Rottweiler Discussions

Rottweiler

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Here's some Rottweiler info from fellow Dogwebber Alison N:

How did we get a Rottweiler?

There are lots of theories as to how the Rottweiler evolved into being - some true, some not true. Lets look at how the Rottweiler became the stalwart dog we know today.

Why did different dogs breeds come about?

All dog breeds were evolved with a specific task in mind e.g. gundog, herding dog etc. In the past there were no breed ethics as to appearance - the dog had a job to do and that is what he was bred for.

Members of the upper class would own several dogs, each specialising in his own particular task. Members of the lower classes also needed working dogs but could not afford the luxury of several different breeds - so they bred an "all-rounder".

The Rottweiler belongs to the Mastiff type of dog - the description being "large, powerful, short in muzzle and a pronounced stop". Many breeds belong to this sweeping description. The only link the Rottweiler has to the Romans is the breed name. The Rottweiler originates from a German town called Rottweil, so called because of the many houses with red tiles and bricks.

What was the Rottweiler bred for?

There are some people who will insist that the Rottweiler marched with the Roman legions, accompanying them across rough terrain, guarding their masters - a very noble beginning.

There is no doubt that the Romans were accompanied by some Mastiff type dogs - sadly this was not the Rottweiler, there is no evidence to support this. The Rottweiler appeared much later than this time - who do we have to thank for the Rottweiler? The peasant farmer! If we look back at our earlier comment that the lower classes needed an "all-rounder" of a dog. This is exactly the reasons why the farmer bred the Rottweiler. Although he may not have come from noble dog beginnings - he is the finest example of a multi-purpose dog to be found.

Rottweil was a commercial centre and well known for cattle dealing. Dealers would travel for many miles to buy and sell stock at the market - this created the need for a dog that could drive and control cattle, protect the herd from predators and act as a guard for the farmer returning with his profits. These functions were of paramount importance to the peasant farmer but the need for this type of dog was not confined solely to the Rottweil area. All over Europe, dogs were produced to serve similar purposes (e.g. the Pyrenean).

The Rottweiler was commonly known as the "Butchers Dog". Butchers did not have the luxury of meat being delivered prepared so they had to buy cattle "on the hoof" and drive them home to their own abattoir (there is also a gory second element to this - bull baiting was still very popular).

Evolvement of the breed:

Colour was very unimportant to the butcher/farmer and the Rottweiler had a very different coat to the one we see today. His coat would include a good amount of white in spots and patches - many puppies (and some adults) are still seen with a spot of white on the chest. Other colours could be brown or grey - there is evidence that tan markings were always present in the same positions they are today.

The dog you see today roughly emerged about 100 years ago. Their working use went into decline - cattle was no longer moved on the road so the use for the Rottweiler slowly disappeared.

Reproduced from my website: Volsung Rottweilers.
Copyright Volsung Rottweilers

Sheer Stramash
Four year old Rottweiler Male


Copyright Volsung Rottweilers (not to be reproduced without permission)

UK Breed Standard

UK Breed Standard

General Appearance:

Above average size, stalwart dog. Correctly proportioned, compact and powerful form, permitting great strength, manouevrability and endurance.

Proportions and Size:

Dogs height at shoulder between 63 to 69 cms (25 to 27 inches), Bitches between 58 to 63 ½ cms (23 to 25 inches). Height should always be considered in relation to general appearance.

Character & Temperament :

Appearance displays boldness and courage. Self-assured and fearless. Calm gaze should indicate good humour. Good nature, not nervous, aggressive or vicious: courageous, biddable with natural guarding instincts.

Head : Head and skull. Head medium length, skull broad between ears. Forehead moderately arched as seen from side. Occiputal bone well developed but not conspicuous. Cheeks well boned and muscled but not prominent. Skin on head not loose although it may form a moderate wrinkle when attentive. Muzzle fairly deep with topline level and length of muzzle in relation to distance from well defined stop to occiput to be as 2 is to 3. Nose is well developed with proportionately large nostrils, always black.

Eyes : Medium size, almond shaped, dark brown in colour, light eye undesirable, eyelids close fitting.

Ears : Pendant, small in proportion rather than large, set high and wide apart, lying flat and close to cheek.

Mouth : Teeth, strong, complete dentition with scissor bite i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Flews black and firm, falling gradually away towards corners of mouth, which do not protrude excessively.

Neck: Of fair length, strong, round and very muscular. Slightly arched, free from throatiness.

Body :

Back : Straight, strong, tight. Loin is short, strong and deep.

