10 Essential Rottweiler Dog Supplies & Products: 2024 Guide
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Are you bringing home a Rottweiler and finding yourself lost on where to start with supplies? Obviously, you want to be prepared before you walk in the front door with your new pup, so to help you out, we put together a list of supplies that you will definitely need to get before you bring home a new Rottweiler!
The 10 Essential Rottweiler Dog Supplies
Food and Feeding Supplies
1. High-Quality Food
When you first bring your dog home, they may come with some of the food they were already eating, but you’ll need to be prepared to have your dog on a high-quality diet for the long term. WSAVA-compliant foods are recommended by many vets, and these brands include Hill’s, Eukanuba, Purina, and Royal Canin.
Avoid grain-free foods, since these have been linked to heart disease in dogs, which is already a risk for Rottweilers.1 Rottweilers should be on a diet that is specifically formulated to meet the needs of large-breed dogs, and the diet should be appropriate for their age.
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2. Food and Water Bowls
Your dog needs a bowl to eat out of, and water is a must! Recent science has indicated that using a raised feeder for large breed dogs may actually increase the risk of bloat, not decrease the risk, as previously thought.2 Because of this, it’s best to stick to a regular bowl unless directed by your vet to use an elevated feeder. Your dog should always have access to clean, fresh water, so make sure to keep their water bowl clean and full.
Treats and Toys
3. Training Treats
The trick to training your new dog is finding what items are the highest value to them. For food-motivated dogs, tasty treats are an excellent reward. Training treats are formulated specifically to be low in calories and small in size, allowing you to provide your dog with a lot of treats during training sessions without going overboard on calories or filling them up on treats. It may take some trying to find the highest-value treats for your pup, but once you find it, it will help make training much easier.
4. Toys
Toys are more than just fun for your dog. They come in tons of shapes and sizes, and some support interactive play between the two of you, while others encourage your pup to spend time keeping themselves entertained. They should be suitable for your dog’s size and chewing stage, and anything that your pup seems to be outgrowing should be taken away from them. Toys that are too small pose a major choking and intestinal obstruction risk.
Walking Your Dog
5. Collar and Leash
It’s extremely important that you get your new dog identified with your information as soon as possible. New dogs get lost all the time, and you want to ensure your pup finds their way back home to you. Choosing a high-quality collar and leash will allow you to get a tag on your dog as soon as possible, as well as ensure they aren’t going to snap their lead and run off. If you are bringing home a puppy, then you may need to buy a couple of collars to keep up with the growth rate of your large breed pup.
6. Harness
- Our Pick: Frisco Padded Nylon No Pull Dog Harness
It’s often recommended to not use a collar as the primary leash connection when walking your Rottweiler. This breed is prone to problems with the esophagus and airway, so the pressure put on the neck by a collar can harm your pup. A harness is a good option to avoid putting pressure on your dog’s neck without risking the safety and security of keeping them on a leash when walking.
There are a ton of different types of harnesses on the market, but some canine physiologists recommend avoiding ones that limit the range of motion of the front legs.3
Comfort
7. Crate/Kennel
The tool that is going to give you the best luck with housetraining, help your dog learn to be comfortable when left alone, and give your pup a safe space is a kennel or crate. Keeping your dog in a kennel can keep them safe, especially with a puppy that wants to chew on or eat everything.
When kennel training is done properly, your pup will learn to associate the kennel with being their safe, comfortable space, which will make time in the kennel more enjoyable for the dog.
8. Dog Bed
We all like to be comfortable, and your Rottweiler is no exception! Providing your dog with a comfy bed can make the adjustment to their new home easier, as well as help your dog feel safe and secure. You can provide your dog with clothes or other items that smell like you or other members of the household in their bed to help them adjust to all of you and feel safe with your scent, though you should avoid this if you have a land-shark pup that might chew something up.
Cleaning Up
9. Enzymatic Cleaner
Housetraining a puppy can be a real challenge, and there will certainly be accidents. An enzymatic cleaner is an essential thing to have, especially when housetraining a puppy! Normal cleaners can enhance the smell of urine or simply cover it up, but enzymatic cleaners actually “attack” the source of the bad odor, eliminating the smell completely. This not only keeps your house smelling fresh, but it will also discourage your pup from pottying over and over in the same spot.
Grooming Supplies
10. Dog Shampoo
Keeping your new Rottweiler clean is important to maintaining the health of their skin and coat, and routine nail trims can prevent injury and keep the nails at an appropriate length. Rottweilers may have relatively low grooming needs, but they do shed, so being prepared to keep your dog brushed and clean will help get you ahead of issues like excessive shedding and stinkiness before they get out of control.
A high-quality shampoo that is formulated for use on the sensitive skin of pets is ideal, and shampoos for humans and dish soap should be avoided for use on your dog unless directed by a vet.
Conclusion
It might seem overwhelming to prepare for bringing your new dog home, but if you ensure you have all these necessary supplies, you’ll feel much better. Starting with the basics will help you avoid going overboard with supplies that won’t end up getting used, and it will give you time to get to know your new Rottweiler. This will also give you a chance to figure out their likes and dislikes, allowing you to get the right items for them as time goes on.
Featured Image Credit: Shedara Weinsberg, Shutterstock
