The Perfect Family Pet

People are drawn to Rottweilers for many reasons, but a couple of the biggest are the dog's willingness to please and the ease with which they learn. This combination of traits makes Rottweiler training an enjoyable task and makes Rottweilers the perfect dog for a family. You cannot find a dog more dedicated to making their owner happy.

The First Steps

To begin training a Rottweiler, start with simple commands. Two of the easiest are "sit" and "shake" and will be a breeze for your pooch to learn. To teach "sit," start with the dog in a standing position. Press lightly on the dog's rump while telling him to sit. Praise your pet once he has sat. Treats are a good way to reward an obedient dog, though with Rotties, praise is usually reward enough. After your rottweiler has performed this task a few times with your assistance, try giving the command without touching him.

The "shake" command is another easy instruction to teach. Some dog owners may call this one "paw" instead. To teach the dog to give you his hand, simply take the dog's paw in your hand while giving the command. If the dog does not resist, reward him for being a good dog with praise and treats. After a few times, try holding out your hand and giving the command.

The Trickier Tricks

Once you have taught your rottweiler the easier commands, you are ready to move on to something more complex. For instance, once the dog knows "sit," you can work on "stay." To do this, command the dog to sit, and reward him when he does. Then command him to stay, increasing the amount of time he must stay to get rewarded each time the command is given.

After your dog has mastered the "stay" command, you might move on to the "come" command. This might be a little more difficult as a Rottweiler's loyal and companionable nature makes staying close to you his natural inclination. Begin by telling your dog to sit, then slowly back away while maintaining eye contact and commanding that the pooch stay. Once you have moved away and the dog has stayed, tell the dog "come." When he does so, be sure he can see how happy you are with him.

Just Say No

Eventually, you must teach the dog the "no" command. While this might seem a simple command, it can actually be confusing for the dog. Most commands only have one direct meaning. "Sit" means to sit; "stay" means to stay. But "no" means everything from "stop digging up my chrysanthemums" to "do not jump on little Timmy." For a dog, this can be a difficult command to conquer.

One way to ease the dog into the "no" command is to associate it with other commands. For instance, when your Rottie starts digging in the garden, tell him "no" but follow this with "sit." When you catch him chewing up your slippers, tell him "no" and follow it with "lay down". It may seem odd, but once the dog responds to "no." you still must reward him so that he understands stopping the undesirable action was a good thing.