Questions to ask yourself before deciding a Rottie is for you:

Does the person who will actually care for the Rottweiler really want a dog?

Does your lifestyle allow time for a Rottweiler’s care and training?

Is your living environment suitable for a dog of this size?

Do you have endless patience required to properly train a Rottweiler?

Are you physically strong enough to handle a fully grown Rottweiler?

Can you afford the cost of Rottweiler ownership? ( purchase, upkeep, high quality food, vet care, training, etc! )

If you answered no to any of these questions, a Rottweiler is not for you. Do not  think you can make it work. There are plenty of other breeds which hardly any of the questions require a yes answer, but not a Rottweiler.

Tidbits on Rottweilers

Rottweiler pups have a huge storehouse of energy that they must get rid of during the course of each day. It is up to you, the pack leader, to allow them to do so constructively with exercise and games, or destructively by not playing with them and letting them become overwhelmed with boredom, resulting in the chewing of your belongings or digging in the yard.

Losing patience and taking it out on your Rottweiler won’t work. A well raised and educated Rottweiler understands and accepts correction, but this breed will not tolerate abuse. If subjected to abuse, even the most dosile and tempermentally sound dog can become neurotic and unpredictable.  The same can happen for the neglected Rottweiler that gets tied up for hours on end.

Your puppy needs you! Rottweilers are a truly amazing breed, unlike any other. If you spend the time with your puppy that it needs, it will be an incredible dog for you. If you chain it up or leave it unattended for long periods of time, it is a shame what you will be missing out on and a waste. Owners of Rottweilers who neglect and abuse, have given this breed a bad reputation. Please be aware of what makes a Rottie destructive and aggressive, and avoid those things at all costs.

A Rottweiler owner is completely and totally responsible for his or her dog. You must keep this in mind at all times. Unlike children, your Rottie will always need you to be in charge and you will always be responsible for your Rotties behavior.

A Rottweiler pup that growls and chews on your hand may be cute for a month or two, but you must understand these are extremely dangerous habits to encourage. I do not advise any type of tug of war games. Rotties have a inherit desire to guard and protect. This trait has to be managed and directed by you, so it does not develop into a problem. Puppies that are allowed to get away with growling or nipping may grow into an young adult Rottie thinking it is possible to rebel and escape unpunished again. The problem here is now your rottie is 100+ lbs!

A well-informed owner and well-advised training regimen are extremely important to the Rottweiler’s stability and reliability. A Rottie who flies off the handle at any situation they deem threatening is not only useless as a companion but also a menace to society. Behavior of this kind must not be tolerated.

You and your human family are collectively your Rottie’s pack leader. There must be no exceptions to this rule. If it is enforced, your Rottie will always look to you and your family for guidance in all things, and you will not have a problem with dominance.

A rottie who is pampered, whose every whim is catered to, begins to see themselves as the leader of the pack.

Kindness, respect, and tolerance must prevail in your relationship with your Rottie, and there can never be a doubt as to who is in control. Anything else will only confuse your Rottweiler as to his rank in the "pack".

Too much training before a pup is ready or being taught with too heavy a hand can actually reverse some young Rotties to the degree that they become neurotic or destructive. Pay attention to what your dog is telling you it actually needs. Some techniques may work well, and some may not. Not all dogs require the same training methods, so be observant.

Elimating a dog’s breed-related behavior and responses is practically impossible. You can and should train your Rottweiler not to agressively discourage strangers from entering your property, but it is against the breed’s nature not to stand guard. Don’t worry about developing the Rottweiler’s protective instinct. This comes naturally with maturity. Never encourage aggressive behavior on the part of your puppy, and don’t encourage the pup to fear strangers.

Take your puppy everywhere with you… the post office, walks, to the shopping mall, park, wherever. Be prepared to create a stir as your pup grows, as the public holds a special admiration for a Rottweiler.

I recommend avoiding problems with housebreaking. Take your puppy outdoors to relieve itself after every meal, after every nap, and after every 15 – 20 minutes of playtime. In the beginning, carry your puppy outdoors to avoid the opportunity of an accident on the way.

Housebreaking begins much easier when you use a crate. Begin by feeding your puppy in the crate. Keep the door closed and latched while the pup is eating, and when the meal is finished, open the crate and carry the puppy outside to the spot where you want it to learn to go potty. Do not let the puppy run loose after eating. Young pups will potty almost immediately after eating or drinking. Keep a close eye on your puppy, and you will quickly learn when they are about to relieve themselves. ( usually sniffing the floor and walking in a circle )

If you are unable to watch your puppy, they should be in their crate with the door securely latched. Give your puppy a small treat each time you put them in their crate. Toss the treat into the back of the crate to encourage them to walk in on their own. When they do, close the door, secure it, and give them another treat through the wires on the crate.

Try to follow a routine with housebreaking, including the opportunity for your puppy to go out to potty  before bed, and first thing in the morning. If you find it necessary to be away from your pup all day, do not leave your pup in its crate the entire time, because being confined for that long is just not fair to the pup. Try confining the pup to  a small room or partition off an area and cover the floor with newspaper. Make sure the area is large enough that the puppy will not have to relieve herself next to her bed, food bowl, or water bowl.

A Rottweiler will give back to you in love, friendship, and loyalty, but you have to be willing to put in a lot of time and effort to have that kind of rewarding relationship. If you’re not able to spend that time and effort with your Rottweiler, then consider another breed.

