How to Get Rottweilers to Calm Down

Rottweilers are known to have high levels of energy and with their size being added to the equation, their high energy periods can cause some damage. Knowing how to handle this energy is very important, especially if you want your dog to behave in public.

The best way to get rottweilers to calm down is done through preparation and discipline ahead of time. To calm down a rottweiler:

• Manage diet
• Provide exercise
• Help provide mental stimulation
• Socialize with humans and other dogs
• Use treats

Your rottweiler will not be a high energy dog forever. They do calm down eventually as they grow. However, it is important to know how to deal with their high amounts of energy when they are puppies and they are in their highest energy stage.

Tips and Warnings for Calming a Rottweiler

Here are basic tips

• Set a daily routine
• Freeze toys and treats
• Do not use the crate as a crutch
• Do not exercise excessively
• Do not yell
• Know that the high energy will have an end

One of the most important things you can do for your rottweiler to help him or her to stay calm is to set a daily routine. Rotts love a schedule. If they can expect when and where something is going to happen they are happy.

Freeze toys with treats inside of them. Regular treats in work as well. Give a tasty treat to your dog when they have a lot of energy. This will hold their focus for longer periods of time and give them a chance to calm down.

You can buy toys that you can stuff mashed up bananas into. When you do this you can either give it to them like that or you can freeze it so it makes it more of a challenge to get out. You can find these toys or other toys similar to these at this link on Amazon.

Do not keep them in a crate very often. Sometimes people may think that sending them to a crate can help them to calm down. This is not the case. Rottweilers need exercise and so keeping them locked in a crate all day is only going to build up their energy even more.

The crate should be used only for sleep. If it is used for anything else, especially as something that might seem a punishment as a result of high energy, they will never want to go to their crate. This will make using it as a place for sleep ineffective.

Do not exercise them too much. In addition to what was said in the previous paragraph, it is also important to not exercise them too much. If you do this, they may develop joint problems that can make exercise nearly impossible or very painful as they grow older.

If rottweilers are exercised often enough, especially at a young of an age, their growth plates will not grow or close properly. This may result in hip or elbow dysplasia. When a rottie gets older, he or she will not be able to exercise as much. This could result in high energy returning.

Do not yell at them if they are acting up. Yelling to discipline will likely only hype your rott up even more. Yelling is not an effective method of doing anything when working with and training your rottweiler.

Better methods to get their attention and show them that you want them to calm down is to ignore them. If you do not give them the attention, they think will accompany hyperactivity they will try something else to get your attention.

Know and understand that he or she will not have these high energy levels forever. Rottweilers are very high energy puppies, but low to medium energy adult dogs. As they mature, much of their energy disappears and they are much easier to handle. Just get through the first couple of years.

Why do Rottweilers Have High Levels of Energy?

Rottweilers are dogs that were built to work. They were originally bred in Ancient Rome to herd cattle and pull carts full of meat for the Romans. Later, they accompanied the Germans in war. Finally, they made there way over to America. Some rottweilers are used as police dogs, but many of them are just family pet dogs.

It makes sense that a breed that was created to work has a lot of energy. When they play outside for a couple of hours a day but then spend the rest of the day sitting, all of their energy builds up. There is just nowhere for this energy to go.

This causes them to act out or to act hyper. High levels of energy mostly found in puppies. By the time rottweilers grow up, some of this energy goes away. It is normal for most breeds of dogs to act hyper while they are puppies.

How to Avoid Excess Energy in Rottweilers

While rottweilers are puppies, you should expect them to have much higher levels of energy. It is inevitable. However, there are ways to help them to calm down and have less energy.

In the moment, if their acting out is a result of the high energy there are not many ways to get them to calm down, but there are many preventative measures you can take to avoid this behavior.

Some things to do consistently when raising your rottweiler that will decrease their energy include:

• Setting and maintaining a good diet
• Exercising your rottweiler properly
• Providing adequate mental stimulation
• Spending time with your rottweiler and introducing him or her to new people and animals
• Rewarding desirable behavior

Diet

A rottweilers diet is very important. It contributes to many aspects of their life. It has a huge impact on the energy level they have.

Just like with children, if you see your rottweiler is having too much energy, you might want to feed them less sugar. Rotties should not eat too much sugar anyway. But, you may want to check the treats or human foods you are feeding your rott. Check for the amount of sugar that is in them. Then, it is wise to cut back on the foods that are higher in sugar.

Make sure that you are feeding your rottweiler enough, but not too much. You want their whole well being to be accounted for. If they eat too much they will be calmer, but they will also become overweight. Make sure you feed them the right amount according to their height, weight and activity level.

When buying your rottweiler his or her food, make sure you flip the package around and look at the ingredients. Many dog foods have chemical preservatives, additives, and artificial coloring that can increase your rottweiler’s energy.

Lots of dog foods have a very high amount of carbohydrates that are not very good for your dog. That excess amount of carbs contributes greatly to their high energy levels.

When shopping for food, buy foods with natural ingredients. Look for whole meats such as chicken, turkey or ham being used as one of the top ingredients. If you do not recognize any of the ingredients on your rottweiler’s food bag, it is likely that it is not very good for him or her.

Exercise

Exercise along with dieting is such an important part of your rottweilers lifestyle. They need exercise to have a place to channel all of their energy.

It is not enough for them to have a yard to play in. Rottweilers need to go on two walks every day, in addition, to playtime outside. It is also wise to take your rott to the dog park so they can have a different place to run around while also making friends with other dogs.

When dogs or anyone for that matter gets bored, they do things they are not supposed to. Rottweilers will get into the trash, dig holes, tear apart fences or furniture. They may also get into things that they should not. It is not wise to keep them locked up all day. Take them places to give them more exercise.

