You deserve a great deal of credit for choosing to teach your Rottweiler the basic commands yourself. The process can increase and deepen the bond between you and go quite far in increasing the trust and respect you share. The process may not be as easy as you may have imagined and making rookie mistakes can make it even more difficult.

Prior to jumping in with both feet – or more accurately with all four paws – what follows are a few tips that will give you a good idea of what to avoid when training your Rottweiler. These five key points will put you way ahead of other people in your position.

1. Commit Yourself

If you are not entirely committed to the training process, your Rottweiler is going to know it. A lack of commitment does not mean that you do not care; it simply means that you have let your frustration get the best of you. New trainers will often become frustrated and give up when they don’t see progress quickly enough, so before you allow yourself to become one of these statistics do your homework on Rottweilers so that you have a better understanding of his characteristics. This will help you to better customize your training routine to better suit the Rottweiler psyche.

2. Instability and Irregularity

If your Rottweiler is to be expected to learn then you must provide it with a consistent and regular routine. Follow the same processes in the same order and at the same time of day. Don’t expect too much right away; Your Rottweiler is learning and for that matter so are you! Keep your commands basic, focusing on one at a time. Consistent behavior on your part will teach your Rottweiler to do the same.

3. Negative behavior has to place in training

The entire partnership involved in training your Rottweiler relies on trust and respect that are built over time. At no time should you ever hit, kick or yell at your Rottweiler. These behaviors negatively affect that crucial bond and teach your dog to fear you instead of trusting you. Positive reinforcement in the form of small rewards or even hugs will build your bond much more quickly.

4. Minds only work when they are open

No matter what some experts may say, dogs have personalities that are as varied as your and mine. It took me two years to master Trigonometry while my brother did it in one semester. Likewise, the attention span of your Rottweiler is different from others and you must be prepared to tailor your training plans to best serve both of your needs. Experts, books and videos should serve only as a guide. It is you who best understands your Rottweiler and it is you who needs to decide the training process that will work for it.

5. Stop boring your Rottweiler

Dogs have the same need to be entertained that you do. If you are boring, your dog is going to be bored. While consistent training is necessary and you don’t want to change the routine itself, you can consider changing the location of your Rottweiler’s training sessions from time to time to keep things interesting for both of you. Visit your local park and enjoy some one-on-one play time with a new toy. In no time your Rottweiler will be ready, willing and able to learn and so will you!