Us rottweilers usually get a bad rep.
We’re painted as aggressive, dangerous, and vicious – in part owing to our representation in the media, literature, and TV, and of course to our large size which makes us appear a lot more intimidating than we actually are.
However, this is actually a common misconception about Rottweilers.
Actually, we’re big softies. And as long as we’re trained well, there’s no reason at all why we wouldn’t like kids.
In fact, we’re actually pretty fond of kids and can be affectionate and loving toward them, especially if we’ve been raised with them from a young age.
The main thing to look out for is our size, as we’re so big and strong that sometimes when we’re playing we might accidentally knock little ones over, especially seen as we’re so heavy compared to them.
Our strong stature stems from our cattle-driving heritage, and later we pulled carts for butchers and even served in the police force!
As with all dogs, it’s really important that you teach kids how to properly approach us.
We get along best with older children who know how to approach dogs and know not to approach us when we’re eating or sleeping – and definitely not to try and take our bowl away from us!
We may also sometimes get a bit irritated by loud noises and rough play, which is when our former policing nature comes in, as we might try to put an end to things if we misinterpret the loud noise as children being in danger.
Are rottweilers aggressive by nature?
As I said earlier, we were previously selected for guarding and protection work, and some of these traits stay with us, which is why we get a bad reputation for being aggressive.
However, well-socialized rottweilers like myself get along perfectly well with other dogs and humans, however, we males can occasionally be a little dominant and aggressive.
It’s important to remember though that so long as we’re well-trained, there’s no reason why we’d hurt you or other dogs or children.
Actually, we’ve even got some stats to back us up on this – the website Dognition recently gathered data from more than 4,000 dog owners, and you might be surprised to hear it, but the most aggressive dog out of the 35 most popular breeds was the Chihuahua!
While Chihuahuas are small and sweet looking, don’t be fooled – Chihuahuas peaked out at being moderately aggressive on some measures but were usually on the “sometimes aggressive” end of the spectrum.
Among the most misunderstood breeds on the list was my good friend the Pitbull, who, like me, turned out to be a lot less aggressive and a lot more tolerant than he’s given credit for.
Like any dog, aggression only surfaces if we’ve been treated badly in the past, or if we don’t have the correct training when we’re growing up.
Is a rottweiler a good family dog?
Okay, I’ll admit it on this one, I’m slightly biased, but I mean it when I say we make good family dogs.
We’re loyal, obedient, and loving, making us ‘people dogs’ who are affectionate towards their families.
In fact, we even have a tendency to follow our favorite person from room to room, as we don’t like letting them out of our sight!
We’re social dogs and like being around other people and other dogs if possible, making us an ideal family dog.
Despite our size, we’re actually quite sensitive due to our high intelligence, and we get very attached to our family.
If we do get destructive, it’s usually because we’re bored or anxious, and sometimes we bark around strangers, but this is only because we’re trying to protect you.
Are rottweilers easy to train?
This sounds like I’m showing off, but actually, Rottweilers are easy to train. This is because we’re known as one of the top 10 intelligent breeds of dogs and, because of this, we tend to be easier to train.
We pick up commands quicker than most other dogs, and, due to our previous experiences as police dogs, being a guard dog comes naturally to us – so this trait is easier for us to learn compared with other breeds.
Like all dogs, it’s best if you train us from a young age as this way good behavior will be ingrained in us – much like with kids!
What is the best age to get a rottweiler?
The best age to get a rottweiler is 8-12 weeks old. At this point, we’re self-determined and are ready to leave our mother as we don’t require her constant care anymore.
This is also a great age to start training us – as it’s good if we can get the hang of commands from a young age.
Plus at this point we’re still pretty small, so you’ve still got the upper hand. We get a lot bigger, trust us!
It’s important to remember that if you’re introducing a Rottweiler puppy into your family and you have other dogs, we may not be used to other dogs yet and it’s best if you let us meet our co-brothers a few times before we move in, so we can get used to playing with them and don’t feel threatened.
However, as we said, at this stage in our lives everything is new and exciting to us and it’s a great time to get us used to other dogs and people.
Do Rottweilers like to cuddle?
I for one love to cuddle, and I speak on behalf of my fellow Rotties when I say that most rottweilers love cuddles. In fact, don’t most dogs love to cuddle?
Perhaps I’m generalizing. Of course, some Rottweilers will enjoy cuddles more than others, but if your Rottweiler is well trained and healthy, the likelihood is that they’ll love a hug with their human every now and again!
We’re affectionate creatures and very loyal to our family members, so we’re more than happy to prove this to you.
