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If you are faced with potentially having to rehome your dog below is a problem solving guide that addresses the most common reasons people feel the need to surrender their dogs. Please read through the suggestions carefully to see if they are applicable to your situation. They should provide you with valuable assistance in deciding what course of action to take with your dog. You may not like some of the choices you are given or some of the suggestions that are made, but it is important that you understand that your dog is ultimately your responsibility - not ours.
If after reading the guide you still feel it necessary to rehome your dog, we will list the dog on our referral page free of charge. You must complete the Referral Listing Form and send us proof of the dog's spay/neuter and rabies vaccination. Please read When You Can't Keep Your Rottweiler for help in preparing your dog for adoption and screening potential new homes.
Has your insurance been cancelled due to your choice of breed?
Are you having difficulty finding Rottweiler friendly housing?
Do you find you no longer have time for your Rottweiler?
Did you recently have a child, and you're concerned for his/her safety?
Is your dog too hyper, unruly, or destructive?
Is your Rottweiler exhibiting aggression toward humans or challenging your authority?
Is your Rottweiler aggressive to other dogs?
Are you moving to an apartment or smaller home and feel it would be unfair to your Rottweiler?
Does your Rottweiler have a debilitating illness or disease, and you can't afford to keep him/her?
Is your boyfriend/girlfriend pressuring you to 'get rid' of your dog?
Has your insurance been cancelled due to your choice of breed?
Many insurance companies have recently changed their policies and have decided to start discriminating against home owners based upon their breed of choice. Rottweilers are generally on that list. Below you'll find a list of insurance companies that to our knowledge do NOT have breed specific policies:
Are you having difficulty finding Rottweiler friendly housing?
Finding a home that allows children is often a struggle, yet people would never consider finding another home for their children. Rottweiler friendly housing does exist, but many people either give up too easily or don't start searching for rental properties soon enough. Please view the following suggestions for finding a home or apartment that welcome you and your dog with open arms.
Do you find you no longer have time for your Rottweiler?
An adult Rottweiler is a relatively low maintenance pet. He has a shorter coat that requires minimal grooming and his dark color hides dirt well. One can usually spend less than 45 mintues per week devoted to grooming the dog. Additionally Rottweilers, in comparison to many breeds, do not require a lot of one on one attention. Rottweilers can be satisfied with even 15 minutes of individual attention per day and don't need to be ogled over constantly. Generally they are more than content to quietly shadow their masters as they walk from room to room. Because Rottweilers are as a rule such ravenous eaters daily feeding sessions generally take less than 15 minutes even if meals are broken down into two portions. Altogether a Rottweiler can be adequately maintained as a pet for a mere investment of 3 hours a week. Are you so busy that you cannot find 180 minutes a week to give to someone who has devoted their life to you?
Did you recently have a child, and you're concerned for his/her safety?
Many parents read the headlines they see plastered across the front pages of newspapers and automatically assume that their Rottweiler will not do well with their children. Most of the time the very opposite is true of the breed! Please read the following articles for advice on living in a household with Rottweilers and children:
If you've had an incident in which your Rottweiler has bitten a child or has shown aggression to a child, then you must either take steps to correct the problem by consulting a behaviorist, or you must humanely euthanize the dog. Knowingly rehoming a dog who poses a danger to children is an action that could cost you your peace of mind, your home, and your very freedom should a child be maimed or killed by that dog.
Is your dog too hyper, unruly, or destructive?
Rottweilers at times, especially 'teenage' Rotties, can have high energy levels and when left to their own devices can become destructive. We've heard stories of lawn furniture, tables, and sheetrock being destroyed by a Rottie with too much time on his paws and not enough supervision. The key to dealing with this problem is not to pass it on to someone else who may be less patient than you've been but rather to deal with it head on. If you're unwilling to deal with your dog's problems, what are the odds that someone who doesn't know him will?
- One way to alleviate your Rottweiler's destructive behavior is to crate him when you're unable to closely supervise him, i.e. when you are at work, busy cooking dinner, or sleeping. This will eliminate destructive behavior while you are unable to watch him.
- The next step in controlling your wild child is to enroll in an obedience class. Any Rottweiler worth his salt should know how to sit, down, stay, and settle. For your convenience we've compiled a listing of trainers and obedience clubs throughout the state. If you're unable to locate a trainer on our list that is near your city or town, be sure to check with local veterinarian offices and feed stores.
- Finally, some Rottweilers have higher energy levels than others and will need more physical activity to help them concentrate and be more calm. Walking or running, playing fetch or keep away, and swimming are just a few of the ways you can help your Rottie burn off that excess steam and maintain his physical condition.
Is your Rottweiler exhibiting aggression toward humans or challenging your authority?
Is your dog neutered? If not, consider doing so - immediately. Decreased levels of testoterone and estrogen can help minimize the severity and escalation of aggressiveness and is often the first step toward resolving an aggressive behavior problem, especially dominance-based aggression. However, neutering is not a 'fix all' and does not solve all aggression issues. Your dog may simply not understand that he is the dog, and you are the master. Please read WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?. Again obedience training is a key factor in making sure your dog understands his place in the pack dynamic. Please see list of Texas trainers to find one who lives near you who can work with you and your dog. If you're unable to locate a trainer on our list that is near your city or town, be sure to check with local veterinarian offices and feed stores.
