This breed acquired its name from the city of Rottweil in southwest Germany, a Free Imperial City for nearly 600 years until the region was conquered by Napoleon in 1803. The dogs were known in German as Rottweiler Metzgerhund, meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts of butchered meat to market.

Ancient historical records of the Roman Empire indicate that the Rottweiler is a direct descendant of Drover herding dogs that marched over the Alps with the Roman legions, protecting and driving their cattle.

If worked on the same stock for any length of time, the Rottweiler tends to develop a bond with the stock and will become quite affectionate with them as long as they do as it directs.

When the railroad and the cattle car were invented, Rottweilers lost their jobs as herders and declined almost to extinction. Fortunately, a small group of breeders fought hard to keep them around, and the breed found a new purpose in the 20th century, serving in the military and on police forces.

Rotties are in the top ten when it comes to smarts, ranking 9th out of 138 breeds in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, which presents a ranked list of breed intelligence based on a survey of 208 dog obedience judges across North America.

In The Omen (1976), a large Rottweiler first appears near the Thorn home during Damien's fifth birthday party, just before his nanny hangs herself. Later, when Robert explores an ancient Etruscan cemetery in an attempt to determine Damien's biological origins, he is chased off and nearly killed by a pack of wild Rottweilers (or Hellhounds!)

One of the most highly sought-after designer dogs is the Rottweiler-Husky mix, also known as the Rottsky. Heterochromia is very common in this mixed breed. This is a genetic mutation that causes the dog to have multi-colored eyes. One eye may have the deep brown of the Rottweiler, while the other may have the piercing blue of the Husky.

Thanks to their large head, Rottweilers have an impressively strong bite. Their jaws are stronger than German shepherds and pit bulls with a bite force of 328 pounds per square inch--that's about twice the bite force an adult human can muster.

In 2009, Terrie the Rottweiler gave birth to a record-breaking litter of 18 puppies. The four-year-old dog managed to double the traditional litter size of eight or nine dogs and smash the previous known record of 13.

According to the American Kennel Club breed standard for Rottweilers, there are just three official color combos: Black & Mahogany, Black & Tan, and Black & Rust.