There are many misconceptions about Rottweilers, including how violent they are and how dangerous they are to youngsters. Would a Rottweiler ever be acceptable as a family pet, or would it, as many people believe, turn on its owners?

Do Rottweilers get along well with children? 

Rottweilers are no more hazardous than any other dog breed to children. They are extremely protective, loyal, and loving towards their family if they are properly reared and trained. A Rottweiler will always be nice and never turn on its family if it is handled with affection.

Now that we’ve cleared things up, let’s take a closer look at how Rottweilers may develop into these loving and caring breeds for you and your children.

Rottweilers Temperament

The Rottweiler is one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States, and there are excellent reasons for it.

Rottweilers are, at their heart, very affectionate towards their owners. They generally love being around children and other household pets, so if you already have a family, are pregnant, or already have other dogs or pets and want to add a Rottweiler to the mix, they will most likely get along swimmingly.

Rottweilers are one of the finest guard dog breeds, as shown by their dispositions. They are more wary, so if they are introduced to something they are familiar with, they will react cautiously rather than enthusiastically.

Their ostensibly “aggressive” behaviour comes from their protective instincts. A Rottweiler’s priority is his family, and if he is irritated or feels his family is in danger, he will rapidly shift from calm to dominating.

They are, at their heart, stupid dogs. Rottweilers are described as playful and “gentle playmates” by the American Kennel Club. If you have small children, a Rottweiler may become friends with them.

Rottweilers are categorised as working breeds in addition to being excellent protection dogs. They were initially developed to assist herd livestock in the field. Rottweilers have kept their strong, aggressive, and powerful characteristics to this day.

The sweetest thing about Rottweilers is their lack of awareness of their size. They don’t appear to realise they’re a bigger breed, so they may want to snuggle with you on the sofa, bed, or on your lap.

It’s the cutest thing to watch your kids snuggling with your pet, and although they should be careful with them, you need to be wary that they don’t inadvertently harm or suffocate them with their canine love.

Raising a Rottweiler with Newborns

As previously said, Rottweilers are cautious about new things, including youngsters. The easiest approach to ease a Rottweiler—or any dog—into a new infant’s presence is to introduce them before the newborn arrives. Some ideas include introducing noises and scents associated with a newborn.

When a Rottweiler is a puppy, it is very essential that they be properly socialised with children. Learning to interact with children at an early age will benefit them throughout their life; if a new youngster enters the scene, they will recognise that they are kind and will reciprocate.

There’s still hope for your Rottweiler if he or she didn’t have much contact with youngsters when they were younger. Slowly introducing your Rottweiler and kid to one another can help them get familiar with one another.

Bring home a blanket, a hat, or anything with the baby’s fragrance and let your dog sniff it before bringing the baby home.

You should also make every effort to involve your dog as much as possible. If a dog has been getting all of the attention in the world, and then something else comes along and takes it away, that dog will feel jealous.

Another thing to remember is to constantly keep an eye on any encounters between a Rottweiler and a child. Because Rottweilers don’t comprehend their own size and power, it’s crucial to keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t injure your kid.

Here’s a quick checklist of things to make sure your Rottweiler knows when they’re around kids:

Ascertain that they are aware of any places they are not permitted to enter (for example, the baby’s room or rooms where the infant is lying on the floor).

They should be taught not to leap or play with the infant.

Help them realise that they will need to be alone for brief amounts of time from time to time (don’t worry, Rottweilers can be left alone for short periods of time).

Raising a Rottweiler with Toddlers

Some of the advice from the previous section may be used to this one as well: keep an eye on interactions between your kid and your pet to avoid any mishaps.

Including your kid in the care of your Rottweiler is a wonderful way to strengthen your connection with them. This is especially essential if you have a puppy since pups sometimes mistake children for other puppies.

Involving your kid in the Rottweiler’s upbringing will help the Rottweiler identify you as an authoritative figure and will teach them not to attempt to boss them around.

Teaching Your Kids

Everything will seem to your kid as a toy or food while they are still small. On the plus side, your kid is unlikely to see your dog as a snack and bite them, but your dog may bite them if they are not taught how to properly care for a dog.

Everything will seem to your kid as a toy or food while they are still small. On the plus side, your kid is unlikely to see your dog as a snack and bite them, but your dog may bite them if they are not taught how to properly care for a dog.

Here are some crucial lessons to teach them:

• Teach your children not to tug on the tails, ears, or hair of your pets.
• Teach children to avoid hitting or grabbing your pet.
• Teach children how to care for pets such as cats and dogs.
• Teach your children not to shout or holler and to use an “inner voice,” particularly if you have a dog. This will keep the dog from mistaking your kid for something he or she may chase down and knock down.

