Why is my Rottweiler so restless?

If your Rottweiler is restless this post will show you some possible reasons why and what you can do to get it to be calmer.

So, why is my Rottweiler so restless? Possible reasons are needing more exercise, an issue with its diet, anxiety, wanting attention, rewarding the behavior or an injury.

There are many reasons why your Rottweiler might be restless and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can do about it.

Why your Rottweiler is so restless

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

It needs more exercise

The reason why your Rottweiler has been doing it could be that it needs more exercise. Rottweilers are a breed that is meant to get a lot of daily exercise and they can behave abnormally when they do not get enough. Not getting enough exercise would be more likely to be the cause if your Rottweiler is more restless before it has gotten exercise.

Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day when they are healthy adults. If yours is not getting daily exercise it would help to make sure that it does start getting more.

There is something wrong with its diet

It could also be the case that there is an issue with its diet. This would be more likely if it has been restless since a change in its diet and if it becomes more restless when it eats certain foods.

It would help to make sure that it is being fed the correct foods and it would help to make sure that no one else has been feeding it without you knowing.

It’s anxious

The reason why it has been doing it could be that it is anxious. This would be more likely if it becomes more restless at certain times such as when you are leaving or when you are not around. If it is more restless when you are leaving or when you’re not home, it would be more likely that it has separation anxiety.

It wants attention

The cause could also be that it is doing it for attention. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more 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 reward it when it is being well behaved, to avoid rewarding it when it is restless and to follow the other tips below.

Rewarding the behavior

It could also be the case that you have been inadvertently rewarding the behavior and encouraging it to do it more. If you give it things it wants when it becomes restless such as toys, treats or extra attention, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to avoid rewarding it when it does it, to reward it when it is well behaved and to follow the other tips below.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about your Rottweiler being restless.

When it started to become restless

If your Rottweiler has not always been restless, 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.

If it started doing it suddenly, it would be more likely to be due to things such as a sudden change in its diet or suddenly getting less exercise.

When it is restless

It would also help to consider the timing of when it is more restless since it might be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

If you notice that it starts doing it when you are about to leave home, it would make it more likely to be due to separation anxiety.

How old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your Rottweiler.

If your Rottweiler is still a puppy, it will likely have a lot more excess energy. But, it could still be the case that the reasons mentioned above could be contributing to it and it would be helpful to start training it now so it is well behaved as an adult.

If it is an adult, it could be the case that it is being restless for any of the reasons mentioned above.

How to stop your Rottweiler from being so restless

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

Give it exercise

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

Give it training

Another option would be to give it lots of training. By doing so you will be able to channel its energy onto doing something that you want it to learn. This should also help to improve its behavior.

If you have not given it much training already, it would help to start by teaching it the basics and to build up to training it to do more challenging tasks.

You can watch the video below for advice on training restless dogs.

Don’t reward it

It is also important to avoid encouraging it to be restless by rewarding it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it is being well behaved, to stop rewarding it when it starts being restless and to make sure that it gets daily exercise if it is healthy.

Give it distractions

It would also help to give it things that it can be occupied with so that it is less likely to misbehave. Things that you could give it would include toys, bones and puzzle games.

Make sure that its diet is correct

It would also help to make sure that it is getting the correct diet. You can do this by talking to your vet about its diet, making sure no one else has been feeding it and you can also look here to see what to feed it.

Get help from a vet

If you cannot get your Rottweiler to calm down or it is extremely energetic, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular Rottweiler and to rule out medical causes.