Being Rottweiler breeders for over a decade now, we can say that most of your concerns about Rotties revolving around your child’s safety are not entirely wrong. However, that doesn’t mean you should stop yourself from adopting a Rottie. Being a highly intelligent breed, it only takes proper socialization and training to make Rotties the perfect family dog.
So, whether to get a Rottie or not in the presence of a child becomes a major and general concern. Well, we are here to answer the positives and negatives that come with getting a Rottweiler in a home with kids. What’s good about Rotties, and what’s bad? You must know both to come to a decision. So, are Rotties family dogs? Do they need extra care around kids? Let’s explore everything to your concern.
The Ideal Qualities Of A Rottweiler
When we talk about an ideal Rottie, the first thing that matters is their temperaments. Even AKC (American Kennel Club) has said good things about Rotties. This breed is known to have the best temperament comparatively. Furthermore, their calm and loving nature make them an ideal choice as home pets. Even with that large size, they gain a stable, playful, and non-aggressive nature if provided with proper training.
Rottweilers can easily become part of the top list of homebody dogs if given proper exercise and obedience training. If you are concerned about them being overly active around kids, remember that these dogs love to lie around their owners after a good exercise session. Moreover, they are quite easy-going and flexible dogs. So, don’t be surprised if you find them just lying around your children doing nothing. It is a way they show their protectiveness and loyalty to their owner and family members.
Although the world knows them as strong and “aggressive dogs,” in reality, they also have a sensitive dog side. We are not saying that being sensitive makes them weak dogs. Rotties can easily catch human emotions, which makes them act according to what their owner feels like. If they notice you being down, they will act accordingly to cheer you up and provide comfort as well. On the other hand, when you are in a great and happy mood, expect your Rottie to act the same.
With that high intelligence and loyalty to their owners, Rottweilers can sometimes even create a stubborn side. They can quickly catch up to new commands while playing and training, but they may not always listen to what you are saying. However, a quick solution to their stubbornness is proper obedience training through a certified trainer. If you are unsure of what parts training covers for your dog, you can check out this blog:
Rottweiler Training: Is Seeking Professional Help Essential?
Even if you face a situation where your Rottie is not listening to your commands, you should always be confident in their loyalty. While being the perfect home pets, Rottweilers can work as watch and guard dogs. They highly care about your safety thanks to their loyal and protective nature. If you have a Rottie at home, you must know that your children are under the best protection you can ask for.
Looking for a courageous, intelligent, loyal, protective, safe-to-have-at-home dog? Everything is a sum up to a Rottweiler nature. They know what to do when they are outside on walks with you. Their size, strength, and protective aura make them a perfect home dog, even around kids.
Now, it’s clear what Rotties are capable of and what they must go through to become ideal dogs. Next, we must come to the real question: are rottweilers good with kids?
Rottweilers Are Good With Children: 5 Reasons That Make Up For It
We already have many breeds in the dog market classified as good with kids. And, since Rottweilers are one of them, you should know what makes them extra special to be with children. Well, you will be happy to know that Rotties possess characteristics and inherent qualities which make them ideal for homes with kids and young children.
You may know that Rotties have instincts to guard and protect their family members. Under their protection, your kid can stay free from all dangers. Furthermore, since Rotties have a strong build, they can easily handle rough play with kids and children without showing any signs of anger or aggressiveness. Being intelligent and obedient, these fur buddies can even let the kids be their training partners. Let’s see more about Rottweilers and their nature around kids and children.
Rottweilers Tend To Be Extremely Loyal To The Kids
Loyalty and Rottweiler are synonyms. They will be there for you always, sticking by your side. If we talk about the list of most loyal dogs in the US, you will find Rottweiler’s names everywhere. Being part of most loyal dogs, you can expect them to show this loyalty to your kids.
