Rottweiler In Nigeria: Amazing Facts You Need To Know

W hat's the most interesting dog names you've ever heard in Nigeria?

It's very likely you've heard of Rottweiler or Rotties.

This natural-looking dog comes with many characteristics that set it apart from other working dog relatives.

Read on and learn more about this devoted dog breed in Nigeria.

Where Does the Rottweiler in Nigeria Come From?

It would be tempting to assume that the Rottweiler in Nigeria descended from the local dogs.

Far from it!

The Rottweiler in Nigeria actually came from the ancient Roman drover dog.

History has it that the Roman army was always carrying their livestock around to be used as food anywhere they went since there was no means of preserving meat at that time. Even in their journey to conquer Europe, the ancient Romans went there with their livestock. How can they keep herds of livestock together and protect them from butchers along the way? That was when the idea of developing durable and tough guard dogs using Asian mastiff type of dog as the breeding stock came about.

In Europe, the Roman legions struggled to capture Germanic tribes for many years and the dogs they brought with them later became the building blocks for many German dog breed including the present-day Rottweiler.

Even when the ancient Romans were eventually driven out of Germany, this dog breed was still used in driving cattle to the market and were later named Rottweiler Metzgerhund (Rottweil butcher's dog) after Rottweil, a town in Southwest Germany.

It is hard to believe, but it's true that this dependable and rugged dog breed has survived many centuries to assume great role as a service dog. 

It has helped the police and other law enforcement agencies in searching for drugs, bombs, missing persons, criminals and crime scenes. 

Families and other dog lovers find them irresistible as guard dogs because they're muscular, strong, confident, intelligent, alert, warm and friendly.

Their popularity assumed different dimension when the American Kennel Club ranked Rottweiler as the eighth most popular purebred dog in the United States in 2019 after Beagle.

As you're reading this post today, the popularity of Rottweiler has soared beyond America and Europe to Nigeria. In Nigeria, Rottweilers are kept by many families, security agencies and groups. 

They're so popular that we've got Rottweiler Club of Nigeria. Even organizations like Cytological Club of Nigeria, Canine Owners and Breeders Association of Nigeria and Ajartodar Rottweilers have promoted the idea of breeding Purebred Rottweilers in Nigeria.

Rottweiler Fun Facts

Unlike other large dog breeds, Rottweiler has distinguished itself as a friendly dog breed for families. They can live in homes with children and other pets. 

Loyal to the core, this dog breed is a good guardian and protector of life and property.

Rottweiler also succeeds where breeds like Border Collies, and Kelpies fail in leading stubborn livestock. Using its strong muscular body, Rottweiler can bully stubborn livestock to submission if need be.

As early as 1901-1907, Rottweiler was already in use as a police dog.

This general-purpose dog was also the first to be recruited as guides for the blind.

The impressive performance of Rottweiler in search and rescue during the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Centre and Oklahoma City bombing is a fact you'll find hard to forget.

How is the Appearance of A Rottweiler?

The Rottweilers in Nigeria share the same look with their parents breed since most of them are imported into the country.

They're strong, muscular black dogs with medium-large size, weighing between 50kg-60kg in males and 35kg-48kg in females. When the height is measured at the ridge between the shoulder blades (withers), it usually gives 61cm-69cm for the males and 56cm-63cm for the females.

They have long tails at birth but the tails are sometimes removed. Although this practice of tail docking is outlawed in some parts of the world like Germany, breeders in many countries are still doing it today.

Aside from the fact that Rottweiler is balanced and of the right proportion; you'll easily notice a Rottweiler by its peculiar black colour and brown markings above the eyes, on the cheeks, muzzles, chest, legs, and beneath the tail. 

A closer look at the toes will reveal tan lines similar to pencil marks.

Its revealing face, drooping and low-lying ears, together with the shining and brilliant eyes, is a beautiful sight to behold.

Rottweiler Temperament

If you have a lovely family or planning to have one very soon, thinking of having this calm and confident dog may be the right thing to do.

 

With its love for children, the dog will constantly be playing with them while watching out for rough play from visiting children and keep it in check. Older children make perfect match since they're trained on how to live with dogs and would avoid rough play and loud noise that sometimes disturb this dog breed.

Your friends and visitors will feel at home in your house since this dog is self-assured and aloof with strangers. Unwilling to make friends with strangers and visitors easily, the dog will first observe anyone in your house. When convinced that the stranger can cause harm to your family or property, your Rottweiler will be forced to do its job.

A Rottweiler that is well trained will be smart and adaptable to carry out the task of guarding your family and property. Even when you give any other tasks, rest assured that it will be delivered since the dog has good work ethics.

However, the temperament of this dog is influenced by early training, socialization and hereditary. If you train your Rottweiler early to be friendly with your children, other people, and pets, it will grow up to do the same. If left unrained by a beginner, the dog may become stubborn and intolerant with strangers, other animals and children and display bullying tendencies.

How To Train Your Rottweiler

The best dog can become wild and aggressive in the hand of a wrong keeper. Same can be said of a lovely Rottie when it finds its way to the home of those that give little or wrong training.

