German Shepherd vs Rottweiler – Which one is a better dog breed for you?

"Find similarities and differences between German Shepherd vs Rottweiler" Compare German Shepherd and Rottweiler. Which is better: German Shepherd or Rottweiler?

General Appearance Hair & Care Characteristics Good With Health Factors Reproducibility Show differences only

Name	German Shepherd	Rottweiler
Origins	Germany	Germany
All Dog Breeds By Country Of Origin
Group	Pastoral Dogs (Herding Dogs)	Working Dogs
Popularity Rank	2	8
Reviews	1	2
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Other Names	Alsatian, Berger Allemand, Alsatian wolf dog (UK), Deutscher Schäferhund, Schäferhund	Rottie, Rott
Breed Type	Purebred	Purebred
AKC Group	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1908 as a Herding breed.	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1931 as a Working breed.
FCI Group	Recognized by FCI in the Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) group, in the Sheepdogs section.	Recognized by FCI in the Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs group, in the Molossian type section.
Breed Recognition	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale Kennel Club of Great Britain North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Australian National Kennel Council Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club German Shepherd Dog Club Of America	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale Kennel Club of Great Britain North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Australian National Kennel Council Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club Colonial Rottweiler Club Deutscher Rottweiler Klub International Rottweiler Club
Price	$800-$2000	$1200-$2000

General Appearance - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Size	Large	Large Giant
Weight	Male: 66-88 pounds (30-40 kg), Female: 49-71 pounds (22-32 kg)	Male: 95-130 pounds (43-59 kg), Female: 85-115 pounds (38-52 kg)
Avg. Weight	Male: 77 pounds (35 kg), Female: 60 pounds (27 kg)	Male: 112.5 pounds (51 kg), Female: 100 pounds (45 kg)
Height	Male: 24-26 inches (60-65 cm), Female: 22-24 inches (55-60 cm)	Male: 24-27 inches (61-69 cm), Female: 22-25 inches (56-63 cm)
Avg. Height	Male: 25 inches (62.5 cm), Female: 23 inches (57.5 cm)	Male: 25.5 inches (65 cm), Female: 23.5 inches (59.5 cm)

Hair & Care - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Coat	Fuzzy	Dense
Colors	Silver Tan Red Black	Mahogany Tan Rust Black
Grooming	Average: The German Shepherd requires average grooming effort.	Effortless: The Rottweiler requires minimal grooming.
Shedding Level	German Shepherds are heavy shedders.	Rottweilers shed moderately.

Characteristics - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Temperament	Alert Courageous Intelligent Obedient Confident Curious Loyal Watchful	Alert Fearless Independent Loyal Courageous Good-natured Intelligent Protective
Intelligent Rank	Outstanding: German Shepherd is one of the brightest dog breeds.	Outstanding: Rottweiler is one of the brightest dog breeds.
Trainability	German Shepherds are easy to train.	Rottweilers are easy to train.
Playfulness	German Shepherds, like any other dog breed, like playing.	Rottweilers, like any other dog breed, like playing.
Sensitivity Level	German Shepherds don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.	They are a little bit more sensitive than other dog breeds.
Affection Level	German Shepherds are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.	Rottweilers are average dogs regarding their affection level.
Social Needs	German Shepherds need for social interaction is average.	Rottweilers need a lot of social interaction.
Barking	Low to Average: The German Shepherd rarely barks.	Low: The Rottweiler barks none to minimal.
Watchdog Ability	German Shepherds are one of the best watchdogs.	Rottweilers are one of the best watchdogs.
Territorial	German Shepherds are extremely protective guard dogs.	Rottweilers are extremely protective guard dogs.
Biting Potential	High The German Shepherd has a high chance of biting somebody.	High The Rottweiler has a high chance of biting somebody.
Mouthiness	German Shepherds have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.	Rottweilers have an average tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.
Impulse to Wander or Roam	German Shepherds are not the biggest explorers.	Rottweilers tend to escape less than other breeds.
Prey Drive	German Shepherds have a higher impulse to chase and catch something than other dog breeds.	Rottweilers have a higher impulse to chase and catch something than other dog breeds.
Apartment Friendly	German Shepherds are not the best choice for an apartment lifestyle, but they don't mind being inside if you walk them several times every day.	Rottweilers are not the best choice for an apartment lifestyle, but they don't mind being inside if you walk them several times every day.
Adaptability	German Shepherds adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.	Rottweilers adapt to lifestyle changes and different living environments quite okay usually.
Tolerates Being Left Alone	Just like every puppy, they are prone to panic, cry, bark, whine when they left alone by their owner.	Rottweilers tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them.
Fighting Dog	Yes In history, this breed was unfortunately used for combat dog.	Yes In history, this breed was unfortunately used for combat dog.

