Rottweilers are known for being very protective and loyal dogs, and can often be quite powerful for this purpose. Unfortunately, this also means that they’re much more susceptible to aggressive behavior especially if the owner encourages it.

Aggression, however, isn’t a trait that a rottweiler is born with; while they may be more prone to it, such behavior can be nipped in the bud as it’s growing up, but only if the owner is willing to be patient and strong with the dog.

There are a number of rather simple mistakes that an owner can make as the rottweiler grows up, and being conscious of them can really help in significantly reducing their aggressive behavior later on in life.

Being Complacent
One of the biggest mistakes you can do is ignore when aggression is triggered in your rottweiler. It’s important that you pay attention to what makes it aggressive, so that you can better deal with the problem. For example, if the dog starts barking when visitors come over to your house, simply ignoring the problem won’t make the dog stop.

You can choose to have a firm, strict tone with it when it happens, but you can also reward the dog whenever it doesn’t react aggressively to a visitor. If they feel that they’ll be rewarded for being a good dog, they’ll be more likely to continue that kind of behavior.

Although you shouldn’t always ignore signs of aggression, it can sometimes be appropriate since dogs in general look to their owners as to what should be a threat. If it sees that the owner is being calm with a visitor, they’ll be more likely to refrain from acting out.

Keeping the Dog Busy
A rottweiler is one of those dog breeds that requires constant activity in order to be reasonably happy. They require plenty of exercise and outdoor time, and if they end up tired out by the end of the day, they’ll be much more likely to be passive when it comes to visitors and strangers.

So keep the dog as busy as you possibly can; much like a human being, being cooped up in and around the house doesn’t help much of anything, and can often make aggression and/or anxiety in the dog even worse since they’re not getting any real-world or social interaction with other dogs and other people. Essentially, you want to make the dog as experienced as possible with other creatures, so that it can discern what’s actually a threat.