How to House Train a Rottweiler

House training a Rottweiler is a fairly easy task. These dogs are smart, quick to learn and fastidious. There could be a little trouble if your Rottweiler is very dominant or territorial, but your dog's instinct to be clean will win out if you follow proper training procedures. Whether you are starting with a puppy or an adult dog, you should have little trouble house training your Rottweiler. The puppy will need extra time to mature and gain bladder control, but the adult may need extra time to overcome bad habits.

Things You'll Need

  • Leash
  • Collar
  • Training treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Neuter your Rottweiler, whether male or female, to help prevent territorial problems, such as marking territory. This will also head off any potential behavior problems in the future that could be related to dominance.

    • 2

      Confine your puppy in a crate or behind a baby gate when you are not able to supervise it fully.

    • 3

      Take your puppy or dog out on a regular schedule. Schedule bathroom trips every two hours during normal waking hours. Overnight, an adult can usually hold it--if it cannot hold that long, consult a veterinarian. A puppy will need to go out two to three times during the night, to start, and can gradually hold it up to five hours during the night, and then up to six and finally up to a full night.

    • 4

      Praise your puppy or dog while it is in the act of going potty, not after it finishes. The praise should be calm and controlled, so not to get the dog excited and distract from the act. A quiet "good potty" or similar phrase that will actually become your command for going potty, along with popping a very tiny, tasty treat into the dog's mouth, is sufficient.

    • 5

      Ignore accidents. Consider all accidents to be your fault because you clearly weren't supervising closely enough. If you catch it in the act, you may be able to rush outside with the pup. Otherwise, it is too late and punishment is counterproductive. Clean thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner.