Why is my Rottweiler obsessed with my cat?

If your Rottweiler won’t leave your cat alone you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. In this post, I will show you common reasons why they do it and what you can do to get it to stop.

So, why is my Rottweiler obsessed with my cat? Possible reasons are that it is due to its strong prey drive, it’s jealous, it’s being dominating or that it is just playing when it does it.

Your Rottweiler might actually be doing it for many different reasons and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are multiple things you can do about it and there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause.

Why your Rottweiler is obsessed with your cat

Below are some common causes of Rottweilers being obsessed with cats and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours is.

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 is obsessed with your cat.

They have actually been known to kill small animals, 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 is jealous

The reason why it is obsessed with the cat could also be that it is jealous of your cat. This would be more likely if it becomes more obsessed with it when you have been giving your cat more attention and if you have not been giving your Rottweiler as much attention lately.

In this case, it would help to give your Rottweiler attention throughout the day in the form of training, exercise and by playing with it. However, it would be important not to reward it when it becomes obsessed with your cat by giving it more attention when it does it.

It is being dominating

The reason that it does it might be that it is being dominating. This would be especially likely if it does it in situations such as when they are eating. It would help to feed your Rottweiler and your cat separately since it is a lot more likely that it would become aggressive towards your cat when it is eating.

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 become obsessed with it in an aggressive way.

However, even if it is just playing, it will still be helpful to train your Rottweiler not to do be obsessed with it using the tips below.

Things to consider

Below are some things that you can consider to help figure out why your Rottweiler has been doing it.

When your Rottweiler became obsessed with your cat

If your Rottweiler was not always obsessed with your cat, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started.

If your Rottweiler became obsessed with your cat suddenly, it would make it more likely to be due to things such as jealousy especially if it started doing it when you gave your cat more attention.

However, it could also be that your Rottweiler is being dominant if your cat has been doing things like sleep where your Rottweiler normally does.

The times that it is obsessed with your cat

It would also help to consider the timing of when it becomes obsessed with your cat since the timing could also have something to do with it.

If your Rottweiler becomes obsessed when they are both eating, it would make it more likely that your Rottweiler is resource guarding and it would help to feed them separately.

Whereas, if it always does it, the cause could be that it is jealous, it is due to having a strong prey drive or that it is just playing.

The age of your Rottweiler

If your Rottweiler is still a puppy, it would make it more likely that it has not learned to leave your cat alone yet. If it is a puppy, it will be very helpful to take the time now to train it to behave the way that you want it to so that it is well behaved as an adult.

If your Rottweiler is older, it would be more likely to be due to a combination of having a strong prey drive, jealousy and being dominant.

How to stop your Rottweiler from being obsessed with your cat

Below are some of the options you have when dealing with your Rottweiler being obsessed with your cat.

Separate them

Since Rottweilers have been known to become aggressive towards cats, it would help to separate them whenever possible. This would be especially important when you are feeding them. By doing so you will be able to minimize the risk of something bad happening.

Train it to be nice to the cat

To train your Rottweiler to leave it alone you’ll do it in three stages. First, you’ll teach it to stay, then to stay while it’s being distracted and then to stay when the cat is around.

The video below shows you how you can train it to stay.

After you have trained it to stay while being distracted it will be time to slowly introduce the cat.

You’ll do this by telling your Rottweiler to stay and then start by just putting the cat in the same room.

Then after your Rottweiler maintains its attention on you, you’ll reward it for doing so. You’ll repeat this process where you get your Rottweiler to stay with the cat in the same room until you’re able to get it to keep its attention on you easily.

Once it’s good at doing that, you’ll continue to tell it to stay but you’ll reduce the amount of distance between your Rottweiler and your cat until you’re able to get your Rottweiler to keep its focus on you even when the cat is nearby.

Watch the video below to see how it is done.

Train it consistently

When training your Rottweiler it is important to be consistent with the training. It is unlikely that you will be able to achieve drastic results with just one training session. However, if you are consistent with the training, you will be able to achieve better results over the course of weeks and months.

Get professional help

If you can’t get it to leave the cat alone or it is aggressive towards it, the best option would be to get help from a dog behaviorist or trainer. By doing so, you should be able to see why it has been behaving that way and how to get it to stop.