Cross Breeds

Stray puppy? Need help Training!?

Ok so the other night my husband, my Pom., and I heard whinning outside during the night. The next morning I got up and looked outside and a puppy was on my front stoop. I brought her in and she was covered in fleas and starving. I fed and bathed her and cried over the dirt and fleas coming off of her. I put her in a crate and went to work, when I got home I took her to the vet. She is in great health. She is so sweet and does her business outside. We have decided to keep her but she is a Rottweiler mix and I just a little unsure on how to train her properly so she will be a sweet baby like she is now. I also have a small dog(the pom) and a large cat. I just wanted some tips and encouragement on how to raise a large breed dog. Thanks so much for your answers. We just want to do right by her.( Btw we named her Shelby and the Poms name is Bentley(just thought that was cute because of the car references, not that you care what their names are) :) We had her vaccinated and dewormed. Bentley is very jealous of her but they play really well. Bentley is only 10 months old. The Pom(Bentley) is pretty well behaved. We are having potty training issues with him because he is a male. He has become a little aggressive over food and toys since the puppy has come into the picture but we are trying to correct that. I was just wondering also what experience everyone had the the chain pet store training classes.

Public Comments

1. What a great story. I love to hear when people do the right thing and rescue truly helpless animals. The main thing you need to do with a strong willed breed is get them into classes ASAP. Usually puppy Kindergarden classes will allow you to begin at 8-12 weeks old. I would suggest a Kindergarden class followed by an Basic Obedience class. This will give you a firm foundation and good pack order early on. 99% of the time if a strong willed breed is in Kindergarden and Basic obedience they will not have any issues later in life. Your vet will be able to recommend a training facility. Good luck to you!!
2. The best thing you can do for her is make make her understand that she is not the leaser. I'm sure you do this already with your pom. Rotties are lovely dogs and as long as you make sure she is socialized with other dogs, by taking her to obedience class and walking her (I would think at least an hour a day) and letting her play with other dogs, then she should be great. Her breed is just like every other breed. She's just a little bit more powerful. I have met many rotties who are way friendlier and better behaved then most little dogs. Just use your common sense. House break her and get her fixed at 6 months. Train her the way you trained your pom, if your pom is well behaved. If not you should take them both to classes and maybe talk to a trainer. Letting your pom misbehave will mean that you are not physically or emotionally strong enough to discipline and train a more powerful dog. So, as long as you feel confident in your pom's behavior, the rottie should do well, too.
3. Those names are cute - Shelbies are amazing cars. Mustangs orever. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Rotties are no more agressive than any other breed - but they got their bad rap because they were taught to be vicious - they were bred as guards. Congrats - youve adopted a needy dog. You'll want to sart her basic training right away. Try entering her in a puppy obidience class. An expert trainer will tell you how to keep your dog swee - any trainer that made dogs aggresive with their training wouldn't be in the business any longer - so make sure that they HAVE been in the business a while. Don't be afraid to ask questions, if they call you nosy or pushy or won't let you watch a class before you decide, then maybe they have something to hide. When you'r eintroducing the dogs, make sure that Shelby (NOT Bently) is the one on the leash. if Bently feels that he is being restrained so that the new puppy can run around what he considers HIS house - he won't like her. As for the cat, she should be fine with him if she is young. Big cat vs. small puppy, and the ca often wins. A faceoff with a big, scary cat would teach Shelby to respect them, if it came to that. give her love, but don't neglect Bently, that'll lead to prolems between the two of them. That was sort of sporadic and out of order - I apologize. One last thing - get her microchipped so you can find her again if she happens to wander. And good luck!
4. The best thing I could tell you is to socialize her. Since you don't know her background, and she is still really young this is when socialization is the most important. Expose her to several new situations, cars noises, busy people places, if possible under controlled situations with kids and other dogs (not just your dog). An obedience class/puppy class would be a great place to start. Otherwise, it is mostly the same as small dogs just a bit difference for their size.