The Rottweiler: All About This Fantastic Breed

The Rottweiler is a strong, robust and athletic dog, admired by those who know him and feared by those who don’t. Despite the bad publicity received, due to undue training aimed at increasing aggression and due to participation in films such as “The Prophecy”, where he embodied the “dog of the devil”,  a properly trained Rottweiler is kind and affectionate  and can have heart. of an angel. Below we will tell you everything there is to know about this breed.

Where does the Rottweiler come from?

The current Rottweiler is originally from Germany, but its ancestors date back to the Roman Empire, when they  were used as defense dogs and to guard prisoners. When the Romans arrived in Germany, in the Rottweiler region, they crossed their dogs with the local dogs. The result of the cross was known as the “Rottweiler butcher dog” and  were used to help local butchers prepare livestock,  especially with large cows and bulls.

Butchers are said to have kept their money in a bag attached to the Rottweiler’s neck, to protect it from thieves. At that time, Rottweilers were also used to protect property. Over time the abilities of Rottweilers were also trained and exploited for other purposes, such  as assistance dogs and police dogs.

What does the Rottweiler look like?

The Rottweiler is a massive, sturdy, broad-headed, powerful-jawed dog with a scissor-like jaw and triangular dangling ears. The eyes are of medium size and dark brown in color, which suggests his confidence. With its powerful and robust body, and being an athletic and agile dog, it is capable of carrying out the most arduous tasks.

Thanks to its size, it  is capable of landing an adult person without even biting it. Its coat is short, hard, thick and generally black with mahogany colored spots, even if at times, rarely, it can be reddish due to genetic alterations.

Males measure between 61 and 68 cm in height and females between 56 and 63, weighing up to 50 kg in the case of males and 42 in the case of females.

What character does the Rottweiler have?

The Rottweiler is endowed with a  mild and calm temperament. He is attentive, obedient, valiant, confident, reliable and loyal to his people. Therefore it is  easy to train and easily adapts to different dog training styles.

Being a versatile and intelligent breed, it can be trained to protect a family or home, obedience, as a police dog, for therapy, for assistance and even for search and retrieval, even if the latter can be a bit. unseemly: whoever is rescued could get a good fright in seeing him arrive!

They are very flexible and have excellent emotional stability, although they can sometimes react very abruptly if they are not used to society from an early age. For this reason,  obedience training is more of a necessity than a whim for this breed.

How is their health in general?

The Rottweiler is generally a very healthy dog, however this breed has a slight propensity for hip dysplasia and obesity if not exercised regularly. He needs a lot of physical activity and exercise,  but if this happens regularly, he can live in an apartment without any problems.

But what he needs, and a lot, is the company, and a lot! The Rottweiler is not a lonely dog, they need daily games and attention to socialize properly. Otherwise it is easy to take care of and its coat does not need special attention. It is in fact sufficient to take a bath when necessary and comb it regularly.

Being a sturdy dog, a female Rottweiler can give birth to up to 10 puppies at a time. A negative aspect of these animals is that they often snore, so it can disturb the owner’s sleep.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, this dog is often trained to increase aggression and can become violent if not trained properly. This is why  this breed falls into the category of  potentially aggressive dogs. In practice this means that in some countries (for example in Spain), a permit is required to breed a specimen at home and in particular it is necessary to take it for a walk with a muzzle, while in Italy the obligation concerns only public transport and crowded parks. . However, it is necessary to always have the dog on a leash and always have a muzzle at hand.