The Rottweiler is a common dog breed known for having a protective nature, large size, and sweet temperament. Many people wish to get them, but since this is a large dog breed, they may wonder if these dogs are good with kids.
In This Article You Will Read About
Are Rottweilers good with kids? Yes, they are. This breed absolutely loves children and is playful in nature. Therefore, children love playing with the breed and vice versa. Apart from being playful, Rotties are protective and will faithfully guard your children and family.
We’ll consider the traits and characteristics of the Rottweiler breed to see how the animal’s temperament is suited to families with children.
Why Rottweilers Are a Great Pet for Your Family
Adding a pet to your family is important, and it’s something you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about. But you may not have thought about a rottweiler as a pet for your family if you have little ones. That’s unfortunate because they’re great dogs.
Rottweilers are extremely smart and obedient, which gives them a good foundation for training. They also are incredibly devoted, which means that they want to make you happy, and they want to be good dogs for you. It doesn’t take much to train this type of dog to the behavior that you want, especially when you’re starting out with a puppy.
When you train your dog, you’re the one who gets to teach them good and bad behavior. More than that, when you treat them right and give them the love and attention that they need and deserve, you teach them that they can count on you, and that makes their devotion even stronger. It’s a way of building a healthy relationship with your dog.
Rottweiler Temperament and Kids
As mentioned earlier, Rotties have great temperaments that make them well suited to live with families with kids. Below are the key temperaments of the Rottweiler.
- Calmness: Rotties, despite their large size are actually calm dogs. A lot of people think that large dog breeds like the Rottie are aggressive and will not be good with kids, but the Rottie is not like that. The dog breed possesses a calmness that makes them well suited to living with kids.
- Goofiness: Everyone loves to have a good laugh, and we are sure that your family is not an exception. The Rottweiler is a goofy dog that will have you and your kids laughing with the silly antics that the animal will pull.
- Obedience: Like any other dog breed, obedience training is an absolute must-have for a dog and that from a young age too. Rottweilers are obedient dogs, and so, they are easy to train because of this trait and also because of their intelligence.
- Affection: You can depend on a Rottie to dote on your kids and gaze at them with loving and adoring eyes. Rottweilers, despite their large build, are softies at heart and are always ready for a cuddle, or will follow you about the house in devotion and sit on your lap.
- High level of intelligence: Training your Rottie is going to be fun because the animal has a high intelligence level and will quickly grasp commands. Nonetheless, it is always a great idea to start training early, as most dogs may become stubborn as they get older. The Rottie is no different.
- Playfulness: Children love to play a lot, and so does the Rottie. You can depend on your dog to keep your children preoccupied and happy with long hours of play until they get tired.
- Loyalty: If you want a loyal, large dog, you will do well to get the Rottie. This dog has a high level of loyalty for family members. Rottweilers also love attention and will enjoy spending a lot of time with you and your family.
- Protectiveness: Rotties make excellent guard dogs. These animals have a strong protective streak when it comes to family members. If you need a dog to protect your children, the Rottie will do an excellent job. Also, the animal will protect your home from intruders if you are away from home.
Children who are shy, quiet, or struggle with making new friends may love a rottweiler as a companion as well because these dogs are calm and confident. They’re likely to sit right by the child’s side for as long as they need and help them feel relaxed and more comfortable. This can actually help improve their confidence and makes sure they always have a friend.
For the child who is more rambunctious, adventurous, and active, Rotties are a great pick as well. That’s because they’re courageous and won’t back down from anything. That means they’re going to stick with your child wherever they go and keep them safe. Not to mention their devotion means that they won’t stray far if they think something is wrong.
However, don’t leave very little kids alone with a Rottweiler when there is no one to supervise them. This is because although the animal may not mean harm, Rotties are large-sized dogs, and your dog might accidentally knock a small kid over and cause injuries. Therefore, you should ALWAYS supervise the animal when little kids are around.
In general, if you’re wondering, ‘are Rottweilers good with kids?’ the short answer is that they absolutely are. Not only are they good with kids in general, but they’re good with different types of kids, and they love kids at the same time.
