The big and bulky rottweilers can terrify even the biggest of dog lovers. But little do people know that with proper training, this strong dog can be controlled and turned into a gentle beast. Rottweilers are family dogs who love to work. That’s right! Rottweilers were bred to work with people! Then why are people petrified of a Rottweiler bite? Let’s discover why.

Rottweilers are one of the oldest dog breeds and have roots in Germany from Roman times. Rottweilers are descendants of Roman drover dogs who crossed with native dogs of Rottweil, an old free city. The breed got its name from the town and was called “Rottweiler Metzgerhund,” which literally translates to “Rottweil butcher’s dog.”

Rottweilers have natural aloofness and tend to be close to their owners only, which is why they get agitated quickly. It is also pertinent to mention that Rottweilers are responsible for most attacks on humans after pit bulls. However, the cases of Rottweiler attacks are about only 1/5th of pit bull attacks.

How hard can a Rottweiler bite?

A Rottweiler bite is vicious enough to kill much larger animals. An average Rottweiler’s bite force can measure around 250-260 PSI, which is almost equal to that of a leopard. Moreover, the strongest recorded bite by a Rottweiler measures 328 PSI. So, it is evident that a Rottweiler attack can be vicious and extremely lethal when provoked or agitated. However, the Rottweiler bite isn’t the strongest of all dogs, and breeds like mastiffs and Kangal are believed to deliver much more powerful bites.

What makes a Rottweiler bite so lethal?

Rottweilers are giant dogs. An average Rottweiler can have a height of 24-27 inches and an average weight of 95-135 pounds. They have massive skulls, sturdy muscles, strong necks, and huge jaws.

Moreover, Rottweilers were originally bred to herd cattle flocks, pull carts, and protect humans from other animals. This all contributed to them evolving into a robust dog breed. Therefore, they are naturally and genetically more powerful than most dog breeds.

But that’s not the only reason why they bite so hard. The temperament of Rottweilers also plays a pivotal role here. Rottweilers are socially reserved and tend only to be bound to their owner’s family. That’s why they are not good with strangers as well as other dogs. Therefore, they get provoked very easily and resort to furious attacks.

They don’t just bite hard; they can also pull heavy weights!

Rottweilers were used for pulling carts and herding animals in ancient times. The butchers mainly used them to transport the meat to the market. They have naturally strong muscles and joints and are able to pull extremely heavy weights. An ordinary Rottweiler can easily pull around 500 kg (+1000 lbs.) of weight without any training.

But when trained, a Rottweiler can pull extremely heavy weights. The heaviest recorded weight pulled by a rottweiler is 6,880 kg (i.e., +1,5000 lbs.)!

Rottweilers are super-active dogs.

Rottweilers are excellent at herding sheep, goats, cows, and other farm animals. They’ve evolved in performing such jobs since the Roman era. The Roman legions would travel great distances with their livestock to get fresh meat. Traveling with them, their drover dogs also learned herding skills, which were passed on to their descendants, i.e., Rottweilers.

The American Kennel Club recognizes Rottweilers as working dogs, requiring higher physical activity and more exercise than an ordinary dog breed. It is recommended to exercise your Rottweilers daily for a minimum of 40 minutes or more to keep them in good shape physically and mentally. Moreover, without the opportunity to release all the pent-up energy, a Rottweiler can tend to develop behavioral problems such as barking, digging, and other destructive tendencies.

They are banned in some countries.

Despite being an intelligent and loyal dog breed, Rottweilers are banned in some countries due to their aggressive tendencies and brutal bite power. Countries like Ecuador, Bermuda, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Singapore, Malaysia, etc., have banned Rottweilers as pets. In fact, some states in the USA, like Washington, New Mexico, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio, etc., have also restricted the keeping of Rottweilers. However, none of the states have a complete ban in place against Rottweilers.

Nonetheless, it is also pertinent to mention that Rottweilers are not the only ones at fault for their aggression. Rottweilers are not a great match for first-time, lazy, or ignorant owners. As per the American Kennel Club, Rottweilers are very affectionate and have a very high mental stimulation need, which means they require a job or activity to keep their minds busy. That’s the reason they have excellent decision-making and problem-solving capabilities. They also tend to have high adaptability and trainability levels.

Therefore, if the owners do not get Rottweilers trained well and ignore their activity needs, they may resort to finding their own ways to exhaust all the mental and physical frustration. That can often be very unpleasant for humans and can result in ugly and violent attacks.

Should you consider adopting a Rottweiler?

Rottweilers are huge, intimidating, and extremely intelligent dogs. Experts say that Rottweilers can make great family dogs as they are guard dogs by nature and tend to be very loyal to their owners. They can protect owners not only from burglars and thieves but also from various animals and other dog species.

However, if you are adopting a dog for the first time, you should probably let go of the thought of adopting a Rottweiler. Because to take in a Rottweiler, you need to have a good understanding of dog behavior. If not, it can be problematic to keep tabs on a Rottweiler. They also require proper training at an early age. It helps them socialize, learn when to act, and how to differentiate normal situations from dangers.

Rottweilers are extremely intelligent and can quickly comprehend strangers’ intentions, making them great guard dogs. They can be very dangerous if you try to mess with their owners. Moreover, that is why Rottweilers were used as police dogs during the early 20th century.