I have a rottweiler but am on road alot. How do I get him to respect me?

maybe u should teach him a lesson and show him who is the older

First off you cannot show any fear because dogs will know that they’re in control. Use a loud, but not too loud, stern voice and gesture with your hands but don’t touch. For example, if he’s in a room that you don’t like him in, point the way out and say “OUT” in the voice. You have to show him whos boss without acting like you’re going to hurt him. There’s no reason to put him down. Petsmart always has dog training and you can sign up in store in you would like. If he doesn’t get better you can always find him a home that will take the time to spend with him. I think he’s just lonely and needs some time with his missed buddy!

Who takes care of him while you’re away?

Whoever his primary caretaker is (your spouse, whomever) needs to enroll him in some basic Obedience classes, pronto. Whoever cares for him on a daily basis is probably in a much riskier place if the dog should become aggressive….his primary caretaker needs to establish his/her dominance over the dog. This isn’t done through force or intimidation, but through positive training experiences.

This will get him started down the path of learning that he is BELOW human beings in the “pecking order” and that he needs to respect humans’ commands. When you are home, you would also work with him by practicing his training, asking him to “sit” before meals, walks, etc and basically exercising your authority over him. This sounds like a problem that has progressed beyond any “do it yourself” training- the guidance of a professional and the automatic socialization that comes with a training class will be a great help to your dog.

Another thing that may help is to institute the “NILIF” or Nothing in Life is Free program in your household. Google the terms, and you’ll find plenty of explanation on how to establish NILIF rules. Basically, it teaches your dog that he’s got to “work for a paycheck” and he no longer rules the roost.

It worries me to hear that this dog has displayed “excessive aggression” since he was a pup and nothing was done about it. You’re going to have quite a job on your hands if you wish to modify his behavior now that he is grown….and use EXTREME CAUTION with this dog until he is trained, especially concerning his exposure to strangers. Hopefully he is on-leash or behind a fence whenever he’s out of the house. This should have been nipped in the bud when he was a pup.

A true “security dog” is one who is well-socialized, under control, balanced and tolerant of non-threatening strangers. The way to ensure a dog will become an effective guardian is to socialize him with people when he is very young. The more a dog is exposed to normal, non-threatening human behavior, the quicker he will be able to recognize ABNORMAL human behavior, and react appropriately. A dog who is not socialized, and in whom aggression is “encouraged” from a young age is actually reacting defensively with FEAR and UNCERTAINTY about the “unknown”….since he hasn’t been socialized with people and doesn’t know who’s OK and who’s not! A fearful dog may look and act “scary” to strangers, but when faced with a true defense situation, will not be as effective as a properly trained, socialized, confident dog.

If at any point in the future this dog bites or attempts to bite someone without provocation, the best thing to do may be to put him to sleep. Please do not ever knowingly re-home an aggressive, biting dog, as it just passes the problem along and you could be held liable.

At this point his behavior can probably be modified, but it needs to happen NOW….otherwise, you may have a disaster waiting to happen. I say this not because of his breed or anything else….this is just an aggressive, large breed dog with no training or socialization, and on top of everything else his owners are “intimidated” by him. Don’t think the dog doesn’t realize this, too. Use caution and seek professional guidance.