It's also important to understand that Rottweilers by nature can be vocal creatures. What we perceive as a growl may actually be a grumble. Please read Barb McNinch's article WHEN IS A GROWL NOT A GRUMBLE? for pointers on distinguishing between the two utterances.
Is your Rottweiler aggressive to other dogs?
Dog aggression is a fairly common occurrence in this breed. Neutering can reduce aggressive tendencies in dogs, especially those that are dominance-based. Many people mistakenly think that dog to dog aggression is a precursor to dog to human aggression or dog to child aggression. Nothing could be further from the truth. A dog's aggressive behavior to other dogs and animals does not translate to aggressive behavior to humans. Intelligent dogs like Rottweilers understand there are differences between humans and other canines and as such their aggression towards other dogs will not be transferred to humans.
That being said Rottweilers who are uncontrollably dog aggressive do not reflect well on the breed, and steps should be taken to get the issue under control. Work with a behaviorist or dog trainer in order to get your dog's aggressive tendencies under control. A list of dog trainers in the state can be found here.
If you can't afford to hire a trainer or behaviorist here are some resources for dealing with/retraining dogs with dog aggression problems on your own.
Are you moving to an apartment or smaller home and feel it would be unfair to your Rottweiler?
Many people find themselves faced with the decision of downsizing their living conditions and automatically assume that a Rottweiler needs a large yard and large home in order to be completely content. In fact, the opposite can be true. Rottweilers can adjust to a smaller living space and a smaller yard relatively easy. Most adult dogs spend a good portion of their day laying about, and floorspace isn't really a factor when they're sleeping. If you do have a more active dog, then a few laps around the block can help him burn off that extra energy, and will prevent you from unnecessarily upsetting his life by placing him in another home.
Does your Rottweiler have a debilitating illness or disease, and you can't afford to keep him/her?
If you're unable to keep your dog due to the cost of a needed treatment, chances of finding someone who is willing and able to take on the financial burden of a dog that will require a lot of medical care are rare indeed. Unfortunately rescue groups can only rarely offer monetary assistance to pet owner's whose dogs are ill. They must reserve their limited funds to provide medical care for the dogs in their program. If you're pet has hip dysplasia, osteochondrosis dissecans, or some other illness that you can't afford to treat, please check with IMOM.org to see if you are applicable for financial aid in getting your pet treated.
Also another good option to consider prior to your pet becoming ill is pet insurances. Below you'll find a list of several veterinary pet insurance providers:
Is your boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance pressuring you to 'get rid' of your dog?
First you need to determine why this individual is insisting that it is 'me or the dog'. Do they have true phobias about Rottweilers? If so, address those fears with him/her. Most individuals cite the fact that Rottweilers are killers, and this conception is based on extensive media coverage of Rottweilers involved in fatal incidents. However, the media seldom focuses on instances where Rottweilers are the good guys. Let your significant other read The Kris and Brea Pantheon of Heroic Rottweilers.
If that doesn't work, then perhaps they will consider a statistical approach to dog bites. Sadly from 1991 to 1998 Rottweilers were involved in 33 fatal incidents making them 'the most deadly breed'. Let's consider, however, that more than 600,000 Rottweilers were registered in the United States with the American Kennel Club from the years 1990-1997. This total does not include the number of Rottweilers that are purebred but whose registration papers were never sent in to the AKC or dogs who were backyard bred and did not have any papers. And we're going to make our calculation based on the assumption that the life span of a Rottweiler is exactly 7 years - which would exclude dogs born before 1990 from being included in our estimated total - and that the dogs involved in these bite incidents were at least 1 year old.
Now let's take the number of Rottweilers involved in fatalities and divide it by the number of registered dogs so we can figure out the percentage of Rottweilers who were involved in these lethal cases.
33/600,000 = .0055%
Wow! That means 99.9945% of the Rottweilers born between 1990 and 1997 were NOT involved in fatal bite incidents.
'Well, what about just plain bite cases where no one was killed, but Rottweilers bite someone?', your significant other may ask. Since there are no accurate figures relating to all the bites involving Rottweilers in the U.S. let's just make up a grossly exagerrated one. Let's say for example (and this figure is by NO MEANS an accurate count of bite incidents) during 1998 that 500 Rottweilers were involved in a human bite incident.
500/600,000 = .0833%
So even if 500 Rottweilers (and please understand this number is purely hypothetical and grossly exagerrated. There were NOT 500 Rottweilers involved in bite incidents in the time span of 1998!!!) were involved in bite incidents in 1998, that means that 99.927% of Rottweilers were perfect companions to their family. 99.927% of Rottweilers were never involved in a fatality or intentional injury of a human.
So there is a 99.927% chance that the Rottweiler you own will live the rest of its life as a wonderful companion and friend. And those odds will increase significantly if you obedience train, socialize your dog and keep it in good health.
Secondly you need to determine how happy you are going to be with an individual that is forcing you to 'get rid' of an animal that you love and have bonded with. Will you be resentful of them because they have forced you to make this life altering (and you're not just affecting your life with this decision. Your dog's whole world will be turned on end as well.) What are the odds that you and your boy/girlfriend will still be together a year or two down the road if s/he forces you to dispose of a dog you love? Is it less than 99.927%?
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