History

The Rottweiler, is an ancient breed whose history dates back to the Roman Empire when they were bred and employed by the Romans for herding cattle across vast stretches of  their enormous empire. The Roman army travelled through Württemberg in Southern Germany and the small market town of Rottweil Here they interbred Roman cattle dogs with the indigenous breeds of Rottweil and its surrounding areas which led to versatility of performance.  The Rottweiler is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of herding breeds.

During the Middle Ages the Rottweiler was used for bear hunting and as a cattle herding dog. They had to guard the herd at night, prevent any cattle from straying, drive it long distances by day, and sometimes carry their master’s money around its neck

Early on Rottweilers were of various colour, including red or grey. Depending on what work they were required to perform, the butcher used large or small dogs. The largest ones being used for pulling carts and the smaller ones for herding and driving animals.

Cattle herding was forbidden by 19th century German law, so the Rottweiler was then used as a draught dog by butchers, and even today when he is no longer used for pulling these little carts, his name continues to be linked with that of the butcher. Their name came from the small town of Rottweil in Wurtenberg, Germany, first of all being known as the ‘Rottweil Butcher’s Dog’ which was later shortened to Rottweiler.

After the driving of cattle was forbidden the Rottweiler population declined until in 1905 there was only one bitch left in the whole of Rottweil. The salvation of the breed came in 1910 when it was used as one of the four police working dog breeds. The other three were the Airedale, German Shepherd and Dobermann (a breed with Rottweiler related and bred from Rottweilers).

Two years later, one police dog gained much publicity by assisting in the arrest of fourteen drunken sailors in a German pub. Since that day the future of the Rottweiler was assured.

The first Rottweiler club in Germany, named DRK (”Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub” – German Rottweiler Club) was created the 13 January 1907, and that was followed by the creation of the SDRK (”Süddeutscher Rottweiler-Klub” – South German Rottweiler Club) on the 27 April 1907 and became the IRK (International Rottweiler Club). The DRK counted around 500 Rottweilers, the SDRK 3000 Rottweilers.

The various German Rottweiler Clubs amalgamated to form the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiller Klub – e.V (ADRK) which is recognised worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.

Since being used as police dogs the breed has become popular with dog owners, and in 1935 was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club. In 1936, Rottweilers were exhibited in Britain at Crufts. In 1966, a separate register was opened for the breed. In fact, in the mid 1990s, the popularity of the Rottweiler reached an all time high with it being the 1st most registered dog by the American Kennel Club.

Today Rottweilers are used in Germany by the Police, Customs and Army In Denmark they are mainly used for police duties. In Switzerland they are used by Customs, and in Norway some are used for mountain rescue work. They are also used as Border Guards.