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The Rottweiler (, , ) is a Dog breed of domestic mastiff type dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, meaning Rottweil ' dogs, because their main use was to herding dog livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market. This continued until the mid-19th century when replaced droving. Although still used to herd stock in many parts of the world, Rottweilers are now also used as search and rescue dogs, , and .Adolf Pienkoss, The Rottweiler, 3rd ed., Borken, Germany: Internationale Föderation der Rottweilerfreunde, 2008.
The buildup to World War I saw a great demand for , which led to a revival of interest in the Rottweiler. During the First and Second World Wars, Rottweilers saw service in various roles, including as messenger, ambulance, draught, and guard dogs.
The Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub (DRK, German Rottweiler Club), the first Rottweiler club in Germany, was founded on 13 January 1914, and followed by the creation of the Süddeutscher Rottweiler-Klub (SDRK, South German Rottweiler Club) on 27 April 1915 and eventually became the IRK (International Rottweiler Club). The DRK counted around 500 Rottweilers, and the SDRK 3,000 Rottweilers. The goals of the two clubs were different. The DRK aimed to produce working dogs and did not emphasise the morphology of the Rottweiler.
The various German Rottweiler Clubs amalgamated to form the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub (ADRK, General German Rottweiler Club) in 1921. This was officially recorded in the register of clubs and associations at the district court of Stuttgart on 27 January 1924. The ADRK is recognised worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.
In 1931, the Rottweiler was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club. "Get to Know the Rottweiler", 'The American Kennel Club', Retrieved 29 May 2014 In 1936, Rottweilers were exhibited in Britain at Crufts. In 1966, a separate register was opened for the breed. In fact, in the mid-1990s, the popularity of the Rottweiler reached an all-time high, as it was the most registered dog by the American Kennel Club. In 2017, the American Kennel Club ranked the Rottweiler as the eighth-most popular purebred dog in the United States.
The Rottweiler nose is well developed, more broad than round, with relatively large nostrils and always black. The muzzle should appear neither elongated nor shortened in relation to the cranial region. The ratio between the length of the muzzle and the length of the skull is about 1 to 1.5. The nasal bridge is straight, broad at the base and moderately tapered.
The lips are black and close fitting with the corner of the mouth not visible. The gums should be black, or as dark as possible. Both the upper and lower jaws are strong and broad. According to the FCI Standard Rottweilers should have strong and complete dentition (42 teeth) with scissor bite, the upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors. The zygomatic arches should be pronounced (but not exaggerated).
Upper and lower jaw strong and broad. Strong, complete dentition (42 teeth) with scissor bite, the upper incisors overlapping the lower incisors. The eyes should be of medium size, almond-shaped and dark brown in colour. The eyelids are close fitting and should not droop. The ears are medium-sized, pendant, triangular, wide apart, and set high on the head. With the ears laid forward close to the head, the skull appears to be broadened. The skin on the head is tight fitting overall. When the dog is alert, the forehead may be slightly wrinkled.
Faults: Hound-type head. Narrow, light too short, long, coarse or excessively molossoid head; excessively broad skull, (lack of stop, too little stop or too strong stop). Very deep frontal groove. Foreface long, pointed or too short muzzle (any muzzle shorter than 40 percent of the length of the head is too short). split nose; Roman nose (convex nasal bridge) or dish-faced (concave nasal bridge); aquiline nose, pale or spotted nose (butterfly nose). Pincer bite. Molars of the underjaw not standing in one line.
Severe Faults: Too molossoid type and heavy general appearance.
Historically the tail was traditionally docked at the first or second joint. However, docking is now banned in most countries and this is reflected in the FCI Country of Origin Breed Standard.
Although once "preferred" in early Standards, in 2018 the FCI Standard was amended to classify the Natural Bob Tail (aka "Stumpy") as a "Disqualifying Fault" along with "kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation".
When seen from behind, the rear legs are straight and not too close together. When standing free, obtuse angles are formed between the dog's upper thigh and the hip bone, the upper thigh and the lower thigh, and the lower thigh and metatarsal. The upper thigh is moderately long, broad and strongly muscled. The lower thigh is long, strongly and broadly muscled, sinewy. The hocks are sturdy, well-angulated, not steep. The hind feet are slightly longer than the front feet. Toes are strong, arched, as tight as the front feet.
According to the American Kennel Council the traditional gait of a Rottweiler is a trot. Therefore, the Rottweiler is a trotter. Trotting in this breed is by no means a fault and is required. This movement comes naturally to the Rottweiler and should appear as such; any deviation may lead to a disqualification in the show ring. While walking, the Rottweiler's legs, both front and hind, should move in a straight forward and backward manner. As with the straight movement of the legs, the path the Rottweiler moves in should also be straight. The Rottweiler's gait is all about balance and effectiveness as the breed is still used as a herder today.
