Rottweiler

Rottweilers are getting bad raps. The media is filled with headlines of dog attacks and most of them are apparently by Rottweiler dogs. Many of these stories quote statistics by the Center for Disease Control. However, the aforementioned statistical numbers are dated, the earliest of which was done way back in 1998. Today, both Rottweiler breeders and owners alike have learned that the problem is not the breed itself but how these dogs are trained.

Rottweiler – The Breed

A large and powerful breed, it is easy to understand why people would believe Rottweilers are capable of horrid media-reported attacks on humans.

The Rottweiler male stands at 61-68 cm at the withers and females at 56-63 cm. A typical adult would weigh somewhere between 42-50 kg. They are robust dogs, built powerfully with massive muscular bodies and strong legs.

The coat is always black with markings (tan or mahogany) on the muzzle, cheeks, chest, legs and eyebrows. On the chest are two distinct upside-down triangular markings. The eyes are dark brown, exuding an expression that is intelligent yet fearless, calm yet alert. The ears are small and lie flat to the side of the head.

Temperament

Like all puppies, Rottweiler puppies are highly energetic. As they grow older, the breed remains active but, if trained properly, would appear more controlled. Their character as dominant dogs may be the reason why ill-trained Rottweilers attack humans. It has been found that when socialized properly and trained well, the breed is extremely reliable and is a loving companion animal.

But note that despite socialization training, the Rottweiler dog is inherently aloof. They are not as friendly as Labrador Retrievers or other equally large, gentle breeds. Instead, they are reserved, especially when thrust into a new situation.

They have natural guarding instincts which could easily turn into territorial tendencies if not properly channeled. You should not cage a Rottweiler or fence it in or place it in an area where it receives little interaction from people. These are believed to be the main causes of a Rottweiler’s destructive behavior and must be avoided at all times.

Origin

Rottweiler dogs were developed from a Mastiff-type of dog bred to fight lions in Roman ampitheaters. They were called Molossus, and later on, were made to serve in the army during the Roman campaigns for expansion. At this point, their work consisted of driving and protecting cattle that were the army’s primary source of food.

In the first century, the Romans came to southern Germany, after first crossing the Alps. There they established the town of Arae Flaviae, which became its cultural and administrative center. Most of the important buildings in the town sported red-tiled roofs or “Rottweil” in German.

The villagers used the dogs that were brought the Romans as herders of cattle brought to the butcher for sale. In addition, they were also used to guard them as they make their way home with their purses full of their day’s earnings. Eventually, these dogs crossbred with other dogs in the village, creating smaller herding type of Rottweilers that are popular today.

What Dog Owners Should Know

A Rottweiler is not a dog for everybody. Therefore, if you have no experience dealing with dogs that have a strong nature such as the Rottweiler, then you better start looking for a different breed. Unless you are willing to spend lots of time and money training the dog, you should forget about owning a Rottweiler.

There are far too many bad owners of Rottweilers who handed their dogs to shelters and rescue groups after the dog has done some damage or suffered some damage simply because they were not prepared for the kind of responsibility that comes with owning this wonderful breed.