Confined Almost 24 hours a Day – Now We Have An Aggressive Rottweiler
I have a question about an aggressive Rottweiler.
My neighbor, got a Rottweiler puppy at 8 weeks less than 2 years ago. The dog spends most likely 22 hours in his 8 ft by 8 ft fence cage. He’s outside all day everyday. He has developed an eye infection because of all the bugs that are always around him. After a while, this dog soon started to become aggressive. He would bite whoever was trying to feed or walk him. He is always barking and pouncing at people just walking by. I am scared of him but it’s not his fault. I feel like he is actually angry or hurt by the way he is treated. I feel like this dog is neglected so much. He needs love and an owner willing to play and give time to him. I, myself, have a toy Poodle who is about 1 years old. I honestly have been thinking about taking this dog in. He’s a beautiful dog. My question is, is it possible to tame him or train him to not be aggressive? I ask that because he seems very aggressive.
Thank you for your help.
Lisa – South Carolina
Hi Lisa,
Rehabilitation of a truly aggressive dog is no easy task. An aggressive Rottweiler or any breed for that manner always has potential but whether to an extent that means the dog will be safe in the context in which you live your day to day life is another matter. If you were to take this on you should do so after contacting a very experienced dog trainer (not a trainer that believes in all positive all the time and rewarding good behaviour with cookies and ignoring bad behaviour – they will almost certainly recommend euthanasia) and having him or her go with you to meet the dog and dog owner if he’s willing to help out by at least answering some questions. If it’s determined the dog has potential but it’s more then you can take on, I would contact a Rottweiler specific rescue and ask for their help.
John
