Rottweiler

Rottweiler
Nicknames Rottie
Rott
Country of origin Germany
[hide]Traits
Weight Male 50-60 Kg (110-130 lbs) weight relative to height
Female 40-48 Kg (90-105 lbs) weight relative to height
Height Male 61 to 69 cm (24"-27")
Female 56 to 63 cm (22"-25")
Coat Double coated, Short, hard and thick
Color Black and tan or black and mahogany
Litter size average 8 to 12 although larger litters are known
Life span 9-12
Classification and standards
FCI Group 2 Section 2 #147 standard
AKC Working standard
ANKC Group 6 (Utility) standard
CKC Group 3 - Working standard
KC (UK) Working standard
NZKC Utility standard
UKC Guardian Dog standard
Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
The Rottweiler is a breed of domestic dog known for its medium to large size and its strength. They originate from Rottweil, Germany and were known as "Rottweil Butcher's Dogs" (German: Rottweil Metzgerhund) because they were used to herd livestock as well as pull carts laden with butchered meat and other products to market. Some records indicate that earlier Rottweilers may have also been used for hunting although the modern Rottweiler has a relatively low hunting instinct. It is a hardy and very intelligent breed.

The Rottweiler was employed in these traditional roles until the mid-19th century when railroads replaced droving for getting livestock to market. While still used in herding, Rottweilers are now also used in search and rescue, as guide dogs for the blind, as guard or police dogs, and in other roles.
Although a versatile breed, used in recent times for many purposes, the Rottweiler is primarily known as one of the oldest of herding breeds. A multi-faceted herding and stock protection dog, it is capable of working all kinds of livestock under a variety of conditions.

The breed is an ancient one, whose history stretches back to the Roman Empire. In those times, the legions traveled with their meat on the hoof and required the assistance of working dogs to herd the cattle. One route the army traveled was through Württemberg and on to the small market town of Rottweil. The principal ancestors of the first Rottweilers during this time are believed to be the Roman droving dog, local dogs the army met on its travels, and dogs with molosser appearance coming from England and The Netherlands.