Select from the articles below:
1. Is a Rottweiler for every owner?
2. How Rottweilers got their Markings.
3. The Creation of the Rottweiler (Folklore).
1. Is a Rottweiler for every OWNER?
The answer is No.
And it is not because there is something wrong with this particular breed but because some people do not know how to interact responsibly with a Rottweiler.
Unfortunately for us, we believe that all non-human species would also respond to any action just like another human would do. We have become very used to expecting certain responses to certain situations and we automatically believe that animals would comply with them as well. We train our animals with the sole intention that they would start learning these reactions by continuous conditioning, often forgetting that animals react on pure instinct and their sense of perceiving things is quite different from humans. It goes for just about any kind of animals, not just dogs. We humans would have to do our best to understand them or else the consequences could prove dangerous for both parties.
Here are some questions that you might have to ask yourself before you think about buying a Rottweiler.
Only if your answer is NO to all the above questions, should you think about getting a Rottweiler and for that you need to contact a Reputed Breeder.
This can lead to the question that whether all animals that tend to give us, the humans- a supposedly intellectually superior species- any problems should be banned or not and it might be said that if we feel it is indeed important to control them, they just might be a bit too smart for us. Animal Liberation believes it to be true but that can be the content of another article. The bottom line is that no animal is or should be treated as equal to humans, in case it is the humans who have dominance problems whether the animal height it 150 mm or 1.5m.
The Rottweiler should be able to trust its master to keep it safe, feed it and respect it, not to mention control it, but in an acceptable manner. The owner becomes the Rottweiler’s leader, a guiding force helping him thorough tough situations and guiding it through the rights and wrong, much like its own mother would have done in the whelping den. If all goes well, then the dog would not only be your lifelong companion, but will become an asset to your family probably more special than any other human being.
Your dog will not be stable and will not have a usual, normal growth and interaction with other humans if you chain it all day, hoping that doing so will keep him out of other people’s way. You will only end up creating an erroneous notion in the mind of the dog and one day he is going to retaliate by either biting its own master or worse, and the dog would have to take the blame whereas it is master who had always been in the wrong and too stupid to understand his dog.
If you allow the dog to mingle with people and socialize, he will have a better understanding of human temperament and will be a lot more stable.
If all goes well a Rottweiler would accept strangers when the family is around. By nature, it is their instinct to guard their premises and their families so probably when the family is not around, it would show passive resistance like standing between the stranger and the threshold, not to let him in. A Rottweiler would bark only when it is tethered. Otherwise, a good Rottweiler will not back down easily even when aggression is shown and they shouldn’t either- at the end it all comes down to Respect. However, it is advisable that you try your best not to put the Rottweiler in any situation where he has no other alternative but to show aggression, because under ordinary circumstances they just prefer a happy environment with the family who owns him.
It is also unfortunate that there has been a growing tendency in our society to ban all animals which are more than 16 kgs weight or are taller than 350 mm. But why? The common reason sited is health issues, but in reality it is because people have started perceiving larger animals as bit of a threat- something that would be more difficult to control. Smaller animals apparently exude a sense of submission- as if they can be cuddled into silence or because humans think it is easier to control smaller animals as far as the application of force in concerned. In reality however, there are quite a few smaller animals that are much more difficult to control, only the larger animals end up getting all the negative attention. But our ancestors did not have any problems keeping larger pets, did they? Can it be said that humans are going backward, unable to maintain that degree of common sense and ability that is essential while dealing with animals, the sense that came to our grandparents so easily? If that is true, it is most unfortunate.
So if you find yourself incapable in any way, be honest with yourself and do not get a dog, least of all a Rottweiler. Getting a dog puts a degree of responsibility on you; you are to take the position of care giver. If you want to benefit from it, you have to ensure the dog benefits from you as well.
I would like to end this article with a little story about one of our first Rottweilers, Codie, and the ancestor of some of our best Rottweilers. When Codie was around 18 months home, a 12 year old boy came to our house to get his bike and finding no one, proceeded to the back of the house. Well Codie met him there and just stood there, refusing to let him in. The boy went back to the front and attempted to take his bike and Codie went and stood by the bike, refusing to let him take it either. The boy went back home and called in the evening to say what a great dog we had and could be come and get his bike. The point is both reacted very well to the situation- the boy got the message and backed off and Codie did not have to show undue aggression at all.
ROTTWEILERS – who in their right mind would live without them, certainly not us.
(Suggested reading:“The Dog’s Mind” by Dr Bruce Fogle.)
D.V.M M.R.C.V.S For more information on this subject, http://www.rottie-l.org/buyarott.html is a good resource. His article is written, owned and copyrighted by Coalfire Rottweilers, October 2004. Do not reproduce, in whole or in part, without written permission.)
A very long time ago, when Man was alone and a frightened creature in this huge, wide world, the Great Being looked down on all the dogs that had been created and wanted to see that one special dog who would be the perfect companion to mankind forever.
They were the long and sleek dogs with enormous speed; the massive dogs, a little slow but sure and steady; dogs with a keen sense of smell or very sharp hearing and dogs who could even track down a lion. There were dogs who could retrieve things and dogs who could herd sheep together. All of them were special in their own way but they were not the ones the Creator had in mind.
Finally, there was this one dog which was medium to large sized. He was all black in color, had a bear like head and no tail. This dog was to be put to test to see whether he could be the one to be at Man’s side forever. And so he was sent to men sitting by the fire. At first, they were frightened. They said, “You are so big and you look like a bear. What if you eat our children?” The dog replied, “No, I will not, because I love Man.”
