Rottweiler - Overview and History
Dog Breeds
The Rottweiler, also known as the Rottweil Dog, the Rottweiler Metzerhund, the Butcher’s Dog, the Rott and the Rottie, is a solid, stocky, deep-chested dog with a dependable and willing disposition, great intelligence and an unusually strong guarding instinct.
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Introduction
The Rottweiler, also known as the Rottweil Dog, the Rottweiler Metzerhund, the Butcher’s Dog, the Rott and the Rottie, is a solid, stocky, deep-chested dog with a dependable and willing disposition, great intelligence and an unusually strong guarding instinct. Because of irresponsible breeders and owners who neither raised nor socialized their dogs properly, the Rottweiler has developed an undeserved reputation as a dangerous dog. However, their calmness, confidence and desire to please make them extremely popular for police, therapy, obedience, show, service and guide dog work. They are one of the most popular breeds in America as family and personal companions and when raised with love and kindness are no more dangerous than any other powerful dog breed. The Rottweiler was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1931 and was accepted into the Working Group in 1935.
The mature male Rottweiler stands 24 to 27 inches at the withers and typically weighs between 90 and 130 pounds. Females should be 22 to 25 inches in height and usually weigh around 100 pounds. Their short coat is easy to care for, and regular brushing will help to control shedding. The only acceptable color for this breed is solid black with rust to mahogany markings. His high-set tail is almost always docked extremely short.
History
The exact ancestry of the Rottweiler is not well known. Most historians believe that this breed descends from drover dogs used by the Romans to move livestock many centuries ago. How the Rottie transitioned from a herding dog to the animal so well-known today is probably attributable to the Roman’s desire to conquer all of Europe. Vast armies were needed for this effort, and they had to bring their food sources on the hoof, as they were without the benefit of refrigeration. Herds and flocks required management by dogs of great strength and stamina that were also capable of guarding the soldiers and stock at night. The Roman drover dogs were perfectly suited to these tasks.
Sometime around 700 A.D., a local ruler ordered that a Christian church be built on the site of ancient Roman baths in southwestern Germany. During the excavation, red tiles from Roman villas were discovered, and the site was named “das Rote Wil,” meaning “the red tile”. This site is now called “Rottweil.” It developed into a cultural trade center and hub, and was extensively fortified in the 12th century, which attracted even more commerce. Many cattlemen and butchers settled there, and they needed dogs to help them in their trades. These Roman drover dogs and their descendants worked cattle and drove them to market until well into the 19th century and became known as the Rottweiler Metzgerhund, or the Butcher’s Dog.
With the onset of the industrial revolution in the mid-1800s, cattle-driving by drover dogs became replaced by the railroad, causing a drastic decline in the need for and numbers of the Rottweiler. Not much was written about the breed until 1901, when a combined Rottweiler and Leonberger club was formed. The club created a written standard for the Rottie, addressing both physical type and temperament. During the first part of the 20th century, Rottweilers gained popularity as police dogs. The breed also was used by the German army during the first World War. A number of different breed clubs were founded in Germany after the war, with duplication, dissention and confusion. Eventually, in 1921, the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub (ADRK) was formed. It published its first studbook in 1924 and remains active to this date.
The American Kennel Club admitted the Rottweiler into its Stud Book in 1931. The official standard for the breed was approved in 1935, and the first Rottweiler earned an AKC conformation championship title in 1948. The American Rottweiler Club was formed in 1971 and is the parent club of the breed in the United States. The Kennel Club (England) recognized the breed in 1966.
Health
The average life span of the Rottweiler is 10 to 12 years. Breed health concerns may include allergies, cranial cruciate ligament injury, bloat (gastric dilatation and volvulus), cancer, elbow and hip dysplasia, epilepsy, congenital deafness, entropion, distichiasis, medial canthal pocket syndrome, iris cysts, progressive retinal atrophy, subaortic stenosis, follicular lipidosis, mucocutaneous hypopigmentation (on the lips and nose), parvoviral infection, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, enteritis and enterocolitis, hypothyroidism, osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD), paneosteitis and von Willebrand disease.
Rottweiler
Quick Facts
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Weight: 85-130 lbs
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Height: 22-27 in
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Coat: Short, easy to care for
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Temperament: Courageous, intelligent, loyal
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Lifespan: 10-12 years
Personality
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