Are Rottweilers aggressive? The dark-haired, muscular, and majestic Rottweiler is quite a sight. This dog can end up being one of the cutest, most loving animals you have ever owned, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are unfortunately known for their aggressive nature. So are these large-sized beauties truly a threat to the world, or are they gentle giants?
So, are Rottweilers aggressive? The Rottweiler has a natural tendency to be dominant and aloof. However, with an owner that is able to be in control of his dog and offers adequate amounts of socialization and training at a young age, your Rottie can grow up to be a quiet and calm dog that is respectful and sweet.
If you are on the fence about Rottweilers and want to know whether or not he will make a good fit for your family, you’ve come to the right place. We are going to look at the Rottweiler’s temperament and how you can ensure that your Rottie doesn’t end up being one of the dogs everyone in the neighborhood is wary of.
The Rottweiler’s Temperament: Why He Might be Aggressive
The high energy, large-sized and muscular Rottweiler was bred to work hard and guard his area. This brought on a slew of personality traits that many homeowners can find challenging, and many strangers find worrying.
To put it simply, Rottweilers have extremely dominant attitudes and have a tendency to be possessive and protective.
Of course, these personality traits lead one to believe that he might be aggressive. After all, most Rottweilers won’t want to see a stranger walking onto their property.
They are also not the easiest dogs to train, as they prefer to be the dominant one of the household. This can ultimately make it quite a challenge to take care of your Rottie.
So are Rottweilers aggressive? Yes, Rottweilers can be very aggressive due to their personality, temperament, and breeding purpose. But it doesn’t mean they have to be. In fact, some Rottweilers are naturally rather calm and quiet and prefer to snuggle.
But for the most part, the owner will need to work with his Rottweiler- preferably at a young age- to ensure that his aggressive tendencies don’t show up. It’s important to note that this might be quite a difficult challenge with some Rotties, so if you’re not up to the challenge, then you may want to consider choosing a different breed.
How to Make Sure Your Rottie Is Not Aggressive
You have to keep in mind that every dog is different. However, in the Rottweilers case, there seems to be more instances of the Rottweiler being aggressive as opposed to not aggressive. That being said, it will almost always come down to how the Rottweiler was raised.
Since you don’t want your dog to be the dog on the block that everybody fears, and now your friends are refusing to come over for Friday night pool parties, you need to make sure your Rottweiler is on the track. Luckily there are a lot of great ways to make sure your Rottweiler isn’t aggressive.
Here’s how:
1. Heavily Socialize Your Rottweiler
This is perhaps the biggest piece of advice to give anyone owning a Rottweiler. Your furry friend needs plenty of socialization to ensure he is able to be friendly to other individuals without showing his aggressive nature.
Remember- Rottweilers are dominant, possessive, and protecting- if they don’t have proper socialization, these traits are going to show up with just about anyone.
It’s best to socialize your Rottweiler while he is a puppy.
Let him be around all types of people. This includes smaller children to elderly folks and everyone in between. Have your Rottweiler be around all kinds of people, too, with different ethnic backgrounds. This way he is used to being around people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and looks, and won’t feel threatened.
Reward his positive socialization as much as possible. He needs to know that it’s a good thing to be nice to people. That doesn’t mean he won’t protect you when needed, though- that’s a natural instinct that probably won’t go away. And besides that, many people won’t want to mess with anyone with a Rottie in their yard, and that’s just a fact.
2. Train Your Rottweiler, Preferably Professionally
Training, training, and more training!
Rottweilers, just like any other breed, should be trained thoroughly at a young age.
This is even truer for the Rottweiler as he can have a tendency to not listen and do what he wants. He’s an independent dog, after all, who truly believes he is the ‘top dog’.
You might consider having your Rottweiler trained professionally to ensure he is receiving adequate training. While some dogs are fairly simple and easy to train, the Rottweiler is another story. You want to make sure the training is done right, and you can feel confident in a professional trainer as opposed to ‘figuring it out’ on your own.
3. Be Dominant With Your Rottweiler
Keep in mind that dominance, in no way, refers to being mean or abusive to your dog. When we say the word ‘dominant’, we simply mean that you are showing your dog who is in charge by always remaining firm and consistent with him.
To put it simply, Rottweilers are not designed to respect you just because you’re you. Especially in younger male Rottweilers, they prefer to run the show. This dog breed is especially dominant and assertive, so if you’re not ready to handle your dog with confidence and show him who’s boss, then this might not be the best breed for you.
4. Give Him Enough Exercise- Mentally and Physically
The last thing you want to do is to make sure that he is expelling his energy in a good way. Without proper exercise each day, your Rottweiler can easily turn to more destructive and aggressive behaviors out of pure boredom and pent up energy.
That being said, always make sure that your Rottweiler is getting at least two hours of exercise a day. They love a good walk around the block or playing some fun games. You should also ensure that there are many mentally-stimulating toys for your Rottweiler to keep his brain busy, occupied, and constantly growing.
Related Questions
Rottweilers are known to be very good with their families, including children. However, they should still be monitored most of the time. You can feel more confident in your Rottie by having him socialized often and professionally trained at a young age to ensure his aggressive tendencies are under control.
Remember- if your Rottweiler has been trained properly and you are a dominant, assertive owner that your Rottie respects, you shouldn’t have any worries of him becoming aggressive towards you. In fact, if you are hearing a low grumbling noise that resembles a growl coming from your Rottie, it may actually mean he is trying to show contentment and affection.
That’s right- one of the main reasons why a Rottweiler growls is because he is showing love. It isn’t a typical ‘growl’, though, and you can tell the difference by the situation. For instance- if you’re petting your Rottie while he is making this noise, then he is simply happy and trying to tell you.
