The Butcher's Dog

Two Rotties in Canada Floyd: April/20/2016 Zeke: April/20/2023 - BH/VT

[thebutchersdog]

Zeke and his friend he wants to fight really badly He was good on this walk in that he didn’t try to fight this dog

He did however, try to lunge at a man.

You win some and you lose some with asshole dogs.

Bonus pic of the old man doing a SICK pose

[thebutchersdog]

At the very first trial I ever went to, the judge gave a critique that stuck in my head for years.

He stated that a trend he saw in the dogs that were trialling was that they had “open-ended commands”. For example, a dog would be in a position, a handler would approach, and the dog would break the down to go into a sit/heel.

I see this all the time when I train with friends. They will have their dog in an informal down, they will set up to heel/work a behaviour, and the dog will break the down to get into position. The handler accepts this.

Every once in a while you’ll see these handlers get frustrated with their dog, “no, Platz” and return them to position.

They move their hand a certain way, unintentionally encouraging a dog to break a sit and enter Fuß. “No, sit”. Other times, they continue on with the behaviour they’re working on, which reinforces the broken commands.

I want obligation to a behaviour, I don’t want a dog who decides Fuß is a suggestion (been burned by that, believe me). I don’t want a dog who responds to an arm movement or hand twitch to break a down and get into a fuß or front position.

A down is a down, a sit is a sit, these are close-ended behaviours. They don’t end until a release word or a second command is given.

How many dogs do you know that fully understand this concept? I don’t know very many outside of dog sport.

[thebutchersdog]

Happy chain chomp after ripping around off leash

[thebutchersdog]

Just a couple of nice guys posing for their birthday photos

Floyd turned 10 (April 20 2016)

Zeke turned 3 (April 20 2023)

[thebutchersdog]

The duality of man

[thebutchersdog]

[thebutchersdog]

Hmmmm

I pet my big bro (:

[thebutchersdog]

5 feet away from another dog

Loose leash walking through a crowded sidewalk

People stepping around him

Zero reactions

He was a good guy the entire time. Could not have achieved this without an e collar.

[thebutchersdog]

80 acres of freedom thanks to an e collar and a fuckload of engagement.

[thebutchersdog]

Just a couple of nice guys

[thebutchersdog]

This is honestly a very good video describing the Rottweiler as a breed. I thought he hit the nail on the head pretty well.

[thebutchersdog]

I was scrolling back through your blog and I came across this quote you made on a post about a vet who got mauled by an aggressive Rottie:

“There is no room for sharpness or skittishness in this breed”

Given your experience with Zeke as a working Rottie, I wondered if your stance had changed? Or if you possibly meant something else by it (like, these are traits found in the breed, but people won’t be forgiving of them as they would a doodle)?

I am asking this in good faith. I know you know what you’re doing with this breed. I have limited experience with Rotties and I am trying to learn as much as I can before getting one in the future

Thank you for this ask!

Yes, my stance has changed a little bit over the years and I’m seeing quite a few working dogs with temperaments like that.

It’s a complex question, really. Rottweilers back in the 80s and 90s did tend towards being sharper and this was (and still is) an acceptable trait in a few working breeds, particular in dog sport.

However, sharpness in dogs isn’t very conducive to a safe member of society. A lot of people with working dogs who are sharp understand they have sharp dogs and manage them responsibly. It’s a double-edged sword in today’s society because a lot of great sport dogs possess traits that cause them to be risks.

Sharpness does have a place in the breed but it’s a very specific niche, with handlers who are also few and far between.

Skittishness, however, has no place in the breed - it is not a breed trait and should never be accepted. A skittish Rottweiler is the antithesis of the breed.

You’re also correct in your statement that this trait will not be forgiven as easily as it would in another breed. A sharp dog will always pose a higher bite risk / risk of injury than a dog who is not sharp, but these dogs still play a part in the breed as a whole.

I wholeheartedly loathe the “goofy couch potato” Rottweiler rhetoric, and sometimes feel that breeding dogs with a sharper temperament might be what helps keep these dogs out of the hands of irresponsible, ignorant dog owners.

Owning a Rottweiler comes with the understanding and acceptance of a few things, in my experience:

1. There is almost a guaranteed chance your dog will not tolerate other dogs (on the lower end) or be forwardly aggressive towards them (on the higher end). Floyd sits in the middle, Zeke trends towards the higher end.

2. There is a huge chance your dog will be reactive. Floyd used to be reactive but does not have the energy to react as much in his old age. Zeke is reactive towards everything and is still learning he can’t be stupid and do whatever he wants

3. They take forever to mature mentally. This needs to be repeated 10 times over. They take forever to mature mentally. Doing sport with this breed takes a fuckload of patience and commitment.

4. Resource guarding is common in the breed. Floyd resource guards, Zeke does not.

5. You have to be open to training methods. You cannot properly raise a Rottweiler without corrections, especially one from any sort of working background.

6. They are the best breed. No others come close. Once you get one, you will always have one.

[thebutchersdog]

Big shoulders, big mouth, big opinions

[thebutchersdog]

A new Halloween avatar!!

Ahh! Watch out!! The old dementia man is out for blood!!!

[thebutchersdog]

Just a little boy

Bonus photo of Floyd looking DEPRESSED during his bath (he actually loves baths, he just naturally looks depressed)

[thebutchersdog]

Playing with the Tugger Express

This is a triple-looped 1” wide bungee rope attached to a tree, with a carabiner clipped to it

Then I clipped a horse panic snap to the carabiner , and attached a jute pad to it.

Zeke is back-tied, and so when he’s rewarded with the bite pad, I have to pull it towards him. If he doesn’t maintain a good grip, he loses the bite pad. I reward him by unsnapping the panic clip.

[thebutchersdog]

Can I help you…