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Breed guide · Dogs
He was bred to pull a butcher's cart. He sits on my feet so I can't leave.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
A deep rumble from the chest while they lean on you, have their chest scratched or settle on the sofa.
What's going onMany Rottweilers rumble when they are happy. Learn what their contented rumble looks like, loose body and soft eyes, so you notice if it ever sounds different. A real growl is a warning: never punish it, stop what is happening and contact your vet.
At home
A bark at the doorbell, the lift or footsteps in the corridor, then they stand between you and the door.
What's going onThey were bred to guard the herd and the cart, and they are telling you someone is there. Give them a mat away from the door and a reason to go to it, and they have a job they can get right.
At home
Their whole weight against your legs, and they follow you from room to room.
What's going onA Rottweiler was bred to stay with their people on the road, and they still want to be where you are. A long day alone is hard for them. If they are distressed when you leave, that is common and treatable: contact your vet.
At home
They lean into the lead, barge through doors and lean on people to move them.
What's going onThey were bred to pull carts, so they will pull you. Teach a loose lead and a calm "off" while they are small, because at full size they are stronger than you.
At home
A limp that comes and goes, or they are slow to get up on one leg.
What's going onOsteosarcoma (bone cancer) is one of the Rottweiler's main health risks, from a young age. If a limp keeps coming back or does not go away, or you find a firm swelling on a leg, contact your vet within days, not weeks.
At home
A new puppy who wants to meet every dog in the park, today.
What's going onRottweilers are more vulnerable to parvovirus (a serious, contagious gut virus). Until their puppy vaccinations are finished, carry them, or use clean ground away from other dogs.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Walking cattle to market, all day.
In Dubai: A flat, and too hot to walk far for five months of the year.
Their watch
Built for: Guarding the herd and the cart on the road.
In Dubai: A delivery driver at the door.
Their strength
Built for: Pulling carts of meat.
In Dubai: A lead, a lift and a shared corridor.
The pulling, the barking at the lift and the weight they put on mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a herd. You can give them a job and a rule for the door, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Rottweiler at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will tell you someone is there. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will tell you someone is there. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
What to do
Put a mat a few metres from the door, out of sight of it if you can. Long before any visitor, teach them that going there pays: a treat every time. When the bell goes, thank them once and send them there. While they are learning, have deliveries left outside. If they have lunged or snapped at anyone, contact your vet instead.
They judge strangers by the people they have already met, and parvovirus is a bigger risk for them.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
They judge strangers by the people they have already met, and parvovirus is a bigger risk for them.
What to do
In their first months, let them watch all kinds of people from a distance they are happy at: men in caps, children, people in uniform, the concierge. A treat for each, and let them leave if they want to. Carry them, or use clean ground, until their vaccinations are finished.
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
What to do
Wait for an empty lift, or stand them in the back corner with you in front. Step aside in corridors and let people pass. Keep the lead short and loose near entrances and blind corners, and ask building staff to let you by rather than reach for them.
A bored Rottweiler finds their own work.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A bored Rottweiler finds their own work.
What to do
Two or three short training sessions a day, and part of their dinner hidden around the flat or in a puzzle feeder. Stop while they still want more. Ten minutes of thinking often settles them better than an hour of running.
A heavy, dark dog holds heat, and their joints prefer steady walking to sprints.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A heavy, dark dog holds heat, and their joints prefer steady walking to sprints.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Choose steady walks over ball chasing, and carry water.
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm, at the vet or anywhere else.
Every age, easiest under 2 years
Why
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm, at the vet or anywhere else.
What to do
Teach it young and slowly, while nothing is wrong: show it, treat; nose in, treat; a second longer each day. A well-fitted basket muzzle still lets them pant, drink and take a treat. Never put it on for the first time in a hurry.
Your vet will feel their legs every year from young adulthood. Make that easy for them.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
Your vet will feel their legs every year from young adulthood. Make that easy for them.
What to do
A few minutes, a few times a week: run a hand down each leg, lift a paw, look in an ear, lift a lip, and reward each one. Brush their teeth every day while you are there. Stop before they get uneasy.
New guarding often shows between one and three years, and by then they are very strong.
6 months to 3 years
Why
New guarding often shows between one and three years, and by then they are very strong.
What to do
Reward calm, every time. A flat collar or harness, loose-lead practice, short sessions, never tools that hurt or frighten them, and never punish a growl. If new guarding appears, contact your vet early.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) are the two main health risks while they grow, and extra weight adds to their joint and cancer risk.
Every age, most of all while growing and from 7 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) are the two main health risks while they grow, and extra weight adds to their joint and cancer risk.
What to do
Rugs where they turn on marble, a ramp for the car, and few stairs while they grow. Weigh their food, and have their hips and elbows evaluated before they turn two.
Bone cancer and heart disease are both health risks for the breed, and a Rottweiler can hide pain well.
Every age, most of all from 2 years
Why
Bone cancer and heart disease are both health risks for the breed, and a Rottweiler can hide pain well.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands down each leg, feeling for heat or swelling, and over their ribs and spine. Weigh them monthly. A new lump, a limp or faster breathing at rest is worth telling your vet that week.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
The breed
The Rottweiler comes from Germany, and the breed clubs still test for a working temperament. Ask the breeder whether the parents have had that testing too.
Colours
A Rottweiler is black, with markings that run from warm rust to deep mahogany over the eyes, on the cheeks and muzzle, across the chest and down the legs. If a breeder offers a different colour, ask how the litter was bred.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course comes first, including parvovirus, with a microchip and Dubai Municipality registration. Until it is finished, carry them, or use clean ground. Early socialisation, a baseline look at their hips and soft landings while their joints form matter most now.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put a mat a few metres from the front door before they arrive, and rugs or runners where they will turn on marble. Plan a ramp or a lift into the car, and a cool room for the summer.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether both parents' hips and elbows have been scored, and whether their hearts have been listened to for a murmur. Then meet the mother. A calm, easy mother is a good sign.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep sitting on your feet. If they stop getting up to follow you, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Until the mid-1800s
The breed is named after Rottweil, a market town in southern Germany. The butcher's dog drove cattle to market, guarded them on the road and pulled carts of meat.
What they still carryThe power, the pull on the lead, and the quiet, watchful guarding.
The mid-1800s
Cattle went by rail, carts were no longer needed, and the breed nearly disappeared.
What they still carryA working dog who still needs something to do.
Early 1900s to 1931
New work with the German police saved the breed. German clubs merged into the ADRK, the German Rottweiler club, in 1921, and the American Kennel Club recognised the Rottweiler in 1931.
What they still carryThe guard dog, and a steady working temperament the breed clubs still test for.
Today
In the UAE a Rottweiler is a family dog and a guard dog, often in a flat, with a front door onto a shared corridor, in 45°C heat.
What they still carryA dog built to walk cattle to market, which is why their day needs a job, a rule for the door and the cool hours.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Rottie suits you, so might these.
Doberman PinscherThe same kind of dog: a German guardian, lighter and sleeker, with far more energy.
German Shepherd DogAnother German guardian and working dog, busier, in a thicker coat that sheds more and needs cooler days.
American BulldogThe same calm, steady temperament and quiet confidence, in a lighter, more reserved bulldog.
Shar PeiA similar sturdy build and short coat, in a smaller dog with skin folds that need regular care.
