Description

only more mastiff like/flock guardian type in appearance and temperament. A large to very large noble, impressive, heavy, robust, massive, powerful body. The head is broad, heavy, and strong. Some wrinkling. The skull is broad and large, broad back skull. Stop deep and well defined. Muzzle broad, full and square. Lips are well-developed, thick, with moderate to large flews, and pendulous lower lips. The muzzle is full with a scissor bite. Eyes are almond shaped, deep set, expressive, well apart, and are dark. Ears are pendant, triangular, carried forward, and set well apart. Ear leather is thick and fur is soft. The nose is wide and black, unless a color other than the base color of black then the nose color is the base color like red coat red nose blue coat blue nose. Mouth is dark in color. 42 teeth. Teeth are large and strong. The neck is powerful, well muscled, moderately arched, with a dewlap. The chest is broad and deep, well-pronounced fore-chest with well sprung oval ribs. Hindquarters are powerful, muscular. Front feet are compact and well arched. The tail may be docked leaving one or two vertebrae or left natural, if left natural it is curled over the back when excited or moving. Dewclaws may be cut, back dewclaws/double dewclaws are common at birth. Coat is thick and ranges from smooth to plush it may be long but is not desired. Thick plush coat is desired for a Rottie working as a flock guardian. The coat color is black/tan, black/rust, black/dark rust, black/mahogany and can also come in red/tan, blue/tan or black, and other colors are excepted in the Roman Rottweiler but not desirable. Gait the Rottie is a trotter. Strong forereach and powerful rear drive. Effortlessly covering the ground. The very first Rottweilers came in a variety of colors of brindle, gray, yellow and black, yellow and tan, and of course what we still see today very rarely the red and tan, black and tan Rottweilers were the rarest color of them all. The yellow and tan dogs were the most common. And white markings on the face, chest and feet were seen; todays Rottweiler will often whelp litters with white markings that usually fade with time although some do keep the white. In the first Rottweiler standard brindle was an acceptable color.

Origin

The Roman Rottweiler is in a sense an oversized Rottweiler, which are truer to the original dogs which existed hundreds of years ago. There are a handful of breeders who breed this type of Rottweiler. One breeder by the name of Emily Tiscarenio from Colossal Rottweilers was successful in getting the type recognized with the Academic Kennel Records under the name Roman Rottweiler. This recreation of the possibly Italian mastiff. These ancient roman ancestors were inbreeding with local shepherd dogs and fighting dogs. The first written thing on Rotties is 74 A.D. The Romans used this mountain dog during the Middle Ages to herd and protect cattle for the Roman Soldiers crossing the Alps. It had to be big enough to protect and move the cattle that fed the Roman legions and strong and rugged enough physically and mentally in the harsh mountain terrain. They had to be intelligent, willing to work, and have a strong guarding instinct. They were brought to Europe with the Roman invaders legions. Their closest relatives are the their cattle with the escort dogs (Rottweilers) settled in Germany due to impassable roads and marshlands, this is when the Germans got a hold to a few specimens of the breed. These areas became Roman territory. One territory was Rottweil built in 74 A.D. When in Rottweil they had to herd the cattle, guard the cattle, keep order in the herd, tame the bulls, get the mean vicious bulls to move, and guard his master and his masters property including his money bag which he tied around his Rottweilers neck, these were no easy tasks. After the Germans acquired the Rottweiler they began to breed it down in size and so was the end of the Roman Rottweiler. Even back then there was great controversy between the small Rottweiler and the big Rottweiler so much as to have fist fights over the matter. The Germans wanted a shorter Rottweiler to better their herding ability. When moving a bull the dog bit the legs until the bull moved. They wanted it shorter so the bites did not destroy the meat quality higher up in the legs. Shorter dogs bit lower on the legs. When taming a bull, the bull had a harder time attacking and injuring the smaller dog so they purposely selected runty dogs in their breeding program. There were others who wanted to preserve the original Rottweiler and this large dogs powerfulness, guarding abilities, transportation, and big game hunting abilities.

Temperament

What is a Roman Rottweiler whats the difference between it and the standard Rottweiler? The Roman Rottweiler is a recreation of the original Rottweiler, a mastiff-like Rottweiler who crossed the Alps herding and guarding cattle as well as fighting in the Roman wars with the Romans. It is a larger dog than the standard Rottweiler, who is confident, trainable, athletic, courageous, protective, reliable, and devoted. They have a reliable temperament. Protective, he will defend his family fiercely. These are strong fighters that seem immune to pain. Serious, steady and confident. Firm and careful training is essential for this breed, otherwise you may end up with a very powerful and overly aggressive dog. Yet they can, with proper handling, also be loyal, loving and very rewarding companions. They require owners who can handle their massive size. The Rottweiler is a natural guard dog with a mellow temperament. They are highly intelligent and have proven their worth beyond question in police, military, and customs work over many centuries. Because of their size, training should begin fairly young - while the dog is still small, and great care should be taken to ensure that the dog is not made vicious. This breed needs a lot of companionship and socialization to be truly happy. They can be aggressive with other dogs and should be kept on leashes in public places. When the Rottweiler is consistently brought up and trained, it will be a good playmate for the children. It will accept cats and other household pets as long as the dog has had a positive experience with them while it was young. Friends and relatives of the family are normally enthusiastically welcomed. Strangers can get no further than the sidewalk. It is aloof with a wait-and-see attitude; flock guardian Rottweilers have great distaste towards strangers. These dogs are extremely versatile. They can be used for flock guarding, herding, schutzhund, weight pulling, carting, family protector/companion, therapy work, guide dog, agility, water sports, hunting/retrieving, police work, military work, tracking, and obedience.

Height

Height: at least 24 ½ inches (63 cm.) Weight: at least 80 pounds (36

Weight

Weight: Dogs 80-90 pounds (36-41kg) Bitches 65-75 pounds (29-34kg)

Known Health Problems

This breed is susceptible to ACL damage. Prone to hip dysplasia. Tends to snore and overeat. Also prone to entropion (narrowing of the slit between the eyelids).

Conditions for Living

The Roman Rottweiler will do okay in an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised. They are relatively inactive indoors and a small yard will be sufficient.

Exercise Requirments

The Roman Rottweiler needs plenty of exercise. You can't give these robust dogs too much work or exercise; they thrive on it. They need to country makes them very happy and they have no desire to wander from you. Swimming or running beside a bicycle are perfect activities for this dog and it also loves retrieving a ball.

Life Expectancy

About 10-12 years.

Grooming

The smooth, glossy coat is easy to groom. Brush with a firm bristle brush and bathe only when necessary. Plush coats are also easy to take care of and use a slicker brush, long coats need a bit more attention depending on coat length and thickness. This breed is an average shedder.

Group

Mastiff, Flock Guardian