Why is my Rottweiler afraid of everything?

If your Rottweiler is afraid of everything you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.

This post will show you a number of possible reasons why it does it and what you can do to get it to be less scared.

So, why is my Rottweiler afraid of everything? Possible reasons are that previous owners mistreated it, a lack of socializing as a puppy, being in a new environment, illness or injury or you might have rewarded the behavior.

There are actually a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and it could be the result of a combination of reasons. However, there are multiple things you can consider when trying to figure out the exact reason.

Why your Rottweiler is afraid of everything

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

Previous owners

The cause could be that previous owners mistreated it. This would be more likely to be the reason if you recently adopted it from a shelter.

In this case, it might begin to improve as it gets used to being in its new environment. If it does not improve, consider getting help from a dog behaviorist or a vet.

Someone has been mistreating it

The cause might also be that someone in its current environment has been mistreating it. This would be more likely if your Rottweiler spends a lot of time around people other than you and if it avoids certain people.

It was not able to socialize as a puppy

As puppies, dogs will learn a lot about who to trust and who not to trust. If your Rottweiler did not socialize much as a puppy, it might be why it is unsure of things now. In this case, it would help to follow the tips mentioned below.

It’s in a new environment

The cause could also be that it is in a new environment and it is unsure of whether or not it is safe. This would be more likely if you recently adopted it from a shelter.

In this case, it will likely improve over the course of a few weeks. It would help to give it attention throughout the day by playing with it, training it and giving it exercise. If it does not begin to improve, it would help to get the help of a vet or dog behaviorist.

It is ill or injured

The reason why it has been being afraid could be 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 illness or injury such as limping or vomiting. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Nature

Some Rottweilers will be naturally a lot more outgoing than others. It could be the case that your Rottweiler is naturally timid.

This would be more likely if you know that it was able to socialize as a puppy, it has not been mistreated and if it has always acted that way.

Rewarding the behavior

It could also be the case that you have encouraged it to behave that way by giving it rewards when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as extra attention, toys or treats when it acts afraid, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is behaving the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it is not.

Things to Consider

Below are some things to consider about your Rottweiler being afraid of things.

If it is always afraid or if it is only afraid at certain times

It would help to consider whether or not there are certain times that it tends to become afraid.

For example, if it starts being afraid when there are noises outside, it would be much more likely to be due to the noises. Whereas, if it does it when a certain person is around, it would be more likely to be due to it having negative feelings towards that person.

If it becomes afraid at random times, it could be due to illness or injury, rewarding the behavior, a lack of socializing as a puppy, being mistreated when it was younger or being in a new environment.

It is not unusual for Rottweiler to be afraid of things such as thunder

Something else to consider is that it is not unusual for dogs to be afraid of things such as thunder. But, if it is always afraid, it would be abnormal behavior and it would help to get advice from a vet.

How old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your Rottie. If it is a puppy still, it might be going through a timid stage. However, it would help to make sure that it gets lots of interactions with other people and dogs so that it learns not to be afraid and to follow the other tips below.

If it is an adult, it would be more likely to be due to one of the reasons mentioned above. It would also help to consider if anything else happened at around the same time that it became afraid.

How to get your Rottweiler to be less afraid of things

Below are a number of things you can do about your Rottweiler being afraid a lot.

Allow it to meet new people and dogs

If it didn’t get to socialize much as a puppy, it would help to get it to meet other friendly people and dogs so that it can learn not to be afraid of them.

Reward it when it is not afraid

It would also help to reward it when it is behaving the way you want it to and to stop rewarding it when it does not. By doing so you should be able to teach it that behaving the way you want it to will result in it getting rewards.

Avoid punishing or rewarding it when it does become fearful

It would also help to avoid punishing it when it misbehaves. If you punish it then it might be the reason why it is afraid and it will not likely get it to behave the way you want it to. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training to get it to learn how to behave.

However, it would also help to avoid giving it things such as treats, toys or extra attention, when it becomes fearful, unless there is an apparent reason why it is doing it. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training and to stop it from misbehaving when it is by redirecting its focus onto something else.

Take it to new locations

One way to get it used to new things would be to take it to new locations. One way to do this would be to walk it on a different route than you normally would.

See a vet or a certified dog expert in your area

If it has been being excessively afraid, the best option would be to get help from a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out medical causes and to get expert advice tailored to your particular Rottweiler.