Rottweiler

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Rottweiler - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottweiler

The Rottweiler (/ˈrɒtwaɪlər/, UK also /-vaɪlər/) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market. This continued until the mid-19th century when railways replaced droving. Although still used to herd stock in many parts of the world, Rottweilers are now also used as search and rescue dogs, guard dogs, and police dogs.

History:
According to the FCI Standard, the Rottweiler is considered to be one of the oldest dog breeds. Its origin goes back to Roman times. These dogs were kept as herder or driving dogs. They marched over the Alps with the Roman legions, protecting the humans and driving their cattle. In the region of Rottweil, these dogs met and mixed with the native dogs in a natural crossing. The main task of the Rottweiler now became the driving and guarding of the herds of cattle and the defence of their masters and their property. This breed acquired its name from the old free city of Rottweil and was known as the "Rottweil butcher’s dog". The butchers bred this type of dog purely for performance and usefulness. In due course, a first rate watch and driving dog evolved which could also be used as a draught dog.

The buildup to World War I saw a great demand for police dogs, 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 recognized worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.

In 1931, the Rottweiler was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club. 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, with it being 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.

Size:
Technically a "medium / large" breed, according to the FCI standard the Rottweiler stands 61–69 cm (24–27 in) at the withers for males, 56–63 cm (22–25 in) for females, and the weight must be between 50 and 60 kg (110 and 132 lbs) for males and 35 and 48 kg (77 and 105 lbs) for females. Weight must be relative to height.

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Rottweiler continued:
Temperament:
In the breed standard published by Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 2018, the Rottweiler's behaviour/temperament should be:

The Rottweiler is good-natured, placid in basic disposition, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work. His appearance is natural and rustic, his behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless. He reacts to his surroundings with great alertness and at the same time even-tempered.

In the American Kennel Club's "Official Standard of the Rottweiler," the Rottweiler's temperament should be:

a 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 its environment. It has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making them especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.

According to the American Rottweiler Club:

For us, Rottweilers are the best breed in the world, but we firmly believe they are not a dog for everyone. Rottweilers require a calm, stable and firm "pack leader" or they will assume that role for you. Puppies AND adults need socialization, exercise and stimulating mental challenges. With these things, you will have a wonderful companion; without them, your Rottweiler may become destructive and out of control.

Rottweilers are a powerful breed with well-developed genetic herding and guarding instincts. Potentially dangerous behaviour in Rottweilers usually results from irresponsible ownership, abuse, neglect, or lack of socialisation and training. However, the exceptional strength of the Rottweiler is an additional risk factor not to be neglected. It is for this reason that breed experts declare that formal training and extensive socialisation are essential for all Rottweilers. According to the AKC, Rottweilers love their owners and may behave in a clownish manner toward family and friends, but they are also protective of their territory and do not welcome strangers until properly introduced. Obedience training and socialization are required.

One study published in 2008 found that male Rottweilers have higher confidence, sharpness, and defense and play drives than females.

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.

Working style:
According to the American Kennel Club, Rottweilers have a natural gathering style with a strong desire to control. They generally show a loose eye and have a great amount of force while working well off the stock. They make much use of their ability to intimidate.

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 Border Collies, 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.

In some cases, Rottweilers have begun herding cattle without any experience at all.

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.

The Rottweiler is also exceptionally suited for and is commonly used in many dog sports including Agility and Schutzhund.

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Rottweiler

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The Rottweiler appears to have some molosser within it's bloodline ( according to it's nature and it's build ); but it's canine heritage is never mentioned ( or so it seems ).

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The Purebred Roman Rottweiler - Other Names: Roman Utility Molosser

