This home has several Rottweiler figurines placed haphazardly in a circular bed meant for flowers around a tree. I have walked by this home several times, and they are always there in the same place. Perhaps these homeowners received Rottweiler figurines as gifts and didn’t know what else to do with them, likes Rottweilers so much they had to have much more than one figurine or are using these Rottweiler figurines as a tribute to the Rottweiler gods in hopes that one or more real live Rottweilers will show up at their door. Regardless, there are many people who love having Rottweilers as pets. I thought I read once that on the dog intelligence spectrum, Rottweilers are at the low end, but I could be wrong about that. They have kind eyes and that makes up for a lot. Let’s learn more about them.
According to Wikipedia, the Rottweiler is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, meaning Rottweil butchers’ dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market. This continued until the mid-19th century when railways replaced droving. Although still used to herd stock in many parts of the world, Rottweilers now also are used as search and rescue dogs, guard dogs and police dogs.
History
According to the FCI Standard, the Rottweiler is considered to be one of the oldest dog breeds. Its origin goes back to Roman times. These dogs were kept as herder or driving dogs. They marched over the Alps with the Roman legions, protecting the humans and driving their cattle. In the region of Rottweil, these dogs met and mixed with the native dogs in a natural crossing. The main task of the Rottweiler now became the driving and guarding of the herds of cattle and the defense of their masters and their property. This breed acquired its name from the old free city of Rottweil and was known as the "Rottweil butcher’s dog." The butchers bred this type of dog purely for performance and usefulness. In due course, a first rate watch and driving dog evolved which could also be used as a draught dog.
The buildup to World War I saw a great demand for police dogs, which led to a revival of interest in the Rottweiler. During the First and Second World Wars, Rottweilers saw service in various roles, including as messenger, ambulance, draught and guard dogs.
The Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub, the first Rottweiler club in Germany, was founded on January 13, 1914, and was followed by the creation of the Süddeutscher Rottweiler-Klub on April 27, 1915 and eventually became the International Rottweiler Club or IRK. The DRK counted around 500 Rottweilers and the SDRK 3,000 Rottweilers. The goals of the two clubs were different. The DRK aimed to produce working dogs and did not emphasize the morphology of the Rottweiler.
The various German Rottweiler Clubs amalgamated to form the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub in 1921. This was officially recorded in the register of clubs and associations at the district court of Stuttgart on January 27, 1924. The ADRK is recognized worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.
In 1931, the Rottweiler was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. In 1936, Rottweilers were exhibited in Britain at Crufts, an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom. In 1966, a separate register was opened for the breed. In fact, in the mid-1990s, the popularity of the Rottweiler reached an all-time high, with it being the most registered dog by the American Kennel Club. In 2017, the American Kennel Club ranked the Rottweiler as the eighth-most popular purebred dog in the United States.
Technical description The Fédération Cynologique Internationale gives the following description of the Rottweiler standard: "Rottweiler breeders aim at a dog of abundant strength, black-coated with clearly defined rich tan markings, whose powerful appearance does not lack nobility and which is exceptionally well-suited to being a companion, service, rescue and working dog." This breed is all about balance, endurance, proportionality, intelligence and strength. The various standards in place for the Rottweiler's physical appearance specify these characteristics.
1. Head (eyes)
2. Snout (teeth, tongue)
3. Dewlap (throat, neck skin)
4. Shoulder
5. Elbow
6. Forefeet
7. Highest point of the rump
8. Legs (thighs and hips)
9. Hock
10. Hind feet
11. Withers
12. Stifle
13. Paws
14. Tail
Head
The skull is of medium length, relatively broad between the ears. The forehead line is moderately arched as seen from the side, with the occipital bone well developed without being conspicuous. The stop is relatively strong. Frontal groove not too deep.
