I'm going to have to weigh in now.

My neighbor at my old house had 2 rotts. They are top bred show dogs with a long line of pedigree. They were professionally trained to be show dogs. ALOT of time was spent with them and still is spent and they are treated as family members.

They ARE THE SWEETESS GIANTS around. when my oldest daughter was 2 years old, she was pushing these dogs around to get out of her way, and she would yell at them and they would roll over.

When you look at them or hear their bark, they are frightening if you don't know them. Dogs can sense fear and aggression/defensive behavior in people just like any other hunting type animal (your heart races, body heats up, sweat, twitchy, tense, etc). However, these dogs do not act on it because they were trained not to. I have taken food out of their mouths, as I do with my own dogs. I have sat on their backs nd I'm heavy. I have sweeped their feet to flip them on their backs.. all they do is try to jump on me and pin me, then slober on my face or gnaw on my arm but are even more gentle them my own little shih tzu's.

BOTTOMLINE: breeding for the correct temperment takes all aggression out of the dog. My neighbor was telling me what to look for in picking a pup (any breed) and after that the key to keeping them docile is spending A TON OF TIME with them. Just like they are your own kids. I trust those dogs not to harm anyone - EVER. its all in the breeding, training, and upkeep.

Leave them in the yard alone, and they revert to their instincts. If you are not prepared to spend the time and leave them in the yard or even just ignore them in the house, then you should not have the dog.


Edit: I also used to raise and breed german sheppards. And some of them are bred/train for police work/guard/protection. The key is to spend time with them and let them know you/humans are the leaders of the pack and they don't need to protect you... (ie: spending time with them again)