How to train a Rottweiler Including Rottweiler Puppy Training

Rottweilers sometimes get a bad reputation, but many owners love them for their distinct look, strength and protective nature. Owning a Rottweiler can be highly rewarding. However, your Rottweiler dog training needs to commence early, as Rottweiler puppies will begin to display their natural abilities from a very young age. These are abilities that we need to manage, satisfy and sometimes amplify. When you are selecting your puppy, you’ll notice differences between the behaviour of each puppy, giving you an indication of each pup’s individual characteristics and potential abilities. Watch how each pup interacts with its siblings and mother. Do they play nicely or does one puppy seek conflict with another? All of these interactions will provide you with an idea of your puppy’s potential character traits.

Once you’ve selected your new Rottweiler be prepared to commence your Rottweiler puppy training as soon as you take your dog home. In this blog post, we’ll take you through some of our top tips for how to train a Rottweiler to ensure that they reach their full potential and become the great pets they can be.

A well-bred Rottweiler is robust and athletic. They will have a winning combination of power, strength, agility and endurance. This makes them a highly valued breed for both their working capabilities and as a pet. Their temperament and intelligence makes them an ideal breed choice for various ‘jobs’. These include customs, military and police work, Schutzhund trials, therapy dogs, tracking, carting and obedience, herding and all other kinds of protection duties. This goes to show how highly trainable they are for a huge variety of things. Giving your dog a ‘job’ can do wonders for their mental stimulation! Consider teaching your dog to ‘find your toy’. Firstly, hide their favourite toy, and once hidden say ‘find your toy’. Then, reward them with a game as soon as they find it- they’re sure to love this and it keeps them busy too!

How to train a Rottweiler tips

It’s very important to always practise consistent training with your Rottweiler. Reward-based training is one of the most positive and effective ways to train. This involves the use of positive reinforcement, such as a small piece of cheese or tasty treat, coupled with lots of praise which is provided as soon as your dog or puppy obeys the command.

Rottweilers are a large, strong breed meaning leash training is a must. A Rottweiler puppy who pulls on the leash is a problem, a fully grown Rottie who pulls on his/her leash is a nightmare and incredibly difficult to control! Don’t give yourself this prolem and start your Rottweiler puppy training early to make life as easy as possible for both you and your pet. Here at Royvon, we believe that fun and consistent training is the best way to develop and strengthen a healthy and close bond between you and your dog. It opens up the lines of communication between the two of you, helping to establish acceptable guidelines and boundaries for your dog to follow, which will do them wonders in the long run.

Wondering about the most effective methods for how to train a Rottweiler? Don’t forget the 3 C’s: Clear, Consistent, Cues! Training your Rottweiler means incorporating a combination of exercise and mental stimulation into your daily routine. In order to be effective you’ll need to stick to certain basic rules which include the 3Cs:

• Be Clear: Have a clear set of commands that everyone can use. Remember, English is a foreign language to your dog so using “down” and “drop” for the same action will confuse him. Decide on your command words and stick the list to the fridge door so that the family know the correct cues to use.
• Be Consistent by applying all house rules consistently. No feeding from the table means just that 7 days a week, with no exceptions at the weekend.
• Use Cues: Let your tone of voice guide your dog and use verbal cues to mark good and bad behaviour. Let your Rottweiler know he’s about to make the wrong choice with a short sharp “Uh no”, followed by a happy “Good Boy” when he does as he’s asked.

If you are going to become the parent of a Rottweiler, then putting time into training is essential. Early socialisation and basic obedience training are non-negotiable – they simply must be done. If not, it can lead to considerable problems down the line that are difficult to deal with and will make your pup’s life a misery. There’s no shame in not feeling confident about how to train a Rottweiler puppy on your own. Consider finding a local training school or contact us to find out more about our classes or training courses if you want to ensure that your dog has the best training possible.

Rottweiler puppy training: our top 9 tips

Dysplasia test

Make the dysplasia test at the right age. It is important to have this test as Rottweilers have a predisposition to have dysplasia due to their genetic history. This will give you peace of mind and will also ensure that your dog can live their life to the fullest with appropriate treatment if needed.

Healthy diets are key

Organise a healthy diet in two steps: Development & Maintenance. At development (puppy age), the foundation of muscular and bone structure has to have a healthy and good resource to grow and develop properly. Maintenance (adolescence to maturity): once a Rottweiler reaches maturity, it is important to maintain their condition with a good diet that gives them all of the nutrients they need to thrive.

Start them young

Start Rottweiler puppy training, both technical and behavioural, at a young age. A Rottweiler can display a set of skills as well as a set of issues from a young age. Tackle these elements according to the individual, and improvement and new skills will develop sooner for the dog. This ensures that the puppy grows up into a happy dog, and any issues can be tackled with the proper training as soon as they arise.

Work with them for the best results

Discover your Rottweiler’s abilities and skills by working with the dog. A healthy way of understanding and knowing your Rottweiler will arise through working with the dog, according to their age and the level of training that the dog reaches session by session. Different dogs will enjoy and thrive on learning different skills, so it’s important to take note of what they seem to like, and you never know what talents this intelligent breed could have!

Spend time with them to reap the rewards!

Build a strong relationship by spending time training and exercising with your dog consistently from a young age. One of the greatest qualities of a Rottweiler is devotement to those that spend time with and love them. A safe way of developing this skill is through training and exercising. This is something that you can both enjoy, and even get the whole family involved in!

Their environment is important

Creating a suitable environment for your Rottweiler is of vital importance. Sometimes, the environment can influence a dog’s behaviour. A working breed such as the Rottweiler will clearly be aware of the environment that they are in and they will develop behaviours related to the environment. These can be both positive and negative (Eg. territorial guarding), so it’s important that you recognise if unwanted behaviours are developing so that you can combat them quickly.

Be confident!

Create enough confidence in yourself in order to manage, handle & guide a Rottie. Strong headed, calm & excited, strict and relaxed are a few of the abilities that a Rottweiler owner should have to suit different situations and the mood of your dog. Their strong-willed nature means that it’s easy for them to become in charge of you, and not the other way round, so confidence in your ownership and abilities is the best way to help combat this from becoming a problem.

Explore different training areas

A Rottweiler is suitable to cover and excel in different areas of training such as showing, agility, tracking, and more. Due to their amazing predisposition to work they are eligible to fulfil multiple areas of working. So, there’s plenty of potential for your dog to develop their talents and excel in these fields with the right consistent training that works for them as an individual!

Structure is needed

By managing all of the above your Rottie will be physically and psychologically healthy throughout their life, from puppyhood to adulthood. Structure in rising, maintaining and fulfilling your Rottweiler’s needs is essential to their existence. Adapt to the way your Rottweiler is and the relationship between you and your dog is going to be successful.

Rottweiler video

Want to know more about this amazing breed and what they’re capable of? Take a look at this video and you’ll soon see what the correct Rottweiler puppy training can achieve for your dog:

Here at Royvon, we love training dogs of all breeds, including amazing Rottweilers! We offer a huge variety of different training options to suit all dogs, needs, and budgets at our three locations throughout the UK. To find out more about the services that we offer in Esher and Merthyr Tydfil, just visit our website!

Enjoyed this blog? Why not read this one about Shiba Inus next? Or, how about Dachshunds?