by Marina Cabral
(london ontario)
My rottie is 16 weeks he has long legs, he’s skinny, and has a long neck.
is he purebred?
Hi Marina
This is a question that I get asked fairly regularly and I’m afraid there’s no way for me to answer it with any certainty.
The only way that you can tell if your Rottweiler is purebred is if you know that both his parents had registration papers that show them to be purebred (from the AKC for example), and that the litter he’s from is also registered.
Of course, it’s possible for a Rottweiler puppy or dog to be purebred if he/she isn’t registered for some reason (or even if the parents are registered), but you’d have to be able to trace the bloodlines back several generations – and for that you’d need the rest of the ‘family’ to be registered and have access to that information.
Like any other breed, Rottweilers don’t all look the same, and body type, head shape, ear set, weight, height, temperament etc. are all mainly determined by genetics and dogs from different bloodlines will differ in certain ways. Mostly minor.
Rottweilers take a long time to develop and mature and aren’t considered adult (either physically or mentally) until they’re at least 18 months of age. For the bigger males it can take up to 3 years. During the adolescent stage, which is what your pup is just entering, they will grow rapidly and often look ‘scrawny’ or ‘out of proportion’…. think of a gangly teenage boy and you get the picture. They gain their full height before their full weight, and until fully mature you won’t see what your pup is going to look like as an adult. For info. on average weight for growing Rottie pups visit my Rottweiler Puppy Growth Chart, but bear in mind ALL puppies are different and grow at different rates.
The best thing you can do for your pup is to make sure you feed him a premium puppy food specifically designed for his nutritional needs (see my Best Puppy Food and Feeding Puppies pages for more info.), and make sure you get him the proper healthcare such as puppy vaccinations, deworming and so on.
Don’t try to make him grow bigger or faster by overfeeding him as this can lead to all sorts of health problems including musculo-skeletal issues such as Canine Hip Dysplasia, Panosteitis, even heart problems.
Whether or not your Rottie pup is purebred is really only vitally important if you plan to show in conformation, or have paid for a full-blood, registered pup and believe that you’ve been told less than the truth. Otherwise, just enjoy your puppy and give him a chance to grow up happy and healthy.
Whether his legs end up being a bit on the long side, or he doesn’t weigh 120lbs as an adult shouldn’t matter so much as long as he’s happy, loving, healthy and a great companion for you. I wish you the best of luck with him.