The American Kennel Club calls for mahogany or rust-colored markings that do not take up more than ten percent of the dog's body color. All Rottweilers standard to AKC specifications have one mahogany dot above each eye on the inner brow ridge, on the cheeks, one strip on each side of the snout; cheek markings do not cross over the bridge of the nose, the top of the nose should remain black. The markings on the face should move down onto the dog's throat. On the chest, a Rottweiler will have two downward-facing triangular marks. On each front leg, the marks will stretch from the forearm to the toes. On the hind legs, the markings will begin on the inside and move outward onto the stifle, then out onto the hock stretching to the toes as well. AKC standards recognize that the black base color is not completely voided on the rear pasterns. There is a patch of rust or mahogany underneath the tail that resembles a triangle as well. A thin strip of black should be present on each of the Rottweiler's toes.
A 2008 study surveying breed club members found that while Rottweilers were average in aggressiveness (bites or bite attempts) towards owners and other dogs, it indicated they tend to be more aggressive than average toward strangers. This aggression appears correlated with watchdog and territorial instincts.
In the Rottweiler Handbook, Joan H. Walker states that "The Rottweiler is very territorial", meaning that the owner will have to regularly work with the dog to control its territorial aggressiveness.
The Rottweiler often carries the head on an even plane with the back, or carries the head up but with the neck and shoulders lowered. Some females lower the entire front end slightly when using their eyes. Males also do this when working far off the stock in an open field. This is rarely seen in males when working in confined spaces such as stock yards.
The Rottweiler has a reasonably good natural balance, force-barks when necessary, and when working cattle uses a very intimidating charge. There is a natural change in forcefulness when herding sheep. When working cattle, it may use its body and shoulders and for this reason should be used on horned stock with caution.
The Rottweiler, when working cattle, searches out the dominant animal and challenges it. Upon proving its control over that animal it settles back and tends to its work.
Some growers have found that Rottweilers are especially suited to move stubborn stock that simply ignore , Kelpies, and others. Rottweilers use their bodies to physically force the stubborn animal to do its bidding if necessary.
When working with sheep, the Rottweiler shows a gathering/fetching style and reams directions easily. It drives sheep with ease.
If worked on the same stock for any length of time, the Rottweiler tends to develop a bond with the stock and will become quite affectionate with them as long as they do as it directs."Breed Feature: Bernese Mountain Dogs, Leonbergers & Rottweilers", National Dog – The Ringleader Way, vol. 12, nos. 1&2 (Jan/Feb 2009), p. 12.
The Rottweiler is also exceptionally suited for and is commonly used in many dog sports including Agility and Schutzhund.
The Rottweiler is prone to several skin conditions these include: acral lick dermatitis, calcinosis cutis, lupus, malignant histiocytic sarcoma, histiocytosis, vasculopathy, and vitiligo. (2016). 9780323376518, Saunders. ISBN 9780323376518 Follicular lipidosis is a skin condition found in red point dogs such as the Rottweiler. (2011). 9780813815961, Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9780813815961
An American study reviewing over a million cases presented to 27 veterinary teaching hospitals in North America found the Rottweiler to be prediposed to canine hip dysplasia, with 10.53% of dogs having the condition compared to 3.52% overall. This same study found the Rottweiler to also have the second highest prevalence of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency (CCLD) with 8.29% of dogs having the condition compared to an overall rate of 2.55%. For dogs diagnosed with both conditions the Rottweiler once again had the second highest prevalence with 1.34% having both hip dysplasia and CCLD compared to 0.3% overall. Another American study of over a million and a quarter of a million hip and elbow evaluation records in dogs over the age of 2 years found a prevalence of 20.1% for hip dysplasia and 38.1% for elbow dysplasia, the second highest in the study.
One study found the Rottweiler to be prediposed to gastric dilatation volvulus. However another study did not find a predisposition.
Some films and television shows, such as Lethal Weapon 3, the 1998 film Half Baked, and the hit HBO show Entourage, have portrayed Rottweilers in a positive light. They are also featured in the children's book series Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day.
In an event widely reported by the media, a two-year-old UK Rottweiler named Jake owned by Liz Maxted-Bluck was recognised for his bravery by the RSPCA. The dog was out walking with his owner when they heard screams. Jake chased off a man as he molested a woman on Hearsall Common, Coventry, in July 2009. He located the attacker and his victim in thick scrub, chased off the attacker, led his owner to the scene, then stood guard over the victim until the police arrived. The attacker was convicted of serious sexual assault and jailed for four years. Jake was nominated by police for the bravery award and medallion after the incident. Det. Con Clive Leftwich, from the Coventry police station, said: "From our point of view Jake the Rottweiler stopped a serious sexual assault from becoming even worse."
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