ROTTWEILER, THE IDEAL DOG - DEFENDER

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In the last chapter, ideal breeds - short-coated Molossers of medium to large size - were talked of. And this chapter deals with one of them, the Rottweiler respectively, the wonderful nature of which totally charmed me.

Many people import from various foreign countries big dog races. They are buying puppies of these breeds and think, that if such dogs are large and from distant countries, they can also guard better their garden or family house.

But it is not a rule, that the bigger and stronger the watch dog is, the better it manages to guard. Every watch dog must be at the same time a good companion and must have a positive relationship towards it's master’s family of whom it is naturally protective. To be the right watchdog, it must also have both physical and psychical, that is to say character’s dispositions.

The ideal watchdog is such a dog that is both sufficiently strong and movable and can be kept the whole year outside the house, whose purchase and feeding is for an average family financially affordable and that is distrustful and fierce towards strange people. In addition to all that, it must also love not only it's master, but all the members of his family as well. Accordingly to my personal experience, the Rottweiler seems to be exactly such a dog.

Agar:

(And what about the fact that there are dogs larger and even stronger than the Rottweiler? It does no matter to me! The Rottweiler is a fantastic creation of the history and cynology, and maybe has the best nature of all the breeds of the world.)

Even though the Rottweiler is not as strong as English Mastiff that is however over-sensitive against colds; and even though the Rottweiler may be weaker than some big Caucasian Owtcharka, which can survive even the hardest winter, but these dogs are often only fixed to their master and do not obey other family members, which they can even bite; despite this the Rottweiler is directly predetermined to be an ideal watchdog and fulfills all the requirements for this task.

It is strong and quick, usually physically and mentally stronger than average German Shepherd Dog. It loves the whole family of it's master and willingly guard them all. In this dog there is the strength of his big Romans Molossian ancestors joined with the speed of cattle-driver dogs from the surroundings of German town of Rottweil, where they were crossed and gave birth to the Rottweiler breed, known as the best watch and butcher dog in the whole Germany.

Old Rottweil:

Old portrait of a butcher from the city of Rottweil:

Pictures of the Rottweiler that pulls the cart and works with cows:

An example of the old type constitution – distorted ears with a lower, lighter and more movable constitution. A white speckle on it's chest is also present (Bredy z Neveklova, 61 cm, 40 kg):

As far as it's use for guard duty concerns, the Rottweiler is an ideal dog for police work and for dealing with violent persons and troublemakers. You should also know that the Rottweiler guards in the first place you, and the watched premises on the second place only. Therefore this dog - while guarding - stays near you, e.g. near the gatehouse in which you find yourself. For this reason it may happen, that something what is going on at the other end of the watched premises can escape his attention. This however should not be considered as a fault, but as a merit. It is most important to you that your Rottie guards you. We can say, that the Rottweiler is useful to guard smaller sites, not the large ones. Above all, it is firstly a top defender dog, and only then the watchdog for premises.

It seems that this breed does not have any substantial fault except for it's black color (Rottweilers too warm in the summer; it is necessary to serve them fresh water and often let them stay in the shadow), a missing tail (it may decrease the co-ordination of movement a bit; also tail-cutting because of cows is a nonsense, because e.g. Great Swiss Mountain Dog is long-tailed and it herds cows with no problems) and not too big frost-resistance (Rottweilers can stay outside through the whole year with the exception of the coldest winterly days - it is suitable to let them enter the house in these days to warm up; besides this, a warmed kennel is necessary). Now and then we can find individuals spoilt through bad education but generally it is valid that the Rottweiler is a well-tempered, calm and self-confident dog.

Some members of this breed sometimes growl and snarl while expressing displeasure, but basically they do not mean it badly. If they do not like something, they grumble, but even so they are always ready to obey and fulfill their master’s command. Because they are not malicious, but direct and frank, they signalize by grumbling their dissatisfaction, but they obey all the same. And by the way, a number of Rottweilers grumble and growl just for fun.

Ideal height for a dog is approximately 65 cm at withers (64-67 cm) and 50 kg of weight. Dogs weighing less than 45 kg and measuring under 63 cm are undesirable and should be mercilessly banned from breeding. Ideal height for a bitch is about 60-61 cm at withers (59-62 cm) with a weight of about 41-42 kg. Bitches weighing less than 38 kg and measuring under 58 cm should be also banned from breeding. However, old working Rottweilers including those used for police work were said to have about 45 kg - that was considered the best Rottweiler's weight. But any lower weight in males is undesirable.

