Rottie Shepherd

The Rottie Shepherd is a combination of two very popular breeds, the German Shepherd and the Rottweiler. The German Shepherd originated in Germany and is referred to as an Alsatian in Britain and Ireland. The breed, which is prized for its intelligence and athleticism, dates back to 1899. Captain Max von Stephanitz, a German military officer is credited with developing the breed and was partly responsible for them be used as working dogs in World War I. They were used by the Red Cross, as messenger dogs and guard dogs. His dog Horand von Grafrath was one of the foundation dogs for the breed. Nowadays they are commonly used for their search-and-rescue skills, for narcotics detection and for detecting human remains on land and water. The first German Shepherd Dog registered in the United States was Queen of Switzerland. But poor breeding led to several defects and the dogs declined in popularity in the late 1920s. Numbers further dwindled after World War ll because of  anti-German sentiment but the tide later turned and the breed regained popularity. They are now among the top 10 most popular dog breeds in the United States.  Rottweillers are also working dogs which originated in Germany and are believed to be descended from the Molossus, a Mastiff-type dog. They were known as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because they used to pull carts with butchered meat to the market. They are regarded as one of the oldest of the herding breeds and are thought to be descended from ancient Roman drover dogs. These dogs nearly became extinct when rail transport made them redundant. But in 1901, the Rottweiler and Leonberger Club was founded and a breed standard was established. They first appeared in the US in the 1920s and were recognized by the  American Kennel Club in 1931. Today they are popular dogs but have a reputation for aggression due in part to poor breeding.