When you decided to get a rottweiler, you got many comments and pressure from the people you know. Even random strangers feel comfortable to comment on your choice of breed, saying you made the wrong decision. In your heart, you know that rottweilers are the perfect dogs for students.
Despite the stigma and rottie racism, you realized that your dog is adorable, loving, and obeying. There are several reasons that make rottweilers the perfect choice for a student:
- They don’t bark a lot, and they won’t make much noise in your apartment. They will not disturb your neighbors by howling (Siberian huskies, we’re looking at you).
- As long as they get their daily exercise, rottweilers are surprisingly calm and serene. You can study for hours and they won’t beg for your attention when you want some peace and quiet. Yes; they can be stubborn. However, these are really smart dogs that are easy to train. They will become calmer and calmer as you keep working with them.
- Rottweilers are strong dogs. They are very physical, so they need a lot of exercise. These dogs will inspire you to get up early in the morning and get active with them. Let’s face it: that’s exactly what many students need.
Most important of all, rotties aren’t picky about their food. They love food and snacks, so you won’t have to go from one brand to another until you find something they like. Does that mean you can feed them anything? No! That’s exactly what we’ll talk about today.
Rottweilers and Their Eating Habits
The dogs of this breed love to eat. It’s a fact. They will work you to get more treats whenever they get a chance for it. If they see you eating, they will beg for some of your food. They will make you feel guilty for not sharing.
Your dog just had a nice morning meal? By the time you get to eat your breakfast, she will convince you she’s starving.
This may be a problem for owners who can’t set some limits. You have to know that no matter how much rotties beg for food, the owner needs to do what’s right for them. Obese dogs are a real problem. This breed is prone to hypothyroidism, which may contribute to more hunger and more weight gain.
When they get overweight, dogs become unenthusiastic and lethargic. Their quality of life is greatly impaired. Moreover, obesity predisposes dogs to serious conditions, such as arthritis, liver disease, heart disease, and diabetes.
If rotties are getting too much food and aren’t getting the right type of food, they can gain a lot of weight. They love to get active, so it won’t be a problem for you to keep them in shape. But you have to keep the feeding within limits, too.
Be Mindful of the Proteins
To stay healthy and vibrant, rottweilers need 22% – 26% protein in their diet.
If you’re buying kibble, you should pay attention to the percentage of protein in it. It should be listed at the very start of the ingredients. Search for high-quality proteins from a variety of sources, including lamb, turkey, chicken, herring, and beef.
Our advice to dog owners is to get premium kibble; not cheap food with massive amounts of preservatives, sodium, sugar, and ethoxyquin. Cheap kibble contains little protein obtained from low-quality resources. In addition, it is full of wheat and corn, which will affect the dog’s ability to digest the food.
The food you get should be complete and nutritionally balanced. Royal Canin Rottweiler Adult Dry Dog Food is among the best foods for rottweilers. It contains chicken, chicken fat, and brown rice as the top three ingredients. The puppy version of the same food contains a lot of added wheat gluten, so it may not be the perfect option.
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Dry Dog Food is another great choice. Its main ingredients are buffalo meat, lamb meal, chicken meal, peas, and sweet potatoes. It also contains balanced levels of vitamins and minerals, which are just as important as protein. Let’s talk more about that aspect of a rottie’s diet.
What about Vitamins and Minerals in Rottweiler Food?
Yes; you can get multivitamins for your dog, and the vet will probably recommend some. However, it’s important for rotties to get these nutrients from their food, too. Vitamins and minerals play a critical role in their development:
- B12 maintains the function of their nervous system
- Vitamin K is important for preventing blood clots
- Vitamins E and C and excellent antioxidants
- Vitamins A and D are essential for the rottie’s immune system
- Calcium and phosphorus are essential for bone development
- Iron is important, as it carries oxygen throughout the body
- Potassium regulates the balance of fluids in the system
- Magnesium is important for the dog’s nervous system
- Zing is essential for successful wound healing
Does that sound complicated? It’s an entire science. Too little of a certain nutrient can cause serious trouble. However, you mustn’t exaggerate. In extreme levels, some nutrients can be toxic to your dog. This is an issue that deserves some research. As a student, you may not have enough time for it. You’re engaged in studying, writing, and life in general. You already order an essay or research paper at EduBirdie when you need help with academic writing, so why not rely on the same experts when you need a research project for your rottweiler? You will get specific guidelines for proper levels of all food nutrients, based on your dog’s breed, age, weight, and physical activity.
Fat Is Important, Too
Your dog doesn’t need high levels of carbs in their diet. People get most of their energy from carbohydrates, but dogs are different. They get it from fat supplies. Fats have many more calories than carbs and proteins, so they should be present with 12% in their diet.
Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids are important for vitamin absorption. The body needs fat to process vitamins A, D, E, and K. In addition, fat helps your dog’s body to maintain a proper temperature. It’s important to increase their levels in the rottie’s diet over winter.
