Hybrid dog enthusiasts – brace yourselves! The German Shepherd Rottweiler mix is one of the finest mixed breed dogs you’re going to find on the market. It’s simple.
This dog has everything – power, strength, an athletic body, a fashionable look, great social potential, and a quite an intuitive nature.
Popularly known as Shotties, Rotten Shepherds, Rott Shepherds, or simply Rottweiler Shepherds, these canines carry the best out of both of their parents.
Their use is multifunctional as they perform excellently on the field, but at the same time, Rottie Shepherds make decent family dogs.
Sounds interesting? Well, my advice is to spare some more minutes in order to meet this wonderful hybrid in detail. Let’s start!
German Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
The German Shepherd Rottweiler mix is a quite popular hybrid dog. The reason why these canines are so favorable among dog owners lies in the fact that Rottweiler German Shepherds come from two of the smartest dog breeds that are easy to train.
In fact, these large dogs are widely used to perform complicated tasks such as search and rescue, law enforcement, and even military tasks.
For the good part of their history, both GSDs and Rotties served as reliable police and military dogs due to their great intuition and intelligence.
On the other hand, once properly socialized and obedience trained, these two canines make wonderful human companions as they are affectionate, loyal, and eager to please. Consequently, their offspring, the German Shepherd Rottweiler mix, happens to be the best of both.
Parent Breeds
In order to give the Shepweiler a proper introduction, we need to start with its parents first.
The combination of a full-blooded GSD and a Rottie rarely disappoints. These two purebred canines rank high on the list of the best family dogs as they are both good guard dogs and loving family pets.
Still, you need to make sure to purchase the puppy from a reputable breeder as dealing with a bad bloodline in a dog is not exactly a walk in the park. Unpredictability in a dog’s DNA is often a result of bad parenting, misery, and disappointment.
Now, let’s see what we can expect from a purebred GSD and a Rottie.
German Shepherd
The GSD dog is a long-term member of the American Kennel Club as these puppies were officially recognized in 1908. Generally, a German Shepherd dog is a reliable family member that has traits of a herding, a police, and a working dog.
They have a medium length, double coat that comes in black, black and cream, black and tan, blue, gray, liver, sable, and several other color patterns.
This medium to large breed stands up to 26 inches in height. Its weight, on the other hand, revolves between 65 and 90 pounds. GSDs are extremely good and affectionate dogs that live up to 10 years.
Due to a variety of health problems, these canines are not exactly considered to be the healthiest breed. An average GSD can deal with several health conditions such as hip and elbow dysplasia, bloat, obesity, and eye problems.
Even though the breed itself is loyal and well-mannered, these canines require early socialization and obedience training.
Rottweiler
Unlike some other watchdogs, such as Pitbulls, the Rottweiler parent is an extremely affectionate dog, and quite good with kids.
These powerful canines require careful breeding and extremely devoted owners as they can be sensitive at times. Picking a Rottie from a local shelter is generally not a good idea.
Just like their GSD counterpart, Rotties are intelligent dogs that have a high energy level. The breed was recognized by the AKC in 1931.
The breed itself is much larger than an average GSD as Rotties stand up to 27 inches in height, and they weigh 95 to 135 pounds.
These canines have a stocky head, floppy ears, and an athletic body. Their smooth, short coat comes in three different color patterns: black and mahogany, black and rust, and black and tan.
Just like their GSD counterpart, these canines generally live up to 10 years.
Physical Appearance
You can expect your Rottweiler Shepherd to be a large dog with an extremely powerful, athletic body. Their ears may be both floppy and erect, depending on the bloodline.
Their short to medium-long coat will shed moderately all year round, while you can expect your Shepweiler to shed excessively during the shedding season. To avoid hard-time cleaning, you will need to brush your puppy at least twice every week.
These canines come in both Rottie and GSD coat color variants, which is why you can expect your Shepweiler to be either parti-colored or solid-colored.
When it comes to their physical needs, these canines can be high-maintenance as they require at least two hours of high-intensity training during the day.
Size
The average GSD Rottie mixed breed dog stands between 24 and 27 inches in height, while its average weight revolves between 70 and 115 pounds. Unlike their German Shepherd parent, these hybrids are most likely to appear bigger and stockier.
Still, due to a tendency of both breeds easily gaining weight, you should pay attention to this crossbreed’s diet. They require the best dog food, both in kibbles and in wet food. Avoid poor-quality food brands and table scraps as they can lead to obesity and heart disease.
Temperament Of A German Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
Yes, the truth is that both Shepweiler parents come from the club of the aggressive dog breeds. However, GS mix puppies that go to proper socialization training sessions are highly unlikely to display aggressive behavior.
These canines are generally low-maintenance in terms of training and socialization as they easily learn new things, and they don’t display any stubbornness. Quite the contrary… Shepweilers are always eager to please.
If, however, you want to avoid destructive behavior in your dog – give it purpose! That said, you should regularly stimulate your dog with mental exercises and interactive games.
Socialization And Trainability
Rottie Shepherds need early mental stimulation and socialization training to become your best friends. Otherwise, you may deal with an overly aggressive dog that doesn’t do well in social circles.
These canines, however, respond excellently to positive reinforcement. Interactive dog toys, healthy snacks, praising, and petting are some of the techniques that you can use during training sessions.
On the other hand, you should avoid yelling and screaming at your dog as these canines will reciprocate!
A piece of advice to future owners – subject your puppy to socialization training as soon as you get it from the breeder. This way, you will avoid undesirable outbursts and bad behavior in the future.
Aggressiveness
Even though their Rottie parent may be dangerous at times, this designer breed is generally calm, laid-back, and friendly towards everyone. They may not be as friendly as Retrievers, but they’re close enough.
However, first-time Shepweiler owners should know that these canines have high exercise requirements, even at a young age. You should never neglect their physical exercise needs as inadequately-exercised dogs may display aggression at times.
Furthermore, these dogs are high-quality only if you socialize them from puppyhood. Otherwise, you may deal with an extremely dangerous dog.
Housing
Even though this crossbreed is a large dog, the Shepweiler makes quite a decent family dog, too. Due to their high trainability, these canines are easily crate trained and potty trained. Still, you may deal with a lot of cleaning as Shepweilers shed a lot.
On the other hand, Shepweilers are great dogs only if you let them burn off their energy properly. They may not be the best family dogs if you don’t let them go out on a daily basis.
Quite the contrary… puppies that don’t receive a proper amount of exercise may be overly destructive.
Health Issues
Even though they may not be the healthiest dog breeds in the world, Shepweilers still have a respectable lifespan that revolves around 10 to 12 years.
These pooches may suffer from several health conditions such as elbow and hip dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, heart disease, hypothyroidism, obesity, and eye problems.
There are two things that any respectable Shepweiler owner should pay attention to: exercise and dieting. These pooches require high-quality dog food in order to remain healthy.
On the other hand, insufficiently-exercised canines may deal with a lot more issues than their properly-exercised counterparts.
Conclusion
The German Shepherd Rottweiler mix is a quite popular hybrid that comes from two extremely dominant and powerful dog breeds. Both GSD and Rottie parents make quite reliable family pets that require firm, but loving leadership.
Their offspring, the Shepweiler, happens to carry the best traits of both, which is why these hybrid canines are qualified among the greatest crossbreeds in the world.
Still, if you’re not interested in a lot of work, and your business schedule is just way too inflexible – don’t bother getting one. These canines require all-time owners with a lot of free time.
Read more: Rhodesian Ridgeback German Shepherd Mix Traits And Health