Why does my Rottweiler circle me?

If your Rottweiler sometimes circles you this post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about it.

So, why does my Rottweiler circle me? Possible reasons are that it is excited, being dominating, looking for attention or it might be a herding instinct.

There are some things you can consider when trying to figure out the exact reason why it does it. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it should become easier for you to get it to stop.

Why your Rottweiler circles you

Below are some common reasons why Rottweilers circle their owners and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.

It’s excited

The reason why your Rottweiler circles you might be that it is excited. This would be more likely if it does it in situations such as when you come home or when you are about to take it for a walk. In this case, it could be that it is trying to show its excitement or that it wants to get you to exercise it sooner.

It is being dominating

It could also be the case that it circles you because it is being dominating. This would be more likely if it does it in a way that gets you to move.

To stop this it would be important to give your Rottweiler lots of training and to follow the other tips mentioned below.

It wants attention

The reason why it does it could be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it much attention or if you give it extra attention when it does it.

In this case, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to follow the tips mentioned below to get it to stop doing it.

It’s a herding instinct

The reason why your Rottweiler does it could be that it is a herding instinct. This would be more likely if it does it a lot more when you are walking it and if it does it to other people as well. To prevent this kind of circling, try walking in the opposite direction that it circles you especially if it tries to move you.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about your Rottweiler circling you.

When it started doing it

If your Rottweiler did not always circle you, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it.

If it did not always do it then it would be more likely that it started because it learned that it gets rewards when it does it.

Whereas, if it has always done it then it would be more likely to be due to being a herding instinct.

When and where it tends to do it more

It would also help to consider if it tends to do it more in certain situations since the timing might have something to do with it.

For example, if it does it more when you are on walks then it would be more likely that it is either a herding instinct or that it is being dominating if it tries to move you.

What to do about your Rottweiler circling you

Below are some options you have when getting your Rottweiler to stop circling you.

Walk in the opposite direction to it

If it does it when you are walking it then try to walk in the opposite direction to it since this will force it to stop and to see you as the leader.

You could also try stopping walking whenever it does it so that it learns that circling causes you to stop walking it. You can watch the video below to see how this is done.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

It might be the case that you have encouraged the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it circles you, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is being well behaved, to wait for it to stop circling you before rewarding it and to give it lots of positive reinforcement training.

Give it lots of training

If you have not been giving your Rottweiler much training it would help to start now by teaching it the basics and building up from there. I have written about how you can teach it to come here and how you can train it to stay here.