Rottweilers are a big, strong breed that can easily pull their owner around the block. Nice leash manners are not just a luxury, they are really a necessity for safety reasons. A Rottie can pull you into traffic, trip other people, or even get loose and lost if they are constantly pulling on the leash. If you haven’t had luck with leash training in the past, try these easy training tips to help make sure that your Rottweiler doesn’t pull on the leash.
#1 – Start Young
Many people make the mistake of not starting leash training right away. But the sooner you instill those good leash manners in your Rottweiler, the better. This includes your just-adopted puppy. Why wait until his is strong to train him when you can do it while he is smaller and easier to control?
#2 – Practice Attention
Rotties have a lot of interest in what is going around them. They may want to sniff every bush, chase every squirrel, or go up to every dog. Even on-leash, they try to run in different directions, not fun for you on the other end. A key to stopping these behaviors is to keep your Rottweiler focused on you during a walk. Working on looking at you when you say her name, offering eye contact without a cue, “leave it” and “drop” are important to leash training.
#3 – Teach Self-Control
Dogs with lots of energy also usually need to be taught self-control. Rottweilers are no exception to this rule! Teaching self-control can help keep your Rottie calm and cool while on a walk. “Stay,” “Go To Bed (mat-stay behavior),” sitting for a toy/food/petting, etc., are all good ways to work on self-control.
#4 – Reward Correct Position
Whenever your Rottie is calmly walking in “heel” position – by your side with a loose leash – be sure you reward him. You can even turn this into a game by trying to move away from your dog and seeing if he stays with you off-leash in your house or in your backyard. Start off easy and get faster or make tighter turns as your dog learns the game. Rewards can be anything he likes, including treats, praise, toys, etc. As long as your Rottweiler likes it, it’s a reward. Dogs repeat behaviors that are reinforced, so the more you reinforce him for being in that spot, the more he will do it. It’s as simple as that!
#5 – Don’t Let Pulling Be Reinforced
As mentioned, dogs do what gets reinforced, so make sure your Rottie is not being rewarded for pulling. If your Rottweiler pulls on the leash and gets what he wants (to sniff that bush, to chase that squirrel, to greet that dog) then he will continue to do it and it will get worse. So, if you feel your Rottweiler start to pull you in one direction, plant your feet and don’t move, waiting until he returns to you. If he is stronger than you, turn and walk the opposite way. Once he is walking next to you nicely, you can turn back and go the way he wanted to. This teaches your Rottweiler that if he wants to go somewhere, he has to keep that leash loose.