Training a Rottweiler

The most frequent cause for a Rottweiler’s violent and cruel upbringing is due to their owners’ aggressive and mean upbringing; any dog may grow up to be a vicious dog dependent on its masters.

Training is crucial in ensuring that your Rottweiler grows up to be the loving, loyal, and obedient dog that you want them to be.

Rottweilers, as previously stated, are working dogs. Police dogs, livestock herders, and military dogs have all been bred from them. This indicates that they are very bright and eager to learn. Young Rottweilers are very simple to teach, and once they have learned something, they are likely to remember it.

It is a common misconception that Rottweilers are very difficult to teach. That is not the case! You’ll have to train every dog you nurture for the rest of their life, if not forever. Rottweilers are no exception.

People may think Rottweilers are tough to teach since they need more than basic obedience and house rules. This isn’t going to make your dog completely obedient on its own.

In fact, if your Rottweiler challenges your authority during training, be prepared. That’s just how Rottweilers are; they’re arrogant and aggressive, and if you don’t enforce the rules and show your authority, they won’t listen to you… or attempt to boss you about.

It’s critical for you to realise as the owner that a Rottweiler is not a lapdog; it’s not enough to educate them to go outside, know where their food and water bowls are, and not jump on furniture.

This is the absolute least kind of training a Rottweiler needs, according to The Rested Dog Inn’s Lobby:

• Teach them to react to instructions consistently (lie down, stay, come, and walk at your side whether on or off a leash)
• Teach them to respect the rules of the home and stick to them.
• Commit to an 8- to 10-week series of classes at a local obedience club or with a professional trainer, and do the homework they provide.
• Rottweilers, on the other hand, are not capable of being taught only by a professional. 

While it’s fine to enlist the help of a professional trainer, you, the owner, are responsible for training your Rottweiler.

As a result, you’ll need to be assertive and have leadership skills. This authority should be created by calm, peaceful self-assurance and self-assertion, not by physical violence.

Training is an excellent method to include your children in the process. They, as well as other family members, may assist you in teaching your Rottweiler.

Not only will this educate your children on the rules established for your Rottweiler, how to care for them, and how to interact with them, but it will also help your Rottweiler recognise and respect your children with the same authority that you do.

Exercise

Dogs and children have one thing in common: they both like running around and playing. Rottweilers need a significant amount of exercise to be happy and healthy.

It is not healthy for a Rottweiler or the owner if exercise is ignored and they do nothing but lounge about the home all day. It’s terrible for the Rottweiler because they’ll resort to anything to release their pent-up energy, and it’s bad for the owner since it’ll result in a lot of chewed-up furniture and ruined living rooms.

There are lots of things you (and your Rottweiler) can do to avoid a new home design, and your children may participate in the activities as well. Here’s a list of some of the things you and your Rottweiler can do together:

• Obstacle course: You and your children may construct an obstacle course for your Rottweiler to race through. This may be done both indoors and outside, and it is extremely cheap.

• Stairway dash*: This is a wonderful method for your Rottweiler to practise commands. With this exercise, you and your Rottweiler stand at the bottom of some steps or stairs.

Toss a ball up the stairs while keeping an eye on your Rottweiler. Tell them to go fetch the ball after they’ve completed this correctly, and watch them run after it. When they receive the ball, tell them to return it to you. Make sure to compliment them on their work!

*It’s best to wait until your Rottweiler is at least 15 months old before playing Stairway Dash, since playing it while they’re younger may harm their growing joints.

Other things to do include:

• Using a tennis ball or a frisbee to play fetch
• Tug of War is a game where two people compete against one other.
• Play in the sprinklers or go swimming.
• Take a stroll or go trekking.

Related Questions:

Can I keep a Rottweiler in an apartment?

Rottweilers need a lot of exercise on a daily basis to be fit and happy. Rottweilers are fully capable of adjusting to and flourishing in apartment living as long as you can offer this for them; if you can’t, you’ll soon run into issues with boredom and disobedience.

Do Rottweilers get along with other dogs?

Rottweilers get along with other dogs if they are reared with them. Strange dogs, adult dogs brought into the household, and new dogs of the same sex may all cause problems. They may, however, learn to accept new animals calmly with the owner’s teaching and supervision.

Do Rottweilers and cats get along? 

There are dogs with strong hunt drives that aren’t suitable for living with tiny animals like cats or guinea pigs, but Rottweilers aren’t one of them. Although caution should be used, Rottweilers are fully capable of coexisting with cats. Careful introductions and appropriate socialising when they are young are the best methods.