Introducing Your Rottie to Your New Baby "How To"

For years, your big puppy was your only baby and he received your undivided love and attention. Soon he'll have to share it with another. You're expecting a baby and, naturally, you're concerned about how your dog and child will get along. How will your dog react to this new arrival in his home? Will he be jealous of the baby or, worse, aggressive towards it? Or will he hopefully sense the importance that the infant has in your "pack" and act as a gentle and loyal protector? Here are a few tips to help you help your dog through the difficult transition from "only child" to "older sibling."

 

BEFORE THE BABY IS BORN
Socialize your dog with babies and small children as soon and as often as possible. Invite your brave friends with newborns over to meet your dog. This will help him get accustomed to some of the sights, smells, and activities associated with babies that he'll be experiencing in the months to come.

Let your dog check out the baby's room so that he can get used to the new furniture, toys, clothes, etc.

Buy a baby-sized doll or teddy bear and carry it around in your arms like you would the real thing. Talk to this "baby" and fuss over it so that your dog realizes that the thing you're holding is something important.

Buy a couple of your dog's favorite toys and put them away until you bring the baby home. If your dog gets too excited when he first meets the baby, give him the toys to distract him. Also, by presenting him with these gifts, you'll make the baby's arrival a happy experience for him and help him learn that the baby's presence is a positive thing.

Arrange for someone to care for your dog in your home while you're in the hospital. It's important to keep your pet's schedule as close to normal as possible (same feeding times, same walking schedule, etc.) to avoid unnecessarily stressing him out.

 

WHEN THE BABY ARRIVESS
While you're still in the hospital, have someone bring something of the baby's home for the dog to smell (e.g., a blanket, shirt, or diaper). This way, when you first bring the baby home, it won't be totally unfamiliar to the dog.

Make sure that you introduce your dog to the baby. Let him lick the baby's face and hands if you like but never paw at it or push it with its nose. This helps establish the baby as a new member of your pack. If you try to exclude your dog from the baby, you may unknowingly teach him that your new arrival is an "intruder." Thinking that he is protecting the established pack members, your dog may attack the infant.

Devote the same amount of time and attention, if not more, to your dog as you did before the baby came. A neglected pet may revert to immature destructive behavior because, in his eyes, negative attention is better than no attention at all.

Include the dog in as many family activities as possible. If you're taking the baby out in its stroller, bring the dog along for the walk. If you have any doubts about your ability to handle both dog and baby at the same time, ask another individual to walk the dog with you.

Above all, never leave your baby unattended with your dog, no matter how well-trained he is or how good of a temperament he has. There is always the danger of suffocation if the dog decided to lie down on or near the baby, and the unpredictable actions of a newborn could easily startle the dog, causing him to bite in self-defense.

Source: http://www.amrottclub.org/

Rottweiler Dog Collar

Monte's loves this collar but the "D" ring has broken 2 times.... they need to upgrade the metal "D" ring.

Beautiful collar !

Buy it here: www.bigdogboutique.com

So You Want To Buy A Rottweiler?

So You Want To Buy A Rottweiler?
Modified by: Liz Bauer

Interested in buying a Rottweiler? You must be or you wouldn't be reading this. You've already heard how wonderful Rottweilers are. Well, I think you should also hear, before it's too late, that Rottweilers ARE NOT THE PERFECT BREED FOR EVERYONE. As a breed they have a few features that some people find charming, but that some people find mildly unpleasant and some people find downright intolerable.

There are different breeds for different needs. There are over 200 purebred breeds of dogs in the world. Each breed was created with some specific purposes in mind. There are lap dogs, hound dogs, herding dogs, hunting dogs, and many varied combinations of these and other functions. Before you decide on one specific breed, investigate it's history, temperament, and uses to make sure that they mesh well with your own lifestyle. Just because a breed is currently popular does not mean it's the right one for you, and the choice of a dog should be made with the intention of caring for that dog throughout it's lifetime.

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DON'T BUY A ROTTWEILER IF YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO THE BREED *CHIEFLY* BECAUSE OF IT'S REPUTATION AS A PROTECTIVE DOG. While a Rottweiler is a large, impressive breed, true protection is only obtained through a lifetime of training. Even if you do not choose to train in protection, a Rottweiler requires many hours of obedience training and socialization, and can be expected at some point in his/her life to challenge it's owner. Some Rottweilers are also slow to bark, coming into their voice at two to three years of age - do not expect your Rottweiler puppy to instinctively warn you of an approaching stranger. There are many other breeds whose "watch dog" capabilities far exceed that of the Rottweiler. If all you are seeking is a dog that will bark at strangers approaching your home, you may want to look at the Labrador, the Standard Poodle, or some terrier breeds.

More Content: http://www.rottie-l.org/buyarott.html

Photo Credit (http://www.wallpapergate.com/data/media/1257/Rottweiler_Puppy_27390.jpg)

Dog Study Links Retaining Ovaries and Longevity

Study finds that Rottweilers who kept their ovaries longer also lived longer.

Posted: January 5, 2010, 2 a.m. EST

Female dogs who keep their ovaries longer also live longer, according to a new study led by David Waters, DVM, executive director of the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, based at the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette. The foundation is home to the Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, which tracks the oldest living pet dogs in the United States.

The findings, according to the researchers, challenge almost four decades of standard operating procedures used in female pets as well as women. Purdue Research Park reports that this is the first investigation to look for a link between retaining ovaries and reaching exceptional longevity in mammals.

“A female survival advantage in humans is well-documented — women outnumber men by four to one among those who reach 100,” said Waters, who is also an associate director of Purdue University’s Center on Aging and the Life Course and a professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

“Like women, female dogs in our study had a distinct survival advantage over males. But taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage,” Waters said. “We found that female Rottweilers who kept their ovaries for at least six years were four times more likely to reach exceptional longevity compared to females who had the shortest lifetime ovary exposure.”

The researchers collected and analyzed lifetime medical histories, ages and causes of death for 119 canine “centenarians,” exceptionally long-lived Rottweiler dogs living in the United States and Canada who survived to 13 years, about 30 percent longer than average Rottweilers. These dogs were compared to a group of 186 Rottweilers who had usual longevity, about nine years.

“Clearly, we have tapped into a unique resource with our Exceptional Longevity Database,” Waters said. “We like to think of it as the pet dog equivalent of the New England Centenarian Study. We want to better understand the biology of aging. Our quest to validate pet dogs as a model for the study of healthy human aging is at the core of this research.”

Taken together, the emerging message for dogs and women seems to be that when it comes to longevity, it pays to keep your ovaries, according to Purdue Research Park.

“What we have here is a compelling convergence,” Waters said. “The data from women and dogs, together with reported longevity benefits from ovary transplants in mice, are pointing in the same direction — the notion that a network of processes regulating longevity is under ovarian control.”

The study was recently published in Aging Cell.

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/2010/01/05/dog-study-links-retaining-ovaries-and-longevity.aspx