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How To Stop Rottweiler From Biting [Step By Step]

How To Stop Rottweiler From Biting [Step By Step]

All dogs bite, especially whenever they’re puppies. It’s important to train your Rottweiler correctly so that it learns biting is not OK.

If you want to know how to stop Rottweiler from biting, start whenever the dog is a puppy. When the puppy play bites, yelp like a dog to teach the puppy that it is not OK, and reward good behavior whenever it happens. If you are dealing with an adult dog, use a spray bottle method but stay clear of aggressive individuals.

Keep reading to learn more about how to stop Rottweiler from biting, both when the dog is a puppy and an adult.

How To Stop Rottweiler From Biting Overview

The number one way to keep a Rottweiler from biting is to train an appropriately. Rottweilers are loyal and highly intelligent, which means training them is easy. With just a little bit of effort, you can teach your Rottweiler that biting is not OK.

It’s best to start whenever the Rottweiler is a puppy. All puppies bite in a playful form. If you teach the puppy that this biting is wrong, it will grow up knowing not to bite. Plus, you don’t have to worry about being injured in the process since the puppy is not actually trying to be aggressive or big enough to cause damage.

Dealing with an adult Rottweiler is a bit more difficult. Adult Rottweilers that were trained from a puppy not to bike are unlikely to bite. However, aggressive individuals or individuals who have been owned by neglectful owners are more likely to bite. It’s important to be slow, cautious, and smart to make sure you are keeping yourself safe when training the dog.

How To Train Rottweiler Puppies To Stop Biting

No matter what kind of a breed you have, all puppies play bite. This is how they play with other puppies. 

Although play biting is cute when it’s from a puppy,  do not condone this behavior. It certainly is cute coming from of puppy, but the puppy will learn that that sort of behavior is OK and is more likely to bite as an adult, even if in a playful manner.

The good news is that training a Rottweiler puppy not to bite is very easy. Continue playing with your puppy as normal. Whenever your puppy starts play biting you, yelp and make your hand go limp. Puppies will yelp if their playmate bites them too hard. By imitating this behavior, the puppy will instinctively stop and should start playing less rough in the future.

After the puppy makes the mistake of biting the first time, yelp and give the dog an opportunity to correct itself. If the puppy stops the behavior, make sure to reward this good behavior by giving them a treat and playing with them. 

Conversely, walk away from the puppy for 15 to 20 seconds if it bites you again. This is a form of negative reinforcement that is not abusive or aggressive.

You will need to do this for a few weeks. Although Rottweilers are intelligent, puppies are a bit more persistent than adults. If you are very consistent with this training technique, the Rottweiler puppy will learn and grow up knowing that biting is not OK.

What If An Adult Rottweiler Is Trying To Bite?

Rottweilers have some of the strongest jaws and they are big dogs. You never want to deal with a Rottweiler who is going to bite you because they can do a lot of damage. There are typically two instances when adult Rottweilers will bite. Either they are simply trying to play and were not trained as puppies, or they’re actually being aggressive. 

Let’s take a look at both scenarios and what to do.

Play Biting

Play biting isn’t a form of aggression in adult dogs, but you can get hurt simply by their size. Many dogs do not realize how much stronger they are and can injure humans by accident when playing. If you are dealing with a Rottweiler that likes to play bite, you might want to use a slightly more straightforward training approach than you did with puppies.

For the most part, follow the tips above when training your Rottweiler puppy not to bite. The only difference is that in addition to yelping, have a spray bottle in hand. Once the dog bites you, spray them with the spray bottle. The spray bottle is a much more obvious negative reinforcement. It might only take one or two squirts for the dog to realize that behavior is not OK.

All the while, make sure to reward the dog if it is playing gently. Give it treats, love, and attention. If you do all of this, your Rottweiler will learn to stop play biting very fast because of its intelligence.

Aggression

If a dog is trying to bite you out of aggression, it’s important to be smart and safe. Rottweilers have one of the strongest bites, making them one of the most dangerous breeds. Although Rottweilers are not aggressive by nature, you do not want to get bit by one.

For starters, do not scream, run, or make eye contact with the dog. This is more likely to aggravate it. Instead, stand upright and try to assert dominance with a firm voice. If you know that the dog is trained, saying something like “sit,” “stay,” or “no” might work.

While this is going on, try to back yourself against a wall or in a corner. This will give the dog less access to you. Throw treats or a toy if you have one on hand. If the dog tries to attack, protect the front of your body with your hands. If you can find an object to put in between you all, even better.

Do not try to fight back through kicking or punching. This normally makes the situation worse. If the dog has ahold of you, try to put the limb further in the dog’s mouth. Although this sounds odd, it makes them less able to bite. Trying to pull the limb away will cause more danger.

How Often Do Adult Rottweilers Bite?

Rottweilers by nature are loyal, loving, and intelligent. When in the hands of the right owner, Rottweilers are rarely aggressive to their owners. They might be a bit standoffish to strangers, but they are intelligent and trained well so will not bite.

Unfortunately, many Rottweilers are owned by irresponsible and outright abusive owners. These Rottweilers are most likely to be aggressive. As a result, Rottweilers are considered the second most aggressive breed, second only to the Pit Bull.

In America, Rottweilers were responsible for 26 deaths due to attacks. To put that in perspective, the Pitbull was responsible for 185 deaths. This is a huge difference in quantity. The main thing that makes Rottweiler so dangerous is their strength.

Once again, well-trained Rottweilers are not known to be aggressive or bite. It is mainly only Rottweilers that are outright instigated or abused by humans that bite. Being ethical and responsible with your Rottweiler will largely diminish any chances of it fighting you.

Signs That Rottweilers Are Aggressive

Knowing the signs of aggression is critical to keeping yourself safe in the presence of a dog. Knowing when the dog is acting aggressively will allow you to deescalate the situation or protect yourself as best as possible. Here are some signs of aggression in dogs to look out for:

  • Stiff body
  • Hair standing up
  • Ears pinned back
  • Growling
  • Snarling
  • Baring teeth
  • Barking
  • Pacing

Additionally, if a dog’s tail is wagging, do not assume it is happy. Many dogfights happen whenever the dog’s tail is wagging. Tail wagging is simply a response to adrenaline or excitement. Hence, a dog might be wagging its tail when it is acting aggressively.

If you see any of these signs, try to deescalate the situation and do everything in your power to remove yourself from the situation. Do not make the situation worse, or you could find yourself in a dangerous scenario. Because of how strong Rottweilers are, do not expect to be able to fight the dog back.

Final Thoughts

There are ways that you can stop a Rottweiler from biting, but the methods largely depend on the age and intent of the dog’s bites. For example, training a puppy not to play bite is relatively easy. It mainly involves yelping like a puppy yourself. Adult dogs that are play biting may need a water bottle thrown in.

Unfortunately, some biting is outright aggressive, not playful. If this is the case you’re worried about, is important to know how to respond to an aggressive dog. Because Rottweilers are so strong, never put yourself in front of an aggressive Rottweiler.

Luckily, Rottweilers are not aggressive by nature. They are loyal, loving, and super intelligent. If you take the time to properly train your Rottweiler, it is unlikely to bite or attack you or anyone else. This proves just how important it is to train all dogs, especially dogs with such a strong jaw like the Rottweiler.