Why is my Rottweiler acting out?

If your Rottweiler has been acting out you might want to know why and what you can do about it.

In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and what would make them more likely.

So, why is my Rottweiler acting out? Possible reasons are that it’s ill or injured, a change in its diet, someone mistreated it, stress, it needs exercise or you might have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.

Your Rottweiler might be doing it for many reasons and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when trying to figure out the most like causes and there are a lot of things you can do about it.

Why your Rottweiler is acting out

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

A change in its diet

The reason could be that there is a problem with its diet. It could be the case that it is being fed things that it shouldn’t be eating, it is being fed too much or not enough. A problem with its diet would be more likely if it has started acting differently since a change in its diet. You can look here to see what sorts of things you should and should not be feeding your Rottweiler.

Illness or injury

The reason could be that it is ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as vomiting or limping. If it does seem like illness or injury could be the cause the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Someone mistreated it

It might also be the case that someone mistreated your Rottweiler and now it is behaving differently due to things such as anxiety, fear or anger. This would be more likely if you know that someone recently mistreated it or if it acted out when someone was being aggressive towards it. It would also be more likely if it tends to act out when certain people are around.

Stress

The cause might also be that something is causing it to be stressed. Things that might be making it be stressed could include having to be alone for long hours, someone recently leaving home or another pet dying. This would be more likely if it started acting out at around the same time that the stressor started.

A change in its schedule

If there was a sudden change in its schedule that could also have been causing it to act out. Sudden changes in its schedule could include being fed at different times, getting exercise at different times or being left alone at different times or for longer.

It needs exercise

Rottweilers are meant to get daily exercise. When they are not able to get exercise, they will often begin to behave abnormally and it could be a part of the reason why yours has been acting out.

It is normally recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If your Rottweiler has not been getting that much it would help to make sure that it does by walking it yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.

You have reinforced the behavior

It might be the case that you have been encouraging it to act out by rewarding it when it does it. If you give it things that it wants such as extra attention, toys or treats when it acts out it will do it more in order to get those things.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is well behaved and to follow the tips below to get it to act out less.

How to get your Rottweiler to stop acting out

Below are a number of options you have when getting your Rottweiler to stop acting weird.

Make sure that it is not ill

If it seems like illness or injury is the reason why it has been acting out it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out the possibility of it being due to illness or injury and to get expert advice tailored to your particular Rottweiler.

Make sure that its diet is right

It would also help to make sure that your Rottweiler is eating the right foods. You can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding it.

Give it lots of exercise

As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that your Rottweiler is getting a lot of exercise on a daily basis. If it is not it would help to give it exercise either by yourself or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.

Train it

It would also help to train it to be less likely to act out at you or at other people. You can do this by desensitizing it to other people and rewarding it for being well behaved.

You can watch the video below for more tips on how to do so.

Get help

If your Rottweiler has been being uncontrollable or you cannot figure out why it has been doing it, you could also get help from a dog behaviorist. Doing so should help you to see why it has been doing it and what you can do to get it to stop.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when trying to figure out why your Rottweiler has been doing it.

Consider when your Rottweiler started acting strange

It would help to consider what else happened when your Rottweiler first started doing it.

If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, a change in how much exercise it gets or someone mistreating it. It would help to consider what else changed when your Rottweiler first started doing it.

When it does not act weird

It would help to consider what is different when it does not act out.

If you notice that it does not act out when a certain person is not around it could be a sign that it does not like that person. Whereas, if it doesn’t act out on weekends when you are at home all day it might be a sign that it has some separation anxiety.