The Rottweiler’s main appeal is their reputation for being the best guarding dog breed today. The word “Rottweiler” evokes an image of a fierce, powerful and vicious dog. So, is this “toughie” tag a fair reference to the Rottie?

How did it get its tough reputation?

The Rottweiler has always been associated with fierce, tough and aggressive behavior. In the past, the Rottie has been primarily used as a herding dog. They were utilized to watch over herds so that they are sufficiently protected from external harm at all times. Rotties are by nature confident, energetic and hardy dog breeds and are able to fend off potential threats to animals and to the land.

Unfortunately, this “toughie” tag of Rottweilers has taken an extremely negative connotation, and this erroneous reference can be blamed on irresponsible dog ownership and the barrage of negative publicity that the Rottie has been getting of late. Media has been particularly persistent in their efforts in highlighting the “dark side” of the Rottweiler’s character. Media outfits are wont to banner full page stories of Rottweiler attacks on hapless children, and in extreme cases even incidents of fatal attacks of “wayward” and vicious Rottweilers. This reinforces the notion of an increasing number of people that this breed of dogs is untrustworthy and extremely dangerous. Is this a proper and accurate imaging of the Rottie?

If a Rottweiler is allowed to grow up and reared in the presence of children, with proper training that normally starts from a young age, then there is no reason for you to fear or worry that your pet Rottie will not get on with other people. In truth and in fact, Rottweilers love the company of young kids, and their most enjoyable activities are the ones they spend with children. Rotties are extremely protective of their young buddies, and they love to play with them. This is one good reason why it is not exactly accurate to associate the “toughie” tag to the Rottie. Indeed, there is a soft spot in every Rottweiler, and a lot of families are keeping Rottweilers as pets without any serious problems or safety issues.

However, you have to remember that Rottweilers have the natural guarding instinct. This is the main reason why they can react in a negative way when approached by strangers. This distinct character trait of Rotties is the main reason why some people label them as vicious and dangerous dog breeds. While they can be dangerous in certain situations, this will only come about if handled by irresponsible and experienced dog owners.

Rottweilers can make a good family pet. However, in order to make them as such, you have to make sure that they are properly trained. It is also important that you spend time with your dog and expose them to a variety of physical activities. Without these elements in their regular routine, you will end up with a pet Rottie that incessantly barks, chews at anything and becomes fierce and aggressive.

The important aspect of responsible ownership of Rotties is to ensure that they are kept busy most of the times. When a Rottweiler engages in agility training, you provide him the opportunity to test his limits in both the mental and physical aspects. This highly physical activity is a perfect release of energy such that your pet Rottie is more likely to doze off once he gets home rather than create trouble. Of course, not all Rottweilers will find the agility training interesting, but you will never know whether your Rottie will like the activity or not unless you give it a try.

Author Bio: Bruno is a happy dog owner and contributor at the Norwegian dog community Hundefeber.no. He owns several dogs and beyond them a lovely Rottweiler and a Golden Retriever.

Category: Pets
Keywords: pets,animals,dog,dogs,rottweiler,rottweiler dog,rottweiler dog breed,rottweiler facts