I have a two year old female (spayed) Rottweiler8. I've had her since she was a puppy, did obedience training, tons of socialization, etc. To this day she goes to the dog park, dog day care, friends houses, all over the place with me successfully. She is a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, friendly dog. I haven't had any problems with her biting anyone (thank God!) YET....
However, recently she has started doing a few weird things:
1) At home, she will bark, growl, lunge at windows when people walk by. I've noticed she's getting increasingly worse.
2) In the car she will also bark and growl at times, mostly if we are stopped to get gas or if someone passes on a motorcycle. I never leave her alone in the car and always tell her "no" and try to redirect her when I can tell she's about to go crazy. She especially hates motorcycle cops.
3) This week, she started trying to chase/growl/lunge at cars or trucks driving by when we are out walking. I have to be 100% prepared at all times for her to suddenly try to lunge onto the road after a car or she'll get run over. It doesn't seem to bother her that she may get run over.
I don't know what to do. I've tried "no" and I've tried the pinch collars that trainers sometimes recommend. A trainer suggested an electric collar but well, I don't really like that idea and I don't know how to use it properly even if I did.
Like all of you, I adore my dog and would do anything for her. So, any suggestions are welcomed. For added information, there are no changes to our family structure. It's just my husband and I, no children. She is very spoiled and maybe this has contributed. But, it seems like the moment she turned 2 years old she just went crazy. Please help. Thanks!
Forget treats it will never work. Ideally you should obedience train your dog and become a leader. Your dog will then be more likely to be concerned whether you approve of its behavior or not. Other than that you'll probably need to supplement with some situation specific corrections. A long line and a significant jerk with a chain collar should be effective, if you're not decisive or strong enough then a prong. If all that fails a folded leash across the muzzle won't.
Are you recommending the dog be whipped across the muzzle ? I imagine you'd have to be a pretty mean shot to do this. What if the aim goes astray and gets the dog in the eye ?
It's actually an interesting thing. With the more extreme cases, in terms of feeling a correction, it's like a dog going after a prey item. They're designed by nature to withstand great physical shock and persist in the task. Their head is kind of designed to withstand abuse, think of a dog rushing through dense bushes to go after something, you think you'd never go through bushes like that because you'd get cut. Anyways with the more extreme cases they take a muzzle hit correction just fine, and they learn. I think maybe that's the reason shepherds carry those long curved sticks, that's just my idea I could be wrong. Now I'm not saying the OP's dog is at that level, I just outlined the corrections in order from the fairest to the most severe.
BTW when it comes to certain prey items some rottweilers can be among the hardest/most intense drive dogs of all breeds.
Correction strength for drive level
Linear Mode
