Getting a new puppy is so much fun, and Rottweiler puppies are so adorable, you’ll be tempted to choose the first puppy you pick up at your breeder’s. Resist that impulse, and take a measured approach to selecting your Rottweiler puppy. After all, getting a dog is a big commitment. Rottweilers live to be more than ten years old, so you are making a ten-year commitment when you pick out a new puppy.
When you look at Rottweiler puppies, you want to make sure you select the right dog for you. You want healthy Rottweiler puppies, and you want dogs that will socialize easily and respond to training. You’ll want to buy your Rottweiler puppy directly from a breeder instead of from a pet shop so you can see the Rottweiler puppies’ parents on site to get an idea of how big the puppies will be when they are adults.
When you go to select your Rottweiler puppies, ask the breeder whether the puppies’ parents are certified by the OFA. The OFA is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. The OFA exists to diminish the occurrence of orthopedic and other genetic diseases in animals, and particularly in purebred dogs. Unfortunately, it is impossible to certify Rottweiler puppies until they are at least two years old, but preliminary examinations can be done when the puppies are just four months old. If both of the Rottweiler puppies’ parents are certified, then chances are good that a puppy will also attain the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals certification.
Diseases to check for in Rottweilers include elbow dysplasia. The Rottweiler is ranked second on the list of one hundred breeds most likely to suffer from elbow dysplasia. Cardiac problems and hip dysplasia are also common problems, as the Rottweiler is ranked number thirty on the list of breeds most likely to have cardiac disease or hip dysplasia. And Rottweiler puppies are ranked fifty-fifth most likely to have patellar luxation, so the risk is relatively low, but it is best to test for this disease also, just to be safe.
Once you have taken precautions to help ensure that the Rottweiler puppies have parents that are both healthy and Orthopedic Foundation for Animals certified and have pleasing temperaments, watch the litter one by one to see what each puppy is like.
Rottweilers are bred to have consistent characteristics one generation after another. One reason people like to get purebred dogs so much is because they know what to expect with a purebred dog. If you have a strong preference for a male over a female, or female over male, that will help make your choice of Rottweiler puppies even easier. One puppy in the litter may be more timid, shy, or aggressive than the others, and it’s up to you to decide what kind of dog’s personality suits you. Visit the litter a few times before you decide what puppy you want. Remember, this is a big decision. Watch the Rottweiler puppies playing with each other, and look for an alert puppy that gets along well with its brothers and sisters.
When you choose a Rottweiler puppy, be sure to get a health guarantee from the breeder. Take the Rottweiler puppy to a veterinarian for a wellness examination as soon as you can.
Rottweiler puppies should come from a sire and dam that are OFA certified against orthopedic and genetic diseases. Now that you know how to choose the right Rottweiler puppy, you can enjoy the decision, confident that you are choosing a healthy puppy with a good personality.
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