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Rottweiler

The Rottweiler descends from Roman cattle drovers' dogs that stayed behind in the town of Rottweil in southern Germany, later working as a butcher's dog hauling carts.

Calculate Rottweiler age
Lifespan10.6 yrrange 10–11
SizeGiantWorking Group
Weight80–135 lb36.3–61.2 kg
Senior at5 yrgeriatric at 8

Gallery (3)

About

About the Rottweiler

The Rottweiler descends from Roman cattle drovers' dogs that stayed behind in the town of Rottweil in southern Germany, later working as a butcher's dog hauling carts. The breed recovered from near-extinction around 1900 and is a consistent AKC top-10 breed.

Aging

How Rottweilers age

RVC VetCompass gives a median lifespan of 10.6 years (n=9,717). Osteosarcoma is the defining late-life concern — appendicular sarcomas typically emerge between 7-10 years — with hemangiosarcoma and cardiac disease secondary.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 10.6 yr · range 10–11Senior careSenior at 5 · geriatric at 8Common health issues9 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
80–135 lb(36.3–61.2 kg)
Height
22–27 in(55.9–68.6 cm)
Coat type
Short
Colors
Black & RustBlack & MahoganyBlack & Tan
Temperament

Temperament

How Rottweilers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

confidentcourageousloyalsteady
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • High prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Osteochondritis Dissecans

    Description and veterinary guidance for Osteochondritis Dissecans land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Rottweilers are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.