The Rottweiler nose is well developed — more broad than round — with relatively large nostrils and always black. The muzzle should appear neither elongated nor shortened in relation to the cranial region. The ratio between the length of the muzzle and the length of the skull is about 1 to 1.5. The nasal bridge is straight, broad at the base and moderately tapered.
The lips are black and close fitting with the corner of the mouth not visible. The gums should be black, or as dark as possible. Both the upper and lower jaws are strong and broad. According to the FCI Standard rottweilers should have strong and complete dentition of 42 teeth with scissor bite, the upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors. The zygomatic arches should be pronounced but not exaggerated.
The eyes should be of medium size, almond-shaped and dark brown in color. The eyelids are close fitting and should not droop. The ears are medium-sized, pendant, triangular, wide apart and set high on the head. With the ears laid forward close to the head, the skull appears to be broadened. The skin on the head is tight-fitting overall. When the dog is alert, the forehead may be slightly wrinkled.
Faults:
Hound-type head. Narrow, light too short, long, coarse or excessively molossoid or mastiff head; excessively broad skull — lack of stop, too little stop or too strong stop. Very deep frontal groove.
Foreface long, pointed or too short muzzle. Any muzzle shorter than 40 percent of the length of the head is too short. Split nose; Roman nose (convex nasal bridge) or dish-faced (concave nasal bridge); acquiline nose, pale or spotted nose (butterfly nose).
Pincer bite. Molars of the underjaw not standing in one line.
Severe Faults:
Too molossoid or mastiff type and heavy general appearance.
Neck
The neck is strong, of fair length, well-muscled, slightly arched, clean, free from throatiness, without excessive dewlap.
Body
The back is straight, strong and firm. The loins are short, strong and deep. The croup is broad, of medium length and slightly rounded, neither flat nor falling away. The chest is roomy, broad and deep — approximately 50% of the shoulder height — with a well-developed forechest and well sprung ribs. The flanks are not tucked up.
Tail The FCI 2018 Standard states:
In natural condition, strong, level in extension of the upper line; while paying attention, when excited or while moving it can be carried upward in a light curve; at ease it may be hanging. While positioned along the leg, the tail reaches approximately to the hocks or is a bit longer.
Historically, the tail was traditionally docked at the first or second joint. However, docking is now banned in most countries, and this is reflected in the FCI Country of Origin Breed Standard.
Although once "preferred" in early Standards, in 2018 the FCI Standard was amended to classify the Natural Bob Tail — aka "Stumpy" — as a "Disqualifying Fault," along with "kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation."
Limbs
When seen from the front, the front legs are straight and not placed close to each other. The forearm, seen from the side, stands straight and vertical. The slope of the shoulder blade is about 45 degrees. The shoulders are well laid back. The upper arm is close fitting to the body. The forearm is strongly developed and muscular. Pasterns are slightly springy, strong but not steep. The front feet are round, tight and well arched, the pads hard, nails are short, black and strong.
When seen from behind, the rear legs are straight and not too close together. When standing free, obtuse angles are formed between the dog's upper thigh and the hip bone, the upper thigh and the lower thigh, and the lower thigh and metatarsal. The upper thigh is moderately long, broad and strongly muscled. The lower thigh is long, strongly and broadly muscled, sinewy. The hocks are sturdy, well-angulated, not steep. The hind feet are slightly longer than the front feet. Toes are strong, arched, as tight as the front feet.
Gait
According to the FCI Standard:
The Rottweiler is a trotting dog. In movement the back remains firm and relatively stable. Movement harmonious, steady full of energy and unrestricted, with good stride.
However, "sluggish action while trotting" is considered a "Severe Fault."
According to the American Kennel Council the traditional gait of a Rottweiler is a trot. Therefore, the Rottweiler is a trotter. Trotting in this breed is by no means a fault and is required. This movement comes naturally to the Rottweiler and should appear as such; any deviation may lead to a disqualification in the show ring. While walking, the Rottweiler's legs, both front and hind, should move in a straightforward and backward manner. As with the straight movement of the legs, the path the Rottweiler moves in should also be straight. The Rottweiler's gait is all about balance and effectiveness as the breed is still used as a herder today.