Why Rottweilers Have a Poor Reputation
We can’t have a discussion on whether Rottweilers are good with kids without also looking at the reasons that some people mistakenly believe the opposite. The unfortunate truth is that too many people are not raising their dogs properly, and this results in inappropriate behavior.
A rottweiler that is given love, affection, and a positive environment will grow to be a healthy, happy, loving dog. They are great with kids and adults, and they’re going to be all of the things that we discussed in the previous section.
However, any dog that is not given adequate love and affection or that is raised in a hostile environment or even trained in a negative manner will be aggressive and dangerous. This is not exclusive to Rottweilers or even more common among them. The problem is in the training and the treatment of the dog, not the breed.
Because Rottweilers are large and strong, people who have less honorable intentions for their pet are more likely to choose a rottweiler. They then train the dog or treat the dog in such a way that aggression and violence become part of their demeanor. But those traits are taught to the dog. They are not intrinsic.
What this means is, if you do come across a mean rottweiler, you can rest assured that someone turned that dog into a mean dog. And you can even more easily have a rottweiler in your family that is the complete opposite.
Training a Rottweiler Puppy
Now, anyone who has ever had a dog will tell you that it’s easiest to train them when they’re puppies. The younger they are, the faster they’ll be able to pick up the things that you want them to do. They might be a little rambunctious, but that’s okay too because it means that they’re excited and eager to learn.
They also don’t have any (or many) bad habits that you need to get rid of. Instead, you’re working with essentially a clean slate, and they will learn how to do what you want them to do, the way you want them to do it. That’s definitely a lot more convenient for you, and it’s actually going to be fun for them because they don’t know anything different.
Rottweiler puppies may still struggle with the things you try and get them to do. After all, they’re just learning, and that energy that makes sure they can keep practicing also means that they may not want to. So, you’ll need to be patient with them and keep going over the skills and tricks that you want them to learn.
Make sure you don’t let your dog get away with behavior that you don’t want to continue, as this will only make them more likely to continue that behavior, despite what you say later. In fact, you may find that allowing a bad behavior just one time can undo weeks (or even months) of working with them.
That’s why it’s so crucial that you are consistent. Your dog wants it from you because it helps them feel more confident in their own behavior as well. Just like you prefer to know what is coming next, your dog wants this too, so make sure you give this to them.
Training an Older Rottweiler
Now, what about training a dog that’s a little older? If the dog is older, that means you’re going to have a bit more effort in the process of training them. You’ll need to work a little harder, and you’re going to need to be even more patient because these dogs generally have at least a few not-so-great habits.
That doesn’t mean that they are a ‘bad dog’ or that they can’t be trained. And it doesn’t mean that you should just jump to harsher methods or punishments. Instead, it means that you’re going to need to show them even more attention and affection when they get things right, so they continue to have the drive to try.
If you constantly find yourself punishing your dog for bad behavior rather than praising them or rewarding them for good behavior during the training process, you may want to rethink your strategy. Rewarding them, even just with attention and petting, is going to do more to improve the behavior than punishing them will. So, think about that while you’re going through the process.
Keep in mind also that you want to start the training process as soon as possible after you welcome an older dog into your home. When they are first brought into a new home, they are more capable of making the changes necessary to acclimate to your home than they would be if you allow the behavior for several weeks or months and then start changing things.
Once they’ve gotten more comfortable in your home, they’re more likely to feel set in the same ways they had before. And they will assume that those behaviors are appropriate because you have allowed them. If you start setting the new rules and boundaries from the start, you’ll have a little easier time.
Note that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, however. But it will be easier if you follow these tips.
Conclusion
Rottweilers have great temperaments that make them good dogs for families with kids. Their loving and protective natures, calmness, playfulness, and intelligence cause children of all ages to fall in love with these animals. However, it is best not to leave very little kids alone with a Rottweiler when there is no one to supervise them.
When treated properly and raised properly, Rottweilers are a great dog to have around your entire family. Young and old. And they’re absolutely the kind of dog that your little ones are going to love playing with as they grow up. A good family dog may be hard to find, but when you choose a rottweiler, you’re going to be in good hands (or paws).
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