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"I didn't
do anything," the youngster said, his face horribly scarred.
"It runned out of the gate. It bited my face. It was a brown
dog with black on it. It was big, with sharp teeth. It was
a Rottenweiler."
If the
only creatures with teeth that get more publicity than a Rottweiler
are pit bulls and Mike Tyson, there's a reason. According
to the Los Angeles Times, "A five-year study by the
Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta found that pit bulls,
Rottweilers and German shepherds bite humans more than other
breeds [do]."
At a time
when the words Rottweiler and bite will ring
up nearly 400 citations, all of them fewer than two years
old, on your favorite newspaper-database search, people are
justified in asking whether Rotties are inherently unstable
- and if owning a Rottweiler means always having to say you're
sorry.
Yet people
are also justified in asking: if Rottweilers are such a menace,
why are they so popular? For popular they are. The American
Kennel Club registered 60,471 new Rottweilers in 1990. That
figure grew to 93,656 by 1995, an increase of 55 percent.
Only one other breed - the placid, reliable, do-no-evil Labrador
retriever - currently is more popular than the Rottweiler.
Bad
As You Let It Be
Part of
the Rottie's astonishing increase in popularity can be attributed
the breed's virtues. There are, one can argue, few dogs with
a greater capacity to learn or to express more devotion to
their owners than the Rottweiler. In the right hands the Rottie
is, as one observer enthused, "a tough, dependable companion
with a heart of gold."
Much to
its misfortune, however, the Rottweiler often falls into the
wrong hands - hands that dial the SPCA to inquire, "You got
any of them Rockweilers today?" Thus, the dark side of the
breed's phenomenal growth is its emergence as a full-blown
status symbol, ego booster, stylin' trend and a reflection
of a machismo attitude. These are the reasons that Rotties
are found in too many American homes, but none is even a half-valid
reason for owning any dog, especially a Rottweiler. Too many
people who fancy Rottweilers fail to understand - let alone
stop to consider - the level of commitment demanded by this
unique breed. Most new or prospective owners do not realize
how unmanageable, even dangerous, a Rottweiler is when its
owner does not provide the discipline and respect this breed
requires. Bluntly put, either the Rottie's owner is fully
in charge or the dog starts making its own rules, acting when
and how it sees fit; and when Rotties make the rules, they
often make headlines.
Roman
Holidays
One of
the most lurid achievements of the Roman Empire was the Circus
Maximus. Like Rome, the circus wasn't built in a day. Initially
constructed around 600 B.C. and modified several times thereafter,
the circus was the fountain of amusement in Rome for more
than nine centuries. This larger-than-lives battleground,
2,000 feet by 600 feet at its zenith, was more than six football
fields long and two fields wide. It eventually held as many
as 250,000 people, the entire population of Rome.
Chariot
races were the first and the abiding attraction in the Circus
Maximus, but other entertainments, many of them involving
animals, were gradually added to the program. Among the most
popular additions were fights between lions and dogs.
The type
of dog that rumbled with lions was called the Molossus, a
mastifflike breed noted for it ferocity and aggressiveness.
Only the most savage fighting dogs qualified for work in the
arena, but other dogs from the same breedings that produced
the lion fighters were barely less fierce. These dogs traveled
with the Roman armies, for whom they served as guards, protectors
and draft dogs. They also drove and defended the cattle that
fed the Roman soldiers on their conquering expeditions.
Portrayals
of these dogs found in historic writings bear a conspicuous
resemblance to modern Rottweilers. We have no recorded proof,
of course, that Roman fighting dogs and their descendants
are the ancestors of today's Rottweiler, but dogs of the Molossus
type were carried to every region of Europe that the Roman
armies visited.
Red
Tiles and Cattle Drives
One of
those regions was southern Germany, where the Romans established
an outpost called Arae Flavia sometime around 74 A.D. This
outpost rapidly became a sophisticated social and political
center attracting many Roman citizens accustomed to the comforts
and architecture of their former urban dwellings. Because
the significant buildings in Arae Flavia were all distinguished
by red-tiled roofs, the town that grew up there came to be
known as Rottwil (later Rottweil), which means "red
villa."
