The Doberman Pinscher and the Rottweiler are two of the most well-known protection dogs in the world.
Many people can accurately name each dog on sight – even if they are not dog lovers! This says something about how good Dobermans and Rottweilers is at protecting their people and standing guard.
But what could you expect if you crossbred these two dogs together? What would the Doberman Rottweiler mix puppies look like? What would they act like? Would a Doberman Rottweiler dog still be a great family pet? Let’s find out!
Doberman Rottweiler Mix
A Doberman Rottweiler mix dog inherits genes from two different purebred dog DNA. In this case, one parent dog is a Doberman Pinscher, and the other is a Rottweiler.
This is an example of a designer or hybrid dog breeding program. Over time, these dog breeding programs can produce a whole new purebred dog breed. However, there are some essential things to remember when choosing your hybrid puppy.
See Cute Doberman Rottweiler Mix Puppies
In this short yet sweet YouTube video, you can get an idea of what Doberman Rottweiler mix puppies look like when they are young.
Because of genetic uncertainty, it can be hard to predict how each purebred parent dog’s genes will influence each puppy. We will talk more about this topic in the remainder of this article.
Meet the Doberman Rottweiler Mix Dog
According to the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) most popular dog list, the Rottweiler is the eighth most popular dog breed, and the Doberman Pinscher is the 18th most popular dog breed.
The Battle to Legitimize Hybrid Dog Breeding
Before we delve deeper into the Doberman Rottweiler mix dog traits, it is essential to understand what hybrid dog breeding is and why it is done.
Whenever you see the terms hybrid dog breeding, crossbreeding, or designer dog breeding, they essentially mean the same thing. These types of breeding programs deliberately crossbreed two different purebred parent dogs.
The goal is to combine and enhance desirable traits from each dog’s genetic line while minimizing health or temperament weaknesses.
Why might a dog breeder want to do this?
The Institute of Canine Biology explains that strict breeding for appearance has led to an ever-shrinking genetic pool for many purebred dog breeds today.
Less genetic diversity increases the risk of passing along undesirable genes that may cause temperament or health problems.
While the study of canine genetics has advanced by leaps and bounds since the first complete canine genome was sequenced in 2005, there is still much more to learn.
Specifically, even the most knowledgeable dog breeders still don’t know everything there is to know about how different genes combine and what each gene influences.
Crossing two gene pools can lessen the risk of passing along additional health problems by adding genetic diversity for both purebred lines. This is called “hybrid vigor.”
Doberman Rottweiler Mix Versus a Purebred Dog
Doberman Rottweiler mix dogs are not guaranteed to be healthier or more robust than a purebred Doberman Pinscher or a purebred Rottweiler dog.
However, based on what you read in the previous section, the hybrid vigor effect could significantly lessen the risk of passing along undesirable or unhealthy genes.
The key to choosing the healthiest puppy, however, will still rest in the breeder you choose to work with.
Some breeders take puppy health and longevity very seriously. These breeders will strive to breed healthy puppies, whether purebred or hybrid dogs.
The Humane Society of the United States offers tips for selecting a responsible, reputable dog breeder.
A reputable breeder that puts puppy health before profits will generally meet these criteria:
- They want to meet you in person to be sure you will be a good owner.
- They are proud to show off their kennel and AKC registrations.
- They are eager to share health test results and proof of vaccinations.
- They provide you with an initial health guarantee and a lifetime take-back guarantee.
- They will stay in touch if you have any questions about your puppy.
- They take the time to socialize and pre-train their puppies before rehoming.
- They typically have a waiting list for puppies because they do not breed more than twice yearly (to avoid over-taxing their female dogs).
Reputable dog breeders care about their reputation in the dog breeding world and their puppies’ happiness and health. You will likely pay more for your Doberman Rottweiler dog when you meet a breeder like this.
But you will also likely enjoy lower costs over your dog’s lifetime because your puppy will come to you healthy and sound in body and mind.
A Word About Hybrid Breeders and the Doberman Rottweiler Mix Dog
The Doberman Rottweiler mix dog is often also nicknamed the Rotterman. Combining the breed names of the two-parent dogs is common and handy for hybrid breeders.
The Rotterman probably sounds like a perfect half-and-half mix of a Doberman Pinscher and a Rottweiler. But hybrid dog breeding is a bit more complicated than this!
The truth is there is a lot of genetic uncertainty whenever you breed two different gene pools together. Even very experienced breeders often cannot predict which traits a puppy will inherit from each parent dog.
In the earliest generations of hybrid breeding, two Rotterman puppies from the same litter might look and act very differently.
In later generations of designer dog breeding, Rotterman puppies will start to look and act much more similar.
With enough distance from the original two purebred parent dogs, the Rotterman could become so similar in appearance and personality that the Rotterman becomes a new purebred dog breed in its own right!