Croup : Broad, medium long, gently sloping, neither flat nor steep.

Chest : Roomy, broad and deep (approximately 50% of the height of the dog at the withers) with a well developed forechest and well arched ribs.

Tail : Docked short so that one or two tail vertebrae remain.

Body : Chest, roomy, broad and depp with well sprung ribs. Depth of brisket will not be more, and not much less than 50% of shoulder height. Back straight, strong and not too long, ratio of shoulder height to length of body should be as 9 to 10. Loins short, strong and deep, flanks not tucked up.

Croup : Of proportionate length and broad, very slightly sloping.

Tail : Normally carried horizontally, but slightly above horizontal when dog is alert. Customarily docked at the first joint, it is strong and not set too low.

Forequarters : Shoulders well laid back, long and sloping, elbows well let down but not loose.

Legs: straight, muscular with plenty of bone and substance. pasterns sloping slightly forward.

Feet : Strong, round and compact with toes well arched. Pads very hard, toe nails short, dark and strong.

Hindquarters: Upper thigh not too short, broad and strongly muscled. Lower tihgh well muscled at top, strong and sinewy below. Stifles fairly well bent. Hocks well angulated without exaggeration, metarsals not completely vertical. strength and soundness of hock highly desirable.

Movement :

Conveys an impresion of supple strength, endurance and purpose. While back remains firm and stable, there is a powerful hindthrust and good stride. First and foremost, movement should be harmonoius, positive and unrestricted.

Coat:

Coat consists of top coat and undercoat. Top coat is of medium length, coarse and flat. Undercoat essential on the neck and thighs, should not show through top coat. Hair maybe a little longer on the back of forelegs and breechings. Long or excessively wavy coat highly undesirable.

Colour :

Black with clearly defined markings as follows : a spot over each eye, on cheeks, as a strip around each side of muzzle, but not on bridge of nose, on throat, two clear triangles of either side of breast bone, on forelegs from carpus downwards to toes, on inside of rear legs from hocks to toes, but not completely eliminating black from back of legs, under tail. Colour of markings from rich tan to mahogany and should not exceed 10 percent of body colour. White marking is highly undesirable. Black pencil markings on toes are desirable. Undercoat is grey, fawn or black.

Faults :

The British kennel Club covers faults by the statement "Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree".

Is a Rottweiler for you....

Why do you want a Rottweiler?

This has to be the first question you ask yourself! Lets look at the structure of a Rottweiler and then you have some questions to ask yourself!

The Rottweiler.

The Rottweiler falls into the Working Dog category.

He is one of the best examples of an all purpose working dog in existence.

The peasant farmer is responsible for the creation of the Rottweiler – he needed a dog who could herd livestock, protect the profits on the way back from the market, be a draught dog and also excellent with the family. Tall order isn’t it but the Rottweiler fits into this description beautifully!

However, it’s vital to remember that the Rottweiler is a WORKING dog – these dogs require much more stimulation than other breeds.

He is an extremely intelligent dog and he is not given to being bullied or pressurised.

You need to train your Rottweiler mentally not with forceful methods – if you try you will be presented with stubborn refusal.

It’s extremely important to keep his mind active, however this is not by taking them for long walks. There are simple games and activities you can do in the garden to keep him happy and stimulated.

So you have an intelligent dog here - are you up to it?

Do you want a Rottweiler for a guard dog?

Do you want a Rottweiler for the image it will give you?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", then don't buy one - a Rottweiler is not for you.

Can you spend time training a Rottweiler?

Do you understand his mental needs?

Have you a calm temperament, authoritive in a quiet way?

If the answer to these questions is "yes", then a Rottweiler could well be the right dog for you.

Dog or Bitch?

Well when choosing a puppy, your first question to ask yourself is dog or bitch? Let’s look at the differences between the two.

Before we go into the differences, we need to look at the most important point – have you chosen a good breeder? A good, knowledgeable breeder will have a good handle on the puppies characters and may well not give you a choice of pup. There is nothing at all wrong in this provided you have been honest with the breeder about your circumstances and what you want to do with your pup. A breeder would give a calmer natured pup for instance to a first time owner or if they had young children, one with a high chase instinct (prey drive) to someone who wants to work their Rottweiler, one with show potential to someone who wants to show. You have to sit down, have a good think about what you want from your Rottweiler and a good breeder will help you with the right dog.

