If your Rottweiler nibbles on your cat you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. In this post, I will show you the common causes and what your options are.
So, why does my Rottweiler nibble on my cat? Possible reasons are that it has a strong prey drive, it hasn’t learned not to bite people or other animals, it’s just playing, it’s being dominating or that it is jealous.
It’s important to consider the timing and location that your Rottweiler does it in. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it will become easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your Rottweiler nibbles on your cat
Below are some common reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
It has a strong prey drive
Rottweilers are a breed that is known for having a strong prey drive. This means that they have it in their nature to chase after small things like cats, rabbits and even small dogs. This could be the reason that it nibbles on your cat.
They have actually been known to kill small animals including cats, so it would be important to separate your Rottweiler and your cat until you are sure that it is well trained enough to be around it. More will be discussed on how you can train it below.
It hasn’t learned to control its bite
When Rottweilers are puppies, they learn to control their bite because when they bite too hard on the other puppies they will yelp and stop playing. If your Rottweiler did not socialize much with other puppies when it was young, it might not have learned what not to bite and it might be a reason that it nibbles on your cat.
It is just playing
It could be the case that your Rottweiler is just playing when it does it. This would be more likely if it does not do it in an aggressive way.
However, even if it is just playing, it will still be helpful to train your Rottweiler not to do it using the tips below since it could still harm the cat especially if the cat reacts aggressively.
It is being dominating
The reason that it does it might be that it is being dominating. This would be more likely if it does it in situations such as when your cat is eating.
In this case, it would help to feed your Rottweiler and your cat separately since this is a time where your Rottweiler is most likely to become aggressive towards your cat.
Jealousy
It might be the case that your Rottweiler does it because it is jealous of your cat. This would be more likely if it does it when you are giving your cat attention or right after giving your cat attention.
In this case, it would help to give your Rottweiler attention throughout the day in the form of exercise, training and play. It would also help to avoid reinforcing the behavior by not rewarding it when it nibbles on your cat and using the training tips mentioned below.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider about your Rottweiler and your cat.
How old your Rottweiler is
If your Rottweiler is still a puppy then it would make it more likely that it has not learned to leave your cat alone yet. If it is a puppy, now would be a good time to start training it to behave the way that you want it to so that it is well behaved as an adult.
If your Rottweiler is older then it would be more likely to be due to a combination of having a strong prey drive, jealousy and being dominant.
When your Rottweiler started to nibble on your cat
If it did not always nibble on the cat, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it.
If it did start doing it suddenly, it could be because it became jealous especially if you stopped giving it as much attention.
If it has always been jealous, it would make it more likely to be due to its prey drive and it would help to train it to be better behaved around it.
When it does it
It would also help to consider the timing of when your Rottweiler nibbles on your cat. If you notice that it only seems to do it at certain times then it would help to consider what else happens at around that time. Perhaps, it does it when you are about to feed it food and it doesn’t want the cat beating it to it.
How to get your Rottweiler to stop nibbling on your cat
Below are some things that you can do in order to get your Rottweiler to stop doing it.
Separate them
Since Rottweiler have been known to be violent with cats, it would help to separate them whenever possible especially when feeding them. By doing so you will be able to minimize the risk of something bad happening. It would also help to make sure to keep them in separate rooms when you are away.
Train it not to
One option that you have is to train your Rottweiler to leave your cat alone.
You can watch the video below to see how it is done.
Feed them separately
It would help to make sure to feed your Rottweiler and cat separately so that you can minimize the risk of something bad happening. Dogs are normally much more likely to become aggressive when they are eating.
Be consistent
When training your Rottweiler it is important to be consistent. It will be difficult to achieve drastic results with just one training session, but if you are consistent with the training you will be able to see better results.
Train it early
If your Rottweiler is still young, now would be a good time to start training it since it will be less likely to form bad habits and you will be able to get it to develop the habits that you want it to have.