Why the Rottweiler is NOT for everyone

[BostonRott]

There is wonderful news coming from the AKC office in North Carolina. Rottweiler registration numbers have dropped through the floor. This is fantastic, as this is not a breed for everyone, and hopefully in the near future, ownership will dwindle down to those who really know and appreciate the Rottweiler and understand the responsibilities of owning one.

Let's look at the breed standard (ARC/AKC) . Underlining or bold in the middle of the statements is my own emphasis.

As you read through this, count how many times you see the word "powerful."

In general description, the AKC standard states:

The ideal Rottweiler is a medium large, robust and powerful dog .... His compact and substantial build denotes great strength, agility and endurance

Let's start here. What words do you see above? Robust, powerful, great strength, agility and endurance. Does this sound like a breed of dog who is happy being a couch potato? A dog built for strength and agility most likely has the temperament and energy to go with those traits and needs to expend them. They are not meant to sit around and do nothing all week, and then go out and be "weekend warriors."

His bone and muscle mass must be sufficient to balance his frame, giving a compact and very powerful appearance.

A medium large dog who is very powerful. This is NOT a dog to be left alone with children unattended. This is NOT a dog to be walked by the weak or infirm without substantial training. This is NOT a dog to be owned by the person who doesn't have the MENTAL strength and stamina to deal with their dog's phyiscal prowess.

Expression is noble, alert, and self-assured.

Self-assured. Many many people are not self-confident or self-secure. They are wishy-washy in decision making (if they can make one on their own at all), and in being so, are unclear in their motives and intent to those around them. Such a person should NOT own a self-assured dog. A self-assured dog is going to take severe advantage over the unconfident person. This may well lead to dominance issues and potential bites in the home. If you are not able to be strong of mind and conviction, the Rottweiler is NOT for you.

Neck--Powerful, well muscled

"Help my dog pulls." How many times have we read this??? The dog was originally bred to pull carts. What was that word? PULL carts. In order to do so, he must therefore have the correspondingly correct build of neck, shoulder and forequarters. A strong, well-muscled neck is built for pulling. Of course your Rottweiler is going to pull on leash, unless you put in some extensive training. If you don't like a dog who pulls on leash, a Rottweiler is NOT for you.

Forequarters -- Legs are strongly developed ... Pasterns are strong, springy

Hindquarters Upper thigh is fairly long, very broad and well muscled. .... Lower thigh is long, broad and powerful, with extensive muscling leading into a strong hock joint.

"My puppy is jumping on everybody." Well of course! That is what they are built to do: jump. And going back to the original line of the standard: His compact and substantial build denotes great strength, agility and endurance. A dog built for agility is a dog who is built to move, in many directions (seemingly at once!). It takes a lot of time and training to have a well-behaved Rottweiler. If you want an inherrantly more calm, less active dog (who will require less time out of your schedule), please consider another breed.

Gait -- The Rottweiler is a trotter. His movement should be balanced, harmonious, sure, powerful and unhindered, with strong forereach and a powerful rear drive. The motion is effortless, efficient, and ground-covering.

Rottweilers are powerful, efficient movers. As such, they need a lot of exercise each day. EVERY day. Rain, snow, fight with your spouse, bad day at the office.....YOU have a commitmant to your dog. If you want a strong, active, intelligent dog, be SURE you understand what such ownership entails.

Temperament -- He 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 him especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.

A dog who is intelligent, and has a strong willingness to work is NOT a dog who is or should be made into, a couch potato. It is a dog who needs constant training, a job, attention, and strong, clear guidance.

"My dog is destroying my house." "My puppy chases the kids/cats/whatever." We see this ALL of the time....daily. Well guess what? It's an intelligent breed, bred to work. If you do not mentally and physically exercise your dog EVERY day, destructive behaviors are going to be seen, and should be expected. A dog who is bred to be a willing worker is a dog with prey drive. Prey drive is the desire to chase/catch (and kill) prey. So yes, puppies and untrained dogs are going to chase moving objects. It takes a commitment to TRAINING to work through this.

Exercising a dog does not mean dragging it along to your kids' soccer games / football games / rugby matches. It means taking the dog out, one on one, and giving the dog some focused time to exercise. During this time, training should also be occuring in the form of obedience work. DAILY. Not when it's convenient, when the temperature is above 30 and sunny, when it's not raining, when you finally have "a free moment." DAILY. A scheduled part of your activity. And not while you're chasing kids around the park. FOCUSED on the dog.

