I also wanted to have the best gold and silver plated tags around because they are so shiny and nice to look at.  I use the silver and gold paw print tags on Lila and I have to say they look great next to her black and mahogany coat.  Because a have had a dog that was picked up by animal control and severely traumatized by the experience I also use an engraved collar on Lila as an extra protection.  I know it is a little bit overboard but I figure you can never be too safe with the ones you love.

I also know that pet tags are far better than micro chips because anyone who sees your dog running loose can immediately see that they aren’t a stray and will be more likely to help them.  Not only that but most people don’t know that micro chips can be read at a vets’ office if they have the correct reader for the chip that is in the pet.  And there is no way to tell if the dog has a chip to start with.  But if all the dog has is a chip anyway, they are running around looking like a stray that no one cares about to start with.  I am not saying that is the case; just that it looks that way.

Since sport training is off the table with my new Rottie Lila, I have resorted to teaching her tricks, like shake hands, putting a piece of food on her nose until she tosses it up in the air and catches it.  For me it is a real shame that the Rottweiler has turned into a poodle but with lower expectations they can still be a lot of fun.  But I have to say that I should have gone a different route when choosing this dog.  Lila has all of the puppy rambunctious ness of a Rottweiler of old without the drive or bonding that I m used to.  She will eat a hole in the drywall of my house, but won’t play a game of fetch.  She will chew a toy in half in a matter of minutes, but won’t sit to get petted.  Lila is very doggy, in other words she will always look to my other dogs to play with and keep her entertained before she attempts to interact with a human.  That just isn’t a trait that I am used to in any dog, but especially not a rottweiler.

Teaching tricks is very easy with a super smart dog like Lila.  She literally picks up tricks in a matter of seconds and perfects them in just a few minutes.  Not only that but she doesn’t forget.  I can not do a trick with her for months and then remember to ask her to perform the trick and she will do it without hesitation.  Lila is a chow hound so I use marker training and luring.  My next article will explain marker training.  Some people call it clicker training and use a little push button device, but I personally don’t think that is the best way to do marker training.

Over the course of the next 3 months Lila learned to love the pool and get in and out by herself now.  It is always pleasant to have a 60lb Rottweiler come in the doggy dog soaking wet and jump into your lap.  I have to say that in the pool has been some of the best training and exercising that Lila has gotten.  I took her every single day for at least an hour.  It didn’t take long to see that se could not only swim very well but also very quickly.  Lila loves to race across the pool, but more than that she loves to chase me down and climb on my shoulders in victory.

Some of the exercises we did in the pool:

• Swimming across the pool from person to person
• Racing and chasing
• Fetch both toys and treats (the Kong Wubba is Lila’s favorite in and out of the pool)
• Diving for treats
• Jumping into the pool

I want to stress that the way I introduced Lila to the pool was a very bad idea for most dogs.  Normally you would want to gently coax your dog into the pool and let them make the decision to get in on their own.  It takes a dog with a very strong constitution to be able to be put into that much stress as bounce back.  Most dogs today will not bounce back from that and will be forever afraid of the pool.  You also need to make sure that your dogs know how to get out of the pool on their own.  One of the first things I taught Lila was “STAIRS”.  On that command she knows to swim right to the stairs where she can choose to get out or stay in.  Normally she just lays down on the second step and stays cool while getting some sun, but she knows how and where to get out of the pool always.

Two days after I got Lila we took her to Flagstaff AZ for a weekend get away.  We stayed at a dog friendly hotel and right when we got into the room I put her up on the bed where she proceeded to pee.  I got her down and took her for a walk around the complex.  It was nice being in the cool pines of Flagstaff and Lila explored everything she could find.  For an eight week old puppy, she wasn’t afraid of anything she dragged me around the entire place so she could see everything and meet everyone.  I knew right then that she was going to be a lot of fun to train and have as my constant companion.

Here is the first of many pictures of Lila I will be adding to this site.  She is brand new to us and laying in my wife’s arms.  Four months later there is no way she could lay like she is in this picture but I will be working hard to catch up to her current progression and you will see some recent pictures soon.