The True Character of the Rottweiler

So often I get a knee-jerk reaction from people whenever I tell them that I own rottweilers. Often I hear an exaggerated and quivering 'Oh My!' or 'aren't they mean?'. Sometimes I feel like saying, 'well, I don't know, are they? You seem to know a lot about them' In reality, most people only know about the 'bad dogs' that the media capitalizes on. If a rottweiler attacks someone on the other side of the country, most likely, it will make national news. Let another rottweiler save or defend their owners in that same region, it is most likely that you'll never hear of it. It is simply the way the media operates. I used to fear rottweilers. I had never gotten to know any myself, but I was certain that they were blood thirsty brutes with an evil gene built right in. I know better, now after having met a few before finally getting two of my own. Personally, I have been bitten by a black lab. I was doing nothing but trying to pet the dog; not pulling, poking, or anything that kids can do, but the dog bit me. There was a difference, though. That lab had been trained to be a guard dog. It goes with any dog, or animal for that matter. You get exactly out of them what time and training you put into them. You want a slobbering junk-yard dog that you can parade around just so you can get your jollies by watching others cringe? That's what you'll get because dogs by nature want to please you-they'll be anything you want them to be, you have only to ask. Sadly enough, many only want that junk-yard brute and others simply see nothing else BUT a junk-yard brute even when the specimen before them represents a flawless character and boasts years of training and love. My first breed of choice will always remain that of a Rottweiler, I have never met a more loyal, intelligent, and loving dog that is so willing to please as that German strain. This is my humble plug for the Rottweiler: Don't blame them-train them!