The breed is an ancient one and its history
stretches back to the Roman Empire. In those
times the legions traveled with their meat
on the hoof and required the assistance of
working dogs to herd the cattle. One of the
routes the army traveled was through
Württemberg and on to the small market town
of Rottweil.
This region eventually became an
important cattle area and the descendants of
the Roman cattle dogs proved their worth in
both droving and protecting the cattlemen
from robbers. It would be a brave villain
who would try and remove the purse around
the neck of a Rottweiler Metzgerhund
(Butcher's Dog of Rottweil).
However, by the end of the 18th Century
the Rottweiler
breed had declined so much that in 1900
there was only one female to be found in the
town of Rottweil. But the build up to the
First World War saw a great demand for
"police dogs" and that led to a revival in
interest for the Rottweiler. Its enormous
strength, its intelligence, and its ability
to take orders made it a natural weapon of
war.
From that time the
Rottweiler has become popular with
dog owners and in 1935 the breed was
officially recognized by the American Kennel
Club. In 1936 Rottweilers were exhibited in
Britain at Crufts. In 1966 a separate
register was opened for the breed.
