- 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
The Rottweiler is on the legal list. To keep one you need:
At handover the law asks for that licence. Without a stud-book (LOP) registration, the dog must be neutered between 4 and 6 months. In public, a muzzle and a lead of up to 1 m. Source (the law, opens in a new tab)
The Rottweiler is on Spain's legal list. You need a municipal licence before you buy one. To get it:
Then registration in the municipal register within 15 days. In public, a muzzle and a lead under 2 m. The autonomous community may add rules. Source (the law, opens in a new tab)
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.
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
“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.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; Mhlanga-Mutangadura et al. 2016, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
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.
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
The Rottweiler standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
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
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.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Rottweiler in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Rottweiler breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
6 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
An inherited disease of the nerves and brain, known in this breed as neuronal vacuolation and spinocerebellar degeneration and caused by the same variant as in the Black Russian Terrier: at three to four months old, affected puppies struggle to breathe because the larynx is paralysed, and they become weak and unsteady on their hind legs; some also have cataracts or small eyes. It is recessive. In the study that found it, 23 of 128 unaffected Rottweilers carried one copy, and roughly one in sixteen of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Juvenile-onset polyneuropathy (RAB3GAP1, Black Russian Terrier and Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited, slowly progressive degeneration of nerve fibres described in this breed: affected dogs may seem clumsy as puppies and, as young adults, become unsteady, with high-stepping legs, a tremor when they move deliberately and flickering eye movements; there is no treatment. It is recessive. Roughly one in seventeen of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Neuroaxonal dystrophy (VPS11, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited disease of the nerves and brain, known in this breed as neuronal vacuolation and spinocerebellar degeneration and caused by the same variant as in the Black Russian Terrier: at three to four months old, affected puppies struggle to breathe because the larynx is paralysed, and they become weak and unsteady on their hind legs; some also have cataracts or small eyes. It is recessive. In the study that found it, 23 of 128 unaffected Rottweilers carried one copy, and roughly one in sixteen of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Juvenile-onset polyneuropathy (RAB3GAP1, Black Russian Terrier and Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited, slowly progressive degeneration of nerve fibres described in this breed: affected dogs may seem clumsy as puppies and, as young adults, become unsteady, with high-stepping legs, a tremor when they move deliberately and flickering eye movements; there is no treatment. It is recessive. Roughly one in seventeen of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Neuroaxonal dystrophy (VPS11, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
An inherited tendency to form calcium oxalate stones in the bladder or kidneys, caused by a variant in uromodulin, a protein in urine that normally stops crystals forming; stones are usually found at around three years old and often come back. It is recessive — dogs with two copies are at risk, carriers usually are not. The university laboratory that identified it reports it in this breed but has not published how common it is.
What to ask for
Hereditary calcium oxalate urolithiasis type 1 (CaOx1) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited tendency to form calcium oxalate stones in the bladder or kidneys, caused by a variant in uromodulin, a protein in urine that normally stops crystals forming; stones are usually found at around three years old and often come back. It is recessive — dogs with two copies are at risk, carriers usually are not. The university laboratory that identified it reports it in this breed but has not published how common it is.
What to ask for
Hereditary calcium oxalate urolithiasis type 1 (CaOx1) DNA test result, on both parents
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
An inherited deafness of the inner ear described in a Rottweiler litter: four of ten puppies were deaf in both ears, which their owners noticed at a few weeks old, and had no other signs. It is recessive. In the study that found it, about one in nineteen unaffected Rottweilers outside the family carried it, and roughly one in 56 of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Congenital sensorineural deafness (LOXHD1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited deafness of the inner ear described in a Rottweiler litter: four of ten puppies were deaf in both ears, which their owners noticed at a few weeks old, and had no other signs. It is recessive. In the study that found it, about one in nineteen unaffected Rottweilers outside the family carried it, and roughly one in 56 of about 4,700 Rottweilers in a recent screen.
What to ask for
Congenital sensorineural deafness (LOXHD1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited muscle disease described in one family of Australian Rottweilers: four male puppies from two litters of the same parents developed severe, worsening muscle weakness and wasting at eight to thirteen weeks old, and died or were put to sleep young. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — it was not found in other Rottweilers tested in the UK and Australia, nor in any of 4,717 Rottweilers in a large screen.
What to ask for
X-linked myotubular myopathy (MTM1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female
An inherited overgrowth of the horny layer of the footpads described in a single Rottweiler: from eight weeks old the pads thickened so badly that they caused severe discomfort and had to be trimmed under anaesthetic every eight to ten weeks, and the dog later developed allergic skin disease with repeated skin and ear infections. The dog had two copies of a DSG1 variant found in none of 655 other dogs' genomes, which is the likely cause. It has not been reported in any other Rottweiler, and no screen says how common it is.
What to ask for
Palmoplantar hyperkeratosis (DSG1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited muscle disease described in one family of Australian Rottweilers: four male puppies from two litters of the same parents developed severe, worsening muscle weakness and wasting at eight to thirteen weeks old, and died or were put to sleep young. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — it was not found in other Rottweilers tested in the UK and Australia, nor in any of 4,717 Rottweilers in a large screen.
What to ask for
X-linked myotubular myopathy (MTM1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female
Median survival 10,6 years
95% confidence interval 10,4–10,7 years, from 3442 recorded deaths among 6317 dogs
Mortality hazard 1.27 (1.23, 1.32) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12,0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584.734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
An inherited overgrowth of the horny layer of the footpads described in a single Rottweiler: from eight weeks old the pads thickened so badly that they caused severe discomfort and had to be trimmed under anaesthetic every eight to ten weeks, and the dog later developed allergic skin disease with repeated skin and ear infections. The dog had two copies of a DSG1 variant found in none of 655 other dogs' genomes, which is the likely cause. It has not been reported in any other Rottweiler, and no screen says how common it is.
What to ask for
Palmoplantar hyperkeratosis (DSG1, Rottweiler type) DNA test result, on both parents