Normally training a rottweiler is about obedience, heeling, and training the ability to ignore objects and people around them. Rottweilers are very aloof but they always watch the things going on in their vicinity. It has been a few years since I had a rottweiler that was a sharp dog with the real traits of Rottweilers from 30 years ago. Terrible breeding has all but gotten rid of the true working rottweiler that could be trained as a protection or sport dog. If you are looking for a good working dog, there are really only a few left. I would recommend that you stay away from Rottweilers and look at the Malinois or a handful of GSD breeders that still breed working dogs.
Since sport training is off the table with my new Rottie Lila, I have resorted to teaching her tricks, like shake hands, putting a piece of food on her nose until she tosses it up in the air and catches it. For me it is a real shame that the Rottweiler has turned into a poodle but with lower expectations they can still be a lot of fun. But I have to say that I should have gone a different route when choosing this dog. Lila has all of the puppy rambunctious ness of a Rottweiler of old without the drive or bonding that I m used to. She will eat a hole in the drywall of my house, but won’t play a game of fetch. She will chew a toy in half in a matter of minutes, but won’t sit to get petted. Lila is very doggy, in other words she will always look to my other dogs to play with and keep her entertained before she attempts to interact with a human. That just isn’t a trait that I am used to in any dog, but especially not a rottweiler.
Teaching tricks is very easy with a super smart dog like Lila. She literally picks up tricks in a matter of seconds and perfects them in just a few minutes. Not only that but she doesn’t forget. I can not do a trick with her for months and then remember to ask her to perform the trick and she will do it without hesitation. Lila is a chow hound so I use marker training and luring. My next article will explain marker training. Some people call it clicker training and use a little push button device, but I personally don’t think that is the best way to do marker training.