A Rottweiler with too much energy can be very taxing on the owner. When you leave your Rottweiler alone for a few hours and come home to a dog who literally can’t stop complaining, the first response is often frustration and anger. But, for an over-energetic Rottweiler prone to excitement, anger is the last thing you want to put on display. You may feel tired, but your dog is ready for action!
Many owners try to understand what causes this level of excitement in their Rottweiler. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine exactly where all the gushing arousal and barking is coming from, but in other cases it can be as simple as sheer boredom.
Helping your bored rottweiler
A bored dog needs one thing: more attention. And for a dog like the Rottweiler, that attention should come in the form of as much exercise as possible. Over 90% of the time, the biggest culprit here is that your Rottweiler is allowed to sit around the house and not do much of anything. That inaction can make it difficult for your dog to relax and enjoy his life. But how much exercise do Rottweilers really need?
Rottweilers were originally bred to work in very demanding jobs such as raising livestock, policing, and law enforcement. If you’ve chosen to own one of these energetic dog breeds, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that your Rottweiler needs a LOT of exercise. I am talking about 2-3 hours a day of walking, playing or running to stimulate your desire to work.
Coping with your Rottweiler’s separation anxiety
Sometimes overexcitement can be a simple matter of anxiety related to your comings and goings. As a first step, stop rewarding your Rottweiler for his excited greeting behavior when you return home. It will only make things worse for everyone in the long run.
Instead of paying more attention to your Rottweiler when you get home, ignore him for about 10 minutes and never allow him to jump on you. When you have more time, you can start teaching her to stop overreacting when it’s time for you to leave home. This can take a lot of time and patience. It will just walk in and out of the door for very short periods of time, extending the amount of time your Rottweiler will be alone. Leave your dog with an interesting toy, like a peanut butter-filled kong and his own sleeping space.
Calming a rambunctious Rottweiler
The easiest way to calm a Rottweiler who is overly nervous, assuming he is getting enough exercise, is to train him. Thinking of your commands will cause your dog to use his mental abilities, providing him with much-needed mental stimulation. The smarter the dog, the more work it takes to thrive.
This begins by teaching your dog that you are the leader of the alpha pack, in full control of your home. Next, you will need to train your Rottweiler in basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, lie down, and be quiet. When your Rottweiler is intensely focused on following your instructions, he will forget the source of his emotion and will reach a state of calm that is much easier for him to control.
Not all Rottweilers will calm down completely. Some dogs are more excitable than others. But, whenever your Rottweiler gets so excited that it violates your family’s daily schedule and activities, you’ll need to pay special attention to your Rottweiler to help reduce that overabundance of energy.
For those who want to know more about how to train an overly excitable Rottweiler and about other Rottweiler training problems, visit http://www.rottweilertrainingforyou.com