Coat
The coat consists of an outer coat and an undercoat. The outer coat is of medium length, coarse, dense and flat. The undercoat should be present on the neck and thighs. The undercoat must not show through the outer coat. Rottweilers living in hot climates may have acclimatized and may be missing the undercoat. Rottweiler coats tend to be low maintenance, although they experience heavy shedding before their seasons (females) or seasonally (males). According to American Kennel Club breed standards, a Rottweiler's coat is short and straight. A coat that is long or wavy is considered a flaw to the AKC.
Color and markings
The color and markings of a Rottweiler are very distinctive. According to the FCI Standard, a Rottweiler is always "black with clearly defined markings of a rich tan on the cheeks, muzzle, throat, chest and legs, as well as over both eyes and under the base of the tail."
The American Kennel Club calls for mahogany or rust-colored markings that do not take up more than 10 percent of the dog's body color. All Rottweilers standard to AKC specifications have one mahogany dot above each eye on the inner brow ridge, on the cheeks, one strip on each side of the snout; cheek markings do not cross over the bridge of the nose, the top of the nose should remain black. The markings on the face should move down onto the dog's throat. On the chest, a Rottweiler will have two downward-facing triangular marks. On each front leg, the marks will stretch from the forearm to the toes. On the hind legs, the markings will begin on the inside and move outward onto the stifle, then out onto the hock stretching to the toes as well. AKC standards recognize that the black base color is not completely voided on the rear pasterns. There is a patch of rust or mahogany underneath the tail that resembles a triangle as well. A thin strip of black should be present on each of the Rottweiler's toes.
Size
Technically a "medium / large" breed, according to the FCI standard, the Rottweiler stands 24–27 inches at the withers for males, 22–25 inches for females, and the weight must be between 110 and 132 lbs for males and 77 and 105 lbs for females. Weight must be relative to height.
Temperament In the breed standard published by Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 2018, the Rottweiler's behavior/temperament should be:
The Rottweiler is good-natured, placid in basic disposition, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work. His appearance is natural and rustic, his behavior self-assured, steady and fearless. He reacts to his surroundings with great alertness and at the same time even-tempered.
In the American Kennel Club's "Official Standard of the Rottweiler," the Rottweiler's temperament should be:
a calm, confident and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. A Rottweiler is self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in its environment. It has an inherent desire to protect home and family and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making them especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.
According to the American Rottweiler Club:
For us, Rottweilers are the best breed in the world, but we firmly believe they are not a dog for everyone. Rottweilers require a calm, stable and firm "pack leader" or they will assume that role for you. Puppies AND adults need socialization, exercise and stimulating mental challenges. With these things, you will have a wonderful companion; without them, your Rottweiler may become destructive and out of control.
Rottweilers are a powerful breed with well-developed genetic herding and guarding instincts. Potentially dangerous behavior in Rottweilers usually results from irresponsible ownership, abuse, neglect or lack of socialization and training. However, the exceptional strength of the Rottweiler is an additional risk factor not to be neglected. It is for this reason that breed experts declare that formal training and extensive socialization are essential for all Rottweilers. According to the AKC, Rottweilers love their owners and may behave in a clownish manner toward family and friends, but they are also protective of their territory and do not welcome strangers until properly introduced. Obedience training and socialization are required.
One study published in 2008 found that male Rottweilers have higher confidence, sharpness and defense and play drives than females.
A 2008 study surveying breed club members found that while Rottweilers were average in aggressiveness — bites or bite attempts — toward owners and other dogs, it indicated they tend to be more aggressive than average toward strangers. This aggression appears correlated with watchdog and territorial instincts.
