Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Dr. Julie
Service dogs can be immensely helpful for many different conditions, and you might be wondering if a Rottweiler is good as a service dog. This breed is already very well known for being disciplined and obedient, making them perfect for most jobs. In today’s article, however, we’ll be concentrating on the job of a service dog.
Let’s find out whether Rotties are good service dogs and take a look at some examples.
Table of Contents
Do Rottweilers Make Good Service Dogs?
The question that brought you here isn’t a difficult one to answer.
Rottweilers can make great service dogs, but people often overlook them for that position.
As we know, these dogs are incredibly intelligent and they have a natural need for training! Did you know that a Rottweiler actually requires dog training? If these dogs’ brains aren’t stimulated enough, they’ll feel bored and they’ll start acting out.
The need for cognitive stimulation is like an itch that they need to scratch. Because of this, they’re great as service dogs, as the most important part of a service dog is obedience.
What Makes Rottweilers Good Service Dogs?
The primary reason for a Rottweiler being a good service dog is because of its intelligence. Interestingly, these dogs are amongst the most intelligent dog breeds. This makes them highly trainable and obedient. Additionally, not only can they make you understand them more easily, but they also understand human behavior and needs in their own way!
This correlates to their intense feelings of affection and protection intensely! Rottweilers are loving dogs and they truly care for their owners. Combining this with their defensive instincts and their intelligence means that they’re a breed that’s definitely going to care about helping their owner! Rotties are also very loyal, which means that they’ll devote their existence to the owner.
Another characteristic that makes Rottweilers great service dogs is their physical status! These dogs are massive, which means that an owner can lean on them (quite literally). This applies to both their height and their weight!
Since they’re so tall, they can learn to open doors, turn switches on and off, as well as many other things that require height! Additionally, because of their weight, a person that needs a strong service dog can lean on their Rottweiler.
These large, strong dogs can definitely be strong leaders!
Why do people overlook Rottweilers when choosing a service dog?
The primary reason people overlook Rottweilers not just as service dogs, but pets in general, is the misconception that they’re aggressive, bully dogs. These dogs aren’t deserving of that title, as they’re actually very calm and don’t react to everything instinctively. Their cool demeanor ensures that they aren’t going to answer to every provocation. Additionally, if you train your Rottie well, they can make an incredibly obedient dog that will follow every command to the word!
Because of this, you shouldn’t hesitate to take a Rottweiler if you’re looking for a service dog. Many people allow unjustified misconceptions to form their opinions, and in the case of the Rottweiler – that’s completely wrong!
If you take a look at the official description of the Rottweiler, AKC (the American Kennel Club) describes the breed as “self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment.”
Training A Rottweiler As Service Dog
Now that we’ve learned that Rottweilers can indeed be service dogs, it’s important to understand that training is crucial if you want to accomplish this. Most trainers recommend that you begin this process by spaying or neutering your dog. The largest number of service dogs have already gone through this, making them less aggressive and territorial.
You can take your dog to a professional dog trainer if you’d like. Professional dog trainers are people who have usually spent a large portion of their professional lives learning how to train a dog to do more or less anything. They’re great at teaching your dog how many things, from basic obedience commands to more difficult tasks. However, you can also train your dog on your own!
Read more about Three Best Training Collars For Rottweilers.
Training your dog yourself
If you’re training your dog on your own, the first thing you should start with should be basic obedience commands. These are the most common commands you’ll use with your dog – sit, heel, stay and fetch. The reason why these commands are important is twofold.
Firstly, they’re very common and you’ll probably be using them a lot of the time. Secondly, they’re not only important as commands but as a way to teach your dog to listen to you.
Later on, it’s going to be important that your dog is actively listening to you and obeying your command!
You’ll be teaching your dog more difficult and more complex commands. Your dog will not learn how to do that if they still haven’t learned the basics!
After teaching your dog the most basic commands, you should teach them to stick close to you and pay attention to you when you’re outside. There are going to be a lot of things drawing your dog’s attention away, so it’s important that they stay focused on you. It’s important for them to have manners in public!
Lastly, you can move on to teaching your dog how to accomplish more difficult tasks. Turning a switch on and off, as well as opening a door, are considered to be more difficult tasks. However, these things can truly change the life of a person in need. Training a service dog can take up to two years, and most trainers start the training process at 8 weeks of age.
Learn more about How to Potty Train a Rottweiler?
To Sum Up
Rottweilers can make great service dogs, especially if you need a large dog to rely on physically. However, they’re often overlooked for that position because of the misconception that they’re aggressive dogs. Rottweilers are very intelligent and very obedient.
Because of this, they require constant training – this is good news for you if you’re looking for a service dog, as these dogs have to be trained from a very young age. You can train these dogs on your own or hire a professional trainer to work with the dog.