Good With - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Stranger Friendly	German Shepherds are stranger friendly dogs.	Rottweilers are not stranger friendly dogs.
Child Friendly	German Shepherds are very kid-friendly dogs.	Rottweilers are not the most kid-friendly dogs.
Cat Friendly	German Shepherds are average friendly towards cats.	Rottweilers are average friendly towards cats.
Dog Friendly	German Shepherds are not the most dog-friendly dogs.	Rottweilers are not dog-friendly.
Office Friendly	No German Shepherd is not the best dog breed for office environment.	No Rottweiler is not the best dog breed for office environment.
Senior Citizens Friendly	German Shepherds are one of the best breeds for elderly people.	Rottweilers are not the best breed for elderly people.
Pet Friendly	German Shepherds are generally with other pets.	Rottweilers are generally with other pets.
Good For First Time Owners	No German Shepherds are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.	No Rottweilers are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.
Service Dog	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.
Therapy Dog	Yes This breed makes a perfect therapy dog.	Yes This breed makes a perfect therapy dog.
Detection Dog or Sniffer Dog	Yes A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.	Not really A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.
Search and Rescue Dog (SAR)	Yes The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.	Not really The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.
Boat Dog	Not really German Shepherd breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.	Not really Rottweiler breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.
Cart Pulling or Drafting Dog	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.	Yes A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.

Health Factors - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Health Issues	German Shepherds are commonly healthy dogs.	The Rottweiler is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.
Health Problems	Allergies Blindness Bloat Cancer Cataracts Cherry Eye Chronic Diarrhea Cruciate Ligament Rupture Cushing's Syndrome Degenerative Myelopathy Demodectic Mange Diabetes Digestive Problems Elbow Dysplasia Epilepsy Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Heart Disease Hemophilia A Hemophilia B Hip Dysplasia Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy Lens Luxation Lupus Megaesophagus Myasthenia Gravis Nail Bed Disease Osteochondrosis Pannus Panosteitis Paralysis Perianal Fistula Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Retinal Dysplasia Seborrhea Vitiligo Von Willebrand's Disease Wobbler's Syndrome	Allergies Aortic Stenosis Bloat Elbow Dysplasia Hip Dysplasia Hypothyroidism Osteosarcoma Panosteitis Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis
Life Expectancy	10-13 years	8-11 years
Calculate dog years to human years by breed here
Hypoallergenic	No	No
Energy Level	German Shepherds are high energy dogs.	Rottweilers have a higher energy level than other dog breeds.
Exercise Need	German Shepherds need quite a lot of exercise.	Rottweilers have an average exercise need.
Sleeping Need	German Shepherds don't need too much sleep.	Rottweilers are quite energetic dogs and they don't spend to much time with sleeping.
Avg. daily food consumption	3 to 4 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.	Recommended daily amount: 4 to 10 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
Weight Gain Potential	Low to Average.	High: The Rottweiler breed has a strong tendency to overweight.
Weather & Climate	Tolerates warm and cold weather.	Prefers average to warm weather conditions
Stinkiness	Medium The German Shepherd has an average chance of bad smell.	Medium The Rottweiler has an average chance of bad smell.
Drooling tendency	The German Shepherd is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.	The Rottweiler drools quite a lot, so if you dislike being covered by slobber spots on your clothes, you may want to choose another dog breed.

Reproducibility - German Shepherd vs Rottweiler

Gestation Length	60-64 days	60-64 days
How often can the have a litter?	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.
Litter Size	6-10 puppies	8-12 puppies
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