[tripleice]

I have an 11 month old Rottweiler, as of this day I have only heard him bark 4 times. Is that normal? He won't bark at strangers or when someone walks by the yard not even at the squirrls that run through the yard. My friend who has a Rottie says that he will grow into it and that it sometime takes as long as 2 years before they start wanting to protect the house. Can you give me some advice on this? Thanks.

[labman]

Some dogs just don't bark very much. A dog that is determined to protect the house from squirrels, people walking by the front, the neighbor's dog, cats, etc. can be a real nuisance. Dogs do take on more responsibility for protecting the pack as they mature. A dog's personality is largely formed by 12 weeks, but is not mature until 3 years old. Excessive barking can be a problem.

The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
Reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
Or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
A treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.