Dog Breed Guide

Rottweiler

Profile

Size

Large

Country of origin

Germany

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Herding, Watchdog, Police dog

Height

male 61 - 68cm (24 - 27in), female 56 - 63cm (22 - 25in)

Weight

male about 50kg (110lb), female about 42kg (93lb)

Life span

9 - 10 years

A muscular, powerful dog with a black body and crisp rust (tan) markings on the brows, cheeks, chest and legs. The coat is short and coarse, and despite its solid build it moves with power and endurance.

The Rottweiler is gentle and loving with its family, calm enough even to be a playmate for children. At the same time it is strongly protective of home and family and does not warm to strangers easily. It is intelligent and learns quickly, but it has a mind of its own, so consistent training from an experienced owner is needed.

It is extremely strong, so teach it to walk without pulling and socialize it well from puppyhood. It needs a lot of exercise and gains weight easily, so weight control is important. Hip dysplasia and heart disease are concerns.

Good to know

The name comes from Rottweil, an old town in southern Germany. Rottweil prospered as a market town for the livestock trade, and the Rottweiler worked there as "the butcher's dog of Rottweil," driving cattle to market, pulling butchers' carts and guarding its master on the way home.

It is said that butchers tied their purses, full of money from selling cattle, around their Rottweilers' necks for the trip home so they would not be robbed. No thief dared go after a purse guarded by such a formidable dog.

Its ancestors are sometimes said to be herding dogs brought over the Alps by the ancient Roman army, but this remains a legend. When railroads spread in the 19th century and cattle drives disappeared, its numbers plunged, but its intelligence and loyalty won it new respect, and in 1910 it was officially recognized as a police dog in Germany.