This doesn’t mean you should go overboard with fats in your pet’s feeding routine. Too much of it can cause gastrointestinal issues or pancreatitis. Avoid feeding your dog fatty scraps from your meat. Coconut oil is not good for them; it doesn’t provide essential fatty acids. As for peanut butter, it’s a lovely treat as long as you provide it in moderation.
Is Raw Food a Good Option for Rottweiler?
Raw food is a good option for most breeds, especially large and active ones like rotties. You’ll easily recognize the benefits as soon as you start with it: smaller stool, higher energy levels, cleaner teeth, healthier skin, fewer allergies, and shinier coat.
There are some risks you should consider. If you get low-quality food or you don’t store it well, bacteria will grow on it. It may cause food poisoning. Another risk is feeding your dog an unbalanced diet. For students, it’s easier to get kibble with all the right nutrients in it. When you feed your rottie a raw diet, you’ll have to be mindful of all meals you prepare. You’ll have to make them versatile, so you’ll include proper levels of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.
A raw dog diet also includes bones, which may be a choking hazard.
Still, the benefits overweigh the risks. Proponents of raw feeding claim that this is the right way to feed dogs, since it’s in their nature to eat unprocessed meat. Owners who switched to this type of diet claim they’ve seen serious problems such as dysplasia, reproduction issues, allergies, joint and skin issues improve over time.
In general, a raw dog diet consists of the following ingredients:
- Meat, mostly from muscle and usually still on the bone (that’s important for boosting the levels of calcium in the diet). Rottweilers love raw beef, chicken, turkey, bison, pork, and lamb.
- Whole or ground bones
- Raw eggs
- Organ meats – these are the multivitamins. You shouldn’t go overboard; they should consist of 10% – 30% of the diet (if you only feed liver, keep the organ meat to 10%). Liver is too high in vitamin A, which can be dangerous when overdosed.
- Yogurt
- Fruit (apples are the best choice)
- Celery, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and other vegetables that your dog may like
You have to source your meat from a verified provider. Otherwise, you risk giving unsafe food to your dog. Butchers often give discounts when you buy more, so stock up if you can freeze all that meat. You can also rely on special raw dog food delivery services. You’ll get pre-packed balanced meals, so you won’t have to do much thinking and calculating.
How Much Should a Rottweiler Eat?
This is a complex question. The answer depends on your dog’s weight, activity level, age, and type of diet.
If your rottie is just a puppy, you’ll have to do some experimenting. Start offering a small cup of kibble 3-4 times a day. If the doggie eats it right away, you can increase the serving size to a full cup. But if you see that the puppy leaves some of the kibble in the bowl, decrease the number of meals to three instead of four per day.
Speaking of kibble for puppies, many vets advise feeding Rottweilers with adult food. Puppy food boosts their growth, which can be a problem if it’s too rapid (it causes joint problems).
After four months of age, you can cut the number of meals to three or two per day. This is the time when you’ll help the dog develop healthy eating habits. They will ask for more treats, and they will beg you to share your food. Rotties love to eat, but you should have a stronger character than them. Don’t make your dog prone to obesity!
After eighteen months, your dog is an adult. She may be nearing (or exceeding) 100 pounds. Their muscles demand proper fuel in the right dose. Full-grown rottweilers can have 2-3 meals per day. Most owners find it more convenient to feed their pets two times per day. As a student, you may find that approach more suitable for your schedule, too.
The complete dose of kibble to feed at this age is 7-9 cups per day. When you combine it with snacks, it shouldn’t go over 2500 calories a day for an active dog. If your rottweiler isn’t too active, keep the daily calorie count to 2100.
What Snacks Should You Introduce?
Be honest: would you fully deprive yourself of snacks and live on two meals per day? Dogs like treats as much as we do. But you have to keep them healthy! We’re not talking about Cheetos, or God-forbid Oreos. Dogs shouldn’t eat snacks for humans.
Here are a few ideas:
- Boiled egg (or raw egg if you feed your dog a raw diet)
- Carrots
- Apples
- Broccoli
- Peanut butter
- Banana
- Blueberries
Help Your Dog to Develop Healthy Eating Habits
Rotties are extremely intelligent and obedient dogs. You can teach them tricks, but there’s one trick that comes naturally to them: they know how to make you give them more food. They have this idea in their heads that they must eat from sunrise to sunset; otherwise the world would come to an end.
One myth that most owners believe is that rottweilers have to eat a lot if we want them to grow large. That’s not true. We have to control their diet, provide the right nutrients, and keep the doses moderate to prevent obesity. Don’t worry. You still have a happy dog if you don’t share your pizza with him every day!
BIO: James Collins loves his rottweiler more than anything. She saved him from a deep state of depression. As a blogger, James does research and shares tips with dog owners.
