How to Train a Rottweiler Puppy? (With 9 Professional Tips)

Last Updated on January, 2025

Rottweilers are an intelligent breed of dogs and are always looking to please. Still, that doesn’t mean the little guys will turn into being the ideal pets.

First, you’ll have to train a rottweiler puppy. Work on initial obedience training. Only then you can start working on their behavior problems.

It’s a simple part of responsible dog ownership. It is something you can handle with proper guidance. That guidance is what we aim to offer! 

If you aren’t sure how to train a rottweiler puppy, there’s no need to worry. Read this guide to learn more about the most essential details of proper rottweiler training.

What You’ll Need to Start Rottweiler Training

You can’t start dog training unless you’ve got all the things you need first. So with that said, here’s a rundown of the things that dog owners will need if they’re looking to train a rottweiler puppy:

• Family or friends that are willing to help out. While a single person can handle some aspects of obedience training, other elements will need a larger cast. Make sure that you’ve got some people that can help you out during training.
• Good equipment and gear. This is something that’ll help both you and your Rottie pup. Good gear makes training much easier, and it also helps make sure your furry friend doesn’t get hurt. So, it’s best to get a proper collar, leash, crate, and other supplies.
• A healthy set of expectations. Don’t go ahead and think that your dog is capable of anything. The little guy has limitations, and you should set up expectations according to these.
• Some treats for dogs. One of the best ways to train rottweiler puppies is by showing them lots of love. A small treat can do the trick for that, so make sure to keep a few of them on you when you’re out training.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Training a Rottweiler

You now know about the things you’ll need before starting training.

But, along with all those, there are some vital rottweiler training tips you should keep in mind.

Here’s a summary of what these tips are:

• Never overwork your pup. Training sessions between you and the little guy should be short and sweet. His attention span and stamina only allow for so much in a single day. So, keep every session between 10-20 minutes at the most.
• Your Rottie has fears. They’re living creatures as we are. We’re scared of some things, and that fear makes it a bit difficult to complete a task at times. The same goes for dogs. Make sure to take account of these fears and work through them.
• Dogs learn from their surroundings. Give the dog a loving home and lots of adventurous outings so that he returns the love and is always energetic.
• Be patient! Don’t ever let anger get the better of you. Your Rottie will always try his best to do good for you. So, please do your best for him by staying patient and appreciating the effort he puts in.
• Be Consistent! Consistency is one of the most important aspects of dog training. The more time you invest in your dog, the better the results you’ll get. You can keep the sessions short but it’s best to stay consistent. (1)

How to Train a Rottweiler Puppy?

Now that you have an idea of what you’ll need, the next step is to begin training. Continue reading to learn some helpful tips and details about training this dog breed.

1. Start As Quickly As Possible

If you’ve only got yourself a new rottweiler, there’s no need to drag things out. You can start training most dogs mere days after getting them, and that’s what you should be doing.

The quicker you start training the pup, the higher the chances are of him shaping up to be an obedient adult rottweiler. One that doesn’t show any unwanted behaviors. Although, the best time to start training your rottie is between the ages of 6 weeks to 6 months.

His young age is the perfect time to start training, and you shouldn’t wait several weeks before starting. Immediately start working on the other steps mentioned below in order, and you’ll get ideal results!

2. Develop a Realistic Schedule and Goals

As mentioned earlier, a healthy set of expectations is essential. Form these, and develop a schedule according to them. Things are always more manageable if you know when to begin training and what to prepare for.

Figure out which specific times of the day you’ll start and when you’ll have to rest. Set a goal for each day or at least each week, and do your best to make sure that you and your pup achieve these.

3. Use Positive Reinforcement

A great way to handle any dog’s growth is to use this method.

It’s a simple method, and all it requires you to do is treat your pup as he should be treated, as a friend.

Make sure that you don’t try to use any harmful, inhumane, or dominance-based training methods.

These will damage Rottie’s mentality and make him fear you. It’s as easy to deal with negative behavior with the help of positive reinforcement. 

This is what the treats mentioned above are for. Keep these on you at all times and give the little guy a piece every time he does something good. This will make it easier for the puppy to know what he’s doing is good. 

It allows him to differentiate between right and wrong while also trusting you and your judgment. Positive reinforcement is a loving and effective way of instilling good behavior. This is why we recommend it wholeheartedly.

4. Work on Early Socialization

The next effective training tip for rottweilers is to socialize them as early as possible. This is when you’ll be needing the friends or family members we mentioned earlier for.

You can’t let your rottweiler get attached only to you. Introduce the little guy to lots of people. Take him outside and make the dog interact with other puppies or other animals in general.

Take him to the homes of your friends and family where he can meet and play with new people.

Not only other dogs and humans, but it’s also essential that you introduce them to new environments. Take your rottie to new parks, new neighborhoods, and other places of the sort.

Making your rottie socialize early will make him comfortable around other dogs and people when he turns into an adult dog himself. It’s a simple step that helps a lot in the grand scheme of things.

