Rottweilers are a very popular large breed dog that a variety of people can find joy in owning. Known to be one of the smartest canine’s, they are known to be fairly easily trainable and a great companion.
When researching your compatibility with this breed, there are a few questions you should keep in mind during your search. Are Rottweilers considered to be aggressive? Are Rottweilers high energy? What is their temperament like?
Are Rottweilers High Energy?
Rottweilers are typically known to have medium to high energy levels depending on their age, sex status, and individual temperaments or personalities. This does not mean that they are extremely hyper around the clock as different dogs will have varying factors that influence energy levels.
Rottweilers are often regarded as a very large breed across both sexes. They have striking features such as ears that stand up, eyebrows, and normally have deep, intimidating barks. Females have an average height of 22-25 inches and a weight of 80-100 pounds.
Males have an average height of 24-27 inches with a weight of 95-135 pounds. They have an average lifespan of 8-10 years, which is shorter than other canine breeds due to their large frame.
Rottweilers are predisposed to health issues ranging from bone cancer, severe joint issues like arthritis, to epilepsy, and bloat. Having a reliable veterinary medical center is highly recommended when owning this breed.
Rottie’s are recommended to be very good family dogs due to their temperament. They are described as being obedient, calm, steady, good-natured, fearless and alert.
Due to these key characteristics, Rottweilers are good protection dogs, can hold professional jobs and compete in different kinds of competitions. This breed actually originated in Germany and were mainly used for pulling heavy carts to markets and herding livestock.
Today they can still be found working as farm dogs across the world, and compete against different breeds of shepherds and sheep dogs in livestock herding competitions, as well as competitions through the National Rottweiler Club.
In this article we will be going into detail about Rottweilers and if they require a lot of exercise, what forms of exercise they need, if they calm down with age, and if getting them fixed will help maintain calmness.
Do Rottweilers Require A Lot Of Exercise?
Due to their highly active and inquisitive nature, Rottweilers require a minimum of two hours of mental and physical exercise on a daily basis.
Walking and running are highly recommended to keep your dog happy and healthy, and having a private, fenced in yard or garden is a great way to easily ensure that your pet is getting their daily amount of exercise.
Do you have a pool or pond in your general vicinity? Rottweilers can be found to enjoy water sports and swimming! Mental exercise is also required to ensure that your dog is staying challenged and learning new skills every day.
You can incorporate this into your dog’s daily exercise routine by: bringing them for walks in new areas so they can experience new smells, investing in hidden treat games, researching competition sports that they can try, and continuing with obedience training throughout their life.
How Do I Tire Out A Rottweiler?
As stated above, Rotties require a good bit of physical and mental exercise to stay happy and healthy. This breed is very versatile in exercise opportunities that will vary between each individual dog.
Here are some helpful options for you to look into: obstacle courses, long distance treadmills for dogs, diving courses, sniff obstacle courses, as well as dog parks and splash pads that are dog friendly.
If all else fails, regularly playing with your pet is a great way to get them to tire out when they are excessively hyper. There are endless toy options, and some toys don’t even require human operation!
Do Rottweilers Calm Down With Age?
It is possible for Rottweilers to calm down when they exit puppyhood and mature, but this is not guaranteed and widely depends on the dogs breeding history and their personal temperament.
Starting work on obedience training as early as possible is a great way to ensure that your dog can maintain focus, which can aid in their ability to calm down quickly when commanded.
Some helpful commands you can research are: sit, stay, down, focus, retrieving, coming when called and heel. Rottweilers reach maturity at around 4 years of age, and are known to have a “hyper stage” that lasts their first 2 years of life.
If your pet seems to have a lot of issues with hyperactivity due to stress or anxiety, there are several prescription medications in the veterinary medicine specialty that can help to relieve any symptoms your pet may be experiencing.
You can reach out to your preferred veterinary professional, or call around to local clinics and hospitals for more information on these products. If prescription medications aren’t a viable option for your dog, there are a handful of non-medicinal treatment options that you can research.
It is extremely important to ensure that you only purchase medications that are recommended or prescribed by your veterinarian.
Will Getting My Rottweiler Fixed Calm Them Down?
In most cases fixing your Rottie will calm them down, but the results may vary for different dogs of this breed. Spaying and neutering eliminates the need to compete for reproduction, and greatly reduces hormonal protective instincts.
Certified veterinary doctors (veterinarians) are the only professionals that are legally allowed to perform these procedures, so it is important that you research legitimate clinics that have good reviews before deciding on this route.
Keep in mind that spayed or neutered Rottweilers are not able to breed and produce offspring. If this option is not available to you, there is a wide variety of canine behavioral professionals available through different platforms across the world.
Free training videos are a great resource that is readily available to anyone with access to the internet, and there are certified online training academies for a variety of affordable price points.
Conclusion
As we have learned in this article, Rottweilers are a large breed canine with higher energy levels. They require a daily minimum of two hours of mental and physical exercise to maintain happiness and good health.
There are multiple forms of play and exercise that can work as a fast way to tire your pet out. Rotties reach maturity around 4 years of age, and the first 2 years of their life are regarded as the “hyperactivity stage”.
A wide variety of easily accessible training opportunities exist online and in person online at varying price points.