[Old sources claimed that the Rottweiler's ideal weight is 45 kg – this was valid in sporting and working dogs (when the dog trains very much, it's weight is approximately about 5 kg lower - when Agar drove the cows every day he only weighed 45 kg even if his normal weight was 47 – 51 kg). I suggest that the dogs weighing less than 45 kg - in breed shows and bonitations - would be banned from breeding. Some people who have less-weighing smaller dogs give their dogs much feeding and drinking before controlling their weight to weigh more (for example, the dog's weight is 43 kg and after feeding he seems to weigh 45 kg). So if a weighing dog has a big belly – it is clear he received a feeding little before, then he should weigh 47 kg at least (45 kg + 2 kg of food, for example). Anyway, if we weigh a dog it should be little hungry and after a small walk so that it's weight could be “pure”.]

Let us realize that the dogs and the bitches that do not reach the above-mentioned values should not breed. If smaller or weaker dogs would breed then the Rottweiler would lose it's power. Only such dogs should breed that are big and strong.

Aggression towards other dogs is the typical Rottweiler's quality (there is Agar on the following photos who wants to attack the strange dog behind the fence):

Despite this, Rottweilers also manage to be good friends with some of other dogs, both large and smaller ones (Agar with a Hovawart-bitch and with a mongrel):

As I have already said, accordingly to my opinion the Rottweiler is one of the ideal dog breeds. After all, I consider it to miss something. If it would only be a little larger and heavier!

When I imagine an increased Rottweiler, if the bitches height would be from 65 to 70 cm and dogs would measure from 70 to 75 cm at withers! And the weight of bitches would be 50 and in dogs 60 kilograms! But how to reach that? Just a thought:

1) By means of breeding only with the highest and most massive dogs and let them cross one another only. In this way, their height and weight would increase in the course of time.

As the tradition has it, there were two forms of the Rottweiler:

a) a smaller and more movable cattle dog

b) higher and heavier, rather butcher’s and guardian dog

Today’s Rottweiler is said to be the result of the merge of these two forms. I personally want to bring the bigger form back to existence. That is why I suggest the establishing of a special club that will only breed the highest dogs to revive gradually the higher form of the Rottweiler again.

As far as the rapidness and movability of the larger Rottweiler's form, I would see no big problem in it. I have seen 70 cm high Rotties and they were movable and did not have any too heavy constitution.

2) By making a Rottweiler’s cross with other and higher Molossian breed. But with which one? I thought of Fila Brasileiro, English Mastiff, Spanish Mastiff... I would prefer English Mastiff or Spanish Mastiff (similarly colored line as RTW).

To keep the typical shape of the Rottweiler, more exactly said the right construction of it's body, black coat and typical rust marks and it's splendid nature, above all, the blood of the Rottweiler would have to outbalance and do at least 60% of “Rottweiler Mastiff” the future breed. The blood of the Mastiff would only have 40% of genetic influence to the appearance and power of the new breed.

These Rottweiler's crosses to the English Mastiff are known as a Mastweiler (English Mastweiler if English Mastiff, Spanish Mastweiler if Spanish Mastiff etc.). The height at withers is around 70 cm and weight is about 55 kg. If a little longer coat needed, the cross could be made with Spanish Mastiff.

One curiosity. The photo of a Rottweiler and Caucasian Owtcharka cross:

Rottweiler does not live to be very old, it is susceptible to various diseases since eight years and it's life span is about 9 – 10 years. It grows fastest up to 9 months of age, then it's growth (muscles and coat only but height no more) and development slows down and slowly continues up to two years.

Rottweilers usually are a little out of breathe in the summer, but colder weather or the winter manages to refresh them:

What training concerns, this breed is not suitable for people wanting win praises in competitions and trials. For the Rottweiler it is enough the basic training and above all good family background, that is to say contentedness with the environment and people it lives with. Also enough exercise and the possibility to guard it's territory so that it can realise itself.

It's character is almost beyond compare. It is faithful, nice and friendly. It manages to pull sledges with children and accompany it's master on long trips in Nature. On the one hand it is a pet, on the other a dangerous opponent of an intruder, who wants to disrupt the privacy of it's master. It's character is in so far unique, that we can hardly find a breed that would match it.

The puppies of the Rottweiler prove to be very magic:

Agar together with his “wife” and “children”:

 

However, no newcomer should pick up the Rottweiler, because it's distinctive nature requires a certain minimal degree of cynological knowledge. Also such people should not buy it who give it no work and will train it like a companion dog and feed it with an artificial food only. The Rottweiler must be fed - especially while growing up - with a lot of quality raw meat.

He who buys a Rottweiler puppy should not train it like a German Shepherd Dog or listen to the advice from German Shepherd Dogs owners, because it differs widely from this mostly used utility breed.

