Key Facts:

Size: Large Height: 58.5 - 68.5 cm (23 - 27 inches) Weight: About 50 kg (110 lb) Life Span: 12 years Grooming: Simple Exercise: Medium - demanding Feeding: Demanding Temperament: Courageous & trainable Country of Origin: Germany AKC Group: Working

Physical Characteristics:

General Appearance: Solid, powerful and protective. Colour: Black with tan markings on the cheeks, muzzle, chest, feet, over the eyes and beneath the tail. Coat: The outer coat is flat, coarse and of medium length. The undercoat is thick and must not show through. Tail: Customarily docked and carried horizontally. Ears: Set high, small, triangular and pendant. Body: The shoulders are long and sloping with a broad chest and well-developed sternum. The ribs are well-sprung and the back is firm and straight. The body is longer in length than in height and the croup is wide and slightly sloping.

Temperament: Highly intelligent, bold, courageous, obedient and protective. Rottweilers are extremely protective and loyal to their families and tend to be one-person dogs. They are dominant in nature and need a confident, fair handler to provide consistent training. If they are raised properly they happily get along with children and people whom are familiar to them. They need early socialization with household pets to prevent difficulties when they are fully grown. They are superb watchdogs and guard dogs and will not let strangers onto the property.

Grooming: The coat of the Rottweiler is relatively easy to maintain. When it's moulting it is best to use a rubber glove to remove the loose hairs rather than a normal brush. To bring out the shine in the coat there are special lotion that can be used. The ear canals need to be kept clean and the claws trimmed short.

Exercise: Rottweilers are reasonably demanding with their exercise needs. They enjoy running freely in the country and retrieving objects. These dogs tend to stick by their owners without running off when being taken for walks. Good activities for Rottweilers to burn energy include running alongside a cycle (once fully grown) and going swimming.

History: These dogs come from the Asian Mastiff family and look like a heavier version of the Dobermann. They were used by the Roman armies for fighting, cattle droving, guarding and as draught animals to carry their goods. When the invading soldiers moved on from the town of Rottweil in southern Germany, some of their dogs were left behind with the locals. The dogs were then used to drive stock to and from the markets and the farmers would tie their money to the dog's collar for safety, as no bandit would take on one of these dogs. At one stage Rottweilers were called Metzgerhund (butcher dog) as their main job was to haul carts for butchers and cattle dealers.

Additional Comments:

Generally it is necessary to be firmer with the dogs than the bitches, as the females tend to have a slightly gentler nature. Rottweiler's are ideal for security work and defence dog training and sports. They are used by the police and army for defence purposes.