Why does my Rottweiler mouth me?

If your Rottweiler has been mouthing you a lot, you might want to know why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of common causes and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why does my Rottweiler mouth me? Possible reasons are that it is looking for attention, it’s teething, it has not been trained not to or that you have inadvertently rewarded it.

There are actually many reasons why it might be doing it and the most probable one will depend on some factors to consider. However, there are some things you can do about it.

Why your Rottweiler mouths you

Below are a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely to be a main reason.

It wants attention

The reason why it has been doing it could be that it is trying to get extra attention from you. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it mouths you.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not bite and to stop rewarding it with attention when it starts biting. It would also help to give it attention throughout the day in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it.

It is exploring

Dogs interact with the environment using their mouths and their noses as much as they do with their eyes and even more so when they are puppies.

The reason why your Rottweiler has been mouthing you could be that it’s interacting with you. This would be more likely if it is a puppy.

Even if this is the case it will still be important to get it to stop by training it not to mouth you.

It’s teething

The cause could be that it is teething. This would be more likely if it is a puppy, it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been chewing on other things as well.

In this case, it would help to give it lots of training so that it learns what it can and cannot chew and to give it lots of things such as toys that it can chew instead.

It wasn’t trained not to

If you have not given your Rottweiler much training, it will behave the way it feels like behaving. The way it feels like behaving is unlikely to be the way you would like it to behave. So, it would help to make sure to start giving it training by starting with the basics and building up from there.

It has been reinforced

It might also be the case that you have inadvertently 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 does it then it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not bite and to stop rewarding it when it does.

Excitement

The cause could be that it gets excited and it is trying to show its excitement.

This would be more likely if it only seems to mouth you when you’re about to do something exciting such as going out for a walk. It would also be more likely if it tends to show other signs of excitement when mouthing you.

In this case, something you can try is to stop it from mouthing you by standing up and turning around or by leaving the room. You would then reward it when it shows signs of behaving the way that you want it to. Doing this will teach it that mouthing you does not get it what it wants.

Things to consider

Below are some factors to consider when trying to figure out why your Rottweiler has been mouthing you.

When it started doing it

If your Rottweiler has not always mouthed you, it would help to consider what else occurred when it first started. It might be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.

If your Rottweiler started doing it suddenly, it would make it more likely to be due to things such as teething, inadvertently rewarding it or stopping training it. In this case, it would help to consider what else changed when it started doing it.

Whereas, if it has always done it, a lack of training would be more likely to be the reason. If you have trained it not to do it, your training method might not have been effective and you could try using a different strategy.

How old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your Rottweiler since its age will have a big impact on the most probable cause.

If your Rottweiler is still a puppy it would make it much more likely that it mouths you naturally because it is teething.

Nevertheless, it would be important to train it not to mouth you so that it doesn’t do it when it is older.

If it is an adult then it would be more likely that it never learned not to do it.

However, if it started to do it suddenly and it didn’t do it in the past then it might suggest that something is wrong such as that it is in pain.

How to get your Rottweiler to stop mouthing you

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

Train it not to

One option would be to get it to stop with the use of positive reinforcement training. This is where you encourage the behaviors you want to see from your Rottweiler by rewarding it when it shows signs of displaying them and avoid rewarding it when it does not.

To use positive reinforcement training to get it to stop mouthing, you would do as follows:

1. Start giving it positive attention
2. Stop giving it attention by turning your back and hiding your hands when it starts mouthing you
3. Carry on giving it attention when it stops mouthing you
4. Stop giving it attention again when if it starts mouthing you
5. Repeat the above until it learns that mouthing you results in you not giving it attention

Below is a video showing you how to use positive reinforcement training to get it to stop.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is behaving the way you want it to and to stop rewarding it when it does not. It would also help to try to redirect its behavior when it seems like it is about to start misbehaving.

Give it distractions

In addition to the above, it would also help to give it things to be distracted with so that it is less likely to feel the need to mouth you. Things you could give it would include, toys, bones and puzzle games.

Get help from a dog behaviorist or trainer

If you are unable to get it to stop mouthing you, it would also help to get help from a dog trainer or behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to see why your Rottweiler has been doing it and what you can do to get it to stop.