The Rottweiler is a medium to large size dog that is naturally domestic.
The original purpose of Rottweilers was to herd livestock and to pull carts with meat from said livestock.
The need for Rottweilers to herd and haul saw a decline because railways were quicker and more efficient.
In current days, Rottweilers serve roles as guard dogs, and search & rescue dogs as police dogs.
Rottweiler History & Background
The original purpose of Rottweilers was herding livestock.
They can be tracked to a very long time ago because they are believed to be direct descendants of ancient Roman drover dogs.
Rottweilers traveled with Ancient Roman soldiers on their campaign to conquer Europe.
They were brought with soldiers because they herded and guarded cattle.
Rottweilers became popular in modern day Southern Germany after the Roman army marched through the area.
The Southern Germans saw that Rottweilers make great herding dogs, and they stayed in the area for over two centuries.
The breed was eventually named after the town of Rottweil, which is in the Southern German area.
Rottweilers remained primarily as herd dogs for over one thousand years.
Once the railroad became the primary way of hauling livestock, the need for Rottweilers saw a huge decline.
By 1882, the breed nearly became extinct.
However, the breed saw new life as World War I was beginning.
Rottweilers became popular again because there was a new need for police dogs.
They also did serve in the war, as messenger dogs, and guard dogs.
They assumed the same roles in World War II.
Rottweilers and German Shepherds are the most common service dogs.
Rottweilers became an officially registered breed in 1931.
The peak popularity of Rottweilers was in the mid 1990’s.
Today, Rottweilers are the eighth most popular dog breed in the United States.
Rottweiler Physical Characteristics
Rottweilers possess a short double coat that features an outer coat that is coarse, dense, and of medium length.
With their short coat, they don’t do well in extremely cold weather.
Rottweilers shed quite heavily. Their shedding usually takes place during the changing of seasons.
A good brushing during these times will eliminate dead hair from getting everywhere.
Rottweilers don’t have much variety in their colors.
They only feature two different color patterns.
These color patterns are black with tan, and black with mahogany.
Rottweilers are quite large, having a similar stature to that of a Bloodhound.
On average, male Rottweilers have a weight range of 110 pounds to 132 pounds.
Female Rottweilers weigh less than males, weighing anywhere between 77 pounds and 106 pounds.
Male Rottweilers have a height range of 24 inches to 27 inches, females are slightly shorter, with a height range of 22 inches to 25 inches.
Personality
Rottweilers have a quite basic personality, which can be a good thing.
They tend to be very calm until energy is provoked. They need a great name to match their personality.
Rottweilers come off as shy to humans, this is because they don’t make friends immediately like other breeds, such as Alaskan Malamutes and Golden Retrievers.
When they meet an unfamiliar human they tend to sit back and analyze the person to make sure they are not a threat.
However, they are quite friendly once they discover that a specific person is not a threat.
They are like this with strangers because they are very protective of their family.
This makes them one of the best guard dogs one could have.
Male Rottweilers typically make better guard dogs than their female counterparts.
This is because the males are constantly analyzing it’s surroundings, while the female is more laid back.
They are not very hard to train, but the males tend to be more stubborn than the females.
Health
Rottweilers are a relatively healthy dog breed.
They face very few health concerns, whether it be underlying or genetic.
As with any dog, some parts of their body need to be checked for infection frequently.
The normal places to check for infection are ears and teeth.
While checking their teeth, it doesn’t hurt to go on and give them a good cleaning.
The Rottweiler has a below average lifespan compared to other dogs, averaging 8 years to 10 years.
