Histroy of The Rottweiler

Ask any knowledgeable Rottweiler breeder about the history of the breed and chances are you will be told the Rottweiler originates from the Roman drover dogs, dating back to 74AD. Or, you might be told that the modern Rottweiler originates from Germany. No one will argue the fact that Germans did an excellent job in saving the Rottweiler from extinction and developing the first breed standard. If it weren't for the dedication of German breeders preserving this wonderful breed, there would be no rottweilers to talk about today.

On the other hand, there's no consensus with respect to the Roman drover dog connection. This part of the rottie history is at best, educated speculation. The Roman drover dog connection could very well be true but then again there is no way to prove it conclusively. Furthermore, there is another plausible theory about the rottweiler origins that warrants consideration. Around 1928, a book entitled, "German Dogs in Word and Picture" by E. Von Otto Bensheim, talked about a possible Swiss connection concerning the Rottweiler origins.

He believed the rottweiler is connected to the Swiss cowherd dogs that were used to bring cattle down from Switzerland into the town of Rottweil. It was also believed that the Bernese Mountain dog shared some common ancestry. In 1939 a well known expert on the Rottweiler (Hans Korn) wrote about the possibility of the Bullenbeiser dog (ancestor to the Boxer) being introduced to the Rottweiler line. He believed this would account for the broad mouth feature the rottweiler had. The Bullenbeiser also had tiger strips (black stripes on an ash grey background, a colour scheme permitted in the first Rottweiler standard of 1901, which was written 18 years prior in 1883. The Bullenbeiser eventually became extinct by crossbreeding. Like the Rottweiler, the Bullenbeiser was intelligent and also used as a butcher's dog.

A recent DNA project identified 14 ancient breeds as being closest to the wolf. They also report that the Rottweiler is related in heritage and appearance to the Mastiff, Bulldog, Boxer, Bullmastiff, French bulldog, Minature Bull Terrier, Perro do Presa Canario, Newfoundland and Bernese Mountain dog. You could see this report at: Britain Hill: (Genetic Structure of the Purebred Domestic Dog" by Parker et alii in the journal Science [, Volume 304 (May 21, 2004). http://www.britainhill.com/GeneticStructure.pdf Needless to say, this report is not without controversy.

This article was written by Richard Laplante at Elswick Rottweilers http://www.myrotties.com Elsa & Richard Laplante have been breeding rottweilers for over 25 years.