In the “Rottweiler Handbook,” Joan H. Walker states that "The Rottweiler is very territorial," meaning that the owner will have to regularly work with the dog to control its territorial aggressiveness.
Working style According to the American Kennel Club, Rottweilers have a natural gathering style with a strong desire to control. They generally show a loose eye and have a great amount of force while working well off the stock. They make much use of their ability to intimidate. The Rottweiler often carries the head on an even plane with the back or carries the head up but with the neck and shoulders lowered. Some females lower the entire front end slightly when using their eyes. Males also do this when working far off the stock in an open field. This is rarely seen in males when working in confined spaces such as stock yards. The Rottweiler has a reasonably good natural balance, force-barks when necessary, and when working cattle uses a very intimidating charge. There is a natural change in forcefulness when herding sheep. When working cattle, it may use its body and shoulders and for this reason should be used on horned stock with caution. The Rottweiler, when working cattle, searches out the dominant animal and challenges it. Upon proving its control over that animal, it settles back and tends to its work. Some growers have found that Rottweilers are especially suited to move stubborn stock that simply ignore border collies, Australian Kelpies or sheep dogs and others. Rottweilers use their bodies to physically force the stubborn animal to do its bidding if necessary. When working with sheep, the Rottweiler shows a gathering/fetching style and reams directions easily. It drives sheep with ease. In some cases, Rottweilers have begun herding cattle without any experience at all. If worked on the same stock for any length of time, the Rottweiler tends to develop a bond with the stock and will become quite affectionate with them as long as they do as it directs.
Dog sports The Rottweiler is also exceptionally suited for and is commonly used in many dog sports including Agility and Schutzhund. Schutzhund — German for "protection dog" — currently known competitively as IGP and previously as IPO, is a dog sport that tests a dog's tracking, obedience and protection skills, and evaluates if a dog has the appropriate traits and characteristics of a good working dog. Dogs trained in Schutzhund are suitable for a wide variety of working tasks: police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have — or do not have — the character traits required for these demanding jobs such as a strong desire to work, courage, intelligence, trainability, strong bond to the handler, perseverance, protective instinct and a good sense of smell. Schutzhund also tests for physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character and ability of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs. In the photo above, the Rottweiler is guarding the decoy or man. A schutzhund dog must have confidence and self-control.
Health Rottweilers are a relatively healthy, disease-free breed. As with most large breeds, hip dysplasia can be a problem. For this reason, the various Rottweiler breed clubs have had X-ray testing regimens in place for many years. Osteochondritis dissecans, a condition affecting the shoulder joints, can also be a problem due to the breed's rapid growth rate. A reputable breeder will have the hips and elbows of all breeding stock X-rayed and read by a recognized specialist and will have the paperwork to prove it. They will also have certificates that their breeding animals do not have entropion, a medical condition in which the eyelid folds inward, or ectropion, medical condition in which the lower eyelid turns outwards, and that they have full and complete dentition with a scissor bite. As with any breed, hereditary conditions occur in some lines. The Rottweiler is very prone to osteosarcoma, cancerous tumor in a bone, which is among the most common causes of early death in Rottweilers. For unknown reasons, Rottweilers are more susceptible than other breeds to become infected with parvovirus, a highly contagious and deadly disease of puppies and young dogs.
If overfed or under-exercised, Rottweilers are prone to obesity. Some of the consequences of obesity can be very serious, including arthritis, breathing difficulties, diabetes, heart failure, reproductive problems, skin disease, reduced resistance to disease and overheating caused by the thick jacket of fat under the skin. Breed surveys in the U.S., UK and Denmark and UK vet data puts the average lifespan of Rottweilers at 8 to 10 years. As with the vast majority of large-breed dogs, Rottweilers are also predisposed to dilated cardiomyopathy, condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively.
Media portrayal The portrayal of Rottweilers as vicious or malevolently aggressive dogs in several fictional films and TV series, most notably in “The Omen” in 1976, along with sensationalist press coverage, has created a negative image of the breed.
