Tenacious Rotties : reliable, respectable and rapturous

His appearance is natural and rustic, his behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless. His gait is balanced and powerful, his motion effortless and efficient. He is calm and courageous and he seldom barks. He is a Rottweiler – who is a perfect pooch companion–strong, good-looking, calm and composed.

Robust and powerful

One look at a Rottweiler and you are bound to respect him for his strength and endurance, such is the charisma of Rotties. His look is intelligent, alert and bold. “He is a medium to large size, stalwart dog, neither heavy nor light and neither leggy nor weedy. His correctly proportioned, compact and powerful build spreads an aura of great strength and agility,” tells Kalaiselvi Venkatesan of Vom Ragnborg, the breeder of Rottweilers in Chennai.

My looks, my personality
Rotties are black beauties with hints of tan or mahogany. Two upsidedown triangles can be clearly seen on his chest while his cheeks sport spots. Other marking areas include muzzle, eyebrows, legs and base of the tail. “Perhaps their most distinct features are good head and strong back which gives an appearance of overall strength and vigour,” adds Kalaiselvi.
This medium-sized dog is muscular and athletic. He has a medium length coat. His undercoat is waterproof and present on neck and thighs while topcoat is dense, coarse and straight. His eyes are brown and give a warm and loyal look to his face, which in turn is placid. His ears are placed wide apart and are small, triangular in shape.
The height of males is 24-27 inches while that of females is 22-25 inches and they weigh around 50 kg and 45 kg respectively.
I will always love you!
Training and early socialisation is all that is required to make Rottie a perfect companion. He is reliable, quick to learn and is extremely fond of children and loves to play. He is clever and can clearly distinguish between kids and adults and behave accordingly. He is very gentle and cautious with kids. “Since they are powerful dogs with lots of confidence, they are very tolerant towards kids,” adds Kalaiselvi. He will be devoted to you and crave for your attention and will simply love to please you. He will protect you, your home and your family – just the pawfect guardian. Lack of human companionship can cause behavioural problems in them. Also, keep them mentally stimulated and see them bloom. In one sentence, Kalaiselvi describes Rotties as good natured, placid in basic disposition, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work.

Puppy care

It is important to provide balanced nutritive diet according to the stages of growth. Also provide clean water at all times. Give him adequate exercise, socialise him and give him basic obedience training.

Train and socialise me
Rotties are dominant by nature and so they should be trained from the very beginning to accept you as the pack leader. Equally important is early socialisation to make them familiar with people, other pets in the house and different situations.
Would love to live with you
“Living with a well socialized Rottweiler is just like living with any of your family members. They understand your moods and thoughts well and anticipate your reactions to different situations. Since they are extremely intelligent and laidback breed, it is a real pleasure to have them as a family member,” tells Kalaiselvi.
They do not bark much and more often, it is a sign of annoyance or protecting their dens, in case of females.

Groom me little

Regular brushing with a bristle/slicker brush/hand glove is needed to remove the dead hair and add shine to the coat by stimulating the oil glands. The correct procedure is to first groom in the direction opposite to that of hair growth for around 10-15 minutes and then along the direction of hair growth for about 10 minutes. They are not heavy shedders but shed during certain periods of time. Their eyes should be regularly cleaned with wet cotton.

I love to play and trot

They are crazy about balls and also tug of war. Kalaiselvi recommends no strenuous exercise upto 18 months of age since their bones mature at 18 months. “Only daily walking sessions, swimming and free play in the garden under supervision are required to keep him healthy,” she adds. “However, after 18 months, they can be worked out well with exercises like weight pulling, IPO training etc.”
Health concerns
Though Rotties are tough and hardy, but still they are prone to genetic diseases like canine hip and elbow dysplasia and osteosarcoma. All in all, Rottweiler is a real pleasure to be around. Just bring home one and experience it yourself.
(With inputs from Kalaiselvi Venkatesan of Vom Ragnborg (www.vomragnborg.com), the breeder of Rottweilers in Chennai.)