RWBA Newsletter

On another part of our website you will see a story about
"Buster" a crossbred Rottweiler, and you can read about his
treatment by the SAPS. Not by far the only story that
circulates about how these people treat their working dogs! Yet
they continue to get away with it.We have constantly urged our
members not to allow their pups and rehomes to get into the
hands of these people. I believe that the Rottweiler whilst
making an excellent "guard" is simply not suited to police
work. Police forces around the world have tried Rottweilers and
given up in favour of the German Shepherd, or more recently
the Malinois, why does the SAPS continue with Rotties? Not
that I would wish such treatment on any dog for that matter.

I was reading over the holidays about folk who are bitten, even killed by dogs, sometimes even their own dogs
and could only reflect on the fact that very few of us have ever experienced a dog attack or a dog fight and that
for sure, no dog school that I know of, actually teaches you what to do if such circumstances occur. There are
all sorts of myths and poor advice around telling you how to behave, what to do and not to do, what works and
what doesn't. So we are going to teach it at our training sessions in the future, but if you'd like to "read up"
then you can go to the "bad behaviour" page. Strange as it must seem, one person was killed by a Yorkshire
Terrier !

I was going to write that we are all aware that our Rotties need training and socialisation, but on reflection, no
matter how much publicity is given, the majority get little, if any, training at all. My observation is that many
who start at a club soon fall away. It would seem that this is not only a problem in the dog world but in other
walks of life that require effort and persistence. The majority of dogs attending the RWBA are not "show" dogs;
they are more likely to be house pets with one or two "working" dogs in the mix. That begs the question, why
do folk bring their dogs to the club in the first place and what are their expectations, both in the short term and
over a longer period? What can a club offer for a very small fee other than basic obedience and socialisation?
If you want your dog to become a working trials specialist, an obedience champion, or a tracker dog, or
compete in Schutzhund, surely you must be prepared to invest in a specialist trainer and do the prerequisite
"self help" required to succeed? And of course, pay for the knowledge that a specialist trainer can give you.
So, it follows then, that you should choose your trainer with some care. As with all endeavours, surely the best
person to train your dog is a qualified trainer.
Professional Dog Trainers tend to follow one of three routes for mastering their profession. Many start out
learning from their parents, who may have been in the business or had a profit producing hobby. Others have
apprenticed and learned training techniques from another trainer through hands on experience and coaching.
Regardless of how they started out, I'm told that the sign of a great professional trainer is that they continue to
educate themselves, by either attending seminars, reading, watching videos, going to school and continuously
practising on their own dogs. Whilst most trainers don't have time to enter competitions, they usually have
dogs they have trained themselves who have quallified in some sport or other.
You would also expect that a professional dog trainer would join organisations that offer continuing education
opportunities. For more information you could go to our "What to expect from your trainer" page.

You can read elsewhere on this site the latest about tail docking and the law. In summary, it would seem that
the SPCA has promised to prosecute anyone who docks tails.under the animal cruelty act.(you may wonder
then why they don't prosecute policemen who kill their dogs during "training" ) As I have previously written to
Animal Talk Magazine, my view is that the Rottie certaiinly looks better with his tail docked.Is the actual
removal painful? Well I've heard the pups yelp when it is done, so no doubt about that. Does it cause
continuous pain? Don't think so! However..I firmly believe that if you dock a dog's tail you remove one of the
major methods that he uses for communication. You remove an appendage used for balance. So all in all, I'm
against docking.
But despite claims to the contrary, in South Africa, it is NOT against the law! Do we have a moral right to do
it?