Some films and television shows — such as “Lethal Weapon 3,” the 1998 film “Half-Baked” and the hit HBO show “Enrourage” — have portrayed Rottweilers in a positive light. They are also featured in the children's book series “Good Dog, Carl” by Alexandra Day.
In an event widely reported by the media, a two-year-old UK Rottweiler named Jake owned by Liz Maxted-Bluck was recognized for his bravery by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The dog was out walking with his owner when they heard screams. Jake chased off a man as he molested a woman on Hearsall Commons, Coventry, in July 2009. He located the attacker and his victim in thick scrub, chased off the attacker, led his owner to the scene, then stood guard over the victim until the police arrived. The attacker was convicted of serious sexual assault and jailed for four years. Jake was nominated by police for the bravery award and medallion after the incident. Det. Con Clive Leftwich, from the Coventry police station, said: "From our point of view, Jake the Rottweiler stopped a serious sexual assault from becoming even worse."
Rottweiler intelligence According to Hannah Rose’s article “Rottweiler Intelligence: Are They Really Dumb Like Some People Say” at emborapets.com, according to a study done by Stanley Coren, Rottweilers were ranked as the ninth smartest dog breed. Rottweilers were given this ranking due to their devotion to their assigned job, whatever that may be. According to Psychology Today, there are three different kinds of intelligence in dogs known as instinctive, adaptive and working and obedience. Instinctive Ever since the domestication of dogs, each breed has been trained for a specific task. While the tasks dogs are asked to complete may have changed, their instincts have not. Rottweilers, for example, were bred to be either sheepdogs or police dogs. Today, the Rottweiler breed still exemplifies many of the same characteristics that these tasks required. Since each breed has developed different instincts over the years, comparing each breed’s level of instinctive intelligence would be near to impossible.
Adaptive The adaptive intelligence of your dog is based off what he or she can do or learn for themselves. When your dog is placed in a new environment or is confronted with a new problem, their adaptive intelligence is determined by their ability to adapt or solve the problem.
While the instinctive intelligence of a dog tends to be correlated to their breed and the history of their domestication, a dog’s adaptive intelligence is more personal and varies by each dog. Working and obedience This aspect of intelligence is based on what a dog learns or is based off the instruction of humans. If your dog responds to verbal or hand commands, they would be given a higher working and obedience intelligence. Since dogs were originally domesticated to respond to human instruction in order to complete a task, this form of intelligence may be considered more important than others.
The Rottweiler’s devotion to their assigned job leaves them to feel an extreme pride or happiness in completing their task.
This extreme happiness can sometimes leave them acting a little too excited and often what we consider as “dumb.”
Based off what we know of dogs’ bits of intelligence and the behavior of a Rottweiler, we could agree that Rottweilers have a higher instinctive and working and obedience intelligence.
However, not all Rottweilers are favored with higher adaptive intelligence, and this is what leads people to believe their breed is rather dumb.
So do not worry! Just because you are adopting or raising a Rottweiler does not mean that they will be “dumb.”
How to train your Rottweiler
1. Begin at an early age.
Rottweilers are able to begin learning new commands at any age.
However, by beginning to teach them from an earlier age, your Rottweiler will be more capable of learning new commands later on in life.
When you begin training your Rottweiler puppy, be patient and give plenty of positive reinforcement throughout the process.
Reacting with anger when training your puppy will only result in them fearing your instructions. Since this puppy is meant to be your companion and friend, there should be mutual respect and care for each other.
Be sure that you are reprimanding your Rottweiler puppy immediately after they do something wrong. Dogs have shorter-term memory than people and waiting too long to correct your puppy will only once again result in fear.
2. Potty train immediately.
It can be frustrating and stressful having a puppy running around who is not housebroken.
Avoid this frustration and stress by potty training your Rottweiler puppy immediately.