There is more to a Rottweiler than "how it looks," and when considering ownership of such a noble dog, one needs to be HONEST about one's time availability, mental tenacity, interest and ability to maintain training and exercise schedules, and most importantly: what the breed is SUPPOSED to be.

If you do not want an active, strong dog, who is built to pull, likes to jump and run, needs DAILY exercise, REGULAR training and who WILL question your authority at times, PLEASE do NOT get a Rottweiler.

If you do not have time to attend a training class, if you do not have time to read through books on canine behavior and learning, if there is not a decent training facility near to you, PLEASE do NOT get a Rottweiler.

There are hundreds of other breeds out there who offer you what you like: docked tail, black/tan coloring, short coat, non-upright ears, big head. If you want a dog who "loves everybody," the Rottweiler is not for you. If you can't handle a dog who challenges you, or who doesn't get along with every new dog, or every new person, PLEASE do not get a Rottweiler.

[SABELLESMOM]

Nicely done, Gretchen! Let's hope your explaination catches the eye of more than a few who should not consider the Rottweiler as the ideal dog for them.

[JuneyB]

Awesome news....this is a case where losing the "popularity" contest is the best thing. Are these stats only for that state....or is it overall USA stats?

Too bad the BYB's will just move into another breed....or "designer" cross. Will have to check on CKC registrations to see if the same trend is continuing up north.

[SonnyRott]

EXCELLENT POST!!! DEFINITE "STICKY" MATERIAL!!!

Might I also add, if our dogs DO NOT meet the above description, then we probably DO NOT have the correct and total Rottweiler as he is meant to be.

[AngelBunny]

Oh, I loved this post--just loved it!!

One of the tasks I do for Rottie rescue is to hold what my group calls Rottweiler Days (aka meet & greets) at stores like Agway and Petco. I regard these events as successful if I'm able to talk someone out of getting a Rottweiler; in talking to these people, it quickly becomes clear these wanna-be Rottie owners literally have no idea/no understanding/no knowledge about the breed.

[rottielover2004]

I keep telling people around me who ask about harley, I always tell them ( not for everybody) I put many long hours into training him, and he still is very puppish.....Not for everyone is right.

[BostonRott]

Originally Posted by JuneyB

Are these stats only for that state....or is it overall USA stats?

These stats are full US. Here is the AKC webpage. When I got Bort back in '96, the yearly registration stats for Rottweilers were around 108,000 and they were the 3rd breed.

[damp]

Thanks for cutting it out in cardboard!!! ...what a Rottweiler is and should be!

[rottcrazed]

Gretchen,

Can I copy this to word document to pass on to people who inquire about my pups who are uneducated about Rottweilers?

That is an amazing post!

Kristi

[RottyMom]

That may just be the best post ever!

[rencook]

God, I love that post!!!!
I am trying to convince a friend of mine that he SHOULD NOT get a Rottweiler-he is a single, young guy who loves my dog-and say he wants one-"just like Aveda". I'm turing blue in the face from trying to explain that I've put 4 years of blood, sweat, and tears to make her the dog she is now.
That being said-I've read the previous post about correct Rotty temperment and really studied my dog yesterday when we went on a walk-and she is exactly what a Rott should be-she walks calmly by my side, we met people, and she will only go to them when I give her the "go say hi" command-and even then-its a quick sniff, butt scratch and she's back to me.
I take her to work with me-and people always ask-why isn't she friendly?? I say she is, but she's a Rotty, it's not in their nature to be outwardly affectionate. She is a calm, confident, self-assured dog-and that is why I love this breed!

[ACERSMOM]

Great post Gretchen!

This should be posted on the AKC and ARC website for individuals who are looking for info on Rottweilers, and think that they want one. Maybe then they would think twice if this is the corect breed for them.

There is something similiar on an Australian Cattle Dogs site that trys very hard to convince people that this is not the dog for the average pet owner, by pointing out all of the ACD's drive and temperament.

[Ganko]

Thank you for this post.

My Rotties have been great girls in the past and when friends come over and see how good they are and easy to live with, they start talking about getting a Rottie themselves. I end up in a strange position, telling them they should not get a Rottie. (think a walk around the block is exercise for instance) Which leads to: "why are you good enough to get a Rottweiler and we are not?" I hope this will help.

[Sharon Marples]

Great post Gretchen! Very informative for the newbies!

Forum Staff.......Sticky Please!

[MontanaRott]

Wonderful, and right on as always Gretchen. Sticky worthy for sure.