www.dogbreedinfo.com/romanrottweiler.htm

The Roman Rottweiler is generally the same as a standard Rottweiler, only more mastiff-like/flock guardian-type in appearance and temperament. It has a large to very large noble, impressive, heavy, robust, massive, powerful body. The head is broad, heavy and strong with some wrinkling. The skull is broad and large, with a broad back skull. The stop is deep and well defined. The muzzle is broad, full and square. Lips are well-developed, thick, with moderate to large flews, and pendulous lower lips. Teeth should form a scissor bite. Eyes are almond shaped, deep set, expressive, well apart and dark. Ears are pendant, triangular, carried forward and set well apart. Ear leather is thick and fur is soft. The nose is wide and black, unless a color other than the base color of black, then the nose color is the base color, like red coat, red nose or blue coat, blue nose. Mouth is dark in color. 42 teeth. Teeth are large and strong. The neck is powerful, well-muscled, moderately arched, with a dewlap. The chest is broad and deep, having a well-pronounced fore-chest with well-sprung oval ribs. Hindquarters are powerful and muscular. Front feet are compact and well arched. The tail may be docked leaving one or two vertebrae or left natural; if left natural it is curled over the back when excited or moving. Dewclaws may be cut; back dewclaws/double dewclaws are common at birth. Coat is thick and ranges from smooth to plush; it may be long but is not desired. A thick, plush coat is desired for a Rottie working as a flock guardian. The coat color is black/tan, black/rust, black/dark rust, black/mahogany and can also come in red/tan, blue/tan or black; other colors are accepted in the Roman Rottweiler but not desirable. Gait: the Rottie is a trotter with a strong forereach and powerful rear drive. It effortlessly covers the ground.The very first Rottweilers came in a variety of colors of brindle, gray, yellow and black, yellow and tan, and of course what we still see today, very rarely the red and tan; black and tan Rottweilers were the rarest colors of them all. The yellow and tan dogs were the most common. White markings on the face, chest and feet were seen; today’s Rottweiler will often whelp litters with white markings that usually fade with time, although some do keep the white. In the first Rottweiler, standard brindle was an acceptable color.

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Continued: Temperament

What is a Roman Rottweiler and what’s the difference between it and the standard Rottweiler? The Roman Rottweiler is a re-creation of the original Rottweiler, a mastiff-like Rottweiler who crossed the Alps herding and guarding cattle as well as fighting in wars with the Romans. It is a larger dog than the standard Rottweiler, which is shorter. The Roman Rottweiler is to the Tibetan Mastiff as the standard Rottweiler is to the Australian Shepherd. Calm, confident, trainable, athletic, courageous, protective, reliable and devoted, it has a reliable temperament. Firm and careful training is essential for this breed, otherwise you may end up with a very powerful and overly aggressive dog. Yet it can, with proper handling, also be a loyal, loving and very rewarding companion. These dogs require owners who can handle their massive size. The Rottie is a natural guard dog with a mellow temperament. It is highly intelligent and has proven its worth beyond question in police, military and customs work over many centuries. Because of its size, training should begin fairly young—while the dog is still small. This breed needs a lot of leadership, companionship and socialization to be truly happy. The objective in training this dog is to achieve pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in its pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. That is the only way your relationship can be a success. When the Rottweiler receives consistent leadership and is trained, it will be a good playmate for children. It will accept cats, other dogs and other household pets as long as the dog has been socialized well and have owners who assert their authority over the dog. Friends and relatives of the family are normally enthusiastically welcomed. Strangers from whom the dog senses bad intentions can get no further than the sidewalk. The breed does well in competitive obedience, Schutzhund and tracking.

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Continued: Height, Weight

Males:
Height: at least 26 ½ inches (67 cm) Weight: at least 120 pounds (54 kg)
26 1/2 inches - 27 inches (67 - 69 cm) - small
27 1/2 inches (70 cm) - medium
28 - 29 inches (72 - 74 cm) - large
30 inches + (76 cm) - extra-large

Females:
Height: at least 24 ½ inches (63 cm) Weight: at least 80 pounds (36 kg)
24 1/2 - 25 inches (63 - 65 kg) - small
25 1/2 - 26 inches (65 - 67 cm) - medium
27 - 28 inches (69 - 71 cm) - large
29 inches + (74 cm) - (extra-large)

