Are you interested in a highly protective, loving dog that puts YOU in the center of their Universe, and makes you feel safe? A Best Friend who will never let you down?
My name is Susanne, and I worked as an animal trainer in Hollywood. As part of my job, I had to learn how to get animals that barely knew me to do all sorts of odd and unnatural behaviors, in very short period of time.
To do this, I was taught some very powerful training techniques. With dogs, I was taught that I had to learn the language of the pack.
I was taught to immediately establish myself as ALPHA, or “boss dog”, in a friendly, non-threatening manner. Fortunately, this can be done almost instantly by controlling the dog’s food, so I was taught to always work with a hungry dog, as that makes it really easy to keep a dog’s full attention.
Another powerful technique I learned was to ALWAYS know the results I wanted, and to keep a really strong and clear picture of that result in my mind during every training session. For example, if my job was to teach a dog to run up a ladder and then walk a rope instead of using stairs, when I ran a little video in my head of the dog successfully doing that set of behaviors, the dog learned much faster! And because sometimes the Director wanted to shoot that scene in just four or five days, I needed as much help as I could get!
Now I live on the Big Island and raise Rottweilers.
The result I want to achieve with this large, potentially aggressive breed is a very calm, watchful dog that cues off their Alpha, before leaping into action.
My goal is a dog that WATCHES their Alpha. If Alpha is calm, the dog remains calm. If Alpha is agitated, then the dog moves into High Alert. This all happens in a natural flow within a dog pack, and it’s easy to recreate with a Human pack when they’re trained from a very young age.
Unfortunately, most Humans expect their dogs to speak our language, rather than learning the language of the pack.
To produce a strong, watchful, calm guardian, I begin training at ~three weeks of age, as soon as teeth break through the gums, at which point the puppies are ready for solid food. I use what I call “Positive Reinforcement Training”.
All that really means is that I do my very best to praise and reward behaviors that I want, while I IGNORE behaviors that I don’t want. At the very worst, punishment is a sharp “AAAACCCCKKKK!!” sound – never under any circumstances is a dog hit. (Dogs are either “hand tame” or “hand shy” – in other words, when a hand comes near the dog, especially if unexpectedly, does the dog think it is safe, or is it in danger? Hitting a dog – even once – can ruin that trust forever!) Hands are meant to give a dog treats and pats, and should only be associated with good things, never pain.
To get the dog to do what I want, I reward with lots of pats, enthusiastic verbal rewards (“GOOD dog! What a GOOD dog!”), and food (either a full meal or with treats).
How this looks: I walk up to the whelping kennel, with tiny puppies inside. They are just now old enough to walk, and any activity captures their attention, so they toddle over. A few try jumping on the ledge, and one or two others just sit down and watch me.
THOSE ARE THE PUPPIES I PET.
Alternatively, when it’s meal time, I will call them all while holding their food. Most puppies begin mobbing and jumping, and so I ignore them. I will instead feed a little bit of food to each puppy that’s sitting and watching, at which point everyone goes crazy, so I leave. I come back and do it again when the puppies have calmed down, in four or five minutes. In addition, I will pretend to nibble out of their food dish, which is an incredible secret to acting like an ALPHA, because Alphas always eat first!
Here is a short video of my daughter feeding the puppies when they’re a little bit older, and everyone is expected to “Sit” and “Wait” before they get to eat.
This is the kind of training your puppy will receive, at every meal:
That’s how the dogs are trained, as members of our Ohana. They live in our house, and they are taught to behave from a very young age by older pack members, Mom, and their Alphas (my whole family). Much of the training is almost invisible, but the end result will be a confident, stable dog that can be taken anywhere, and who is a trusted member of their Ohana.
Some FAQs, below.
1. Are puppies AKC registered?
Mom is AKC registered, and Dad is UKC registered (he’s from Australia), but puppies ARE NOT. I have no interest in showing, and I have no interest in bloodlines other than to make sure my dogs aren’t too closely related. I am interested in personality, loyalty, intelligence, and longevity. If you want an AKC registered dog, there are other breeders in Hawaii that charge over $5000.
