Calm Down for Walks: Free Tips to Help an Excited Rottweiler

In this Omaha dog training session, we worked with three dogs. Roxie is a 9-year-old Rottweiler and Ruby is an 11-year-old Australian Shepherd.

The newest addition to the family is Zoey, a 1-year-old Rottweiler. Zoey acts aggressively toward other dogs. She also pulls on the leash and her family wants her to learn how to calm down for walks.

The dogs were all excited when I first arrived, but it didn’t take a dog behavior expert to see that Zoey was clearly the puppy of the group. She romped around harder than the other dogs and was far more “up front” than her more mature roommates.

Help Any Dog Behave on Walks with Positive Dog Training

I spent the first part of the session sharing tips on how to help the dogs see and respect the humans as authority figures. Like many guardians, they inadvertently taught the dogs that misbehavior was a good way to get attention. Even though this attention came in the form of corrections, to dogs, recognition is validating, even when they’re “bad.”

I taught the family how to pet the dogs to get the right behaviors. I also showed them to ask for a command before petting the dogs in other situations. This type of positive dog training teaches the dogs to do things we like as they are now recognized and receive attention.

If the guardians spend the next month petting their dogs with a purpose, they will build good habits. This will create a mini dog training session every time they pet their dogs.

How to Help Dogs Calm Down for Walks

Next, I went over a number of tips to help any dog behave on walks. Not only was she over excited, she was somewhat dog reactive. I wanted to show the humans how to do some positive leash training to stop her from pulling on the leash and a trick to help dogs calm down for walks.

These dog walking tips should help stop dogs from pulling on the leash.

To help Zoey calm down for walks we used some desensitization tricks. This involves practicing the walk routine without actually going for a walk.

By breaking the process into smaller steps, Zoey learns to stay calm. Her guardians should try picking up the leash and asking their dogs to sit before moving on. Doing these steps without the promise of a walk helps her understand that these actions don’t always bring quick excitement.

Consistency is key in this desensitization process. The goal is to practice these steps multiple times a day, making sure that Zoey learns to stay calm even when she sees the leash. This helps her not associate the leash with an exciting event every time.

When practicing, it’s important to avoid over-excitement from other dogs. If you have multiple dogs, work with them one at a time to prevent too much stimulation. Practicing these steps alone with Zoey, without any other distractions, helps her understand what is expected of her. Once she is consistent in her calm behavior, you can introduce other dogs into the practice.

Training also involves paying attention to her body language during the walk. If Zoey gets too excited or tense around other dogs or distractions, stop and redirect her. Have her sit to calm down. This teaches her that reacting with excitement or aggression leads to a pause in the walk, helping her learn more self-control.

This way, humans can get rid of the pinch collar they were using. Many people think pinch or prong collars are great because they immediately reduce the pulling. But this reduction usually is temporary and comes with a big price; increased stress and anxiety in the dog.

The negative psychological impact pinch collars have on dogs is one of the reasons I don’t like or use those tools. The other is due to their design.

These collars work by causing pain or discomfort or the threat of it. In the dog behavior field, we work to teach the dog to want to do what the humans want via positive reinforcement. After working with thousands of dogs, I’ve never needed to use one of those collars.

What Age do Rottweilers Calm Down?

Young Rottweilers are very energetic and need lots of exercise. They usually start to calm down around three years old. However, they may still have bursts of energy until they fully mature.

Rottweilers are large dogs that grow slowly, reaching their full height by around one year, but they can take up to three years to reach their full weight. Known for their intelligence, Rottweilers are also responsive to training and commands.

Training a Rottweiler is often easier than with many other breeds. While they can be strong-willed, aggressive, and powerful, they are also loyal, intelligent, and eager to please. With effective training, you’ll find they quickly pick up commands and eagerly absorb what you teach them.

If the guardians want to teach the dog to walk with a loose leash or heel, I said we provide in-home dog training. We will also soon offer dog daycare training. Teaching a strong dog to walk beside you makes the activity more fun for both of you.

To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips I shared in this in-home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video.