- Black with clearly defined markings of a rich tan on the cheeks, muzzle, throat, chest and legs, as well as over both eyes and under the base of the tail
About the Rottweiler
Origin: Germany
- Typical life span
- 9-10 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 43-61 kg
- Female
- 36-45 kg
- Height
- Male
- 61-69 cm
- Female
- 56-64 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
- Origin
- Germany
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Rottweiler?
Large, robust, muscular working dog with black coat and tan markings, known for great strength, protective instincts, and confident temperament. A loyal and loving guardian breed.
Rottweiler history and origins
Descended from Roman drover dogs, developed in the German town of Rottweil as cattle herders and guard dogs. Known as the 'Butcher's Dog of Rottweil', they protected butchers' money to and from market. Numbers declined with advent of railroads but was revived in early 20th century. Later used for protection and police work
Rottweiler appearance and size
Males typically weigh 43-61 kg and stand 61-69 cm at the shoulder; females 36-45 kg and 56-64 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Companion, service and working dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“The Rottweiler is good- natured, placid in basic disposition, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work. His appearance is natural and rustic, his behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless. He reacts to his surroundings with great alertness and at the same time even- tempered”
Quoted from FCI standard n°147. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Rottweiler
What you get with the Rottweiler
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Companion, service and working dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The Rottweiler is good- natured, placid in basic disposition, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Rottweiler
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
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 hindlegs
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°147 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Rottweiler down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- General appearance: Too molossoid type and heavy general appearance.
- Skin: Skin at the head strongly wrinkled, strong wrinkles in the area of the forehead, the muzzle and the cheeks, strong dewlap.
- Gait: Sluggish action while trotting
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Behaviour: Anxious, shy, cowardly, gun-shy, vicious, excessively suspicious, nervous animals.
- General appearance: Distinct reversal of sexual type, i.e. feminine dogs or masculine bitches.
- Teeth: Overshot or undershot bite, wry mouth; lack of one incisive tooth, one canine, one premolar or one molar.
- Eyes: Entropion, ectropion, yellow eyes, different coloured eyes.
- Tail: Kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation, natural bobtail.
- Hair: Definitely long or wavy coat.
- Colour: Dogs which do not show the typical Rottweiler colouring of black with tan markings. White markings
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Rottweiler in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Rottweiler
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Rottweiler on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Rottweiler owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Rottweiler breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.