Dossier
Adult height: male 61-68 cm, females 56-63 cm. Weight: male 43-59 kg, female 38-52 kg. Characteristic color: black with red or reddish tan. Coat length: short. Life expectancy: 8-11 years. Advantages of the breed: loyal, intelligent dog, good watchman and security guard. Difficulties of the breed: slow, can be aggressive, eats a lot. Average price of a Rottweiler: $300-1000. Classification: large breed, service dog, herding dog, guard dog, guide dog, rescue dog.
Purpose
During World War II, Rottweilers were harnessed to transport weapons and sacks of coal. Nowadays, these animals serve in the army and police. It is also believed that this breed is best suited for rescuing people after earthquakes, tsunamis and other destructive disasters. Some dogs are used as guard dogs or as guide dogs for blind people.
How to choose a puppy
You can buy a Rottweiler puppy at 1-3 months. You need to determine for what purposes the pet will be intended and contact a trusted breeder. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the pedigree and medical records of your future pet's parents. When choosing a puppy, you need to pay attention to the following things:
- absence of umbilical hernia;
- cleanliness of ears, eyes, nose;
- docked dewclaws;
- drooping testicles (in males);
- gray-blue skin color on the back and pink on the stomach;
- absence of dandruff and skin problems;
- scissor bite;
- triangular ears;
- dark coat and undercoat.
Healthy Rottweiler puppies are curious, active and playful. Getting an adult dog is not recommended, since such a pet is usually attached to one owner and will be difficult to retrain.
Where to buy
You can buy a puppy anywhere. Including on hand through advertisements in newspapers or the Internet, at the poultry market, in pet stores. However, no one will give you a 100% guarantee that the puppy purchased in these places is a purebred Rottweiler.
It is better to spend time and visit specialized kennels, clubs and dog shows, and talk with breeders. You can see with your own eyes how dogs of this breed are bred. This will give you a chance to meet the parents of the chosen puppy. This will give you an idea of how he will grow up.
Once you decide on a place, be sure to look around. Ask the breeder to give you a tour. If he is happy to show you both the puppies and the parents, and answers your questions clearly and confidently, then he has nothing to hide. Otherwise, it is better to choose another nursery.
Please pay attention to the conditions in which dogs are kept. There should be no signs of unsanitary conditions. If the enclosures are cleaned on time, they will be clean and dry. Dogs should be fed plenty of quality food, and better yet, fresh natural products.
Don’t forget about the official side - the breeder must have a license from the RKF (Russian Cynological Federation) to authorize the breeding of Rottweilers. And his dogs must undergo high-quality selection according to standard requirements and have pedigrees.
Care and maintenance
The ideal conditions for keeping a Rottweiler are a cozy outdoor enclosure. However, it can also be kept in a spacious apartment, provided it is allowed to walk. Caring for your pet is as follows:
- It is recommended to brush your teeth once a week to prevent the formation of tartar.
- Clean your ears with a dry or slightly damp cotton swab.
- Trim your nails every 2 weeks.
- Examine your pet's eyes and nose daily.
- Bath once every 30 days.
- Brush the fur during shedding.
- Take long walks in the fresh air. Exercise to keep your pet in good shape.
Rottweilers do not tolerate heat well, so it is not recommended to walk with them under the scorching sun.
How to choose a Rottweiler puppy
Often, the Rottweiler is chosen by people who want to have an evil bodyguard, ready to tear apart anyone who even looks askance in their direction. And they raise the dog accordingly. This leads to sad consequences - first of all, for the unfortunate owner himself. In this case, the Rottweiler can turn into an evil, insidious, uncontrollable creature, unlikely to be able to protect the owner. The owner and his family members will be the first to suffer.
In the photo: Rottweiler puppy
Modern Rottweilers are not at all bloodthirsty creatures and are not arrogant. A properly raised Rottweiler behaves calmly and only shows belligerence in a truly critical situation.
You can buy a Rottweiler only if you are ready to be demanding without despotism, strict without cruelty, and at the same time be attentive and sensitive.
Consider whether your home has enough space for a large dog. Are you prepared for the inevitable mess, bits of fur lying around and, accordingly, more frequent and thorough cleaning?
Do you have the opportunity to walk your dog for a long time and actively?
Who will the Rottweiler stay with if you have to go on a business trip or vacation?
Are you or your family members allergic to dogs?
Are you ready for considerable financial expenses? Good food is expensive, and you will also have to pay a veterinarian and a training instructor.
Make inquiries about the nursery where you are going to purchase a Rottweiler puppy. Do parents have certificates confirming the absence of genetic diseases? How long do the dogs from this kennel live? How did the puppies from previous litters perform?
If possible, visit several nurseries.
Evaluate the living conditions of the bitch and puppies. The room should be clean and dry, and puppies should have the opportunity to play and get to know the world around them, and not be confined to four walls around the clock.
You can only trust a breeder who willingly answers your questions and asks your own. If information is given reluctantly and the answers are vague, you should look for another breeder.
If you have your first Rottweiler, it is better to take a female - she is more flexible and efficient, affectionate and less aggressive, but at the same time her guard qualities are no worse than those of a male.
However, there are also difficulties. Rottweiler females tend to be aggressive towards other dogs of the same sex. In addition, they go into heat twice a year, and the owner is required to be vigilant in order to prevent the dog from becoming pregnant.
If you choose a male, you should be prepared for the fact that you will be required to be more firm in raising a Rottweiler.
When choosing, evaluate the appearance of the Rottweiler puppy. The eyes should be clean, the limbs should be strong and powerful, and the dewclaws should be docked. Make sure there are no signs of a hernia on your tummy. The coat should be short and not wavy. The scorch marks should be clearly defined and symmetrical.
