How do Rottweiler show affection? As a loyal and devoted companion, a Rottweiler becomes deeply attached to his owners and can show his affection in many different ways.
Read on to unlock the ways Rottweiler say “I love you.”
Like snowflakes, there are no two Rottweilers alike, they all come with their own distinct personalities, and those who own more than one, can attest to that. Some Rottweilers are reserved, while others are more outgoing and deliberate in their affectionate displays. Regardless of their personalities, most Rottweilers boast one distinctive perk: they love to be near you, and if possible, in the same room and in close contact with you. While all dogs show affection to their favorite people, Rottweilers seem to do it in their own, unique ways.
Three Ways Rottweiler Say “I love you”
Your Rottweiler of course will never tell you “I love you” nor will he buy you a Hallmark card with those words printed on it. As we have seen in a previous article, dogs don’t exchange kisses or hugs amongst them as we do with each other, but many tolerate them from us (and some enjoy them too) because they were conditioned to it. And what about when your Rottweiler slurps your face like if you were a giant lollipop, are those really the canine version of kisses? While we may never really know with certainty what those dog kisses (and many other canine gestures) truly mean, until the day dogs can talk and give us their interpretations, we can only make assumptions.
Humans and dogs are two different species and talk a different language. When we ascribe human traits and emotions to animals we engage in what is knows as anthropomorphism which can lead to misinterpretations and mask the dog’s real response to a situation. Your Rottweiler will therefore most likely “speak dog” rather than human language to manifest his closeness to you and following are some ways he does it.
Rottweiler Leaning Against You
As mentioned, Rottweilers love to stay as close to you as they can. Many Rottweiler owners claim they own a “Velcro dog” because their dog just has to stay attached to them. A common behavior is leaning against you. Often, this happens when you are standing still and suddenly feel pressure on your leg, and if you’re light like me, your Rottweiler may even sometimes unbalance you. But don’t worry, he’ll do it too when you’re sitting.
This is likely your Rottweiler’s way to manifest his closeness to you and demonstrate a desire to keep track of you and your whereabouts. Some say this behavior is reminiscent of this breed’s past as drover dogs; when they would lean against cattle to move them in a specific direction. Not sure how true this is, but it’s surely an interesting point worth pondering.
The Rottweiler Purr
I really never had the pleasure of owning a Rottweiler that “purrs” but heard many other Rottweiler owners witness it, so thought it’s worth mentioning here. My Rottweilers don’t purr but they’ll make an occasional grumble when I scratch them in their preferred spots as a sign of “appreciation.” If your Rottweiler is totally relaxed and you do not recognize any of the stress signs discussed in the previous article, most likely he’s “talking” to express his contentment in being loved on and staying close to you.
If you’re not too sure if he’s enjoying your touch, try this experiment: stop petting him. If he paws you, nudges your hand or gives signs of engaging with you, most likely he was enjoying the interaction and is telling you: “please keep on doing what you were doing.” but the ideal and safest way to differentiate a growl from a Rottweiler purr is to hire a professional to help you out.
Rottweiler Love Licks
Many of us call these “kisses” but are they really kisses? They may seem so when they are targeted near our faces. The behavior may be reminiscent of a pup’s past wild ancestry when around the age of weaning, he would lick his mother’s face to stimulate her to regurgitate. Back in time, it was difficult for mother dogs to carry a whole carcass to the den, so they would feed their puppies by regurgitating when their pups licked the corners of their lips. As they grew, the puppies kept on licking the face of adult dogs as a way of showing submission and we still see this behavior today.
The puppies would typically keep their ears back and body low while licking the adult dog. Of course, our Rottweilers don’t expect us to regurgitate, but adult dogs may keep on licking us as a sign of respect or perhaps a way of telling us that we’re special to them. If you have been away for a good part of the day, there’s a good chance your Rottweiler is licking to say hello and welcome you back. And of course, if you have been eating something tasty, that lick strategically stamped near your mouth may be your Rottweiler’s hopeful way to get his share!
And of course, Rottweilers may show affection in may other ways. Some may put their paws on you, or they’ll put their big, blocky heads on your lap. How does your Rottweiler show affection?Consider that many of your Rottweiler’s behaviors are encouraged with positive reinforcement, and therefore, behaviors that are reinforced, repeat.
So if you’ve been showering your Rottweiler with attention every time he jumps and licks your face, rest assured, he’ll keep on doing that. Any time you don’t like a behavior or feel like it’s getting out of hand, stop fueling it and be consistent. He may continue trying for some time, but if you keep it up, he’ll eventually get the message and give up. And what if you just want to put a halt to a behavior temporarily? Just train your Rottweiler a command to let him know you had enough.
