Why doesn’t my Rottweiler like me?

If your Rottweiler has been acting like it does not like you, this post will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what you can do to get it to like you more.

So, why does my Rottweiler not like me?

Possible causes are that it has not been getting enough exercise, an issue with its diet, illness, injury, fear, depression, mistreatment or inadvertently rewarding the behavior.

It could also be the case that it does actually like you but it is showing that it likes you in ways that you are not noticing.

Why your Rottweiler does not like you

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be behaving like it does not like you and what would make them more likely to be the actual reason.

It does actually like you

It is likely to be the case that it does actually like you but it is showing affection towards you in ways that you might not be noticing. I have written more about the ways that it might be showing that it does actually like you in this post.

You haven’t given it exercise

Rottweilers are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to behave abnormally and it might be why yours doesn’t seem to like you.

The American Kennel Club recommends that healthy adult Rottweilers get at least two hours of exercise per day. If your Rottweiler is healthy and it is not getting much exercise, it would help to make sure that it does start getting more on a daily basis.

Illness or injury

It could be the case that it has become ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as being fatigued when awake or panting. If your Rottweiler has started acting strange suddenly, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Previous owners

The cause could also be that previous owners mistreated it. If they did then it might be the case that it does not want to show affection anymore because it was punished in the past. This would be more likely if it is adopted from a shelter.

In this case, it might begin to show more affection towards you as it becomes more comfortable in its new environment. It would help to give it positive attention in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it. If it does not begin to improve, it would help to get the help of a vet or dog behaviorist.

Fear

The cause might be that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it does it more at certain times. For example, if it starts behaving differently when there are certain noises outside, it could be because the noises are making it feel uncomfortable.

Lack of socialization as a puppy

The reason why it does not seem to like you could be that it did not get to socialize a lot as a puppy. When dogs are puppies they will be naturally curious and learn about who to trust and how to behave. If yours did not get much attention as a puppy it might not have learned to be as affectionate.

Depression

Dogs can become depressed and it might be the reason why yours has been behaving like it does not like you. This would be more likely if it started behaving differently way since an event that might have caused it to start being depressed such as an owner or another pet dying.

In this case, if it does not begin to improve over the course of a few weeks, it would help to take it to a vet.

How to get your Rottweiler to like you more

Below are some options you have when getting your Rottweiler to like you more.

Give it exercise

As mentioned above, it is important to make sure your Rottweiler is able to get daily exercise if it is healthy. On days that you cannot do it, one option would be to get a dog walker to do it for you. You can also wear it out more by getting it to do things such as to play fetch.

Make sure that you are feeding it correctly

It could be the case that an issue with its diet has been contributing to its behavior. It would help to consult on its diet with your local vet and to make sure that no one else has been feeding it without you knowing. You can also look here to see what you should and should not be feeding it.

Give it training

It is also important to give your Rottweiler lots of training. By training your Rottweiler you will be able to get it to become more responsive to your command, it will behave in the way that you want it to and it will look at you more as the leader. This will help to reduce any bad behavior and to help improve your relationship with it.

Avoid negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement training is where you inadvertently reinforce bad behaviors by rewarding them. Instead of giving your Rottweiler things that it wants when it misbehaves or acts like it does not like you, try to reward it when it shows signs of behaving the way you want it to.

Give it positive attention

It would also help to give it positive attention throughout the day by training it, playing with it and giving it exercise.

Get help

If you can’t figure out why it has been doing it, you can’t get it to like you more or it is aggressive, the best option would be to get help from a vet or dog behaviorist. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular Rottweiler.

Things to consider

When it first started acting that way

It would help to consider whether or not your Rottweiler acted like it liked you in the past since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to stop doing it.

If it did do it in the past, it might have stopped due to things such as rewarding it when it shows signs of not liking you, becoming ill, a change in its diet, getting less exercise or something causing it to become depressed.

If it seems to like you more at other times

It would also help to consider whether or not it behaves like it likes you more at certain times.

For example, if it becomes a lot more affectionate when you arrive home but it becomes anxious when you are leaving, it might be because it has separation anxiety.