Large dogs like Rottweiler requires early bonding, socialization and training because their bites can be devastating or fatal.

Begin the training by building strong bonds early. This can range from touching, and handling to petting your dog. Early handling will make your Rottie to become familiar with touch and react less aggressively to it as time goes on.

Take your Rottweiler around and visit as many places as you can together. This will expose your dog to different people, animals, objects and sounds. When people including children and adults of all ages visit your home, introduce them to your dog. This will make your Rottie to feel at home around different people and also reduce any distrust the dog may be having towards strangers and other animals.

You should only take your Rottie around only after your veterinarian has administered the right vaccinations to avoid contraction of contagious diseases.

Play together with your Rottie. Apart from helping in exercising your dog, games can build a bond between owner and dog. Spend more time in a tug of war game, hide-and-seek and so on.

Observe your dog and learn more about its body language. This will help you to know when there's over-excitement, aggression and submission in the dog's behaviour.

Train your Rottie as early as you can using operant conditioning. Among the various methods of operant conditioning, experts believe that using positive reinforcement will make your dog to be well trained and also help you as the owner.

Start with obedience training by telling your dog to sit. When it has obeyed the command, reward immediately with a piece of treat, toy, food or anything your Rottie likes most.

Repeat this process until your dog becomes familiar with the command. 

Then continue with other advanced commands as time goes on but ensure that the training time is short and entertaining. 

Avoid places with distractions during training, remain calm and focus so that your dog can take you seriously.

Avoid rewarding wrong behaviours and make your reward as little as possible to save training time and also reduce satiation.

You can also learn more dog raising tips to become familiar with this training method or contact us for details of trusted Rottweiler trainers near you.

Rottweiler Health, Care And Grooming

Health

Basically, Rottweiler is a healthy dog breed but just like other large dog breeds, your Rottie can suffer from some health issues. The most common issues are inherited such as Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Aortic stenosis, Osteosarcoma, while others like Allergies, Bloat, and Hypothyroidism can be respectively caused by exposure, overfeeding and deficiency of certain hormones.

You can save yourself from the stress of keeping a dog with genetic defects by getting it from a trusted breeder, family members, and friends. While trying to get your dog from these people, ask many questions about the mother of the dog and if possible get her medical certificate of fitness.

If your dog suffers from allergies and other health conditions, limit its exposure or get help from your veterinarian.

Care

Your Rottweiler will feel loved and appreciated if you stay in the same home, exercise together and give nourishing meals daily.

Leaving your dog in your yard unattended to may breed anxiety that can lead to aggressive and destructive behaviours.

Lack of routine exercise may lead to obesity and other health-related issues.

Allowing your dog to feed anytime it wants can lead to obesity and reduced attachment since the dog will learn to dissociate you from its food.

Grooming

If you're available, brushing your dog's teeth daily can help in preventing the gums from diseases, the teeth from bacteria that can build up to form tartar and the mouth from bad breathe. But if you're busy, doing this twice or thrice weekly can still be helpful.

This dog breed is known for shedding of hairs sometimes twice in a year depending on the weather condition. Brush your dog's hair daily to get rid of dead hairs during shedding season and weekly during normal time in order to spread out skin oil.

Where To Buy Rottweiler in Nigeria

There are many places where Rottweiler puppies are sold in Nigeria. You can get one from individuals, family members, pet stores and even roadside vendors. 

But there's a problem with getting your dog from people that are unfamiliar with the breeding processes. They can sell dogs with genetic problems that can become an issue in the future.

We generally recommend getting your dog from known breeders with many years of experience in the business.

These individuals will make sure that their animals are tested and certified healthy before carrying out the breeding process.

It may be expensive to get your dog from these reputable sources, but you'll be grateful as time goes on when you spend less time with your dog in the vet clinic.

Prices of Rottweiler in Nigeria

Depending on the breeder, you can get a Rottweiler puppy from N45,000.00-N280,000.00.

The price is influenced by the physical attributes of the dog as we have descriptions like Boxed head, Bowleg, Long and Short mouths.

Typically, a long mouthed Rottweiler price can be from N45,000.00 to N60,000.00. Whereas those with other attributes can sell at N65,000.00 to N280,000.00

We advise you to always find out more about the mother of the puppy you intend to buy and if possible request for the medical certificate of fitness that will be duly signed by a veterinarian.

Rottweiler puppies that were bred by reputable breeders end up becoming calm, confident and friendly adult dogs when properly trained.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the effects of keeping Rottweiler dogs in a single cage?

Keeping your Rottweiler in a cage is not humane. It deprives your dogs their freedom and can lead to the following side effects:

• Difficulty in housetraining the dog
• Severe anxiety and fearful and/or destructive behaviour.
• Injuries while trying to bite or scratch their way out.

Conclusion

Getting this amazing dog as a companion, guardian and helper in your home in Nigeria will be one of the best decisions you'll ever make.

From getting your Rottweiler from a reputable breeder to training, caring, and grooming, we can make your experience a memorable one if you contact us.