As a rule, a Rottweiler needs to be exercised twice a day for several hours. This should ideally be done in the forest or where he can run without a leash without any problems. The Rottweiler needs enough physical and mental exercise.
Your pet needs daily exercise. In addition, your dog can romp around in the garden or you can go to a fenced exercise area.
Your dog needs to go outside at least twice a day.
Beyond that, you can decide according to your dog whether you go more often and how long your rounds will be.
Walking – When does the dog need to go out?
The question of how often a dog should go out depends crucially on its individual needs. Some dog breeds need a lot of exercise due to their special urge to move, while others are content with smaller rounds.
When a dog needs to go outside is also very individual. Decisive factors include cleanliness and walk training.
As a rule of thumb, however, dogs can last five to six hours before the next business is due.
This also tells you how often a dog should go out every day. According to this, you should plan at least four to five rounds per day.
Ideally, you should schedule your dog’s walks so that he does not have to go out at night. In this context, it is important that the most urgent walk is in the morning. The walk after getting up must be integrated into the daily schedule.
As a rule, a routine rhythm is established after a certain time, so that the morning round takes place at 6:00 a.m. every day, for example.
Dogs make themselves known when they have to go out
Normally, every dog makes itself known as soon as it has to go out. However, this only applies to dogs that have already completed their cleanliness training. It is not yet to be expected from puppies. As soon as the intervals between rounds become too long, dogs start whining, possibly barking, are restless and otherwise draw attention to themselves.
Some dogs may scratch at the door, others may put the leash at their master’s feet. Pay attention to how your dog makes itself known and don’t let it get that far in the first place.
Your dog will be in better health if you react before your dog even contacts you.
If you are going to be away for a long time and your dog has to wait for you at home, find out here how long your dog can be left alone.
Whether young or old – all dogs need to go out.
Puppies and seniors need more exercise
A puppy stays with the breeder until at least 8 weeks. At least with a good breeder. After that, you can take your dog with you.
Once you have arrived at your new home, the first few weeks are especially important. During this time, you must pay special attention to the walks. Everything needs to be explored, from traffic to the forest.
Experience shows that puppies need more walks than adult dogs. Until they are truly house-trained, it is recommended that you take your fur friend out at least every two hours.
This way puppies learn that they have to do their business outdoors and not indoors.
The amount of time between each round can be extended individually over time. In addition to puppies, seniors also need to go outside more often.
Your dog is getting old and counts as a senior dog if your dog is over 12 years old.
With age, dogs get difficulties to control their urge for a longer period of time. It’s a good idea to cater to your dog’s individual needs.
You could take your dog out more often, but for shorter periods.
If the dog doesn’t go outside – What can happen?
If your dog doesn’t get out enough, it will sooner or later do its business indoors.
However, what is much more decisive and to the dog’s disadvantage – lack of exercise leads to considerable limitations. Dogs that do not get out or only get out too rarely are often overweight, which has an impact on their health.
Moreover, in such cases dogs tend to behave destructively, for example by destroying things or starting to go berserk.
It can happen, among other things, that shoes or furniture are chewed up. Furthermore, the lack of exercise leads to aggression towards people and other animals in the long run.
Some dogs start to withdraw because they are not stimulated enough physically and mentally. In this case, the behaviour resembles a typical depression.
Other dogs, on the other hand, become hyperactive. Finally, the muscles of the affected dog can stiffen, which leads to considerable pain. Further illnesses of the four-legged friend are also possible due to lack of exercise and too few walks.
For example, bladder or kidney diseases can occur due to continuous stopping.
To prevent this from happening to your four-legged friend, make sure he gets enough exercise!
If you don’t have enough time, you can look for someone who will walk your dog for a small fee.
Typical breed characteristics of a Rottweiler
- Character: brave, self-confident, curious
- Size: male 61 68 cm; female 56 – 63 cm
- Weight: 35 to 60 kilograms
- Colours: black
- Life expectancy: 8 – 10 years
The Rottweiler can reach a height of 68 cm and a maximum weight of 60 kilograms.
This dog breed is considered to be very self-confident, alert and courageous. It can be used for many dog sports and is considered a working dog. When jogging or cycling, the Rottweiler might reach its limits.
With a life expectancy of 8 to 10 years, the Rottweiler is somewhat below the average of other dog breeds.
The Rottweiler is often used in military service or by the police because of its strong nerves and its very pronounced protective instinct.
Typical diseases of this breed include hip problems, heart disease and leukoencephalomyelopathy.
Do you have a horse and want to know which breed of dog is best for horse companionship? In our brand-new article Which dog is suitable as a riding companion dog? we tell you which dog breeds you can ride out with your horse without any problems.
Training and care
When training a dog, it is very important to be consistent. With a lot of exercise and good training, the Rottweiler can become an excellent family dog.
Especially because of its mass and self-confidence, good training, for example in a dog school, is very important.
The Rottweiler should not be trained by an inexperienced dog owner, as the owner should be very assertive and have enough experience.
The most important training rules with a Rottweiler are consistent action, clear commands and loving and praising treatment as well as a clear hierarchy where the human is above the dog.
Especially in the young years as a puppy, the Rottweiler should be well educated and socialised.
During grooming, the hanging ears in particular must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent inflammation.
Grooming is very easy with the Rottweiler and he only needs daily brushing for extra help.
Who is the Rottweiler suitable for?
The Rottweiler needs a calm and self-confident owner who has a lot of experience with dogs and who has clear rules and a consistent approach.
Especially due to his careful nature and his loving character, he is wonderfully suitable as a family dog. Good training is a must.
The Rottweiler can also handle children very well due to his strong nerves.
He needs a lot of exercise and outdoor exercise and loves the outdoors. Therefore, it is advisable not to keep a Rottweiler in a big city, but rather in the countryside.
This dog breed needs a lot of affection and petting and wants to be integrated in a family. Therefore, the owner needs a lot of time and should not be kept alone for too long.
The Rottweiler can also serve wonderfully as a guard dog for a yard and can protect its family against intruders very well. However, the owner should not be too fearful or insecure with the handling of a Rottweiler, as this dog breed needs consistent and self-confident action.
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