First time owners are nearly always advised to have a bitch because they tend to be more malleable in nature, however this is not always the case! One of my Rottweilers, Elsa (Vormund Witchcraft), was a very dominant bitch and the breeder at the time commented that a male would certainly have been less problematic! This highlights the importance that the breeder plays in assessing your needs and characters. For a new owner, Elsa would have been extremely hard work – a complete contrast to the other Rottweilers I have owned. My first male Kane (Cormiston Hurricane Lad) was a beautiful laid back boy with bags of patience, his sister Cheekie (Cormiston Tee Em Bee) again was of sound temperament but much craftier than Kane – you had to try and be a few steps ahead!

If you already have a dog, the choice is easier for you – your Rottweiler should be the opposite sex to the one you have. Although you can have two or more of the same sex, this can lead to squabbles. I would rather have two squabbling dogs than two squabbling bitches! The males tend to be a little more pragmatic (unless their natures are the same and you can have constant challenges), the bitches hold grudges and once you have two bitches fighting, it’s very difficult to resolve.

If you want to introduce a dog of the same sex, it’s advisable to introduce a puppy rather than an adult as all dogs take to puppies. The other key element is to have a good age gap between dogs of the same sex – two dogs or two bitches of similar ages and you have a good bet that you will get squabbles. However the most important element is character, if you are introducing adults, don’t put two dominant ones together.

Bitches tend to have a stronger pack drive in my experience. Pack drive is the definition of the dogs ability to interact with the pack and the desire to be part of that group. Pack drive is important in training and I think bitches tend to have the edge here.

The bitch tends not to “wander” as much off the lead as the dogs – if you have a dog and a bitch, you will notice that the dog scampers off all over the place where the bitch tends to stick with you more (although this is not a hard and fast rule!).

Bitches have a sharpness and the craftiness element I think! They are much more subtle in the way they do things than the males. They can weigh up situations and pull them to their advantage without you even knowing about it! This case illustrates this nicely - Doris is an 8 year old bitch and Keeper a 4 year old dog. If Keeper decides he wants some attention, he will happily come and throw a toy in your face, give you a good whack with his paws etc. to say “oi – I’m here, give me attention”. Your reaction to this is usually “no!” because he has done it in such an obvious, rough manner! Doris will sit beside you then gradually lean against you and your natural reaction is to pat her – she wants exactly the same as Keeper but has got it through guile! This is a great illustration of the difference in natures.

When running a dog and bitch together, the bitch is usually the boss (very few exceptions to this rule). In dog/wolf packs, although the pack is run by an alpha pair (male and female) the male is more there for “show” due to his larger stature, in the event of threats or problems, it’s the bitch that does the thinking and resolving! This is important to remember when choosing between them.

Dogs are natural clowns! Keeper is a great illustration of this – he acts the fool and thinks he’s just great! Dogs tend to have a more outwardly superior nature of “look at me, I’m just great” and will push his behaviour to show this (bitches tend not to because they are of the opinion, “look I know I’m great and I don’t have to prove it”). Dogs tend to be more popular than bitches because of their looks/presence and the obvious not having to cope with seasons. When you go to dog shows and it comes to judging for best of breed, it's more often that not the dog who takes the BOB, the dog tends to command more presence.

There is no mistaking that a Rottweiler dog is an impressive looking boy and will attract many an admiring glance. However, they tend to be more headstrong and more difficult to train than the bitches (thought again this is not a 100% rule). There is also the obvious height and width difference between the two, the dogs are much bigger.

In conclusion we are back to the most important thing – choosing your breeder. You are responsible for teaching your puppy manners and the social graces but genetics play an important part. If your puppy comes from temperamental stock, you will have a lifelong battle to stay on top as you will be constantly masking the undesirable traits which are in the bloodline.

We cannot stress the important of choosing a good breeder – that’s what we are here for. If you want a good breeder, we will recommend some for you and will help you with your pups ancestors

Alison your rotties look fantastic, i hope when Mia gets older she will look half as good as yours.

this is my 3 year old rottie harley

Awww what a face on him...... :smt049

staffy thats cos he wants a "b" (biscuit)
he has several dif faces for dif things he wants

:smt049

awww rotties are simply gorgeous!

me lurrrrvvs rotties

great pic and great peace of info

I cant get over harley jackie, i keep coming back to see him, and the other beauty rotties !!

thank you gems

i think he is a very handsome rottie but then i,m bias

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/jackiew/dogs26thoct04021.jpg
[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/jackiew/dogsandhouse11thoct04021.jpg[/url]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/jackiew/moredogs9thoct04029.jpg

Awww Jackie - I adore that first piccie of Harley, he is soooo squishable.

Haha that first one Jax is a cracking piccie of Harley

AWWWW stunner!