The Molossus
dogs that accompanied the Roman army fraternized with other
dogs already living in Rottweil, and eventually a breed developed
that was just as courageous and no less adaptable than its
Roman predecessors. By the Middle Ages, when Rottweil had
become a center of commerce and justice, cattlemen used the
descendants of the Roman dogs-local dogs matings to drive
the herds they sold to the butcher and to guard the purses
containing the proceeds of those sales on the way back home.
For their part, the butchers used the dogs to pull meat carts.
Toward this end, they developed a larger strain of dog for
draft work, but the smaller, herding type Rottweiler is the
type most popular today.
Getting
the Shafts
In time
donkeys replaced Rottweilers between the cart shafts in Rottweil,
and the railroad's efficiency at shipping freight led to a
law, passed in the mid-19th century, that banned cattle drives
through German towns. Out of work, the Rottweiler was soon
out of favor. In 1882 there was only one Rottweiler entered
in the dog show at Heilbronn, Germany. (The first beauty human
pageant, incidentally, was not held until 1888.)
By 1901,
according to some observers, only one of its namesake dogs
remained in Rottweil. The German fondness for Rotties, however,
inspired a national effort to save the breed from extinction.
That effort was dedicated to preserving Rottweilers' loyalty,
intelligence and strength, qualities that made them excellent
candidates for police and protection work. After several years
of squabbles among Rottweiler fanciers (so what else is new
in the dog world?), the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub
was formed in 1921. Its motto is "Rottweiler breeding is working
dog breeding," and no Rottweiler can earn a conformation championship
in Germany without first proving its skill as a working dog.
No one
knows for certain when the first Rottweiler came to America,
but the first litter of Rotties whelped in this country was
born in 1930, and the AKC registered its first Rottweiler
in 1931. Thanks to the Rottie's capacity for obedience work,
its star began to rise after World War II, and now it is a
serious light in the canine firmament. One that sheds heat
as well as light.
A Question
of Character
The courage
and aggressiveness that allowed the Molossus dog to fight
lions in the arena and to march with the Roman legions, later
allowed its presumed heirs to serve the cattlemen and butchers
of Rottweil. Yet that courage and aggressiveness in their
unharnessed forms are the modern-day Rottweiler's most problematic
traits. Rotties can exhibit guarding or territorial behavior
as early as nine months of age. They may grumble, for example,
if they are disturbed while they are eating, or they may take
offense if anyone tries to remove their toys or bones while
they're in use.
At this
early age a Rottweiler puppy generally does not have the confidence
to challenge its owner's leadership. Owners can best avoid
such challenges by teaching Rottweilers to respond to simple
commands - preferably in a formal obedience-class setting
- while the dogs are still young, as young as four to six
months of age. Training must begin early. By the time a Rottweiler
is a year old, it will be confident enough to challenge the
devil himself if it has not been taught it is the follower,
not the leader, in its pack.
This is
true of all dogs, but the bigger the size of the dog in the
challenge, and the bigger the size of the challenge in the
dog, the greater the face-off in which the dog owner will
be involved. The Rottweiler, to be sure, takes special handling
and training that are, we strongly feel, beyond the capability
of the average dog owner. This is not a breed that can be
left in the back yard. Like other guardian breeds, Rotties
abandoned to their own devices can become excessively territorial.
Many Rottweilers who have gotten into mischief have escaped
from the yards to which they had been confined because they
felt their turf was being challenged by someone passing by.
A Sound
Mind ...
