Main Difference – American vs German Rottweilers
When the Roman armies were invading Europe, they drove cattle herds along with them in order to feed their army. The Romans employed Rottweilers to control these cattle herds asdrovers. Since then these dog breeds were employed until the mid-1800s, during which the driving of cattle was legally banned. At present Rottweilers are mainly used as police dogs, drovers, guardian, and companion dogs.There are two types of Rottweilers in the world; American Rottweilers and German Rottweilers. These two breeds, however, exhibit very few differences, which are described in this article. According to the American Rottweiler breeding standards, the American Rottweilers are slightly taller and have longer legs than that of German Rottweilers. This can be identified as the main difference between American and German Rottweilers.
Rottweilers – Facts, Characteristics, and Behaviour
An adult Rottweiler is 22-27 inches tall and 85-140 lbs in weight. Rottweilers are one of the strongest and most powerful dog breeds in the world. They have broad heads with almond-shaped dark eyes and folded triangular ears. The body is a little longer than tall at the shoulder and covered with a rough, shiny medium length coat, which is always black with brown-colored markings on it. Their tail is very short. Rottweilers are calm and confident in nature. These dog breeds are specially developed for their strength, but not speed. Hence, they do not need a lot of exercises. Therefore, a long walk or fetching activity is recommended. Training must be started from the puppy level in order to improve their loyalty and obedience. The Rottweilers are dedicated companions to their families, and can be kept with kids. The loved ones are remembered forever and welcomed by wiggling their tails. They are not suitable to keep with other dogs. The life span of Rottweilers is approximately 8-10 years.
American Rottweiler – Facts, Characteristics, and Behaviour
American Rottweilers are the closest decedents of German Rottweilers. However, some believe that there is no difference among these two Rottweilers. In the 1920s, German immigrants brought German Rottweilers to the United States. Then in the 1930s the Americans started breeding Rottweilers, and the new breeds were called American Rottweilers. The American Rottweilers are mainly occupied as police, guard and search-and-rescue dogs. However, the popularity of American Rottweiler remained low for many years. According to the American Rottweiler breeding standards, the American Rottweilers are slightly taller and have longer legs than that of German Rottweilers.
German Rottweiler – Facts, Characteristics, and Behaviour
It is believed that the ancestors of German Rottweilers originally came from Rome, Italy. They arrived with the Roman army to Europe. After that, the German butchers used these dogs for herding cattle and pull their meat carts to the market. At that time, they were called ‘butcher dogs’. Later, Germans used the process called ‘selective breeding’ to breed their butcher dogs. With this breeding process, these dogs developed into the German Rottweilers, which is named after the town of Rottweil.
Difference Between American and German Rottweilers
- According to the American Rottweiler breeding standards, the American Rottweilers are slightly taller and have longer legs than that of German Rottweilers.
- American Rottweilers are less popular than German Rottweilers
- American Rottweilers were originated by selective breeding of German Rottweilers.
Image Courtesy:
“Rottweiler standing facing left” by Dr. Manfred Herrmann Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub (ADRK) e.V. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons
