Anatomy of the Rottweiler

 Head

Rottweiler Head

The skull is of medium length, broad between the ears.

The forehead line is moderately arched as seen from the side.

The occipital bone well developed without being conspicuous. The stop is well defined.

The Rottweiler nose is well developed, more broad than round with relatively

large nostrils and always black. The muzzle should appear neither elongated

nor shortened in relation to the cranial region.

The nasal bridge is broad at the base and moderately tapered.

The lips are black and close fitting with the corner of the mouth not visible. The gums should be

as dark as possible.

Both the upper and lower jaws are strong and broad.

According to the FCI Standard Rottweilers

should have strong and complete dentition (42 teeth) with scissor bite,

 the upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors.

The zygomatic arches should be pronounced. The eyes should be of medium size,

almond-shaped and dark brown in colour. The eyelids are close fitting.

The ears are medium-sized, pendant, triangular, wide apart, and set high on the head.

With the ears laid forward close to the head, the skull appears to be broadened.

The skin on the head is tight fitting overall. When the dog is alert, the forehead may be slightly wrinkled.

[edit]Neck

Strong, of fair length, well muscled, slightly arched, clean, free from throatiness, without dewlap and very long neck

Body

The back is straight, strong and firm. The loins are short, strong and deep.

The croup is broad, of medium length, and slightly rounded, neither flat nor falling away.

The chest is roomy, broad and deep (approximately 50 % of the shoulder height) with

a well developed forechest and well sprung ribs. The flanks are not tucked up.

 Tail

An undocked Rottweiler in profile

Natural bob tailed ("stumpy") or if present the tail was historically docked. Docking is banned in Germany,

 the U.K and some other countries. An un-docked Rottweiler tail is level in extension of the upper line; at ease it may be hanging.

Limbs

When seen from the front, the front legs are straight and not placed too closely to each other. The forearm, seen from the side, stands straight

 and vertical. The slope of the shoulder blade is about 45 degrees to the horizontal. The shoulders are well laid back.

The upper arm is close fitting to the body. The forearm is strongly developed and muscular. Pasterns are slightly springy,

 strong but not steep. The front feet are round, tight and well arched, the pads hard, nails are short, black and strong.

When seen from behind, the rear legs are straight and not too close together. When standing free,

obtuse angles are formed between the dog’s

upper thigh and the hip bone, the upper thigh and the lower thigh, and the lower thigh and metatarsal.

 The upper thigh is moderately long, broad and strongly muscled.

The lower thigh is long, strongly and broadly muscled, sinewy.

The hocks are sturdy, well angulated, not steep. The hind feet are slightly longer than the front feet.

Toes are strong, arched, as tight as the front feet.

 Gait

The Rottweiler is a trotting dog. In movement the back remains firm and relatively stable.

 Movement is harmonious,

steady, full of energy and unrestricted, with good stride. Loves to play and run around.

Coat

The coat consists of a top coat and an undercoat. The top coat is of medium length,

coarse, dense and flat. The undercoat must not show through the top coat. The hair is a little longer on the hind-legs.

Rottweilers living in hot climates may have acclimatised and

may be missing the undercoat.Rottweiler coats tend to be low maintenance,

 although they experience heavy shedding prior to their seasons (females) or seasonally (males).

Size

Technically a "medium / large" breed, according to the FCI standard the Rottweiler stands 24-27 inches

 at the withers for males, 22-25 inches for females, and the average weight is 50 kg (110 pounds) for males and 42 kg

 (93 pounds) for females.^[8]

Tem perament

According to the FCI Standard, the Rottweiler is good-natured,

 placid in basic disposition, fond of children, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work.

'Their appearance is natural and rustic, their behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless.

They react to their surroundings with great alertness.

The American Kennel Club says it is basically a calm,

 confident and courageous dog with a self-assured

 aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships.

 A Rottweiler is self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see

 attitude to influences in its environment. It 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 them especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.

Rottweilers are a powerful breed with well developed genetic herding and guarding instincts.

 As with any breed, potentially dangerous behavior in Rottweilers usually results

from irresponsible ownership, abuse, neglect, or lack of socialization and training.

 However, the exceptional strength of the Rottweiler is an additional risk factor not to

be neglected. It is for this reason that breed experts recommend that formal training and extensive socialization

are essential for all Rottweilers. According to the AKC, Rottweilers love their people and may behave in a

clownish manner toward family and friends, but they are also protective of their

 territory and do not welcome strangers until properly introduced. Obedience training and socialization are musts.

