Why is my Rottweiler not affectionate?

If your Rottweiler doesn’t show you much affection you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of reasons why it might not be being affectionate and how you can get it to be more affectionate.

So, why is my Rottweiler not affectionate? Possible reasons are that it is ill or injured, previous owners mistreated it, fear, not getting enough exercise or naturally behaving that way.

There are a number of reasons why it might not be showing you much affection and it could be due to a combination of reasons. It is also important to consider that it could be the case that your Rottweiler might be showing affection but you’re not noticing it, more will be discussed on this below.

Why your Rottweiler is not affectionate

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your Rottweiler might not be being affectionate and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

Previous owners

The issue could be that previous owners mistreated it and it now does not like showing much affection towards people. This would be more likely if it was adopted from a shelter and it has not suddenly stopped being affectionate.

If it stopped being affectionate suddenly then it could be the case that someone it lives with currently has been mistreating it. However, there are some other possible causes of a sudden lack of affection that will be mentioned below.

In this case, it might improve as it gets more comfortable in its new environment. If it does not improve after a few weeks, consider getting help from a dog behaviorist. It would also help to give it lots of positive attention in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it.

Illness or injury

The reason could be that it has gotten an illness or injury. This would be more likely if it stopped being affectionate suddenly and if it has also been showing other signs of being ill or injured such as vomiting, being fatigued when awake or limping. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Fear

The cause could be that something has been causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it becomes less affectionate at certain times such as at night, when a certain person is around or when another pet is around.

Nature

The reason might be that it is naturally not affectionate which would be more likely if it has always been that way. It could be the case that it does actually show affection towards you but you have not been noticing it. I have written about the ways your Rottweiler might be showing you affection in this post.

Age

The reason why it has been being less affectionate could be due to its age. As puppies dogs will be more energetic and they will show more affection overtly. If your Rottweiler has been showing less affection as it has become older, it could be the case that it is because it does not have as much energy as it used to.

Boredom

Rottweilers are a breed that is meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis in order to be fully stimulated. If yours is not getting much exercise it might be causing it to behave abnormally. Generally, it is recommended for healthy, adult Rottweilers to get at least an hour of exercise per day.

Lack of socialization as a puppy

When Rottweilers are puppies they learn a lot about how to behave. If a Rotteweiler puppy does not get many opportunities to interact with people it will not have as many chances to learn to be interested in them.

Depression

The cause could be that something has caused it to become depressed. This would be more likely if it has stopped being affectionate after an event occurring that might have caused it to become depressed such as another pet dying. If it does not go back to acting normal within a few weeks it would help to take it to a vet.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about your Rottweiler not showing much affection.

If it has always not been affectionate

If it did show affection in the past but it does not now, it might be the case that there was an event that caused it to stop showing affection.

If it stopped showing affection suddenly it could be due to things such as becoming ill or injured, a sudden change in its diet, getting older, getting less exercise, depression or being mistreated. It would help to consider what else changed at around the same time that it stopped showing affection.

If it is more affectionate at certain times

It would also help to consider whether or not it shows more affection at certain times.

For example, if it is less affectionate when there are certain noises outside, it could be the case that it is fearful when the noises are present.

It could be showing affection towards you that you are not realizing

It might be the case that your Rottweiler has actually been showing you affection but you have not been noticing it.

Examples of ways that your Rottweiler be showing you affection would be if:

• It keeps the pace with you when out on a walk
• Comes to you when you call it
• It follows you around
• It noses you which is where it sniffs you with its nose a lot
• It doesn’t like it when you leave
• It licks you
• It jumps up at you
• It leans on you

How to get it to be more affectionate

Below are some things you can do about your Rottweiler not showing much affection.

Positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement training involves rewarding the behaviors you want to see and avoiding rewarding the behaviors that you do not want to see.

To use positive reinforcement training to get it to be more affectionate you would reward it when it shows signs of being affectionate and stop rewarding it when it stops showing affection. For example, you might reward it with a treat for coming and sitting with you.

Avoid positively reinforcing behavior you don’t want

If you have been giving your Rottweiler things it wants when it is not affectionate, it could be contributing to it not being affectionate.

Instead, it would help to give it rewards when it shows signs of affection and to use positive reinforcement training to get it to come to you so that you can reward it for being affectionate.

Avoid punishing it

It would also help to avoid punishing it since it might be contributing to it not showing much affection. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training to get it to behave the way you want it to.

Spend more time with it and show it more affection yourself

Another way to encourage it to show more affection would be to show more affection towards it yourself. Ways to show it affection would be to train it, exercise it and to play with it.

Give it more exercise

As mentioned above, it is important to make sure that it is able to get daily exercise if it is healthy. If it is already getting exercise, you could try wearing it out more by getting it to do things such as to play fetch.

Take it to the vet

If your Rottweiler has stopped showing affection suddenly or it has been showing signs of being ill, the best option would be to get help from a vet. By doing so you will be able to rule out illness as a cause and to get expert advice tailored towards your particular Rottweiler.