For three days and two nights, the dog remained by the men’s side- he protected their home and valuable and went with them to hunt. He hunted down games for them and protected their flock of cattle. He frightened away the other wild animals that could have harmed the men. On the third night, a small girl came to the dog. She was scared as she was having nightmares and could not sleep. The dog lay by her side and rested his head gently on the girl’s lap. When the girl fell asleep, the dog entered her dreams and fought off all the creatures. He fought for her and saved her from the demons. When the girl felt she was lost, the dog brought her back safely and when she felt she was being swallowed by a quicksand, he pulled her out. All night the dog lay beside her and never moved from her side. When the girl woke up, she hugged her new, dear friend tightly. She kissed him once on each cheek and above his eyes, she hugged him tightly around the chest where he had waded into the quicksand and even playfully patted his behind. She stroked his powerful throat and muzzle and the dog and the girl became inseparable. The dog felt nothing but undying love for this little girl, his friend.
Then the Great Being whispered in the dog’s ear. “You have passed the test. There are many dogs that could herd sheep and track animals but you alone have managed to enter the world of man, enter his darkest dreams and fears and have stood by him to protect him, without caring for your own life’s safety. You did not run but faced every adversity. And you have earned the love and respect of even the smallest child.” The Great Being disappeared and the dog felt a shiver of happiness. And all the placed where the little child had touched him became a beautiful rich shade of mahogany.
The Rottweiler was then sent to be by the side of Man, a place where he stays till today. And deep in his heart, he bears a special place for the little one, the children.
(Submited by: Trojan Reg’d. Rottweilers. Reproduced from an article at The Pet Professor website: http://www.thepetprofessor.com/secTrivia/Rottweiler.asp)
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, before Mankind and Dogdom had learned to love and respect each other, a meeting was called by the Grand Canine Council of Eight, which was responsible for the fate of all dogs. It was decided that the governing of the dogs could be easily and better accomplished if the dogs could be each named according to their choice and if each breed could select a prototype to uphold the breed characteristics. This was considered necessary as it was expected that Mankind and Dogdom might soon unite with favorable consequences for both the parties.
On the appointed day, the representatives gathered and one by one, in a orderly fashion, each made his selection from a series of catalogs depicting body parts available. As the day wore on, it became clear that there was not enough material to pacify all the breed requirements. In fact, already there were shortages in ear and tail categories. Some were already showing signs of anxiety when a Grey hound came up to a large dog at the front of the line.
“Please, friend Rottweiler,” whined the Greyhound, “let me take your place in line. If I stay at the end of the line there won’t be any long tails to act as a rudder, Greyhound will run crookedly.”
“Well, Okay,” said the Rottweiler, and he moved back a step for the grateful Greyhound.
The line began inching forward again.
“Pardon me, sir,” rumbled a deep voice at the Rottweiler’s shoulder. “Would you mind if I went ahead of you?”
“Well,” said the Rottweiler, “I really don’t think….”
“You see, the deep voice went on, “we St. Bernard’s must have great size to perform our rescue work in the show. It is extremely difficult for small dogs to rescue people. Just think of all those lost children.”
“Oh, all right,” sighed the Rottweiler, and again he moved back in line.
And so it went…. a small prototype dog for whom it was essential to have a long body so that he could squeeze into smaller holes edged in and a dog similar to Terrier who needed greater agility and speed to catch rats came up; another wanted a thick coat so that it could be comfortable while guarding sheep in the winters while yet another wanted a silky coat so that he be apt as a lapdog. Finally, there was only that dog left who had graciously moved farther and farther back to make room for the others. When he looked through the catalogues, almost all the good characteristics were gone.
The Rottweiler sighed deeply.
“HURRY UP”, yapped the Eighth Fate, without looking up.
“Well,” said the Rottweiler, very alert now that his turn had come. “I guess a big deep chest won’t look bad with small ears that stand up sharply.”
“Sorry,” said the Eighth Fate. “All out of stand-up ears.”
“NO STAND UP EARS!?” howled the Rottweiler.
“That’s what I said. We can give you rosettes, long or medium-short, but they all drop.”
“I’ll take the medium-short,” said the Rottweiler with disappointment, “They won’t be too noticeable with a nice bright color combination.”
“NO BRIGHT COLORS,” yipped the Second Fate. “Only black.”
“BLACK?”, snarled the Rottweiler.
“Wait, Wait,” whimpered the Fourth Fate, in an attempt to placate, “Here are a few tan markings you can scatter on the face and legs.”
“I have three white hairs here,” said the Fifth Fate. Not enough for everyone, but occasionally you can sprinkle two or three on a chest.”
“It’s not really what we had in mind.” said the Rottweiler. Then he brightened, “However a big plume of a tail will make up for everything.”
“SORRY,” barked the Sixth Fate, “NO TAILS.”
“WHAT!” Roared the Rottweiler, “You expect me to report back to my breed chairman in BLACK with a few tan markings, DROP EARS and NO TAIL?”
“Sorry,” said the others. “You should have gotten here sooner.”
“One moment,” the Chief Fate interceded. “This prototype was one of the first to arrive.”
“I can’t help that,” said the Eighth Fate crankily as he was very tired.
“Besides,” added the Third Fate, “All of the catalogues are closed. There are no more supplies to be had.”
“I realize that.” answered the Chief Fate, “but we can do what all good dogs should do…..give something of ourselves.
From each of us, Rottweiler, you will receive one gift to bestow upon your breed: COURAGE, GENTLENESS, INTELLIGENCE, STRENGTH, LOYALTY, PLACIDITY, HANDSOMENESS and VIGILANCE. However, the greatest attribute of any breed you already possess in abundance…..
“A GENEROUS HEART.”
(Submited by: Trojan Reg’d. Rottweilers. Reproduced from an article at The Pet Professor website: http://www.thepetprofessor.com/secTrivia/Rottweiler.asp)