5. Decide Your Dog Training Approach

The following steps are a lot more about the way you’ll be training your Rottweiler puppy instead of specific tasks.

However, now that most of the basic steps are out of the way, you have to decide what approach you’ll be taking before starting basic obedience training.

The best way to approach dog training is to be assertive but also calm at the same time.

Use verbal praise and positive reinforcement to win over the pup.

We recommend avoiding physical discipline at all costs. It’s a risk to the puppy’s life and detrimental to his health. The Rottweiler breed is intelligent and caring.

They’ll understand what you have to teach through words alone. All you have to do is show more patience!

Decide what kind of training scenarios you’ll be going through with your pup. Then, take into account the needs and fears of your Rottie and come up with a suitable course of action. (2)

You’re the person closest to your dog, and only you can decide what approach to take with him.

6. Work on Training Yourself Too

Your dog isn’t the only one that needs training. You’ll need to learn many things before working on basic commands with the little guy as well.

Doing things such as reading this guide is a step in the right direction. But, there are other things to handle too. (3)

Things like leash training, crate training, or even simpler things such as house training can end up in your pup getting hurt if not handled right. Get someone with a bit more experience to give you some pointers.

Learn how to use the equipment and gear that you have at your disposal. Train yourself to react at the correct times. Reprimand or reward immediately depending on the actions of your dog. 

Additionally, make sure that you don’t spoil your dog and know how to moderate the number of treats that he gets. All these may seem like little things, but learning all of them goes a long way in helping both you and your pup.

7. Start Off Simple and Easy

Now we can finally get to the part you’ve all been waiting for; teaching your rottweiler pup some commands.

This is the first big step in training a puppy, and you must handle it perfectly.

With that said, make sure not to throw too much at the little guy right from the start.

Instead, take things slow and start with the simplest tricks and orders. Here’s an overview of some things that you can try during this stage of training:

• Teach him about yes and no. Dogs can’t speak English, but an intelligent breed like the rottweiler can understand a lot of words. Use positive reinforcement to teach them about these two words. It’ll help with obedience in the longer run.
• Make him learn about “stay” and “come.” This is another helpful set of words that is great for keeping excited or aggressive puppies under moderation.
• The sit command. One of the simplest but most valuable things trainers can teach dogs to do is sit at their command. It helps control them and teaches them about obedience. It is also great for keeping energetic puppies in check.
• The heel command. This is more of a skill than an order given to the dog. Teaching your dog about heeling refers to teaching him about walking right next to you, never stepping behind or ahead. It helps a lot with walks and leash training.
• Get him to stop barking. There’s no problem with a dog barking, but the excited little guys sometimes tend to overdo it. That’s why you should dedicate a few training sessions to teaching your pup to stop barking when commanded to.

8. Teach More Complicated Commands

Once the previous step is taken care of, move on towards teaching your dog more complex skills and commands. Start with rottweiler potty training, which is very important for any pup.

Potty training a puppy requires a lot of attention and consistency. It doesn’t just happen overnight. 

First, use positive reinforcement to reprimand them when they make a mess. Then, reward them when they eliminate outside or at the place where you want them to eliminate.

Once potty training has been dealt with, you can move on to training with a leash. Use treats to keep the little guy walking where you want him to with the leash. Show him some disappointment when he doesn’t follow. But, never tug or pull because that could hurt him.

If you have a rottweiler and want to use them as a guard dog, you could also work on protection training. This refers to teaching your dog to attack at will. 

Make sure to only try this out with the help of proper equipment and supervision, as it can be dangerous for everyone involved. 

Long story short, there are many fewer restrictions when it comes to this step. You can teach your doggo any complicated skills and tricks you deem fit.

But, as long as he knows the important ones such as a leash, potty, crate, and other forms of training.

9. Give the Little Guy Some Freedom

If you’ve followed all the steps mentioned above, then your dog should be much more obedient now than he was at the start of it all.

Still, there’s always room for more improvement.

Keep working on these improvements with the puppy.

But, also make sure to give him some freedom once the other steps have been dealt with.

For example, you can now slow down with the reprimanding and treats because he should be listening to your commands without them.

That doesn’t mean you should stop showing love, though. A dog will always love being shown love and care. Plus, they’ll show you the exact qualities right back!

Conclusion

We’ve done our fair share of work by sharing these training tips. Now it’s your job to pay attention and listen to them all. Do some research, account for your dog’s needs, and follow the steps shared above.

Once you’ve done all that, dog training will be a breeze for you! We hope that the information we shared was able to help you out. Feel free to convey any thoughts you have to us in the comments below.

Make sure to share the article with others, too, so more new Rottie owners can learn how to train their little buddies.

We wish you good luck with your dog training adventure and hope to see you again soon! 

FAQs

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/importance-consistency-training-dog/
2. https://dogtime.com/reference/dog-training/50743-7-popular-dog-training-methods
3. https://www.purewow.com/family/training-tips-every-new-dog-owner-should-know