Rottweiler: Breed Characteristics, Facts and F&Q

Rottweilers, also known as Rotties, are compact canines that are very popular for their smooth black coats which also have rust-colored markings that are very well defined.

These amazing dogs are very powerful, strong canines, but also quite agile for their own size. They are able to jump and run with much ease.

History

Most of us already know that the Roman Empire was a great, well organized force behind the formative years of Western Europe.

What not many probably know is that canine breeding was among a lot of pursuits that was forever altered by the Roman genius practical process of finding solutions to complex problems.

Conquering far-flung areas all over the world needed lots of herds for food. In turn, this needed powerful, tough dogs to guard or move the entire herd.

This way, the Romans “manufactured” a distant ancestor of the Rottweiler of our times from using Asian mastiff types as stock for breeding.

The Roman Empire struggled for a lot of time with the Germanic tribes on its northern borders. The canines brought by the Romans to these regions became the main stock for lots of German breeds.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, these drover canines found different types of work in the town of Rottweil by guarding goods from thieves or moving herds.

This is the place from where they got their original name of Butcher`s Dog of Rottweil or Rottweiler Metzgerhund.

The Rottweiler has been recognized by the AKC in 1931 and they are on the 8^th place for the world`s most popular dog breeds. They don`t have a documented origin, but it`s thought to be descended from the ancient Rome.

Originally, they were “drovers,” meaning their task was to safeguard livestock. At the beginning of the 1900s, this breed was used by the police.

Appearance

The very first thing you`ll notice at Rottweilers is their black coats with tan, rust or mahogany marks. Most of them have black tails.

A Rottweiler is a medium to large size dog with females reaching 22 – 25 inches, while males 24 – 27 inches. Females weigh around 77 – 110 pounds, while males about 110 – 130 pounds.

Every now and then, a “fluffy” pup will make his appearance in a litter. However, that particular coat will get disqualified immediately in the breed ring.

As with all large canine breeds, Rotties can become slow when maturing. Lots of them don`t really get to full size of adulthood until they are 2 – 3 years old. Regardless, adult height gets set most of the time up to 1 year of their age.

With age, these amazing dogs will broaden their massive chests as they become the huge canines are expected to become.

Personality

A Rottie will always be unconditionally loyal to his owner or family. By nature, he`ll also defend anything he feels is his “property,” no matter if we are talking about his family, home or personal space.

This is a well known breed, but as a new dog owner you are dealing with unscrupulous breeders, you won`t get a well-socialized puppy and you can have problems with his personality later.

The real significance of training or socialization from a Rottweiler`s early age can`t be overstressed. This particular breed isn`t really suited to new dog owners.

Temperament

These dogs represent a strong breed with well evolved protecting instincts as well as genetical herding.

Most cases of risky behavior in Rotties are generally the result of lack of training or socialization, abuse, irresponsible owners or neglect. Still, the extraordinary power of this type of canines is an extra factor of risk that shouldn’t be put aside.

This is the main reason why breed professionals state that extensive socialization along with some formal training is vital for this breed.

According to the American Kennel Club, Rotties simply adore their owners. Obviously, this could mean that sometimes they might behave somehow clownish when talking about friends or family due to their native nature.

However, they are also quite protective when it comes to their “personal space” and strangers aren`t really welcomed until these get accordingly introduced.

Intelligence & Trainability

There are few dogs more intelligent than the Rottweiler on this planet. Thus, learning new things and tricks comes easy to this type of dog. On the other hand, the disadvantage here is that a Rottweiler would learn bad things just as fast.

If you want to have a well trained Rottie, you need to handle him with a sympathetic approach but firm at the same time. Your approach needs to be consistent from the first command you give him and throughout his entire life.

They may be highly intelligent, but they do have a dominant side. This may lead to a disaster if dog owners fail to socialize their Rotties from early age or they aren`t taught their place properly since they are puppies.

This is one of those breeds that get very sensitive to the voice of a person and react very fast when receiving a command.

Keeping this into mind, a Rottweiler needs to be trained with a lot of care so he doesn`t get too excited. Such dogs could become unmanageable and somehow disobedient.

Some of the first basic commands a pup of this breed needs to be taught are:

• Stay
• Come
• Down
• Sit
• Leave it
• Quiet
• Bed

Exercise

Rotties enjoy walking, trotting and even swimming, especially with their dog owners or family. This dog breed is so athletic that it needs the chance of physical exercise on a regular basis, daily if possible.

If they are used as working canines, these dogs learn everything they need to do rather easily, regardless if we are talking about obedience, tracking or herding. Practically, there`s no limit whatsoever regarding dog-related activities that a Rottie can`t do.

Play with your Rottweiler every time you get the chance to maintain his exercise level high and avoid any excess weight as this isn`t advisable for any canine breed.

Nutrition

Hopefully, you`ll get your Rottweiler from a reputable dog breeder in which case they`ll put at your disposal a schedule for feeding your new friend.

It`s essential to follow this schedule to the letter (giving him the same food he got previously) in order to avoid upsetting his little stomach.

If unfortunately this should still happen, it`s vital to put the little fella back to his original diet and talk to a veterinarian before trying to make such changes ever again.

Older Rotties aren`t too fussy when it comes to feeding! However, this won`t mean you should feed them poor quality dog food.

A mature Rottweiler has to be fed twice per day – morning and evening. Also, you really have to be certain his food follows all the required nutritional values.