Rottweilers are not perfect. Do not have unrealistic expectations of your dog. Your puppy will arrive with a blank slate, and the only writing that will appear on it is what you write or what you allow the puppy to write. Rottweilers need a pack leader, and need to know the pack rules and regulations that let them know what they can and cannot do. You are the one elected to perform the duties of a pack leader. If you do it, you will have a great companion. If you do not, you will have more headaches and heartaches than you could ever have imagined.

A well bred Rottweiler puppy comes to you with a sound and stable temperment. It is extremely important that you return the efforts of the breeder by making sure your puppy is properly socialized and given the proper amount and kind of training. Otherwise, our best efforts as breeders will fail.

                 HISTORY OF THE ROTTWEILER

By the time the Romans were attending games in the amphitheaters, they had dogs that were large enough and fierce enough to fight lions, tigers, and assorted other wild beasts in the arena. Only the largest, strongest, and fiercest of these dogs were used to reproduce. These large brawny beasts were known as mollosus. There is no recorded proof that these mollosus dogs were, in fact, the ancestors of today’s Rottweiler. However, dogs of this type existed throughout every region of Europe where the Romans traveled – including Germany . As early as 2000 b.c. the Romans occupied a town in southern Germany that they called Arae Flavia. It was an isolated but strategic town militarily and politically. As buildings were erected, the more important ones were given red tiled roofs, and eventually the town became known as Rottwil 

 ( red villa ).

Through the ages, Rottwil ( later Rottweil ) endured invasions and occupations that decimated the Roman populations, and their dogs. The surviving dogs found mates among local breeds, and as time passed, two distinct types of dog emerged. One type was very large and was used primarily for draft work. (Known today as the "superior sized" Rottweilers.) Those dogs also doubled as guards to keep the contents in the carts they pulled safe.

The other type of dog that developed was more moderate and versatile. No less courageous, the smaller dogs were initially used for herding, but as time passed they became known as the metzgerhunde, or butcher’s dog. (Known today as the "standard" sized Rottweilers.) This name developed from the fact that butchers tied money they would use to buy cattle around the dogs necks for safekeeping.

         AKC Standard

The character and temperment of the Rottweiler, according to the AKC breed standards reads: “the Rottweiler is a basically calm, confident, and courageous dog with a self assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. A Rottweiler is self-confident, and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment. He has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardiness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making him especially suited as a companion, guardian, and general all-purpose dog.”

              Ownership

Owning a Rottweiler is a priviledge and takes extra responsibility. It is essential new owners understand this. Rottweilers respond well to praise with a soft voice and the word “no” in a sharp voice. This form of training has already been started with your new puppy, and is important you continue from the beginning.

If you are looking for a Rottweiler to show or breed, you must discuss your plans with us so that we can help you choose a puppy that best fits your desires.

Physical punishment should not enter the picture while training your purebred AKC Rottweiler. They are very intelligent, they will respond very well to verbal correction, punishment may cause them to behave in very unwanted and undesired ways. It is extremely important to socialize your Rottweiler beginning at age 12 weeks on. Your puppy needs you, you, you. Spend time with your puppy, take him with you in the car while you do errands, socialize him as much as possible. Rough play at this point is best avoided. Whenever you play with your Rottweiler, make sure you always win the game.

 

Be careful who you purchase your Rottweiler from!

The only way a responsible breeder can continue to breed and raise Rottweilers is to charge a realistic price for their puppies. Naturally, a puppy coming from a breeder who does health and temperment testings is going to cost more than a puppy from a litter whose mother was never tested for any of the breed’s genetic weaknesses or who was bred to a male of unknown mental stability. There are a lot of people out there who are ready and willing to exploit the breed for financial gain. Do not support them! A responsible breeder tests both the male and female before considering to breed them, always. Please be careful not to fall for a puppy from a breeder who tells you “Well, the grandfather was tested, and the mother has never shown any signs of concern, so we felt no need to test.”  or  “They have champion lines, of course they are good.” those are not the words you want to hear when investing in a Rottweiler. Shy away from those breeders, you will not regret it. Many times dogs with champion titles and lineage are used for breeding that should not have been. Sometimes people are fooled by a higher than average price tag on the puppy, and think it means the breeder knows what they are doing and that the puppies are worth the price. Please, please research before purchasing! A well bred Rottweiler may cost you more initially, but in the end that sound investment could save you thousands of dollars in veterinary bills and professional training to cope with the inherited health and temperment problems.

Vaccinate for diseases!!

Canine distemper:

transmitted by direct or indirect contact with the discharges from an infected dog’s eyes, nose, or urine. Highly contagious and usually deadly, even among older dogs. A primary killer of puppies.

Canine parvo:

highly resistant virus withstands extreme temperature changes and exposure to most disinfectants. May cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. A highly contagious disease and especially dangerous for puppies.

Canine corona:

very contagious, but mild and self limiting intestinal disease that occasionally will cause death. Causes vomiting and diarrhea in dogs of all ages, but most common in young puppies.

Canine leptospirosis:

lepto is an infectious bacterial disease transmitted by contact with infected urine from rodents and other animals. Can be spread to humans as well as other animals and may cause permanent kidney damage.

Canine bordetella (kennel cough) :

a bacterial respiratory tract infection transmitted by nasal secretions. Harsh, non-productive cough may last 1 – 3 weeks. Bordetella infections can occur alone or in combination with other respiratory problems.

Canine Hepatitus:

a disease of the liver caused by a virus that is unrelated to the human form of hepatitis. Many dogs can  overcome the mild form of the disease, but the severe form can kill.

 

Rabies:

is a virus that invades the central nervous system, causing headache, anxiety, hallucinations, excessive drooling, fear of water, paralysis, and death.

Some of the above information was compiled from the following sources:

AKC

ARC

Richard G. Beauchamp