In most breeds, the term “pack dogs” is quite famous, while Rotties takes it to the next level. The affection Rotties show to their human is immeasurable, leading to separation anxiety if they feel lonely or left by the owner for a long time.
If a Rottweiler considers your kids as part of their pack, they will do everything to ensure the children’s safety. Their loyalty lies in the affection they shower on their owners. Because of that, you will rarely see them acting aggressively, minding that they have gone through proper obedience and behavioral training. Are rottweilers good with kids or not will depend on the training they got.
For this breed, human interactions become a must if you want them to show you a high level of trust and loyalty. So, whether you are planning something big or a simple family get-together, don’t let your Rottweiler miss out on anything. They grow under human presence, so don’t expect them to become the ideal dog if you are thinking of leaving them out of this.
Rotties Know How To Handle Children’s Rough Play
Rottweiler’s strong and sturdy body is not just for the show. Purebred Rottweilers have high durability for rough play. Even Rottweiler puppies tend to have a strong physique compared to other breeds of the same age. They are not your average dog that needs extra care, as they are capable of handling rough play of children and kids.
As per that information given by AKC, a male Rottie can reach up to 27 inches as they grow, while females stay on the shorter side, ranging from 22-25 inches. Moreover, females weigh around 100 pounds, while males are 135 pounds in most cases.
As a kid parent, you already know how active and playful kids tend to be. So, if a dog is in the house, you will notice your kids playing with its ears and tail. Furthermore, kids love to run around dogs and hug them.
A dog that does not have a strong body will be unable to withstand such rough play by the kids. For that reason, many people don’t recommend adopting small dogs in a home with kids. The chances of your kid hurting the dog increase significantly if the dog is less strong than Rottweilers or other strong breeds. Thus, if you want a dog capable of handling your kid’s play while not acting aggressively, your ideal choice will be a Rottweiler.
Strong Instincts Of A Guard Dog
Having a long history of serving as military and guard dogs, Rotties show their loyalty by ensuring the safety of your home. This breed even makes its name in the top list of guard dogs.
You don’t have to train them to be your guard dog, especially. They have a nature of high alertness, so to make sure that their owner and other family members stay safe and protected. They love to watch who leaves and enters your home constantly. With all that, they even protect your kid’s safety.
With a Rottweiler, you get an extra pair of eyes that help keep your children safe and sound. Ensure you always watch your dog’s actions around your kid to confirm their safety. So, if there is someone who is a stranger to your Rottie eyes, expect them to investigate the whole situation thoroughly.
Intelligent Learners With Obedient Nature
Everyone loves to have a dog that listens to commands and is quick to learn new things. But finding a dog that is intelligent as well as obedient may look like a big task, but it’s not true. A Rottweiler fulfills the role of both of these characteristics. As they are part of most intelligent breeds, Rottweilers are bred to grow into obedient and work dogs. They don’t show tantrums while learning new commands and obedience training. In fact, Rottweilers are someone who loves to take challenges and learn new things every day.
Few studies on Rottweilers suggest that it only takes five repetitions of the same command to make a Rottweiler memorize it completely. So, making Rotties learn basic tricks and commands becomes fairly easy and takes almost no time. Having such great temperament and eagerness to learn new things makes these dogs a good addition to a home with kids. Obedience training becomes a major key to keeping the Rottie under control. Furthermore, the experience can even be great for your kids.
Training is a great way to keep the dog and kids entertained, which is a win-win situation. Besides that, with children participating in the training, you can easily develop a stronger bond between your dog and kids.
Training Rotties To Be Good With Your Children
There is no other way than training if you want to improve your kids’ relationship with your dog. Here, when we say training, we are not talking about normal DIY training. Professional training becomes a must for a Rottweiler that lives in a home with kids. Besides obedience training, the need for socialization training is as important. Furthermore, your children need to understand how to deal with your dog.
Professional training can turn a future aggressive Rottweiler into a calm and obedient one. When your child’s safety is on the line, you cannot take shortcuts to a Rottie training.