Mental Stimulation

Rottweilers are very intelligent dogs. They need activities that will test their intelligence and let them use their brain. This is another way to distract them from becoming bored. Putting the focus on using his or her intelligence helps to calm him or her down.

One way to exercise their brain and keep them calm is to train them. Teach them to do different tricks or play games. Rottweilers love to play games and this helps them to put all of their energy toward playing said game.

When training rottweilers to play games or to fetch make sure that you are not rewarding high energy behavior.

For example, when playing fetch with your rott, wait until they calm down to throw the ball. Or if you are teaching them to sit or lay down, reward them calmly by petting or with a treat. Try to not wind them up after rewarding them for calm behavior.

Give your rottweiler toys that will keep them busy. Whether it be a toy that comes apart or a toy that has treats inside of it, a busy toy will occupy your rottweiler’s attention better than a simple toy.

Spend Time with Your Rottweiler

Often times dogs get excited when they see someone they have not seen for a while, see someone they have never seen before or seen another animal. Teaching your dog to stay calm in all of these situations is done by making these situations not phase them.

Spend time with your rottweiler. Play with him or her outside. They will know you will always be there and this will help to eliminate your presence exciting them excessively.

Introduce them to strangers often. Help them to feel comfortable in front of all people. If they are used to being introduced to people often then when a new face comes along they will be able to stay calm.

Probably the hardest situation to prepare your rott to stay calm during is when being introduced to another dog or animal.

They do not do great when being in the presence of other animals especially if it is another dog of their same gender. Likewise, if they are not used to seeing other animals just in general.

Arrange play dates for your rott so he or she can spend time around other animals and be prepared if he or she runs into another dog while on a walk or at the dog park.

Reward Good Behavior

Like mentioned earlier, rottweilers are very intelligent. They will pick up on things and learn very quickly. Reward them if they are doing what you want them to do. It is likely that he or she will repeat the wanted behavior.

If they act hyper and then calm down give them a treat. This will show them that by calming down they are pleasing you. If they trust you as their owner they will want to please you.

This is also true when petting them. Dogs loved to be pet and so when you pet them as they are jumping all over you then they think you want them to keep doing that.

Ignore them if they are jumping on you and wait until they calm down to pet them.

It is also wise to advise others to do the same. When you have guests over ask them to not pet or play with your rott if he or she is displaying high energy behavior. If this reaction to jumping comes from everyone they will know that they should not do this because they will not get the attention they are desiring.

How Long Can I Expect My Rottweiler to Be High Energy?

Like mentioned a couple of times, rottweilers are high energy puppies, but low to medium energy adult dogs. It is likely that their high energy phase will only last for a little bit while they are still maturing.

Rottweilers are still considered puppies until they stop growing between the ages of 18 months and 24 months. After this, they are in their “teenage” stage until they are about four years old. Once they reach four they are considered, in most cases, act like an adult dog.

You will see them begin to calm when they reach 24 months but really calm fully when they reach the ages of four and five.

If you can make it through the first two years of your rottweiler’s hyper stage, the need for calming should be downhill from there.

Not High Energy? How to Help with Abnormal Outbursts

If you feel like your rottweiler is past the high energy stage but is still have an abnormal outburst of energy, that is okay. You can still find ways to calm them down when they are in these moods.

Often times, when a rottweiler is acting out abnormally it, is because he or she is:

• Afraid of something
• In pain
• Uncomfortable with the situation or surroundings

Fear

The most important thing to remember when dealing with these situations is that if you have trained your rottweiler well, he or she trusts you. He or she will turn to you when in these situations because you represent a safe place for him or her.

Your rottweiler may be afraid of loud noises, something that used to cause pain or any other thing specific to him or her. The best advice for helping a rott who is scared is to remove him or her from the situation.

It is not necessary to make him or her face their fears. If he or she feels forced to face his or her fears then it might end badly.

If your rott has not mastered how to channel aggression or violence, he or she might act out in those ways as a result of being afraid and/or forced into facing that fear.

If you have a rottweiler that you have adopted and might have been abused in previous homes, it is likely that he or she will be afraid of things that remind him or her of those situations.

Make your rott feels safe. Also, make sure that your dog knows that he or she does not need to face these fears at all, let alone, by his or herself.

Pain

Another reason your rottweiler may need to be calmed down is if he or she is in physical pain. From a list provided from the website Vet Now, you can tell if your rottweiler acting out is a result of pain if he or she:

• Shows signs of agitation
• Cries out, yelps or growls
• Is sensitive to touch or resent normal handling
• Becomes grumpy and snap at you
• Limp or be reluctant to walk
• Has rapid, shallow breathing and an increased heart rate

If you see these behaviors, the best way to get your rott to calm down is to provide them with comfort. It is helpful to provide them a place to lie down. You can lie with them and pet them gently. Heat pads or ice can also help.

If your rott is displaying signs of being in pain, after you have calmed him or her down enough to get to your phone, call your vet so you can make sure nothing is wrong.

Uncomfortable Situation or Surroundings

When a rottweiler is in an uncomfortable situation, he or she may act out. If he or she is acting out in a way that is abnormal and your rott’s surroundings have changed, try to normalize the environment for your dogs sake.

Often times, when your rottweiler is being socialized with other animals, he or she might not feel very comfortable on the first time. That is okay, you can always try again another time. It is better for your rottweiler to be in a happy mental state. If not he or she might act out inappropriately.

When introducing your rott to new situations or environments, it important to always stay with him or her at first. He or she knows to trust you and if you abandon your rott, that trust might be lost.

Calming down your rottweiler in these situations is very important. It can avoid behaviors that sometimes lead to aggression or violence. Remembering to never violate your rottweiler’s trust. Sticking by your dog’s side can really help in calming him or her down in any of these instances.