History Of The Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is believed to be descended from the most ancient of breeds. His origin is from the Roman times, in which he performed the duties of guard and drover dog. When the Roman Legions traversed the Alps, the dogs accompanied them protecting the soldiers and driving the herds. Settling in the area of Rottweil, the Roman army dogs came into contact with dogs native to the area. The natural result was an interbreeding of the two breeds. The principle duties of these interbreeds remained the guarding and driving of large herds, the defense of their masters and the master's property. Since there was a large concentration of the dogs in the vicinity of the old German Empire City of Rottweil, the dog acquired the name: ROTTWEILER, or "butcher dog."

The butchers bred this type of dog solely for their working ability and their personal use. With the passage of time, an outstanding guarding and drover dog, as well as cart dog, was the result. With the dawn of the 20th Century, when the police were soliciting service dogs, the Rottweiler was readily recognized as admirably suited to this type of duty. It was this natural protective instinct and hardness. Coupled with the willingness to please and trainability, that led to his use in the military and police and enabled him to survive two world wars. These characteristics certainly have influenced the enormous population explosion and his present popularity. The Rottweiler is number two in AKC registrations and usually has one of the largest entries at our dog shows.

The Rottweiler was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1935. The first revision to the standard was not made until 1979 and the second in 1990. The 1990 revision brought the AKC standard closer to the ADRK Standard (Algemeiner Deutcher Rottweiler Klub of Germany). This 1990 revision is the standard under which you judge in the AKC.

So, the objective in the breeding of Rottweilers is to produce a powerful, yet vigorous, dog, black with clearly defined rust (mahogany) markings, which, despite its substance, is stamped with an air of nobility and is capable of fulfilling the role for which it was bred as a companion, guardian, and working dog.