Getting Started With Your Rottweiler Socialization Training
When it comes to socializing your dog, you need to make sure that they meet as many people and children as possible. Rotties become more comfortable when familiar with all age groups, people, outside sounds, experiences, and sights far from home. This way, they become comfortable both with people and the outside environment.
A Rottie that has undergone proper socialization training will be fearless and attentive to the situation they are unfamiliar with. And since they are bound to be less scared by such situations, they will show almost no sign of aggression unless it’s dangerous for their owner. All this makes socialization even more important for dog classes that are huge and have the potential to cause harm and damage.
Suppose you want maximum benefits from your Rottie’s socialization training. In that case, you need to start this training as early as possible. The ideal time to start the Rottweiler training is when they are between 3 and 12 weeks of age. This age is pretty sensitive, and what they learn during it will become part of their nature as they become adults.
Some ways to start socialization training:
- Dog beaches and parks
- Playing with friends and children
- Having a meeting with neighbors
- Spending time with the owner while at obedience school
- Letting children train the dog
- Making your kids serve the food to Rottie
Once your Rottweiler passes the age of 18 weeks, offering them socialization training becomes quite difficult. But don’t worry, as expert trainers can help you even if your Rottie is already an adult. Rotties are much smaller during the early weeks, making them less harmful around kids. So, staying consistent with the training is the key to a properly socialized dog.
Obedience Training For An Obedient Rottie
People who ask, “are rottweilers good with kids” must know that it depends on whether they have undergone proper obedience training. In order to confirm your child’s safety, your first step is to start the obedience training with socialization training going hand in hand. Basic obedience training includes typical commands like heel, sit, stop, come, down, etc.
You can check our Rottweiler training guide for more information:
Rottweiler Trainer’s Guide: 7 Steps To Train RottweilersYou must confirm that your dog knows how to follow these commands before you make it introduced to your kids. You must complete the obedience training if you need your Rottie to follow your every command. While you teach your Rottie some basic commands, you also build your relationship with them. For advanced training, having a professional trainer is a must.
With this, your Rottie will be able to follow most of your commands without fail. You must correct their behaviors and stop them when they do something wrong to create dominance over them. Make sure you are confident with your actions, as Rotties also love strong owners. You can now let your Rottie meet your kid to make them comfortable with each other. Make sure to prevent them from taking actions that can harm the children.
You must be consistent with your commands for every wrongdoing of your Rottie. When you stop them from doing something wrong again and again, they also make an understanding of what’s right and wrong. However, remember, all this will only be fruitful if you are dedicated and consistent with your commands to their particular actions.
When you see things becoming stable between your kids and dog, you can let your children practice obedience training with your Rottie. It’s good to improve your dog’s relationship with the kids. Use signs to tell the dog that the kids are above them, considering the pack hierarchy.
Is Rottweiler Safe For The Family: In Conclusion
You will not miss out on a loyal, sweet, and non-aggressive Rottweiler with commitment and consistency. So, are rottweiler good with kids? We are sure you now know what makes a good temperament Rottweiler puppy and how you can train them to make them safe around kids and children.
Visit Vom Hause Stan to learn more about the nature of Rottweilers and their different types of training. To adopt a purebred German Rottweiler puppy, contact us at (425) 329-9996.
We also offer professional Rottweiler training and boarding services for our Rottweilers. Mention your requirements at VomHauseStan@yahoo.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although they work as guards and police dogs, Rottweilers don’t have an aggressive nature by inheritance. They are sweet and loving, which makes them perfect as family dogs, even with kids.
Since Rotties are highly loyal and protective toward their owners, they even spread their love to the family members they consider part of their pack. So, yes, Rottweilers are highly protective of children.
Rottweilers are among the most intelligent dog breeds, making them quick to catch commands and learn new things. They can sometimes be stubborn, but you can train them with enough practice and the right methods.