But for now, let’s investigate these differences so you can select the Rotterman puppy that best meets your needs and preferences.
Meet the Rotterman – the Doberman Rottweiler Mix
The Doberman and the Rottweiler have some obvious similarities. Both are medium to large dog breeds. Both excel in security, protection, and K-9 roles.
Both the Doberman Pinscher and the Rottweiler are known to be affectionate and highly loyal to “their” people and standoffish with unknown people.
The Doberman and the Rottie have high energy levels and crave an active life.
So what does this mean for you when picking out your Rotterman puppy? Let’s delve into that topic now.
Rotterman size, height, and weight
The best way to guesstimate the adult size of your Rotterman hybrid dog is to look at the typical length of adult Dobermans and Rottweilers.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the fully grown Doberman can weigh 75 to 100 pounds and stand 26 to 28 inches tall (measured from paws to shoulders).
Female Dobermans tend to be slightly lighter in weight and shorter than males. A fully grown adult female Doberman may weigh 60 to 90 pounds and stand 24 to 26 inches tall.
So this gives you a pretty good idea of the weight and height range for an adult Doberman parent dog. Now let’s look at the Rottweiler.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) states that a fully grown adult male Rottweiler dog can weigh 95 to 135 pounds and stand 24 to 27 inches tall.
A fully grown female Rottie can weigh 80 to 100 pounds and stand 22 to 25 inches tall.
This gives you an overall weight range of 75 to 135 pounds and a height range of 22 to 27 inches tall for your adult Rotterman puppy.
Rotterman’s personality, sociability, and temperament
How will your adult Rotterman puppy act? Will your new pups like everyone or just you and your family? Will they be able to tolerate other family pets? We will talk about this next.
Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers tolerate other family dogs to some degree. Here, pairing two females or a fixed male with a fixed female is best. If you pair two males, they may grow up to fight.
Dobermans and Rottweilers have a very high prey drive and chase drive, which is part of the general working dog temperament. This means other smaller vulnerable family pets may be unsafe around your Rotterman.
What about with kids? If you consider the Rotterman as a family dog and have young kids in the house, proceed cautiously. Dobermans are very good with young children, but Rottweilers can be less tolerant.
There is also the size factor to consider if you have babies or very young children. A Rotterman will grow quickly into a large, heavy, strong, and powerful dog.
Your Rotterman may never mean to hurt your child, but significant damage could be done even if your dog sat down on a toddler or baby. So many experts recommend waiting until your kids are a little older to get one of these powerful pups.
Rotterman training needs
Dog training is an education for everyone.
According to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA), Dobermans score high in people-pleasing, which means they tend to be easy to train.
However, it would be best if you were sure to use positive training methods with such a thoughtful and sensitive dog. And a young, excitable Dobe puppy will need lots of socialization training to learn how to greet and interact with others without causing harm.
According to the American Rottweiler Club (ARC), Rottweilers are just as smart and people-oriented as Dobermans and tend to excel at training.
Again, it would be best if you started early to teach your Rottweiler how to interact safely and positively with other people and animals.
What does this tell you about owning a Rotterman? Rottermans will inherit similar training and socialization needs because their parent dogs are pretty similar in this respect.
Rotterman Health and Life Expectancy
One of the essential parts of your research is looking at how healthy your Rotterman is likely to be.
In an earlier section, we talked about hybrid vigor and how crossbreeding purebred dogs can reduce the threat of severe health issues in puppies. Sometimes hybrid breeding also increases life expectancy.
So let’s take a closer look at the known genetic health problems for the parent dogs and how long each parent dog typically lives.
A purebred Doberman Pinscher typically lives 10 to 12 years. A purebred Rottweiler typically lives 9 to 10 years. So a Rotterman might be positively influenced by the Doberman parent’s long lifespan.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals’ CHIC program documents genetic health problems in American purebred dog breeds.
CHIC’s profile on the Doberman states that this dog breed can inherit hip dysplasia, cardiac problems, autoimmune thyroiditis, working aptitude deficiencies, eye problems, and von Willebrand’s disease.
CHIC’s profile on the Rottweiler states that Rotties can inherit hip and elbow dysplasia, cardiac and eye problems, and Juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis & Polyneuropathy (JLPP).
You can see that both parent dog breeds have some overlapping health concerns. Each condition you just read about has a matching pre-breeding health screening test.
This is why choosing your Rotterman breeder with care is vital! A reputable Rotterman breeder will aim to produce healthier, more robust puppies by doing all the pre-breeding health screening tests on each parent dog.
This is the only way breeders can be sure none of these known genetic health issues will be passed to the Rotterman puppies they sell you.
Is a Rotterman Dog Right for you?
Now you know about the Rotterman dog. So it is time to decide – is this your next canine companion?
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