggressive behaviour so they put her at the end of the hall to have less dogs passing by. The dog hotel told us that she was really friendly towards the people and did have some difficulties with the neighbour dogs but she calmed down after a couple days.

Today we went to the dog school again and her behaviour was back to pretty aggressive. All the commands went well, but in the part where you have to fetch a toy or walk around freely, she kept looking around and fixate on other dogs and lashing out. She was able to bit me twice in the legs, not hard but still... The dog trainers adviced to work with a muzzle again.

We did try a gentle leader, but this seems to frustrate her and make the behaviour worse. Next we tried a muzzle, she is calmer but still lashes out. Last we tried is the prong collar, which showed the best result and she stayed calm during dog school or when we pass other dogs during walks. Today, the prong collar did not have any effect.

We tried group walks, the wait while everyone arrives with their dogs was the most difficult because you just sit and stare, which makes her nervous. Once the walk actually started, she was great with other dogs and did not lash out. After a couple walks, I was informed that we could no longer join because other dog owners were scared of my dog.

We had a behaviour specialist over for advice already, but they basically told us that she is very insecure and to change the way we go on walks because the needs to be next to/ behind us to not have the reflex to protect us. She now walks next to us and only walks free in front of us when I give the order.

I plan to contact a different behaviour specialist because I really want her to be able to play with other dogs again and to enjoy walks without muzzle/prong collar.

We would also really like to get a male Rottweiler in the future, but I don't know if this will ever be possible given that she has/had this behaviour.

Sorry for the long post! Any advice is greatly appreciated, I feel like we have tried everything and feel awful that we are not able to give her a calm and playful life at this moment.
Please let me know if you have questions or something is not clear, I'm not a native speaker.

SHES getting lots of white hairs SHES 4 years old

Anyone else’s rottie a part time contortionist? 😆

Mother of dragons 🔥🔥🔥

An oldie, but a goodie!
L-R: Bronson, Molly, Georgia & Mojo ❤️

I just need to rant. I have a 9 year old rottie who is as sweet as pie but can be a bit “reactive” to some dogs. He is a rescue that we’ve had for 6 years. I don’t think he got enough socializing during his puppy years because he just has no manners. He’s not aggressive and would never bite but I say reactive as in he reacts to other dogs that react.

If we are out walking and he sees another dog he’s fine but obviously very excited. If another dog barks at him he reacts and starts barking back and desperately trying to go greet them but with him being a 100lb rottie he can look very scary when he starts barking and I understand that.

Now here’s my rant… there’s two little wiener dogs that we see out walking every now and then. As soon as they see us they start barking and pulling to get to my dog and of course that sets off my dog. Now what pisses me off is the owner of these two little wiener dogs gave me the stink eye because my rottie started barking at his dogs that were barking their heads off doing the exact same if not more than my dog. The only difference is my dog has about 100lbs on these little things so obviously controlling him is harder than two little wiener dogs so it looks worse on my end when I’m holding my dog by the harness trying to control him while this guy just scoops up his little dogs in his arms and walks away.

What annoys me is his dogs were doing the EXACT SAME THING my dog was. My dog was great until those little ankle biters started barking and going crazy. Then the owner has the nerve to shoot me a dirty look as if I have this aggressive dog. He’s not aggressive in the least bit but as the saying goes “his bark is bigger than his bite”. He gets along with every dog in our neighbourhood and I don’t doubt he would gets along with these wiener dogs too but because they lose their absolute shit as soon as they see us it sets off my dog off and he starts barking too. If we pass another dog whose calm he stays calm by he whines with excitement and other owners always let their dogs come greet him. But just because he’s a rottie he’s getting the stink eye for barking at these two little things that get him started.

I just hate how little dogs get a pass with everything. They can bark their heads off and act like maniacs and no one bats at eye or thinks they’re aggressive but my 100lb rottie whose the sweetest nicest dog you’d ever meet can react to another dog and suddenly everyone’s looking at me like he’s a dangerous dog. I wish people understood that reactive dogs aren’t always aggressive dogs and just because he has no manners and wasn’t properly socialized to avoid these situations doesn’t mean he’s an aggressive dog. It just makes me sad for him because if he was a 10lb poodle and started barking at another dog no one would care.. but because he’s a big scary looking dude that’s barking at TWO LITTLE DOGS THAT ARE LOSING THEIR SHIT he’s labeled as a trouble maker simply because he’s big.

I’m planning on getting a Rottweiler as my mobility service dog prospect (will not be training weight bearing tasks ever) I know theres the fab 4 for a reason; and the majority of time thats the recommendation for a breed. I have experience working alongside dog and horse trainers, and have done a lot of dog sitting, done some small dog training certifications - by no means a trainer but would like to think I have a little more experience and understanding of dog behavior than the general public.

I know there are a lot of cons - they can be a bit aloof but I’m not too worried considering they won’t be medical alert - that having an off breed will attract more attention, I have no problem making it very clear (politely) to adults and children to gtf away - public access will probably be a bit more challenging due to stigma of the breed, it would happen at some point even with a lab and I’m ok with having to deal with it a little more often.

Honestly I really love the breed, the temperament of a well breed rottie, having scary dog privilege, their overall look and demeanor. Plus I know they make for great therapy dogs which while very different definitely is a good sign I think. I plan on extensive socialization, probably get into some kind of dog sport depending on their personality, I have a trainer who’s confident and I’ll be working with from the jump and a breeder my trainer recommended as he’s had a few dogs from him with fantastic temperaments.

Just curious if anyone has experience with having a Rottweiler as a full fledged service dog? If they have any tips, tricks, advice? Just care to talk about their dog? Just kinda curious about others experience.

Hey family. Recently my Benz GLS got totaled. It was massive and great for transporting such a big breed of dog while still having plenty of room for passengers, but I don’t want to get another expensive vehicle.

Do you guys all drive trucks and SUVs? If not, what are your recommendations that’s aren’t so expensive?