What If Your Rottweiler Becomes Too Dominant? 

A problem that many dog owners have is that their rottweiler has become the boss. It does what it wants, when it wants to, and woe betide anyone who tries to tell it otherwise.

Even worse, it decides what everyone else in the house does as well, making everyone's life hell if the rottweiler doesn't approve. This can lead to the most ludicrous behavior from owners, ranging from the total subservience to real fear of the rottweiler.

Let's take a look at why this develops, and ways to address the problem...

The dog is a pack animal. It doesn't consciously know this, it's just hardwired into the brain. As a pack animal, it will be expecting there to be a leader in the group, one leader, to whom everyone defers.

There are a few breeds of dog who may actively challenge you for this top spot, but most dogs will not. They will be quite happy for you to be the boss. However, and here's the key, if you do not take on the leadership role, and there is no clear ruler of the pack, the dog will take command.

It's not something the rottweiler decides to do, but a pack animal *always* expects a leader, and if the rottweiler gets the role by default, so be it, the rottweiler is not aware how the role came about, but will adapt to it.

This leads to changes in behaviour - they may be small at first, but if the change is not addressed, it will cement the rottweiler's leadership of the pack, and the behavior will increase down the road of dominance.

This is at the root of a huge amount of behavioral issues, and can be addressed by taking back the leadership of the pack.

Once a rottweiler has assumed control, it may not be so keen to relinquish it, and you may have some battles ahead of you, but it often takes a surprisingly short amount of time for the rottweiler to quite happily slip back into its' position lower down the pack.

One of the strongest ways of getting this message across is to eat your meals before the dog.  Eat in front of him or her, but do not let your rottweiler eat until you have finished. In animal packs it is *always* the strongest that eats first, and this simple technique can tap into the hardwiring I mentioned before.

So, if your rottweiler becomes too dominant, recognize the problem as pack mentality and get about changing your behavior first, and the dog will follow suit.

Article by William Beasley of Oh My Dog Supplies, your top spot to purchase personalized dog beds online.