Rottweilers are predisposed to experience bloating, so it`s essential to avoid feeding them one big meal per day instead of two regular meals at the beginning of the day and then again when the day ends.

Also, it`s a great idea to buy a stand where their bowl should be placed, as these are big-sized canines and needs to be comfortable when being fed, without being needed to stretch their necks in order to reach for their food.

Grooming

A Rottie`s outer coat is straight and lies flat, while his undercoat is present on his thighs and neck. He requires baths on a regular basis and brushing every week.

These canines need grooming from time to time and might experience shedding every now and then.

A Rottweiler`s nails has to be trimmed on a weekly basis, while his teeth needs to be brushed regularly as well.

Note: Various grinding tools like Dremel can be quite efficient when trimming his nails.

Health

The average lifespan of a Rottie is around 8 to 10 years, if they are properly fed and taken care of.

It`s very important that dog breeders only make use of “temperament-tested” canines in their own programmes that will lead to their offspring receive their more pleasant natures.

It`s worth mentioning that same as lots of other dog breeds, this kind of “pooch” could experience some hereditary health problems such as:

• Behavioral problems – One of the most common behavioral issues is separation anxiety. Manifestations of this issue include chewing, various destruction forms, vocalization, inadequate urination or defecation.
• Eye problems – This could involve any number of eye-related conditions and health issues, such as conjunctivitis, cherry eye, ectropion, entropion or eyelash issues. The dog owner should look for help at a veterinary clinic right away as eye related issues could get worse quite fast.
• Gastric dilatation – More commonly known as bloating, this condition isn`t entirely understood by vets just yet. No matter how the actual process occurs, this health problem is obviously bad for a canine as his stomach starts distending with gas while putting pressure on his diaphragm, eventually leading to respiratory issues.
• Aortic stenosis – This disease occurs when the aortic valve opening narrows. This is among the most severe valve health issues and among the most common ones. Aortic stenosis might affect the left atrium`s pressure while restricting the left ventricle`s flow of blood.
• Cancer – Sadly, this is quite a common illness in canines. It involves an abnormal cell growth and it might be malignant (spreading throughout the entire body ggressively) or benign (evolving slow, removable). Eventually, one of 4 canines succumbs to this awful disease.
• Osteochondritis dessicans – A medical condition which develops in the canine`s joints. It happens when a tiny bone segment starts separating from its surrounding area as a result of no supply of blood.
• Limber tail syndrome – Also known as caudal myopathy, this muscle disorder in the dog`s tail generally affects working Rotties. This syndrome is also known as broken wag, swimmer`s tail, “happy tail,” cold water tail or broken tail.
• Cruciate ligament rupture – Among the most common ways for a canine to experience this health problem is by turning awkwardly, jumping or twisting. The very first sign when your little friend has damaged a cruciate ligament is most of the time limping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a series of FAQs that we thought are of some kind of value of a future dog owner.

Are Rottweilers Smart?

This breed is considered to be in the top 10 breeds of dogs. So yeah, they are quite intelligent, often more intelligent than their own owners.

Rotties are thinking canines. Dog owners are encouraged to get their Rottweilers the right training to become the great companion that this dog could be.

Are They Stubborn?

Rottweiler lovers like to use the term “willful” instead of stubborn. They both have the same meaning, it`s just sounds nicer.

Rotties are canines that require socialization as well as training. They are usually easily trainable, but you shouldn`t overdo it when it comes to the repetitions as response time might get slower.

And you don`t want a Rottweiler dragging his feet from getting too bored with your commands.

Are Rottweilers Loyal Canines?

These dogs are very devoted and candid when talking about their owners or family. They are well known for being aggressive and rather intimidating as they are native guard canines.

However, Rotties thrive on being around people and receiving attention. The more time these dogs spent around their family, the happier they get.

Can They Friendly?

A Rottweiler is the dog of the people and is very loyal and affectionate to his family. He has a tendency of following his most favourite person from one to room to another, so most of the time is within sight.

They are great dogs when it comes to other dogs, but still, they need supervision all the time. A yard with a fence is a much better idea than a kennel for a Rottweiler.

This also means dog owners should avoid as much as possible to keep their Rotties chained for long periods of time. They don`t do well when it comes to isolation and might develop bad behavior traits.

Because they are social dogs, they need to be around others dogs and people as much as possible. However, they`re “well qualified” when it comes to disastrous behavior, which might be due to anxiety or boredom!

When required, they bark and might sometimes seem reserved when strangers are around. They also show very close attachment to their favourite person or family and because of their intelligence are very sensitive.

Still, lots of companies that deal with liability insurance won`t cover a Rottweiler as he`s considered to be one of the “bad breeds.”

Are Rotties Safe Around Kids?

Well-bred Rotties raised with children will get along just fine with them. However, they need to be trained in understanding between what is and what isn`t acceptable around kids.

Rottweilers own a natural instinct to herd and might “bump” kids in order to herd them. Because they aren`t kind of big dogs, this particular “bump” might lead small children fall down and cause injuries to themselves.

Additionally, some Rotties have a very powerful prey drive and might become too excited when kids run around them and play.

This is also way you should be always in the lookout for your dog when he is around your child or any other kids.

Overall

If you considered yourself a person with a well defined personality and a strong will, then you probably should consider owning a Rottie. Because once you owned a Rottweiler, you won`t ever go back on your decision.