The Magnificant Rottweiler

Rottweiler ready to play “Frisbee-catch.”

Breed Overview

Original duties: Guarding, draft, cattle drover. Current duties: Security, herding, carting.

The Rottwiler’s ancestors were probably Roman drover dogs, responsible for driving and guarding herds of cattle as they accompanied Roman troops on long marches. At least one of these marches led to southern Germany, where some of the people and their dogs settled. The breed prospered and became the center of general commerce. The dogs drove and guarded cattle, guarded money earned by the cattle sales, and served as draft animals.

The Rotties continued to grow, and in 1931 arrived in America and obtained AKC registration.

The breed posses natural guard or protection instincts and has the weight and power and will to follow through when challenged by a stranger or another animal.

The Rottie and his Lady

Very trainable. The breed has trained as police and guard dogs with great success. This dog is quite intelligent and willing to learn. Use clicker training and positive reinforcement for excellent results. Dogs love the method and it is very simple to use.

Crate Training

Want to crate train your Rottweiler puppy? It’s easy and if you’re interested, take a look and you’ll see what to do. Crate training your puppy will save many headaches and problems.

Potty Training

Rottweiler puppies are usually easy to house train, potty train, toilet train, housebreak or whatever you want to call it. If you have a puppy, decide if you want to crate or paper potty train it. For the best results, we have a page at Crate vs Paper Potty Training which will help you decide and from there you can get all the information you need to get the job done. Always praise the pup profusely when she goes potty in the RIGHT PLACE so she knows she has done a good thing. Either method will work for this breed.

If you have an older dog, take the dog outside every two hours until she gets the idea which door leads to her potty area. Older dogs catch on to the potty or housebreaking pretty fast once they are shown what to do. Top

Confident, bold, alert, imposing, the Rottie is a popular choice for it’s protection abilities. As befitting its self-assured nature, it tends to be headstrong and stubborn. This dog is reserved, often guarded toward strangers. It may be overly protective if it perceives it’s family is being threatened. This is a powerful breed that needs socialization, consistent training and daily exercise!

Give the Rottweiler strong, tough alpha leadership in training and heavy socialization and the dog will become a wonderful, obedient and loyal protector and companion. If socialized heavily as a puppy and throughout life, the dog will be good with your friends, relatives and children. This is not a breed for first-time pet owners.

If you happen to get a Rottie with a separation anxiety problem, that can be dealt with by investing a few hours of work on your part and some “tough love.”

A Happy Rottie Pup!

Friendly Toward Other Dogs

Yes and No. Rottweiler’s pick and choose their canine friends.

Friendly Toward Other Pets

Yes. Will adapt to other animals in the household if introduced on common ground, or especially if raised with them.

Friendly Toward Strangers

NO. They view strangers as enemies until introduced and gets used to the new person being around.

Playfulness

Somewhat.. A Rottie will roll on her back and bark a few times, or chase and retrieve a ball. They can be more playful than they look, given the chance. As long as there is no threat present, and she is surrounded by family, she can be a lot of fun. I know first hand.

Rottweiler’s show affection mainly by strong loyalty, stretching out at your feet and napping while you read the paper and guarding you everywhere you go.

IF socialized as a pup, the Rottie can do just fine with children. The disposition will not take the nonsense kids dish out. Rottweiler’s are no-nonsense dogs. I HAVE known of several families with kids and Rotties that worked out fine though. There are no hard, fast rules.

Good with Seniors over 65?

Yes, if the senior has a fenced back yard for the Rottweiler to potty in and is well trained. This dog will totally protect the senior and give him/her an alert to any trouble.

Living environment

House with fenced yard, farm. Top

Energy level

Moderate energy. This is not a rambunctious dog. He’d rather take a nap than run around in the park.

One or two long walks daily are needed.

Superb. One of the best of all breeds.

Superb. One of the best of all breeds. They can kill the intruder.

Brush your Rottweiler two or three times a week to get rid of loose fur. This is healthy for the dog and he will enjoy the extra attention too. Top

Book at the left is “Training Your Rottweiler” which says it all.

In the event you decide to go looking for Rottweiler puppies, be SURE to find reputable breeders that really know what they are doing. Be sure the puppy has been VERY well socialized and started in obedience training.
Rottweiler Breeders with puppies for sale.

Rottweiler Rescue

In the event you are seriously considering the adoption of a Rottweiler and are looking for a Rottweiler rescue group or groups in your state, here are several links that might help:
Petfinder – Rottweiler Rescue – (Nationwide)
Adopt A Pet This is an interesting site that may give you some ideas. Remember to check Rottweiler rescue groups locally where you live and also kennels.

This is basically a healthy breed. Don’t let the list below scare you! Your own dog will probably never have ANY of these problems. These are dog illness and medical problems this breed is prone to that have been listed by various veterinarians at different times over the past decade or so and some pertain to puppies and very young dogs that a breeder would deal with.

The information contained herein has been gathered from numerous books by veterinarians and is intended as general information only. Every dog and situation is different. You must see your vet. Our information is for general interest only and not intended to replace the advice provided by your own veterinarian.

Hip dysplasia – Hind end limping, back leg acts lame. Wear and time causes the femur to fit poorly into the pelvic socket with improper rotation causing great pain and difficulty walking. You may notice the dog “hopping”” like a rabbit when running plus hesitating to climb stairs, all due to pain in the hind quarters. The problem actually starts as a very young puppy with an abnormal formation of the hip joint and grows progressively. A vet can locate this with a diagnostics test.