Rottweilers are big beauties who command a presence, and we know exactly! Besides their looks, they're smarty pants, but they need a little encouragement from their owners in order for them to reach their full potential!
If you want to know how to train your Rottweiler, then you're in the right place. We have 4 neat tips for you. Well, we have 4 and a half, because we have to start by imploring you to have patience, patience, and more patience! Okay, now let's get to it.
Step One: Start Young
We have always recommended that training your Rottweiler, or any dog for that matter, at a young age is best. You will have the most success and yield the best results if you train your Rotty between the ages of 6 weeks and 6 months. If your Rottweiler is older, don't worry. It may take a little more time and, ahem – patience, on your part. Don't be discouraged because they are innately intelligent and obedient. Institute positive reinforcement training always.
Step Two: Understand Dominance Training
What's dominance training? It's the idea of constantly establishing rules that your Rottweiler will follow, to eventually improve his behavior. Dominance training is not meant to exert dominance over your dog. No! Never show aggression towards your dog and always be kind and careful.
Step Three: Socialize Your Rotty
It is imperative to make sure your Rottweiler is comfortable around other people as well as other dogs. This can be accomplished by taking your puppy for walks, or going to a park, or over a friend’s houses, and also by inviting guests to your home to visit. These tips are ways to get your puppy to be happy and comfortable around other people and pets. Having a well-socialized dog is critical to training him. It's also nice to be able to take your dog for a walk and not have any confrontations or issues.
Step Four: Utilizing Positive Reinforcement
We mentioned this briefly in another tip, but this one is more detailed. Positive reinforcement is a type of training that gives your dog rewards consequential to his actions. Training by reward is the best possible way that you can communicate with your Rotty. By rewarding him with treats, toys, and praise, you're relating to him your appreciation, and he's doing the same.
A very effective form of dog training involves creating mini training sessions that are set up like a game. When you are trying to teach your Rottweiler a command, and they perform the command to your liking, immediately give them their reward. Be mindful of the type and amount of treats you give your Rotty, because they are notorious for being overweight.
These 4 tips will get you started on the right path to training and obedient yet playful dog!