There are many methods you can use to potty train your puppy. My personal favorite method is kennel training.
The first night you have your puppy home you are excited, and all you want to do is snuggle with them all night long. However, training should not wait until even the second day.
When bedtime comes around, take your Rottweiler puppy outside until they use the bathroom. After you have taken them back inside, put them in a kennel or carrier. They may whine but do not cave in! This is part of the process.
The next morning, the first thing you should do before getting ready for your day is let your puppy out of the kennel and take them outside to use the bathroom.
Why does this method work you may ask? Dogs do not like to use the bathroom in the area where they sleep, so they are sure to hold it all night and then they learn that outside means bathroom.
This method also trains your puppy to not be too active at night!
Another effective method I have used in house-training my dogs is a bell on a rope.
You are going to need a rope toy and a medium-sized bell for this method. Attach the bell to the rope toy and then attach the rope toy to the door handle of the door you want your dog to go outside through.
When your dog sees the rope toy, chances are they are going to try and play with it. The minute you hear the bell ringing you need to open the door and put your puppy outside.
Eventually, your Rottweiler puppy will learn that the sound of the bell means that they can go outside to use the bathroom. The best part about this method is that a dog of ANY age can learn this behavior!
Now while this may sound confusing or you may be thinking that your dog is not smart enough to catch on, I promise that with time this method can be extremely effective.
3. Use hand signals.
As you are potty training your Rottweiler, you will want to begin working on some of the basic commands as well.
While teaching with verbal commands is an effective way to train any animal, hand signals help your Rottweiler to remember commands and to understand what they are being asked to do.
To start training your puppy, begin with the command sit. Many dog owners choose to point straight down for this command’s hand signal.
If your puppy does not respond to the command, hold its collar in one hand and apply slight pressure down on its rear as you say “sit” once more. Once it is sitting, show your Rottweiler puppy the hand signal as you say the command again.
An important command for your Rottweiler puppy to understand is to “come.” If your dog begins to run away, they should be trained enough that when they hear “come” they stop and come back to you.
Start teaching this command with a snap of your fingers and treats in your hand. Your puppy will come to know that coming to the sound of a snap will result in benefits. Eventually, reduce the number of treats you give your puppy for coming until they come without a treat in hand.
Be careful to remember what hand signal you want to use for each command. Confusing hand signals will make it harder for your Rottweiler puppy to understand what to do.
Just be sure you are consistent in the training with your puppy!
4. Do not tolerate biting.
A common habit for puppies of all breeds is biting. However, since Rottweilers often have a negative reputation among others, it is important that your puppy is trained from a young age to not bite.
This is not only for other people’s protection but for your Rottweiler’s as well. Even a well-meaning dog can give off a negative impression to a stranger.
When you first get your Rottweiler puppy, be sure that any time you have plenty of chew toys for them. If your puppy bites you or others be sure to immediately reprimand it.
Each time your puppy bites someone say, “No bite” and tap them on their nose. While this may seem extremely simple, being stern with your words will help your Rottweiler puppy realize its mistake, and it will learn quickly not to do so again.
Remember teaching your Rottweiler puppy not to bite is not only important for others but for your puppy! Be stern with you puppy at a young age when they bite, and there should not be any greater problems as they grow up.
5. Continue teaching commands.
After your puppy has learned the basic commands and has overcome simple behavioral problems, its training should not stop there.
Continue teaching your dog fun tricks or helpful commands. Since Rottweilers become very dedicated to their job, continuing to teach your Rottweiler tricks and commands throughout its life will help him or her to feel a sense of accomplishment.
Some fun tricks your Rottweiler may enjoy learning are to shake, high-five, bow, speak, roll over or even to play dead.
Teach these commands with the same methods you used to teach your Rottweiler puppy the basic commands.
Be firm, consistent, and give positive reinforcement at all times. If you do all these things, training your Rottweiler puppy will be a piece of cake!
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