Many people who are thinking about getting a dog for their house and yard are faced with the big question: Is a Doberman or a Rottweiler more suitable for us?
At the moment, the popularity of Rottweilers and Dobermans is once again on the rise, so a quick look at their breed-typical characteristics is just what you need.
Because there is one thing no potential dog owner should forget: Every four-legged friend has breed-typical characteristics, needs a different upbringing and, if possible, also demands a lot from the owner.
In order to do justice to the four-legged friend, it is therefore important to know exactly what to expect from a Rottweiler or Doberman.
The Doberman and its typical breed characteristics
The friendly Doberman inspires with its nature and a very affectionate character. This is exactly the reason why he is increasingly found in families, but nevertheless there are a few things that need to be taken into account, from upbringing to the amount of time spent with him.
If the Doberman gets too little exercise, is left alone and not encouraged, its reputation as an “aggressive four-legged friend” can quickly develop, which must be avoided.
If you want to make friends with a Doberman, you should also know in advance what life expectancies and characteristics this special four-legged friend has in order to find out whether this breed suits you.
The breed profile of a Doberman in check
- Life expectancy: 10 to 13 years
- Weight: 33 to 41 kilograms
- Coat colour: Fawn, black, reddish brown
- Height: 64 to 71 cm
The Doberman is a large dog that needs training to present its friendly nature. After all, it is a fearless quadruped that is extremely intelligent, but in the wrong hands it gets its “gloomy reputation”.
For the Doberman also acts quickly as a guardian and family protector. But with the right upbringing, a lot of attention and a great environment, families also get a lot of pleasure from this protective four-legged friend.
His hunting instinct is not very strong, but his intelligence is. He wants to be kept busy, otherwise he will look for something to do. Plenty of exercise, ideally also in your own garden, can keep the Doberman well occupied.
The Rottweiler is more than just a guard and watch dog
Many people think of the Rottweiler as an aggressive quadruped, but this is far from true.
Similar to the Doberman, the Rottweiler undoubtedly has a high protective instinct and will protect his family in any dicey situation.
Even the home property is its territory and is protected from intruders, but nevertheless the four-legged friend is far from an aggressive beast, as the media likes to portray it.
In the wrong hands, the Rottweiler, like the Doberman, is also a “weapon”, but educated owners know how to deal with this characteristic so well that a family dog emerges, which, however, makes itself known in an emergency to provide protection for its loved ones.
A check of the typical characteristics of the Rottweiler breed
- Life expectancy: 8 to 11 years
- Weight: Bitches 35 to 48 kg, males 50 to 50 kg
- Height: Bitches 56 to 63 cm, males 61 to 69 cm
- Coat colour: Black, mahogany, tan
Similar to the Doberman, the Rottweiler enters into a long-lasting relationship, which must show education, stability and security for the four-legged friend.
This is the only way to bring out the frugal nature of the four-legged friend, which is also suitable as a family dog.
If the Doberman gets plenty of exercise and is sufficiently challenged, he will become a calm and reliable companion.
Doberman and Rottweiler – what an owner needs to know about their partly different nature
The Doberman is considered a friendly four-legged dog that likes to be rewarded with attention. However, it needs to be trained quickly, as it can exploit its owners’ weaknesses and shows a readily pushy nature during puberty at the latest.
If you let this break in, you run the risk that the four-legged friend will think he is in control at home and has to handle it that way. Otherwise he has a strong personality, which means he must be trained consistently.
Moreover, he can be loyal and do everything for his human. With good training he is able to subordinate himself without any problems and pays attention to the family members in the household.
He is very open-minded towards children anyway, if he knows them from the beginning.
The Doberman is considered a curious breed, so that outside the four walls one must pay closer attention here and there to what nonsense the young dog is up to before it has got used to everything new.
A quick check of the Doberman’s character:
- friendly four-legged friend, self-confident
- with good training an exemplary dog
- curious, loyal
While the self-confident Rottweiler is of course also suitable as a family dog, he is increasingly used as a guard and protection dog. This usually has fatal consequences for his reputation!
He is fearless and extremely self-confident. That is why he needs owners who have a strong hand and do not let his upbringing slide because of his sweet nature.
His strong protective instinct is the reason why dicey situations often occur in combination with a lack of training, so there really needs to be a loyal, praising, but strong hand here.
He expects to be led and needs to know that he only has to intervene in an emergency to protect the family and not in every situation. He is incredibly persistent, inquisitive and curious, making walks a real highlight.
A short check of the Rottweiler’s character:
- besides being a family dog, also suitable as a guard and protection dog
- fearless, self-confident
- with good training an exemplary dog
- inquisitive, persistent
Doberman or Rottweiler – for whom is which breed well suited?
Both four-legged friends are suitable for strong personalities that do not shy away from training. It must be firm, however, so that the four-legged friends do not show their protective personality throughout.
After all, this has given them a negative reputation in the past.
Both the Doberman and the Rottweiler are easy to integrate into families, very curious and open-minded.
However, a family that is too busy would not be a good idea for either dog, in order to avoid stress for the dog, which can affect its temperament.
However, both breeds need plenty of exercise and sufficient encouragement of their mental abilities.
If this is given, both dog breeds can be much enjoyed. Finally, if you are considering the protection of your property, you should rather go for the persevering Rottweiler.
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Conclusion on two energetic dog breeds
Doberman and Rottweiler are quite similar, not only in appearance, but also in the way they are handled.
The choice between these dog breeds is truly difficult, as both have their merits. In comparison, you can see that both dogs can be very active.
