Why aren't there more Rottweiler police dogs??

[BigNewbie]

It seems a lot of people here have some sort of affiliation to schutzund or some variation thereof. We note the breeds intelligence and natural guarding tendencies, but in general I don't recall seeing any rotties doing regular K-9 work... Why???

[jbach]

Maybe no police officers on this forum? There was a link posted a couple of weeks ago from mmgy out of the Charlotte area about a retiring rottweiler police dog. I'm sure they're out there, though.

[work-n-show]

In general, Rottweilers aren't as well suited to that type of work as some other breeds.

Physically, a Rottweiler is much heavier and not nearly as agile or able to have the endurance of a GSD or Mal.

There are also many reasons regarding the basic temperament of the Rottweiler that would result in the GSD or Mal performing better under Police type situations that I won't go in to.

Overall, you have a lot further to go to take a Rottweiler and create a police dog, so it's up to the person doing the training if it's worth the extra effort.

[DNeff]

We're lucky here in Roanoke to have a rottie K-9 officer. John Hoover and his rottie Axl have been featured (positively :) )in the local newspaper several times and were asked to consult for a Animal Planet special on K-9 officers.

They are out there, it's just too bad that there aren't more of them.

Dawn
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[Ramon]

GSD's and Mal's from real working lines more consistently have the temperament you want for police work. Also, police departments are very traditional and their trainers are used to working with GSD's.
A special kind of dog is required to be a good police dog. I talked to a K9 officer in my area, and he says his department looks for imported young adult dogs that have just been started in bitework. That way they know the dog probably has the correct temperament and he is not so set in his training that they can't mold him.

[Greg_1111]

I have heard that Rottweilers have been selected for some border patrol work partly due to their dark coloring (night time work). Similarily, dark colored GSD's are deisireable

[mmgy]

Originally posted by jbach
Maybe no police officers on this forum? There was a link posted a couple of weeks ago from mmgy out of the Charlotte area about a retiring rottweiler police dog. I'm sure they're out there, though.

There is a Charlotte police officer's wife on this forum, Terrie. And as I recall, the Salisbury policeman was already training Roc's son as a tracking and drug dog, just like his dad.

M2

[Terrie]

Originally posted by mmgy
There is a Charlotte police officer's wife on this forum, Terrie. And as I recall, the Salisbury policeman was already training Roc's son as a tracking and drug dog, just like his dad.

M2

Here I am :D

Some of the smaller town police departments have Rotties, Salisbury being one of them. They work well where the severity and rate of crime is lower.

work-n-show is right about a Rott's weight, agility and temperment being big factors. They can be hard headed, as some of us already know ;)

At one point Charlotte did have Rotts but they couldn't keep up with tracking suspects for long distances. They also didn't do well in the heat.

Also Greg is correct about the border patrol. I know someone who is training with a Rottie now. They are also used more for security work, big crowds and venues.

Where is workindogz....she's the one who really knows about this stuff:D

Terrie

[MrsBoats]

Thanks for posting this question. Mr. Boats and I were talking about why you don't see more rotties in police and military work.

Now I know! :D

[BostonRott]

Here is my answer on another forum. I know there was an active K9 Rottweiler on the Cape, and my trainer says he was one of the best tracking dogs he's ever seen. Supposedly a Dingo grandson still alive at 14! I've been trying to chase down the pedigree, but never gotten very far.

"An adult GSD male is often around 70-75lbs, an adult Rott male is around 100+. Females are rarely used b/c of the whole heat cycle issue, though it is not unheard of.

As a handler, you must be able to lift your dog into windows, toss him over fences, etc. If you dog is stuck, you must put him over your neck and carry him out.

Which would you rather carry?

GSDs have longer muzzles than Rottweilers. Heat exchange is done through the upper palate, and GSDs have a greater surface area for said exchange, and thus tolerate heat better.

GSDs are much more resiliant to corrections in training, handler errors in training, and repetitive training. Most K9 officers are not dog people and have no clue about dog training until they get onto the unit. Such novice handlers are better suited to a dog like the GSD where they can make mistakes and the dog will "forgive" them, vs. the Rottweiler who is less forgiving. I mean "forgiving" not in assigning human emotions to the dog, but in terms of the dog's reactions to the handler/same situation in which the error was made. Nail a Rottweiler with an unfair correction, he'll remember it and let you know. Do the same for a GSD and you may get a momentary reaction, but not a lasting impression.

Rottweilers do more damage with their biting, especially as they tend to take things to ground and shake them. More damage = more liability for the department.

Rottweilers have a lesser tendancy towards active aggression than GSDs. They won't put on a huge barking show just because you said so, they often need to see a visible threat. It's much harder (relatively speaking) to get a Rottweiler to bite an innocent looking bystander than it is a GSD.

Re: slower maturity, that is usually in relation to mental maturity, not physical. I've never seen a Rottweiler with still open growth plates at 2 years of age, or even at 18mos of age. Joints are formed and mature, or OFA would not allow evaluation at this age. I worked at a vet for 4 years and never saw large breed dogs with open growth plates much beyond 8-10 months. I've xrayed all my dogs between 6-10 mos of age to see how their plates are doing, and whether or not they're ready for road work, and they have been closed.

I train with K9 officers and the opinions and observations offered above are based on my experience with them, and my own questioning of them on this very issue. "