Rottweilers: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find about Rottweiler temperament, personality, and behavior.

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Rottweiler Temperament
What's Good About 'Em,
What's Bad About 'Em

By Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010

The AKC Standard describes the Rottweiler as "a calm, confident, and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships."

Typically steadfast, sensible, and serious (though some are happy-go-lucky clowns!), the Rottweiler tends to respond quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment.

This muscular dog needs some space and exercise: brisk daily walks, interactive romping sessions, and regular opportunities to stretch out and run. Mental exercise (advanced obedience, agility, retrieving a ball, Schutzhund) is even more important and appreciated.

Rottweilers must be thoroughly socialized at an early age so that their territorial instincts are controlled rather than indiscriminate.

They can be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex, and while many Rottweilers live peacefully with the family cat, other individuals are predatory toward cats.

Most Rottweilers are inclined toward dominance and will test for position in the family pecking order, but they will respect an assertive owner who knows how to lead a strong-minded dog.

Overall, the Rottweiler is a splendid, capable companion in the right hands, but without ongoing companionship, socialization, obedience training, and supervision, he is "too much dog" for many households.

If you want a dog who...

• Is large, stocky, muscular, and powerful
• Is handsome and easy to groom
• Is calm, steady-tempered, and confident
• Is very loyal to his family
• Makes an intimidating-looking deterrent

A Rottweiler may be right for you.

If you don't want to deal with...

• An extremely careful search to avoid overaggressive- or unstable-tempered lines
• A heavy dog who wants to sit on your feet, lie on your lap, and lean his weight against your leg
• Rowdiness and exuberant jumping, especially when young
• Destructiveness when bored or not exercised enough
• Providing enough socialization so their protectiveness doesn't become aggression
• Potential aggression toward other animals
• Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
• Slobbering and drooling (in individuals with massive heads and heavy jowls)
• Gassiness (flatulence)
• Legal liabilities (public perception, future breed bans, insurance problems, increased chance of lawsuits)
• A multitude of serious health problems and a shortish lifespan

A Rottweiler may not be right for you.

If I were considering buying or adopting a Rottweiler

My major concerns would be:

1. Potential aggression. Too many idiots are breeding Rottweilers to be dangerously sharp, thinking that these dogs will protect them. The reality is that "sharp" dogs aren't protective -- they're simply over-aggressive, which makes them more likely to attack an innocent person, child, or another animal. No, if you want a good family dog, you don't want an aggressve Rottweiler.

   If you want a Rottweiler puppy, you need to search hard for Rottweiler breeders whose main focus is good-natured temperament and you need to carefully evaluate the temperament of BOTH parents for good nature. If you want to adopt a Rottweiler adult dog, you need to temperament-test him. Read my book, How To Buy a Good Dog, for step-by-step guidelines on temperament-testing puppies and adult dogs to see if they'll make a good pet.

2. Legal liabilities. Unfortunately, Rottweilers are targeted for "banning" in certain areas, or refusal of homeowner insurance policies. Your friends and neighbors may be uncomfortable around this breed. In this day and age, the legal liabilities of owning any breed that looks intimidating and has a history as a guard dog should be seriously considered. People are quicker to sue if such a dog does anything even remotely questionable.
3. Providing the proper balance of exercise. Young Rottweilers need enough exercise to keep them lean, but not so much that their soft growing bones, joints, and ligaments become over-stressed and damaged. Adult Rottweilers need enough exercise to keep them in shape, but not miles of running, and never in hot or humid weather -- their black coat makes them prone to overheating.

   Since you need to minimize their exercise, young Rottweilers can be rambunctious. They will romp with uncoordinated gawkiness all over your house. You need to substitute extra quantities of companionship and supervision at this time. Otherwise, left alone, young Rottweilers become bored and destructive -- and their powerful jaws can literally destroy your living room.

4. Providing enough socialization. Most Rottweilers have protective instincts toward strangers. They need extensive exposure to friendly people so they learn to recognize the normal behaviors of "good guys." Then they can recognize the difference when someone acts abnormally. Without careful socialization, they may be suspicious of everyone, which could lead to biting. Some Rottweilers go in the opposite direction -- without enough socialization, they become skittish with strangers, which could lead to defensive biting.
5. Potential animal aggression. Many Rottweilers will not tolerate another dog of the same sex, and some won't tolerate the opposite sex either. Though many Rottweilers are just fine with the family cat, some individuals have strong instincts to chase and seize cats and other fleeing creatures.
6. The strong temperament. Rottweilers are not Golden Retrievers. The best Rottweilers are versatile working dogs, capable of learning a great deal, but they are not pushovers to raise and train. Some Rottweilers are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
   
   
   To learn more about training Rottweilers to be calm and well-behaved, consider my dog training book, Teach Your Dog 100 English Words.
   
   It's a unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program that will make your Rottweiler the smartest, most well-behaved companion you've ever had.
   
   Teaches your dog to listen to you, to pay attention to you, and to do whatever you ask him to do.
   
   
   
   
7. Slobbering. Rottweilers with loose jowls (typically large males ) tend to slobber or drool after eating and drinking.
8. Gassiness (flatulence) that can send you running for cover. Fortunately, Rottweilers who are fed real meat and other fresh foods, rather than a commercial diet of kibble or canned, have much less trouble with gassiness. See my Rottweiler Health Page for more information on feeding.
9. Finding a healthy one and keeping him healthy. Unfortunately, the Rottweiler is one of the riskiest of all breeds in the health department. Their lifespan is short and an alarming number of Rottweilers are crippled by bone and joint diseases and/or succumb to cancer or heart disease in middle age.
   
   
   My dog buying guide, How To Buy a Good Dog, will teach you everything you need to know about finding a healthy Rottweiler. Health problems have become so widespread in dogs today that this book is required reading for ANYONE who is thinking of getting a purebred, crossbred, or mixed breed dog.
   
   
   

   If you'd like to consult with me personally about whether the Rottweiler might be a good dog breed for your family, I offer a Dog Breed Consulting Service.

   
   Once you have your Rottweiler home, you need to KEEP him healthy -- or if he's having any current health problems, you need to get him back on the road to good health.
   
   My dog health care book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy is the book you need.
   
   Raise your dog the right way and you will be helping him live a longer, healthier life while avoiding health problems and unnecessary veterinary expenses.

Please consider adopting an ADULT Rottweiler...

When you're acquiring a Rottweiler PUPPY, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important.

But when you acquire an adult dog, you're acquiring what he already IS and you can decide whether he is the right dog for you based on that reality. There are plenty of adult Rottweilers who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics that are "typical" for their breed. If you find such an adult dog, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you. Just be happy that you found an atypical individual -- and enjoy!

Save a life. Adopt a dog.

Adopting a Dog From a Dog Breed Rescue Group

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