How Smart are Rottweilers? Latest Guide in 2024

A Rottweiler is a big, furry dog that looks adorable but can exhibit dangerous characteristics if it turns on its owner. While Rottweilers are known for their incredible strength, they also have brains. A Rottweiler is regarded as one of the smartest dog breeds. So, are you planning on getting a Rottweiler and would like to know how smart are Rottweilers?

The Rottweiler breed is an intelligent breed that sometimes outsmarts its owners. Despite their intelligence, they will take their time thinking through a situation before acting. You’ll find articles explaining why Rottweilers aren’t for everyone or stating that Rottweilers don’t make great first dogs on just about every Rottweiler website and book.

Most trainers notice that they tend to learn faster and smarter than their owners. This is an undeniable fact about Rottweilers. How do Rottweilers have so much intelligence? Continue reading to find out how smart are Rottweilers and why they are considered smart dogs.

Understanding Rottweiler dogs

In German, Rottweilers are identified as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, which exactly renders to Rottweiler butchers’ pooch. The rottweiler dog is a direct offspring of the mastiffs of the Roman Mass. They were bred to herd livestock and pull carts having butchered meat to marketplaces. As time advanced, the owners qualified the dog breed to pursue and rescue dogs.

Rottweiler dogs are recognized for their strength. Besides, a male rottweiler stands 24 to 27 inches; female Rottweilers are slightly shorter. They contain short straight black fur, which is dense. 

Additionally, the rust-colored patterns on them increase their physical look. The muscular rear legs give ease in trotting naturally. The anterior legs are straight and located a distance apart to deliver a smoother pier after a jump. Plus, their feet are fine-padded.

4 Reasons Why Rottweilers are Considered Smart

Those of you who know Rottweilers should have an idea of how smart are Rottweilers, and we now discuss why they are so smart. Rottweilers are intelligent dogs for a variety of reasons. Not only are they smart, but they are also excellent learners.

Other dogs are not as obedient as these dogs. They are terrific guard dogs and loyal companions because of their instinctive intelligence. Their alert nature allows them to spot threats at any time. They can adapt well, but not very well. By training them, you can improve their adaptability. Let’s go over in detail, why Rottweilers are smart.

1. Rottweilers’ Obedience

A Rottweiler can be used as a therapy dog, guide dog, service dog, and customs inspector today. They pull carts, they carry large objects, but they’re also obedience competitors, and they’re their families’ companions, providing them with love, affection, and care.

Even when competing in agility, Rottweilers have been successful! The Rottweiler is well known for its work alongside humans, even having been used in the past for law enforcement and military purposes.

For many generations, the breed has demonstrated excellent obedience and abilities, and you could say that they have inherited them from their ancestors, making them smart dogs.

2. Coren’s Criteria for Dog Intelligence

Judges in North America evaluated and ranked breeds based on the criteria provided by Coren. The two factors that were considered when evaluating his intelligence were:

• To teach a dog to breed a new command, how many repetitions were required.
• An indication of how often a particular breed obeys a command on its first try.

In Coren’s tests, the Rottweiler did exceptionally well. This makes the Rottweiler one of the most intelligent dog breeds. This breed ranks among the top ten best canines for intelligence!

3. Highly Adaptive Intelligence of Rottweilers

Dogs have adaptive intelligence, which allows them to think for themselves. It is so easy to self-train Rottweilers, particularly guard dogs, because of their high levels of adaptive intelligence. Thanks to adaptive intelligence, your Rottweiler remembers where you store foods.

You don’t have to tell your Rottweiler when you’re dressed to walk and when mealtime is approaching because his adaptive intelligence will tell him. Your dog will also learn which people you like to see and which ones you would prefer not to see since it has adaptable intelligence.

If your dog senses your child is thinking about running into traffic, chasing a ball, or running out into the street, he will warn you, thus preventing danger from happening. It will know where to look for burglars and which way criminals are likely to run off into the woods if they break in.

Rottweilers are capable of learning from their mistakes thanks to their high adaptive intelligence. The dogs can solve problems in creative ways if they are given the right environment. Wearing a coat may make a Rottweiler think you’re going to the veterinarian if you reach for your keys.

There have been instances where Rottweilers have opened refrigerators and unlocked their crates on their own.

4. Instinctive Guardians

Dog breeds are bred for certain abilities or special skills which contribute to their instinctive intelligence. Back in the day, all dog breeds served a specific purpose. They performed a variety of jobs, from hunting to herding to companionship, all of which played a vital part in society.

Australian Shepherds, for example, were bred to herd cattle. It’s their specialty. The ability of Australians to drive and push their livestock instinctively depends on their IQ. It was not taught to them, and they do not require much assistance from humans.

It is famously known that Rottweilers are one of the most loyal and protective dog breeds ever created. So, it was no wonder they were among the most feared guardians in the canine world. In addition, they are capable of protecting humans and animals alike.

To make a lengthy story short, Rottweiler dogs are not just keen, but they are one of the most intellectual dog breeds nowadays. Additionally, in terms of obedience, nature, and adaptive intelligence, these dogs score exceedingly in all three, which makes Rottweiler dogs the 9th most intelligent dog breed.

Besides, keep in mind that not all Rottweiler dogs will show the same amount of cleverness. If your Rottweiler puppy isn’t that cheerful, that’s okay! Your dog will still be faithful, affectionate, and a ball of fun, irrespective of smartness! The same is true for any other dog breed as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Rottweilers have the best intelligence?

Rottweilers are thought to be among the more intelligent dogs, even though that may seem surprising to some of their fans. Most expert tests and standards place Rottweilers in the top ten most intelligent dog breeds, scoring highly in all three branches of intelligence.

How fast do Rottweilers learn?

Despite being only eight weeks old, Rottweiler puppies are extremely intelligent at that age and capable of learning anything physical. 

How smart is a Rottweiler compared to a German shepherd?

In addition to being two of the smartest breeds of dogs on the planet, these breeds are extremely loyal. Rottweilers rank ninth on the list, while German Shepherds come in third. So we can say that German Shephard has the upper hand in terms of intelligence.

Conclusion

In summary, if someone asks how smart are Rottweilers, it’s easy to answer that they are not only intelligent, they are among the most intelligent breeds around. The Rottweiler ranks 9th among breeds based on obedience, instincts, and adaptive intelligence.

It is important to remember that not all Rottweilers are equally intelligent. There’s nothing wrong with your Rottweiler if it’s not that smart! Irrespective of its intelligence, your puppy will remain a loyal, loving, and fun companion! This holds for any other breed as well.