We should make the young Rottweiler familiar with all family members and closest relatives. And play with it and fondle it a lot. On the contrary, this dog should not be fed and touched by strangers - after all, it wore it's masters purse on it's neck in olden days. And that is why every good Rottweiler should bite the hand of every strange person that wants to touch him. Such should be the natural reaction of the Rottweiler to a stroke by a strange person.

One more thing: at a young age - say one year - the Rottweiler should meet cows. All history of this breed is connected to cows. Encounter with, playing or fighting with older cows a bit (heifers are dangerous, because they kick and gore a lot) evokes in the Rottweiler something old and half-forgotten. It revives it's original genetic endowments. You can surely find a pasture with cows near the place you live in, where your Rottweiler can get a little sport and remember old times.

In view of the two forms of the Rottweiler as tradition says to us and that today's Rottweiler is said to be their merge, it is fit for cows in a half-way. But because it is it's history, at least some Rottweilers should train it. Some big dogs can hurt a cow and then it can limp, but if there is a good herding Rottie, let it have as much puppies as possible!

The Rottweiler with those without whom it is not possible to imagine it and without whom it would not be the Rottweiler - with cows:

When any cow goes astray from the flock, the Rottweiler must go for it:

The Rottweiler shows here a front-attack (the youngest or less practiced dogs do this most often):

   

Let you know, that:

- if a cow goes angry it is able to beat to death any dog, the Rottweiler too

- if the Rottweiler goes angry it manages - through it's mental superiority and also by it's physical power partly - to exhaust a cow and force it to be obedient

- cows are milder when in the darkness and your dog can make them obey more easily

The dog on the following photos is driving the cows and is snapping after their back feet (at the same time he pays his attention to not being kicked by the cows):

A simple instruction how to drive the cows:

1) Firstly, we walk our dog around a pasturage with cows to get him used to their appearance, smell and the sounds they display.

2) We hold the dog on a longer leash and let him come close to the cows in a safe way (under a protective electric wiring if it is placed so high that our dog would not touch it or through sufficiently wide aperture in the entering gate and so on).

3) We let the dog enter a pasturage where are several cows that treat dogs softly. The dog must not be fitted with a muzzle (to be able to bite a cow), with no collar (to prevent it's holding by a cow's horn) and without a leash (to be able to escape freely if cows became angry).

4) We let the dog enter a pasturage with a bigger number of cows that are a bit “harder” toward dogs. There it is hard and your dog has to try to the bottom of it's powers. Either he succeeds or you have a bad luck.

(When you let your dog in a pasturage with cows please make sure it is dry so that your dog would not slip while trying to dodge away from the cows and would not then be knocked down.)

To make the cows move, one of the best tactics is to run around the cows and attack them from a side:

 

[Of course, the Rottweiler’s work with cows is dangerous. I have already seen for several times, how a Rottweiler received a proper hit by a cow’s horn and flew several meters. But if it is really fast and if it manages to quickly leap to a cow, bite it and jump aside again to several meters distance, then it will surely succeed. So if you do want to improve the condition of your dog and the genetic equipment of it's eventual descendants, agree with some cows owner on a small reward to improve your dog’s training and to make it possible for it to experience what is for it the most natural thing in the world. The working with cows.

The most suitable is to begin with one older cow of a peaceable nature, to make your dog get used to it and later on your dog can work with two or three cows. It must always be at a free pasturage or a meadow so that your dog had enough space and could run away, if the cows got angry and attacked it. And the cows owner should always be present too (armed for instance with a fork to be able to intervene in the case of necessity.)]

[Seeing some weak Rottweilers or those badly trained or those with wrong nature who never fought any strange dog, who have never met any cow neither bite it, I have had a very sad feeling.

When I saw Agar working with cows and Bredy fighting people, I realized the hardness of the life that the Rottweilers used to have; only thanks to this they could become so accomplished and strong fighters. Today’s civilization liquidate them by preventing them from doing of the activity that can make them be healthy further on..

Therefore if you really love the Rottweiler breed, set up a splendid and large group and buy a herd of cows and let your dogs fight from time to time, take them on long walkings and let them eat a raw meat so that they can be preserved for us (and not only for us) as long time as possible.]

So if you have a basic experience with dog training, a family house with a garden (the Rottweiler is not fit into a city flat), enough free time and means for feeding (this dog is demanding what quality raw meat concerns), then you do good to get the Rottweiler. And it even does not have to be a pedigree dog, if you know both parents and they are healthy and pure-bred. If you raise and train your puppy well, you will gain an invaluable companion and guardian, and last not least a good friend, who will bring you pleasure and with whom you will spend many beautiful and adventurous moments. Believe or not...

...a great adventure begins the day that you bring the Rottweiler’s puppy to your house.