The breed has received negative publicity. In the US, in a 1997 report by the CDC,

 the Rottweiler was listed as the second most likely breed of dog named in fatal human attacks,

 following Pit Bulls, although at approximately half the rate of the Pit Bull.

A 2008 study surveying breed club members found that while Rottweilers were average in aggressiveness

(bites or bite attempts) towards owners and other dogs, it indicated they tend to

 be more aggressive than average towards strangers. This aggression appears unrelated

 to the fear of the dog, but is correlated with watchdog and territorial instincts.

 Breed-specific bite rates are not known, and less responsible owners being

drawn to certain breeds may be a factor.Dog related human fatalities need to be

considered in the context that there are fewer than 30 dog related fatalities in the

United States each year out of approximately 4.7 million bite incidents,^]from a total

dog population estimated by the American Pet Products Association at 77.5 million dogs.

The portrayal of Rottweilers as evil dogs in several fictional films and TV series, most notably in The Omen,

 and negative press has added to their negative publicity. This has led to Rottweilers being banned in

some municipalities and are sometimes targeted as dangerous dogs by legislation, such as in the Netherlands,

Poland, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. However, the Dutch law has since been changed as of 2008.

 On the other hand, not all mainstream media has portrayed the breed in a negative light: for example,

 a gentler side of the Rottweiler's personality was observed in the movie Lethal Weapon 3 where a

Rottweiler guarding a gun smuggling operation was placated by the main character, played by Mel Gibson,

 with dog treats. The dog was subsequently rescued and de facto adopted by the protagonist. Also,

 in the HBO series Entourage a Rottweiler named Arnold is a dear pet of the main

 characters. Cujo the loveable family dog and voice of the official website in the TV series Kath and Kim,

 is played by National Rottweiler Council (Australia) Champion and Dual Champion (Tracking)

Goodiesway Basko (AI) CDX ET TSD (pet name "Polo"). The hero of the picture book _Good Dog,

 Carl!_ and its sequels is a Rottweiler

Working style

According to the American Kennel Club the Rottweiler has a natural gathering style

with a strong desire to control. They generally show a loose-eye and have a great

amount of force while working well off the stock.

 They make much use of their ability to intimidate.

The Rottweiler will often carry the head on an even plane with the back or carry the

 head up but have the neck and shoulders lowered. Some females will lower the

entire front end slightly when using eye. Males will also do this when working far

off the stock in an open field. This is rarely seen in males when working in

confined spaces such as stock yards.

The Rottweiler has a reasonably good

natural balance, force-barks when necessary

 and when working cattle uses

a very intimidating charge.

There is a natural change

 in forcefulness when herding sheep. When working cattle he may use his body

 and shoulders and for this reason should be used on horned stock with caution.

The Rottweiler, when working cattle, will search out the dominant animal and challenge it.

 Upon proving his control over that animal he will settle back and tend to his work.

Some growers have found that Rottweilers are especially suited to move stubborn stock that

simply ignore Border Collies, Kelpies, etc. A Rottweiler will use their body to physically

 force the stubborn animal to do his bidding if necessary.

When working sheep the Rottweiler shows a gathering/fetching style and reams

 directions easily. He drives sheep with ease.

If worked on the same stock for any length of time the Rottweiler tends to develop a bond with the stock

and will become quite affectionate with them as long as they do as he says.

Health

Rottweilers are a relatively healthy, disease-free breed. As with most large breeds "Hip Dysplasia"

 can be a problem. However the various Rottweiler breed clubs have had x-ray

 testing regimes in place for many years. A reputable breeder will have the

hips and elbows of all breeding stock x-rayed and read by a recognised specialist.

 They will have paperwork to prove it.

They will also have certificates that their breeding animals do not have entropion or ectropion

 and that they have full and complete dentition with a scissor bite.

As with any species, hereditary conditions do occur in some lines.

 Potential purchasers should question breeders about any history of hereditary disease in their lines.

If over fed and /or under exercised, Rottweilers are one of the breeds most prone to obesity.

Some of the consequences of obesity can be very serious: arthritis, breathing difficulties,

 diabetes, heart failure, reproductive problems, skin disease, reduce resistance to

disease and overheating caused by the thick jacket of fat under the skin.