The Rottweiler was originally adopted and trained as a working dog.
The American Kennel Club describes the rottweiler as "robust and powerful...happiest when he is given a task to perform." Known for their hardiness and loyalty, the ancestry of the Rottweiler goes back thousands of years.
The Drover's Dogs
The Roman Drover dog was a type of mastiff that the Romans took with them during their journeys of conquest in the first century A.D. The dogs were used to herd cattle during the day and guard the men at night. The Germanic tribes recognized the valuable guarding and herding abilities that these Drover dogs had, and many abandoned or lost dogs found local homes.
The Swiss Cowherds
A book called "German Dogs in Word and Picture" by E. Von Otto Bensheim discusses another theory regarding Rottweiler ancestry that connects the breed to Switzerland. Mountain dogs, some believed to be Burmese, were used to herd cattle from the Swiss mountains into the German town of Rottweil.
The Bullenbeiser Dog
Other experts, like Hans Korn, hypothesized that Rottweilers were descended from the Bullenbeiser dog. A breed that was eventually crossbred into extinction, the Bullenbeiser had a broad mouth and markings were usually black stripes on an gray background. Like the Rottweiler, the Bullenbeiser was also known for its intelligence and was often used as a draft animal.
Tags: herd cattle, used herd, used herd cattle, were used, were used herd