Looking back at the history of the Rottweiler, you will see that one of its first jobs was to herd cattle and sheep. In fact it dates back to Roman times that Rottweilers were used to guide the food supply over the Alps. Then they were used in Germany to guide cattle to the markets.

The breed was specifically bred to herd and for this purpose they were generally less stocky than they are today. However, it is still possible to use your Rottweiler as a herding dog, it just requires firm and consistent training!

What to Expect From a Rottweiler Herding Dog

There is a certain misconception that the Rottweiler as a herding dog would be a little strong minded. The whole point of herding is that the handler controls the dog through various signals. The dog has to be obedient and well behaved as well as agile in order to be a good herder. So the fact that the Rottweiler has a reputation for being aggressive, hard to train and dominant does tend to put many people off using the breed for their herding needs.

However, if you ask the people who do use the Rottweiler as a herding dog, they will tell you that the breed is extremely capable of doing the job well. As with anything, if trained properly then you really should have no problem with dominance. In fact the Rottweiler is a very obedient dog once it has been trained and as it is a working breed it will really love the challenges that come with herding.

Now obviously not all Rottweilers will be happy to herd. They may simply see it as a chance to chase cattle and sheep around. It all depends upon the temperament of the dog. With guarding breeds such as the Rottweiler, a lot of breeders do not take care to breed suitable dogs together. This means that many Rottweilers do turn out to be aggressive and dominant, even with the best training. So you will need to purchase your Rottweiler from a good, reliable breeder if you want to train it up to herd for you.

Generally the breed loves to herd because it gives it something to do. They have a natural herding instinct just like the Border Collie. However, they may not be as fast as a Collie dog, but that does not mean that they are not good herding dogs. A Rottweiler can make an excellent herding dog and it is possible that you could end up with a better behaved dog too if you give it a purpose.

Overall if you are considering herding with your Rottweiler then you certainly have nothing to lose. The breed makes an excellent herding dog and as long as you train it properly you should have no problems with any aggressive or dominant behaviour.

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