Rottweiler puppies, even from the same litter, differ in character, so it is worth observing them. A brave, independent puppy reacts with interest to unfamiliar sounds (for example, clapping his hands). Observe how the puppies play with each other and how they behave while eating.
Don't be afraid to adopt an obedient, well-balanced puppy. Such a Rottweiler will still be a good watchdog, but at the same time it will be easier to raise and train. But it is better not to adopt a shy or timid puppy.
Find out how many puppies are in the litter. If there are more than 6 of them, the risk of acquiring an underfed puppy increases.
It is advisable that the mother of the puppies is no older than 8 years old, but not younger than 2 years old. You cannot take a puppy from a litter if less than 1 year has passed since the bitch’s previous birth.
The weight of a Rottweiler puppy at 1 month is 3 – 4.5 kg.
It is better to adopt a Rottweiler puppy at the age of 2 – 3 months. If you are adopting a Rottweiler puppy older than 3 months, you must be absolutely confident in your teaching abilities, since in this case you will need more knowledge and patience to train them correctly.
The puppy must have a veterinary passport and puppy birth certificate.
Training
Training is simply necessary for a Rottweiler to ensure that it is obedient, follows commands, knows prohibitions, and is a controlled pet. You need to start training and training as soon as the puppy gets into your home and gets used to the environment. Here are some recommendations from experienced breeders for successful Rottweiler training:
- You need to start with the usual simple commands (“fu”, “sit”, “place”, “near”, etc.), gradually moving on to more complex ones.
- Commands must be given in a stern, calm, confident voice.
- It is recommended to exercise your dog in a secluded place after a short walk.
- After a correctly executed command, the pet should be praised and treated with a treat.
It is best to entrust Rottweiler training to a professional in this matter. This breed is considered dangerous, so the owner of such a pet has a great responsibility for the socialization, training and education of his dog.
Rottweiler care and education
Rottweilers do not require special care, but due to the presence of undercoat, even their short hair will have to be brushed regularly. Otherwise, the hair will remain not on the comb, but on things in the house. Bathing - as needed, once every few months will be enough. The dog must be accustomed to brushing from a young age, otherwise the whole family will then have to hold the nimble pet during this procedure.
What to feed your Rottweiler
A small dog has appeared in the house, the question immediately arises, what to feed a Rottweiler puppy? Feeding a Rottweiler is not fundamentally different from feeding dogs of other breeds, so we recommend reading the general article on how to properly feed a puppy. By clicking on the link you will learn what to feed your baby at the age of 1, 2, 3, etc. months, and also how many times a day to feed him. Be sure to read it, because as your baby gets older, new products become available to him.
Dry food for Rottweiler
What are the different classes of dog food? We compared the quality and found out!
You need to feed your dog either natural food or dry food, but not both at the same time. If you have made a choice in favor of ready-made food, we recommend that you first look at super-premium food and holistic food for dogs. For example, Acana dry food is perfect for puppies and adult Rottweilers, but for a puppy it is better not to take Orijen food - it contains a lot of protein, and at the growth stage this can be harmful for Rottweilers (this is why it was mentioned in the video above). Another good option is Eukanuba dog food.
Rottweiler training
One of the mandatory conditions for raising a Rottweiler is training. It should start as soon as the puppy arrives in your home. From the age of two months we begin to train basic commands; we have already described in detail how to teach a puppy the commands “come”, “sit”, “lie down”, “place” and “no”. In the linked article, in addition to instructions and recommendations, you will also find video examples of training a puppy to these commands.
Video: training a Rottweiler puppy
The video above shows a three-month-old Rottweiler puppy who has already mastered the sit command well, and has also understood the commands to lie down and crawl, but has not yet reinforced them. From the video, the general principle of teaching a puppy commands is clear - we show the command and when the baby fulfills it, we give a treat. When learning a new command, the puppy needs to be “pushed” to the concept of the command; in the video, the principle is clearly visible with the command to lie down.
With regular training, Rottweilers quickly remember commands and remember them for a very long time even if they do not practice. In general, be sure to teach your dog commands so that even during a walk in the park there will be no problems with it and it will bring you only joy.
Advantages and disadvantages
Rottweiler owners highlight the following main advantages of the breed:
- devotion;
- intelligence;
- good security qualities;
- equilibrium;
- strength and courage.
In order for your dog to have all the worthy qualities, it simply needs to be trained and its behavior corrected.
It is important that such a pet is obedient and knows all the necessary commands and prohibitions.
The disadvantages include:
- stubbornness;
- independence;
- snore;
- tendency to obesity;
- drooling.
Dear Rottweiler owners, tell us what attracts you most about your pets? We will be glad if you supplement this article with your observations from the life of your pets. We are waiting for your recommendations on maintenance, care and feeding.
Gender selection
When choosing a Rottweiler puppy, you need to consider its gender. After all, there is a significant difference between males and females.
Males are larger than females, they look impressive. This is a big plus for show dogs. And the impressive appearance combined with security qualities will scare off any intruders. Their shortcomings are excessive stubbornness and aggression. Males are suitable only for experienced owners who can tame a headstrong pet.
We should not forget that it is common for male dogs to suddenly run away after current females.
Bitches will also require leadership qualities from their owner. However, they are more trainable and bond more strongly with their owners. The disadvantage of female dogs is periodic estrus. On such days, the bitch's behavior deteriorates. Also, the owner of the bitch will have to deal with pregnancy and childbirth in his pet.
