Can our Rottweiler and Norwich Terrier get along?

 

by Yamato
(Philippines)

I have a 4 month old female rottie named Antonia. She’s really energetic and playful but I seldom take her out for a walk because of my schedule. She’s pretty obedient and follows some basic commands. My problem is that she can’t seem to get along well with our 6 year old Norwich Terrier, Victoria.

I try to let them play so that they can get to know each other but Antonia sometimes gets too rough during play. She tries to push our terrier around and gives her playful bites. Victoria doesn’t seem to be enjoying this and she keeps on snarling at Antonia. I’m trying to teach Antonia a Stop command to keep her actions from getting out of hand but she just ignores me. Can you give any advice as to how I should handle this?

Hi Yamato
Rottweilers are big strong dogs, and they do tend to ‘play rough’, especially as puppies. She’s treating your terrier as a Rottweiler sibling, but of course Victoria is much smaller than a Rottie pup and doesn’t appreciate this too much!

I think that Antonia is probably needing to work off some excess energy because Rottie pups do need a fair bit of exercise in order to stay healthy – both physically and mentally. Even if you work long hours, she needs to be walked at least twice a day and you should add one play session and a minimum of one 10 minute training session to that daily schedule. If it’s impossible for you to walk her twice a day, perhaps you can find a relative, friend, neighbor or petsitter who will be willing to do it for you – perhaps even for a small fee.

Training is very important for Rottweiler puppies, so is socialization, and if possible I’d suggest enrolling her in a dog obedience class where you can both learn to communicate with each other. This is also a good bonding activity and excellent socialization opportunity for Antonia.
I’d recommend taking a look at my Free Puppy Training Tips page for help with basic obedience commands etc.

Raising pups takes patience, consistency, time and effort, and as your pup is only 4 months old she’s still very young. If you’re consistent in your training and corrections, are firm but loving, and only use positive reward-based training, she will learn what you expect from her. Rottweilers are very intelligent and eager to please – I actually think they’re easier to train than many other breeds. It sounds as though you’ve already made a good start with her and just need to stick with it.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with both your dogs.

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone