Rottweiler Dog

The Rottweiler is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world.  Rottweilers are best known for their beauty, loyalty, and fearless disposition.  For centuries, Rottweilers have won the hearts of dog lovers. Whether you want to adopt a Rottweiler or simply want to learn more about this intelligent breed, you can easily learn an overview of their history, traits and behavior, care needs, and much more in this all-inclusive blog.

Origin and History
 

The beginnings of the Rottweiler breed can be traced back to the ancient times of the Roman Empire. These dogs are forerunners of a type of mastiff drover types used by the Romans to drive cattle, guard soldier quarters, and pull carts laden with supplies. When the legions traveled to the town of Rottweil in Germany, the dogs developed into what we know as the Rottweiler today.

The tough, intelligent dogs were used by butchers in Rottweil to protect and drive livestock, as well as to pull their heavy butcher wagons. It wasn't long before they started to be called the "Rottweil Butcher’s Dogs." Unlike the butcher description, their versatility as a working dog was well known, so it began spreading from towns into cities. Rottweilers have a broad reach into being a family dog, police dog, search-and-rescue dog, and even a therapy dog.

Temperament and Personality
 

Rather than the aggressive stereotype, and provided they receive a solid training and socialization, Rottweilers are very caring, loyal and extremely protective to their families.
 

• Loyal and Protective: Rottweilers are trained to guard and possess a solid guarding instinct. Rottweilers are protective by nature of their home and the people they love; they make very good watchdogs.
• Intelligent: Rottweilers are intelligent and quick learners, making them successful in obedience training and advanced work.
• Calm and Confident: A well-trained Rottweiler can be calm, poised, stable and mellow. They are gentle with young children when being supervised alone and are patient with family members.
• Social: Rottweilers bond with their whole family, however, early on, they need to be socialized in order to remain friendly and mannered around strangers and other animal friends.

Training and Socialization

Training a Rottweiler needs consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement. Rottweilers are intelligent and want to please, which means they will fit well into a structured training session. However, they are also strong-willed dogs, which means that a confident handler is necessary.

• Start Early: Obedience training/socialization should begin in puppyhood. Get them acclimated to various folks, pets, and environments.
• Positive Methods: The most successful method of training is using rewards and treats (and praise). Avoid harsh training methods, as this leads to fear-based behaviors.
• Mental Stimulation: While Rottweilers will thrive when they are given tasks and challenges, there are lots of good toys to keep them entertained. Puzzle toys, agility courses, and obedience exercises- anything that uses their mental skills.

Diet and Nutrition

It's important to provide a balanced diet for Rottweilers for their continued growth and good health.
 

• Quality Protein: It is good to provide a high quality dog food with meat, fish, or poultry as their main ingredient to maintain their muscular physique and build.

• Portion Control: Because the Rottweiler is a large breed dog, one should be conscientious of the number of calories that the Rottweiler is getting to ensure it isn't being over-fed.

• Fresh Water: It's important that your Rottweiler has reasonable access to clean, fresh water at all times.

• Consult with Your Vet: Your vet can provide further dietary advice, relative to your Rottweiler's age, exercise level and other medical needs.
 

Grooming and Health Care

Rottweilers have a short coat but that doesn’t mean they require no grooming and maintenance. 

• Brushing: it’s good practice to brush their coat once a week to help their coat stay clean and healthy. 

• Bathing: bathe them as needed. Bathing a dog too often can dry out their skin. 

• Dental Care: you should brush their teeth a few times a week, at minimum, in order to help prevent tartar. 

• Nail care: you need to trim their nails on a regular basis so they don’t have discomfort because of too-long nails. 

• Visits to the Vet: Rottweilers are generally a healthy breed but can potentially have some conditions such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia (both are genetic conditions, responsible breeders will do testing for) and lesions on the heart. The most important for your Rottweiler is to have routine vet visits, on time vaccinations.
 

Living With a Rottweiler

Rottweilers can adapt to different living situations as long as their requirements can be met. They do best in larger homes and families with the time and commitment to train and exercise them. If you do have small children, then you should always supervise interaction with them, especially when the dog is young or new to your household.