A friend of mine decided to get a Rottweiler. But he is a father and had some doubts about the friendliness of this breed. So are Rottweilers friendly?
Rottweilers are friendly and affectionate dogs who are loyal to their family. With early socialization and consistent training, they can be friendly towards children, strangers, and other dogs.
Further, we will look into few situations in which Rottweilers may not be friendly. We will also look into some things you must do to make them more friendly.
How Friendly are Rottweilers?
It’s a myth that Rottweilers are an aggressive and ruthless breed. Rotties are friendly and affectionate dogs.
They are incredibly loyal to their human family. They don’t hold back to show love and affection either.
Their large, muscled body and vicious looks make them seem dangerous. But they are quite the opposite. As per a recent study, cute little Chihuahuas are way more aggressive than Rottweilers.
Rotties are super affectionate towards their family members, gentle with children, comfortable around strangers, and playful with other dogs.
Although, you must understand that the friendliness of a Rottweiler is the result of early socialization and training.
Are Rottweilers friendly with Strangers?
Rottweilers are super friendly and loyal to their family. However, they may get a little reserved when it comes to interacting with strangers.
Moreover, the friendliness of the rott depends on how well you have socialized your dog. This goes the same for all the breeds.
Unless the Rott has been poorly socialized and trained to attack, they are friendly with strangers.
Owners often skip the socialization part, assuming that a friendly Rottweiler won’t protect or guard their family. However, what they don’t understand is that Rotties are smart enough to differentiate between a stranger and a stranger who is a threat.
With proper socialization and training, Rottweilers can be friendly towards strangers like guests in your house or a person walking on the street. And at the same time, protect you from strangers who are a threat to you, your family, or your house.
Are Rottweilers Friendly with Kids?
Rottweilers are great with kids if trained and socialized from puppyhood. They are friendly and loving towards their family. However, you need to train them to be gentle while playing with children.
I raised my Thor with my children. He is super friendly and playful with them. And not just playful, Thor is also gentle with both my kids.
Thor uses all his energy pulling his rope toy while playing tug-of-war with me. But when he plays tug-of-war with my kids, he doesn’t pull at all. He let my kids do all the pulling while standing still holding his toy.
And not just me. I know a couple of other Rottweilers who are super friendly with kids.
To achieve this, it is highly recommended to raise your rottweiler with kids. Early socialization combined with proper training will ensure that you have a loyal, loving, and affectionate Rott who is friendly with children.
One important thing you need to understand is that Rottweilers have a high prey drive. Which means they love to run and chase. They may get excited seeing children run. They may jump on them out of excitement. So do not leave your rottweiler unsupervised with kids.
Are Rottweilers friendly with other dogs?
Rottweilers are friendly with other dogs and cats if they are raised with them. However, some Rotties are more dominant than others. In such a case, they may show aggression towards the other dog. But with proper training and socialization, they will be fine.
Rottweilers, in general, are not aggressive towards other dogs. Every dog has a different personality, and judging the breed based on few bad experiences would be wrong.
The friendliness with other dogs also depends on how well they are socialized in their puppyhood. A poorly socialized rott will see a dog as a threat and may get aggressive.
While well behaved and adequately socialized, Rottie will be much more comfortable with the presence of another pet.
You will need to start the socialization right from puppyhood. Start by introducing a well-trained dog. If your pup gets excited or shows aggression, take him away and bring him back once he has calm down. If he is playful with another dog, give him a treat.
Doing this will teach your Rott how to interact with other dogs and also associate positive behavior.
If you adopt an adult Rottweiler, then make sure to study his behavior. If he is playful around another dog, then it’s great. However, if he isn’t, then consider hiring a proper trainer to correct his behavior.
Why Rottweilers may not be Friendly?
While Rottweilers are a friendly and loving breed, some situations can bring the worst in them. Let’s have a look at them.
Poor Socialization
Poorly socialized rottweiler will be fearful of new things. And it doesn’t take time for fear to turn into aggression.
Who doesn’t want a Rottweiler who is relaxed with strangers, gentle with kids, and gets along with other dogs? Early Socialization can achieve all these things.
But what does socialization mean? Well, it is a process in which you introduce your dog to new environments, different animals, people, and children and associate good things with them. This makes the dog more comfortable in social situations.
Territorial
Rottweilers are guard dogs. They have an instinct to protect their family members and home. So if they find something or someone as a threat, they will do whatever necessary to drive them away.
While this is an excellent quality that comes naturally to Rotties, they still need to learn to differentiate between a stranger and a threat.
Stress or Fear
Stress or fear can make a Rottweiler forget his manners. Usually, past experiences or lack of confidence can lead to a fearful dog. Early socialization and positive training can help curve this problem.
Puppyhood Trauma and Bad Experiences
An abusive owner or wrong training methods can make rottweilers hateful of humans. This can lead to bad behavior and even aggression.
Using abusive training methods does more bad than good. You must be patient with your dog and only use positive reinforcement for training.
Personality
Just like humans, every dog has a different personality. While most Rotties are friendly, some are not. Some dogs, regardless of their breed, have an unfriendly personality.
If you have done everything correctly, and your Rott is still not friendly, you will have to learn to accept it. As long as their unfriendly behavior doesn’t pose a threat to you, your family, or anyone else, you will need to accept it.
But if your Rotties shows any sign of aggression, then you must consult a professional trainer or dog behaviorist before it’s too late.
How to make your Rottweiler more Friendly
No matter what breed it is, every owner must do a few things to ensure a happy and friendly dog.
Early Socialization
Introduce your Rottweiler to various situations right from its puppyhood.
Few situations you must expose your Rottweiler pup:
- Take them to new places; parks, gardens, backyards, roads, public areas.
- Introduce as many people as you can. Call all your extended family members and friends to pay a visit.
- Introduce people with different features: people with facial hair, people wearing coats, people with sunglasses.
- Introduce people of different ages: from kids to seniors.
- Expose them to different appliances like vacuum cleaner and hairdryer.
- Introduce different animals. Start by introducing well-trainer dogs.
Consistent Training
Training is an integral part of a dog’s life. It teaches the dog the correct way to live with us.
Rotties are ranked in the top 10 most intelligent breeds of dogs. They are easy to train. However, it is necessary to be consistent with their training.
Many parents often stop training their dogs when they grow up, and then the dog becomes aloof.
Keep training your rottweiler, even if they are adult dogs. Revise them old tricks, teach them new commands. This not only makes them more obedient but also provides excellent mental stimulation.
It is also necessary that you use correct training methods. Use positive reinforcements like treats and praises instead of negative ones like shock collars and physical abuse.
Daily Exercise
Rottweilers are a working breed, and hence they are energetic. They need some form of daily exercise to release their energy, or else they can become destructive.
You will need to take them out for long walks twice a day. Apart from that, you will have to play with them.
Final Thoughts
With proper care, Rottweilers can be one of the most friendly dogs. They can be comfortable with strangers. They can become excellent family dogs. However, you must train and socialize them.
