Pet Lovers

[Mmsfoxxie]

My daughter-in-law is 2 months pregnant with her first child.  She's very happy and all goo goo about how things are going to be with the baby.  She and my son live in Hawaii but we Messenger on FB a lot.

The other day, she said that she wants to get a Rottweiler as soon as they find a bigger apartment so that it can be with the baby.  I said "WHAT, NO, No, No!  They are vicious".  She said that they were not vicious and are very good with babies.

Not being really familiar with dogs, I googled.  Well, I found that she was right but I was also right.  I read that they are mild mannered until they decide not to be.  They can maul a baby after seeming in good temper just before the attack.

Does anyone here have one that's been around little ones.

[SeaMaiden]

There are two dogs I would never have around babies....Rottweilers and PitBulls. I know many people love them and say they can be sweet.....but, I would not want to find out otherwise with my children or family.

Yes, I do not like these dogs period.

[Ibby114]

I had a Rottweiler mix when my kids were little, she was as gentle & protective as can be. Supposedly she was the runt of the litter- at 80 lbs !! She was so loving- I think a lot of it is how they're trained- and their surroundings. With my instance it probably had to do with the mix factor as well. Kids and large animals are an awful lot to take care of though!!!!

[Snowpuppy]

What does she mean by "so it can be with the baby"?  She believes the dog will be a guardian or babysitter?

I agree that rott's can be unpredictable with agression toward others. I have known people who swear by the loving nature of their rott's but my local no kill shelter is always full of rotts and pits.

As a GSD owner I can honestly say some breeds are best with an experienced owner.

[queendiva]

Me thinks your DIL is reading too many Carl picture books!

[SXMGirl]

I have never owned a rottie, but I have had local experiences with two and they were not pleasant.  I have been a dog owner than I admit to being alive, and most of my dogs have been sweet, older seniors,.

The first instance was when my neighbors moved in next door.  Their rottie got out and blocked me on my front steps.  It would not let me move until the neighbors came and got her.  The other time was when we first got our Simon.  We were walking him at midnight and a rottie got loose from a partially opened garage door.   I thought we would never get him off of Simon or us and his owner had a very hard time getting control of him.

I would never have one.  I do think that when you have the runt of the litter that many times they are more gentle for some reason.  Of course, this is just my opinion.  My first dog was the runt and she was wonderful. 

[Mmsfoxxie]

You and I think alike @SeaMaiden

[Mmsfoxxie]

She grew up with one and says it was so gentle and loving, @Snowpuppy.  The only reason they don't have one already is because their place is small.  It's hard to find affordable housing in Hawaii.  They thought they had a lot of time to find one because she thought she couldn't get pregnant.  While on fertility drugs, it didn't happen but out of the blue...it did.

[fluffie]

You cannot "train" the DNA out of a dog.  I know many people like Rots because of their aggressive nature which is why people use them as guard dogs. No way would I have a Rot around an infant or my friends. Never know what would trigger them. 

[gardenman]

I had a neighbor who had two Rottweilers in the time he was living next door to me and they were the biggest babies in the world. One figured out that he could crawl under the fence to get into my yard and I'd routinely be out there picking up this big 90+ pound dog and shoving him back over the fence as he was lapping my face. His owner ended up installing a trolley system to keep him in his yard and one day the dog got the trolley wire wrapped around his foot and was limping badly and whimpering. The owner was out of reach, and there was really no one else around to intervene but me.

I was a bit nervous about this as I'd never been in his yard before and entering the turf of a protective breed while he's injured isn't generally the smartest idea. I hopped over the fence and approached him, feeling out his mood and he was just very happy to see me. I got him to lie down and rolled him onto his back and freed his foot all the while he was licking my face. When he was freed, he sat down on my lap and was just a very happy, relieved dog.

In my limited experience with Rotties I'd have no problem having one around a child of mine. Now, attitudes vary from dog to dog, but the two I've been around have been big lovable goofs. I'm sure there are some that can't be trusted, just as there are some people you can't trust around a child, but the two Rotties I've known were sweethearts.