Why is my Rottweiler so clingy?

If your Rottweiler has been being very clingy, you might be wondering 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 can be done about it.

So, why is my Rottweiler so clingy? Possible reasons are that it has separation anxiety, it wants attention, it was mistreated when it was younger, you have inadvertently reinforced the behavior or that it does it naturally.

There are actually many reasons why your Rottweiler might be doing it and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are a number of things you can consider when trying to figure out the cause more precisely and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Why your Rottweiler is so clingy

Below are a number of reasons why it might be being clingy and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It was mistreated when it was younger

The reason why your Rottweiler is clingy could be that it was mistreated when it was younger causing it to not like being left alone now. This would be more likely if you adopted it from a shelter.

In this case, it might start to become less clingy as it gets older and you can still do the training tips below. If it is bothering you then you could also consider getting help from a dog behaviorist.

It has separation anxiety

The cause might also be that it has some separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if it starts being clingy at around the same time that you would normally leave and if it shows signs of being anxious when you are leaving.

In this case, it would help to try to reduce how anxious it becomes when it is alone. You can watch the video below for some tips.

Nature

Rottweilers were bred to work alongside their owners for hours on a daily basis. With that being the case, it is to be expected that it will look to you a lot for direction. This is why it is important to give your Rottweiler training so that it knows what is expected of it.

Wanting attention

The cause could be that it is trying to get more attention from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it does it.

Instead, it would help to give it attention throughout the day by training it, exercising it and playing with it. But, it would help to avoid rewarding it with attention for being clingy unless necessary.

You have been reinforcing the behavior

The cause might also be that you have been encouraging the behavior. If you tend to give it things that it wants such as toys or treats when it is clingy, it might be doing it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it behaves the way you want it to and to avoid rewarding it when it is clingy.

Things to consider

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

When your Rottweiler started being clingy

If your Rottweiler was not always clingy, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.

Things that could have happened could include:

• You moved home
• Someone left home
• Another pet died
• Someone was aggressive towards it
• Your schedule changed

If it has always been very clingy then it would be more likely to be due to its nature or wanting attention.

When it becomes clingy

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that your Rottweiler tends to be more clingy. If there is, it could be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

For example, if it tends to become clingy when you would normally leave for work, it would make it more likely to be due to separation anxiety.

What to do about your Rottweiler being clingy

Below are some options you have when getting your Rottweiler to be less clingy.

Positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement training involves encouraging the behaviors that you want to see from your Rottweiler by encouraging it to show signs of behaving that way and rewarding it when it does it.

To use it to get your Rottweiler to be less clingy you would stop giving it attention when it is too clingy and then reward it when it shows signs of being less clingy.

You could also train it to sit or stay and then tell it to sit somewhere else when it starts being clingy.

Avoid negative reinforcement training

As mentioned above, it might be the case that you have inadvertently trained your Rottweiler to be clingy. Instead of giving it things it wants when it is clingy, try to use positive reinforcement training and to redirect its focus when it starts being clingy.

Give it attention throughout the day

It would also help to give it attention throughout the day so that it does not feel the need to get it from you as much. Ways to give it attention would be to train it, exercise it and to play with it.

Give it lots of exercise

It would also help to give it daily exercise so that it is fully stimulated. Generally, it is recommended for adult Rottweiler to get at least an hour of exercise per day when they are healthy.