The Working Dog
Rottweilers are naturally athletic dogs. Their versatility makes them excellent agility and obedience dogs. Because of their herding backgrounds, rottweilers and Samoyeds are the only dogs not in the Herding Group that are allowed into AKC herding competitions.
Rotties can also earn their Schutzhund titles. Schutzhund was originally developed for German shepherds in Germany. However, it tests the obedience, tracking, and protection ability in any dog, not just German shepherds. Schutzhund is commonly mistaken for attack dog training. While protection is certainly a part of Schutzhund training, Schutzhund also tests the controllability and the working ability of the dog.
Rottweilers make great working dogs — even if they sometimes prefer to let someone else to do the work!
In addition to making great Schutzhund dogs, rottweilers can also earn obedience, agility, herding, and tracking titles through the AKC and the United Kennel Club (UKC). The North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) and the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) also offer agility titles to rottweilers.
Another activity rottweilers enjoy is carting. When rotties were butcher dogs, they often pulled carts for their masters. The American Rottweiler Club has a special carting division in which your rottie can earn titles carting.
The rottweiler makes an excellent police dog although not quite as popular as other breeds in police work. This may be in part due to their larger size or their intolerance to heat (their black coat makes them especially sensitive to warm days). A large and intelligent dog, the rottweiler has made a good police dog, minding his handler and doing an excellent job in catching criminals.