Below is a photo of Dad, the Goofy Clown:
2. How large are your Rottweilers?
If you want a HUGE Rottie, please look elsewhere, because these days a lot of large Rottweilers don’t live longer than 6 or 7 years due to skeletal problems, and that’s heartbreaking to me. I looked a long time for a smaller male, to increase the chances they’ll have healthy bones. Dad is about 100 pounds, Mom is about 80 pounds. You are welcome to meet them both when you come see the puppies. Here is a photo of Mom (purple collar), Dad (lime green collar), Big Sister (bright pink collar), and a male Shih Tzu playing on our hillside:
3. Tell me about their personalities.
Dad is a goofy, happy-go-lucky clown, and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. He loves our Siamese cats, and will play with them for hours (see video). Mom is more serious, and very intelligent. Puppy personalities fall on the range between them, and it’s usually pretty easy to determine their personalities by the time they’re six or seven weeks of age. We spend a LOT of time with each litter – they’re born in my bedroom, grow up in the living room, and go into the back yard when they start running around at about six weeks. They’re exposed to small dogs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese (all co-exist in the same yard with supervision).
4. What commands do the puppies know?
“Sit”, “Wait”, “Stop”, “Come”, “Go Home”, “Stay” (imperfect), “Mine!” (as in, that chicken the puppy is looking at is “MINE!”), and “Don’t Touch Me!” (because puppies are never allowed to bite skin, clothes, hair, or jewelry), “Knock it off!” (instead of “NO!”), and “Don’t chase!”. They will have had minimal housebreaking, since my living room doors are always open, and they can just go outside whenever they need to go to the bathroom. You will need to crate train them when you take your puppy home, and this will housebreak your puppy very quickly.
5. What are they fed?
I feed my adult dogs a modified raw food diet. Puppies get raw food (fish, chicken, beef, beef bones) and a high quality kibble (I recommend Diamond Brand Puppy Food), soaked in organic milk with a cup or so of organic unsweetened Greek yogurt to help build healthy gut bacteria.
6. How much do puppies cost?
Puppies that are docked are $2,500, and with tails are $2000. This is to make sure the dog is highly valued. I offer scholarships, because I know these are interesting times. I also take payments. I work very hard to place puppies in the BEST home with a BEST friend, so I will work with you on the money. It’s a lot, I know, but I will work with you!
I will take back any dog at any time if your circumstances change.
I very occasionally have rescued Rottweilers that might be available at a reduced fee. Please let me know if you’d like to be on this list.
7. What is included?
If the puppy is docked, their tails and dewclaws are removed by a licensed vet. Puppies are wormed every two weeks, starting at three weeks of age, alternating Strongid and Panacur. First shots given to guard against Parvo and Leptospirosis are given, subsequent shots are available from me for $20 (a lot cheaper than from a vet – I can administer the shots or can teach you how to), or you can purchase vaccinations at the feed store. And of course, all the foundational training that the puppy has received to turn them into a GREAT DOG!
8. Do you ship to other Islands?
Absolutely. Photo below shows a puppy going off to Molokai. From my end, I will purchase an airline-approved kennel (~$200) to send the puppy on Hawaiian Airlines. Shipping one way is around $125, and the trip to the airport is $50, so the total cost of shipping will be $375, and you keep the kennel. Two puppies can be shipped together, and I highly encourage getting two puppies! Raising two puppies together is a hundred times easier than raising one alone!
Alternatively, come enjoy a weekend vacation on the Big Island and take your puppy home with you!
9. Are puppies used to other animals?
Yes. They have been raised with scores of Siamese cats, a Border Collie, three Shih Tzus (small dogs), chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, cows, a pet pig. Of course, it will be up to you to socialize your puppy to teach him/her proper behavior. Please watch this short video of Dad cuddling and grooming an adult male Siamese cat:
Please understand that you will be taking over training and accepting full responsibility for the dog’s future actions. I am only able to lay a very strong foundation; the rest is up to you. But your puppy will have the strongest foundation possible!
Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to fill out a puppy application, please click here to send me an email, and I will send the the application, which will tell me all about you, your Ohana, and your experience with Rottweilers.
Blessings!
Susanne
At birth. A large male!
First bath, in the kitchen sink.
Mom and a cow, helping me paint.
Watching to see what’s wanted and needed. “What’s my job?”
In trouble, after getting caught with a roll of toilet paper. What a wonderful dog toy!