Sound
temperament is paramount among the attributes a companion
Rottweiler must possess. A Rottweiler with an unstable temperament
- whether from deficiencies of nature, nurture or both - is
an extreme liability and a danger to society. Understandably,
no one should consider purchasing a Rottweiler anywhere but
from a source with a long-standing reputation for producing
dogs that are mentally sound. The Rottie is a dog with the
potential to live with you for at least 10 or 12 years. It
is not a breed wherein lack of stability can be dismissed
lightly.
A well-bred
Rottweiler puppy is a happy, healthy extrovert. Do not consider
a shy, suspicious or sickly puppy because you feel sorry for
it. Any of these conditions can lead to problems. Nor should
you be impressed with a puppy that's completely reckless or
overly aggressive with its littermates. These traits suggest
that a dog will be hard to control at maturity.
...
in a Sound Body
A healthy
Rottweiler puppy is strong and sturdy. Its legs are straight
as posts, and it moves with ease. A Rottie pup is short-bodied
and compact. Beware the youngster that is short legged or
dwarfed in any respect. The puppy's coat should be black and
shiny and lie flat to the body. The rust markings should be
clearly defined. The Rottweiler's head, even at the puppy
stage, should appear blocky, and there should never be any
malformation of the teeth or jaw. A Rottweiler must have a
sound compliment of teeth if you plan to show it. Even two
missing teeth will get it yanked from the show ring.
Though
the biggest puppy in the litter may be appealing, spare a
thought for the adult size of a Rottie. Unless you are capable
of controlling a mature male that stands up to 27 inches at
the shoulder and weighs as much as 120 pounds, the smaller
male or a female might be more suitable.
A well-bred
and well-trained Rottweiler can be a marvelous companion for
you and your entire family, but remember, this highly intelligent
and willing dog will rely entirely upon you to provide the
upbringing it requires. A good Rottie will never let its master
down. Be sure you can earn this loyalty by providing your
Rottie with the firm hand and training on which his development
and your happiness depend.
Some
Things Rotten
More than
300 inherited diseases are known to beset dogs. No breed or
combination of breeds is exempt from this army of grim reapers,
although some breeds are more exempt than others. For their
part, Rottweilers may be heir to the following:
Hip
dysplasia: a malformation of the hip joint resulting in
a poor fit between the head of the femur bone and the hip
socket, in which the femoral head normally lies. This condition
can be alleviated by surgery. Because dysplastic dogs often
produce dysplastic puppies, buyers should ask if both the
sire and the dam of the puppy in which they are interested
have been rated clear of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation
for Animals or by Penn HIP. Do not take yes for an answer
without seeing the certificate, and ask for a copy to take
to your veterinarian.
Osteochondrosis
(OCD): a defect in the cartilage overlying the head of one
of the long bones. OCD generally affects large, rapidly growing
dogs between the ages of four and 12 months. It primarily
occurs in the shoulder or elbow joints, but it can affect
the hocks or stifles, too. The symptom of OCD is gradual lameness.
Surgery may be necessary to remove pieces of damaged cartilage.
Recovery and prognosis are generally good.
Panosteitis:
an intermittent mild-to-severe lameness caused by a painful,
inflammatory disease that affects the long bones of young,
rapidly growing dogs. Reported to affect males more often
than females, panosteitis may appear in one leg or in all
four legs simultaneously. Dogs with panosteitis usually respond
to analgesics such as aspirin or phenylbutazone.
Gastric
torsion (bloat): a condition in which the stomach can
turn and block, causing a buildup of gas. Unless treated very
quickly, bloat can be fatal. Signs consist of stomach pain
and futile attempts to vomit and to salivate. May lead to
cardiovascular collapse. Bloat usually occurs when exercise
too closely follows eating. The incidence of bloat may be
lessened by feeding adult dogs twice a day and, of course,
by allowing a dog time to digest before taking him for a run
in the park.
Eye
problems: cataracts and inward-rolling eyelids.
Rick
Beauchamp is a freelance writer who resides in Cambria,
California. He is a licensed judge with the American Kennel
Club and the United Kennel Club. He has written numerous books
and articles about dogs and dog breeding.
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