If your Rottweiler has been being destructive you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be being destructive and what you can do about it.
So, why is does my Rottweiler destroy everything?
There are a number of possible reasons why it could be happening.
The main ones are that it’s teething, boredom, separation anxiety, fear or it might be in its nature to be on the more destructive side.
The best way to diagnose the cause of its destruction will be to consider the time that it happens, if you’re around or not and the age of the Rottweiler.
How to stop your Rottweiler from destroying everything?
There are a number of possible options that you can try and the best will depend on the cause of its destruction.
Some options that you can try are giving it lots of exercise, doing lots of “leave it” training, crate training, doggy daycare and getting help from a certified dog behaviorist.
There are actually a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are also a number of things you can do about it.
Reasons Why Your Rottweiler Might Be Destructive
Each of the different reasons why your Rottweiler has been destroying everything will likely come with some clues. Below are a number of possible causes and what would make them more likely.
It’s teething
The reason why it has been doing it could be that it has started teething. This would be more likely if it is a puppy, if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has started chewing on things a lot.
This stage can last for around 6 months so you’re going to need to be very understanding of your Rottweiler during this period. However, it is also important that you take the time to start training it now.
To alleviate the destruction of things that you don’t want to be destroyed you should give it lots of things to chew and to follow the advice given in the next section below.
It might be tempting not to do anything since it should calm down once it stops teething but you shouldn’t do this. The best time to get your Rottweiler into good habits is while it’s still young. It’s easier to change the habits of a Rottweiler that’s a puppy than an adult Rottweiler. If you don’t take measures to stop its destructive behavior now then it might continue into adulthood.
Boredom
Rottweilers are meant to get daily exercise in order to be fully stimulated. When they do not get enough exercise, they will often look for other ways to stimulate themselves and it might be why yours has been being destructive. This would be more likely if it tends to calm down after getting exercise.
Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults.
Separation anxiety
The cause could be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it tends to be more destructive when you are about to leave or when you are not at home.
You can watch the video below for some tips on how to deal with its separation anxiety. This book on Amazon also shows you what you can do about it.
Fear
The reason why it does it could be that there is something that has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it does it more at a certain time such as when there are certain noises outside.
You can try the advice given in the section given below to correct this type of destruction but you’ll often find that help from a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area will go a long way.
Nature
It could just be that your particular Rottweiler is more destructive than others. This would be more likely if it has always behaved that way.
To get this to stop you’re going to need to be patient and to be consistent with your training. If it’s not working then you could consider solving the issue when you’re not around by using doggy daycare or crate training.
How To Stop Your Rottweiler’s Destruction
Below are some things you can do to get your Rottweiler to be less destructive.
Train it to not be destructive
The first thing to do would be to give it positive reinforcement training. This is where you encourage the behaviors you want to see by rewarding them.
The training to stop your Rottweiler being destructive will likely need to be quite spontaneous since you’ll usually be doing it when it starts to destroy things.
To train it you’ll need to keep treats that it likes handy. Then, when it starts to chew things, get its attention and then when it gives you its attention get it to sit or lay down then reward it with a treat. This teaches them to pay attention to you when they’re feeling impulsive rather than destroying things.
You can watch the video below to see how to reduce your Rottweiler’s destruction
It will take time to change their habits and to teach them what to chew and what not to so it’s important to be very patient.
Reduce its ability to destroy things
It would also likely help to reduce its access to things that it is likely to try to destroy. To do this you could make use of house dividers, you could section off parts of the backyard and reduce its access to certain rooms in the house.
Do crate training
One way to make sure that your Rottweiler can’t destroy anything while you’re away would be to get them used to staying in a crate.
It’s important to get it used to going into the crate because it wants to and not because you’re forcing it to otherwise it won’t go well.
You can watch how to do crate training below
Use doggy daycare
Another option to make sure your Rottweiler can’t destroy anything would be to use doggy daycare. This option is good if your Rottweiler is older and doesn’t want to use the crate and it helps them to socialize with other dogs more.
Give lots of exercise
As mentioned above, Rottweiler are meant to get daily exercise. It would help to make sure that yours is able to get exercise on a daily basis if it is a healthy adult. Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day.
Have lots of toys
One way to get your Rottweiler to stop chewing on things that you don’t want it to is to have lots of toys around for it to chew instead.
Get help from a dog behaviorist
If you cannot get it to stop or you can’t figure out the cause, one option would be to get the help of a dog behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to see why it has been doing it and how to get it to stop.
Things to consider
When you’re training your Rottweiler to stop destroying things there are some things that you should keep in mind.
Try to avoid the spray products
The problem with using spray products is that they don’t teach it what not to chew. Instead, they simply make it choose not to chew the particular thing that you sprayed. What you want is to teach it the things that it can and can’t chew instead.
Avoid physically punishing
If you physically punish your dog when it destroys things you’ll be risking making it lose trust in you and it will become fearful. This can lead to other problems such as anxiety and often won’t stop it from being destructive.
When it first started doing it
If it was not always destructive, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started being destructive because it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.
If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as teething, a sudden change in its daily routine, getting less exercise, something causing it to become anxious or a change in its diet.
When it tends to be more destructive
It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it tends to be more destructive since it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.
For example, if it tends to be more destructive when you are away or when you are leaving, it would make it more likely to be due to separation anxiety.