Regan
BSL: Educate,- don't- discriminate. | 
 | | Barked: Wed Jan 6, '10 9:19pm PST |  | |  | | Firstly - do they get on ok with other pets? Like my Retriever?
YES YES YES. Rottweilers love the stimulation of being in a pack or with other dogs and are great when they're properly socialized.
Secondly - Are they really as bad with children as people say?
Absolutely not! Any with a dog that is bad with children either had a bad experience with them as the result of people themselves or was never properly socialized. We own three Rottweilers, all of which are very protective of any children. In fact, we have a new born baby in the house for a prime example and while they're very curious and will nudge her with their nose like they would with their own pups, they're also protective of her and will and have stepped between the baby and anything they've seen as a threat to her.
Thirdly - Do they become possessive of just one person or can they be family dogs?
They're amazing family dogs. Becoming possessive of one person is often when they aren't properly trained or when they're attempting to be alpha because again, they haven't been properly trained.
As I said, we own three Rottweilers. Two seven year old females that we've had since the day they were born and a ten month old male that we got at eight weeks old. Every one of them is great with our family and not in the slightest dangerous unless someone breaks into our home or goes after one of us. If a fight breaks out, they WILL protect. If someone comes after you or any children they know, they WILL protect. But often, they're more affectionate and friendly than anything. They're chosen so often as police dogs because they're smart, easy to train and protective.
I can walk any one of my dogs down a street at midnight and they'll look down alleys and everything before I even reach the alley to make sure nobody is there. But if I invite someone to say hello to me or come into my home, they're very affectionate and often will paw the person for some pats.
I also have to disagree with Luna Girl. We've owned plenty of males and they haven't been challenging of us, so long as we've known to use positive reinforcement in the way of pets, attention, love and not harming them as a way of discipline. And they aren't necessarily for everyone. They do need a lot of brain stimulation, because they're very smart dogs. They need exercise like labs do, sometimes even needing a job to do and a lot of the time, if their needs aren't met, they will challenge you by doing things they aren't supposed to.
But it all depends on the dog itself. If you go with a shelter dog, expect to have behavioral problems you will need to turn around. Great dogs, because they come from backgrounds where they know they're in a better home now. But often cannot be properly handled if they have any aggression or guarding issues unless the person has experience with the breed. Puppies, however, you can take a pick from the litter to ensure it matches you, your partner and your lifestyle, all while being able to raise it to live peaceably with your lab and trained the way you'd prefer.Edited by author Wed Jan 6, '10 9:25pm PST
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This is my third rescued Rott and would always be my first choice in picking a dog.
