Hiya guys thank you for the advice.

I have received further info.

George was on the floor with a chew near where the child was playing with some toys. (The child and the dog WERE supervised)
George dropped his chew, the child reached for one of his toys and George bit him. - George was laying on the floor and did not get up to bite the child.

Went to the vets and she has noted somethings about George.
She told me that there were no reasons for his aggression medically.
She said that George was not an aggressive dog nor dangerous.
She did say however that George is a very dominant dog and seems that he has not been very well trained. Sort of "oh he is a puppy" approch rather than dealing with the issue.

She told me of the options and so far it's not looking so good unfortunatly.
She told me that George can either go to an owner who has NO kids around at all with a very strong background with owning Rottweilers and if fully aware of how to train them.
George can go work for a security company or the police - Which I have been chasing up for all morning.
Or unfortunatly George will need to be put to sleep.

Anyone know of any numbers I could try calling to help George?


*Just wanted to be clear of a few things before this turned into an attack on me.

The reason why I was happy for George to go into this family was because they informed me that they had a history with large dogs like rotties and would be capable to train him. - I belived this as the couple are a family friend.

I DO NOT want to put George to sleep.

I unfortunatly do not have the time to train George myself and my other dog does not like George around.

I can look after my own dog and she has been very well trained and is obident**

Once a dog bites a person once (if there is no obvious medical or pain reaction) in likelihood it will do it again.

Can you tell me where this gem comes from ??

I've retrained so many "biting"GSDs I;ve lost count & none have ever bitten again.

What you are writing is akin to saying don't feed your dog raw meat, because it will get the "taste"for blood.

I've owned & trained dogs to do protection work-did they go on to attack people Nope !

This puppy needs an experienced Rottweiler person to assess him.

What worries me is that after owning a breed for 3 years the OP thought fit to breed from their bitch ! Gosh I'd owned GSDs for over 15 years befoore considering breeding from my fully health tested bitch.

I'd change your vet from a few moments of seeing him she knows he is "dominant"-dogs do not try to dominate humans, unless she tested him with another dog she has no way of knowing if he is that very rare thing a truly "dominant"dog & it has nothing to do with him guarding his belongings(chews etc).

He does need a knowledgeable owner & if I were you I would contact the nearest Rottweiler rescue & not be looking to sell him on to a"security"firm or the police or forces

BTW as the breeder you are responsible(along with the stud dog owner)for the care & welfare of all the puppies you create. Have you contacted the stud dog owner ??

I'm not a behaviourist or an expert but I would say that there is no need for George to be put to sleep or to go to a security company for this incident. George should not have bitten the child, but the child should not have been allowed near a dog that was eating, dogs can be possessive of food, especially things like chews which tend to be more prized than regular food as they're not given all the time. I would say that this "attack" was a case of a food possessive dog being pushed too far, perhaps lacking in control/training, and, if anyone's to blame I'd say it was the parents for not having the sense to shut the dog away with a chew/keep the child away My two have never shown food aggressive/possessiveness but even I would never leave a child on the floor near to them when they were eating. If George was truly aggressive then he could've caused a lot of damage and would've made a move to do it - snapping at the nearest part of the child without moving to make an attack sounds very much like an instinctive reaction from a dog that's not been taught to control itself.

I would say your best option would be to contact some rescues, preferably a Rottweiler rescue or someone with good experience in Rottweilers who can assess him, find out exactly how "high risk" he is and place him in the correct home. This may be a home without young children, but I have known of sensible owners with children who have managed to work around possessive behaviour in their dogs with sensible precautions such as feeding the dog in a crate, not leaving resources around to be guarded, not leaving the dog and children together unsupervised, etc. and had no problems.
Someone asked what location you're in - can you give a rough area, even if you don't want to be specific, so we can advise some contacts?

I live in Peterborough near Cambridgeshire.
I'm "googling" about now.

Can I suggest taking the information from the parents of the child bitten with a grain of salt, as they may be less than forthcoming with the truth of the incident if they are feeling guilty about not really supervising the dog and the child?

Good luck, hope you can find a home for him.

I'm trying to find an address on their website to see where they're located, but Zepthedep Rottweiler rescue is one I've heard people referred to quite often so may be worth phoning them

Zepthedep Rottweiler Rescue is based in Derbyshire apparently (not quite sure where). Not on your doorstop but not a million miles away - and they may be able to arrange a foster home somewhere halfway or have someone collect George if transport is an issue. You could also try the Rottweiler Welfare Association
Mr C Colbourne (Secretary), Belvedere, Kent. Tel: 0208 310 4422
Email: chrisnett@lineone.net

When the previous 'nips' occurred, was there any food about by any chance?

What type of 'punishment' did the dog receive and did the 'nips' all involve the child?

Try to get as much info as you can from the present owner then ring around the breed specific rescues to see if they can offer any re-homing solutions for you.

Going down the route of a behaviourist will involve time and cost - more so because the original owner is out of the picture so they will be working blind to a certain extent - and it sounds as though time isn't on the side of this poor lad.

I hope the little lad involved is OK? What was the extent of his injuries?

i wouldnt take the advice from the vet... she isnt a behaviourist and wouldnt have had the time or the right situation to assess him. if the owners story is true, then that certainly is not a reason to have him PTS...