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Continued: Origin

The Roman Rottweiler is in a sense an oversized Rottweiler, which is truer to the original dogs that existed hundreds of years ago. There are a handful of breeders who breed this type of Rottweiler. One breeder, by the name of Emily Tiscarenio from Colossal Rottweilers, was successful in getting the type recognized with the Academic Kennel Records under the name Roman Rottweiler. This re-creation of the original Rottweiler is a descent from the Tibetan Mastiff and possibly Italian mastiff. These ancient Roman ancestors were inbreeding with local shepherd dogs and fighting dogs. The first time they appeared in writing was 74 A.D. The Romans used this mountain dog during the Middle Ages to herd and protect cattle for Roman soldiers crossing the Alps. It had to be big enough to protect and move the cattle that fed the Roman legions and strong and rugged enough physically and mentally in the harsh mountain terrain. It had to be intelligent, willing to work, and have a strong guarding instinct. These dogs were brought to Europe with the Roman invaders’ legions. Their closest relatives are the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and the Bernese Mountain Dog, and it is quite possible that the Boxer is related. When the Romans left their cattle with the escort dogs (Rottweilers) settled in Germany due to impassable roads and marshlands, this is when the Germans got a hold to a few specimens of the breed. These areas became Roman territory. One territory was Rottweil, built in 74 A.D. When in Rottweil they had to herd the cattle, guard the cattle, keep order in the herd, tame the bulls, get the mean vicious bulls to move, and guard his master and his master’s property including his money bag which he tied around his Rottweiler’s neck, these were no easy tasks. After the Germans acquired the Rottweiler they began to breed it down in size and so was the end of the Roman Rottweiler. Even back then there was great controversy between the small Rottweiler and the big Rottweiler so much as to have fist fights over the matter. The Germans wanted a shorter Rottweiler to better its herding ability. When moving a bull the dog bit the legs until the bull moved. They wanted it shorter so the bites did not destroy the meat quality higher up in the legs. Shorter dogs bit lower on the legs. When taming a bull, the bull had a harder time attacking and injuring the smaller dog so they purposely selected runty dogs in their breeding program. There were others who wanted to preserve the original Rottweiler and this large dog’s powerfulness, guarding abilities, transportation and big-game hunting abilities.

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History

The Rottweiler's ancestors were the preferred working dogs of ancient Rome because of their talents for herding, wrangling, pulling carts, and protecting citizens and livestock. After the fall of Rome, these dogs continued protecting and herding animals in Rottweil, Germany. There, they were called Rottweiler Metzgerhund, which translates to "Butcher's dog of Rottweil," because of their reputation for pulling carts filled with meat.

Due to their hardworking nature, Rottweilers became a popular police dog. They were also used as messengers, guards, and rescue dogs during World War I and World War II. Decades later, Rottweilers were also one of the breeds who provided search and rescue services at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks.

There are several types of Rottweilers, including the Roman Rottweiler, the German Rottweiler, and the American Rottweiler. The Roman Rottweiler is bred to be larger in size and mastiff-like. German and American Rottweilers, on the other hand, are quite similar to one another, with the primary difference simply being their country of origin.

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www.akc.org/dog-breeds/rottweiler/

History: The Roman Empire was the organizing force behind Western Europe’s formative years, and dog breeding was among the many pursuits forever altered by the Roman genius for practical problem solving.

When conquering Roman legions marched to far-flung corners of the world, they brought their herds with them as food on the hoof. The army required tough, durable dogs to move and guard the herd. Utilizing Asian mastiff types as breeding stock, the Romans developed the distant ancestor of today’s Rottweiler. For centuries the legions struggled to contain Germanic armies, the so-called barbarian hoards, massed on the Empire’s northern borders. The dogs the Romans brought to these areas became foundation stock for many German breeds.

In the centuries after the empire’s collapse, the Roman drover dogs found work in the cattle town of Rottweil. It was here, moving herds from pasture to market and protecting all concerned from bandits and rustlers along the way, that they earned the name Rottweiler Metzgerhund, or Butcher’s Dog of Rottweil.

The Rottie’s career in livestock ended with the rise of the railroad cattle cars in the 1800s. They found new work as police dogs, personal protectors, and all-around blue-collar dogs capable of performing various heavy-duty tasks. Rotties were among the first guide dogs for the blind, and in more recent times they distinguished themselves as search-and-rescue workers at such disaster sites as Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center.

Considering the many roles the breed has played during its long history, it is remarkable that the Butcher’s Dog has changed little in form and temper since its first German breed standard was drawn up in 1901.

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Quote: Utilizing Asian mastiff types as breeding stock, the Romans developed the distant ancestor of today’s Rottweiler.

*Note: This is what I was searching for; the proof that the Rottweiler is a true Molosser.