The Rottweiler is probably descended from the Italian Mastiff known for watching over the cattle the Roman legions needed for provisions.
In the middle ages, the Rottweiler breed was developed in the German town of Rottweil in Wurttemberg as a guard and herd dog.

Practically extinct in the 1800′s, he made a wonderful comeback in the early twentieth century due to the efforts of breeders in Stuttgart.
The Rottweiler is a medium to large dog with a massive and powerful body, naturally protective and devoted to their owner and family.

Breed Group

Working

Size

22 – 27 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

80 – 130 lbs.

Color(s)

The Rottweiler coat is black with clearly defined tan markings that range from rust to mahogany on the cheeks, muzzle, chest, legs, and over both eyes.

Coat

The Rottweiler outer coat is straight, coarse, dense, mid-length and flat while the undercoat is soft and thighs.

Life Expectancy

About 10 – 12 years.

Personality

A well train Rottweiler can do extremely well in a family environment, however he is very territorial and protective and can be intimidating at times.
He can be aggressive with other dogs, cats, household pets and with people he doesn’t know, so, early socialization and training is absolutely essential for this breed.

The Rottweiler has a working dog need to be stimulated and a job to do to be happy, whether it is fetching a ball, hauling a cart, guarding something or retrieving the newspaper.
The Rotties thrives with affection and attention from its family but he tends to be a one person dog.

Care

This Rottweiler is susceptible to ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), bloat, progressive spinal cord disorder, entropionRottweiler from working dog group and hip dysplasia.
Also they are sensitive to Parvo virus.
The Rottweiler requires minimal grooming, brush with a firm bristle brush and bathes only when necessary (Bathing too often will remove the natural oils from the coat).
The Rottweiler is a medium shedder.

Training

Quick to learn and eager to please the Rottie is an outstanding guard dog with a self assured and fearless temperament.
The Rottweiler requires a firm and careful training and an experienced owner who can handle this powerful breed.
They have proven their worth in police/military work, competitive obedience, schutzhund and do well in a variety of things such as tracking, herding, watchdogging and carting.

Activity

The Rottweiler will do okay in an apartment life if it is sufficiently exercised.
They aren’t really active indoors, so they need up to three long walks daily, they also loves swimming and running freely in the woods (only if a free from public place can be identified).

The Komondor is a descendant from the Tibetan dogs. For a long time, people thought it was brought by the nomadic Magyars to herd sheep, however, a newer study shows that it has been brought by the Cumans.

In fact, Komondor bones have been found in Cuman sites. The name “Komondor” comes from the Cuman name Koman-dor which means dog of the Cumans. In 1920, the breed started to be presented in dog shows and became more popular.

Breed Group

Working

Size

Male: 27½ inches
Female: 25½ inches

Weight

Male: Approximately 100 lbs
Female: Approximately 80 lbs

Color(s)

The coat’s color is off-white. It can happen to see puppies with a little bit of cream, but it fades away as they grow up.

Coat

The Komondor has a very special coat; as a puppy, you can see a soft coat with a tendency to fall into curls. As it grows up, the coat tends to fall more into cords near the skin and to be fluffy at the end. When the dog is older, the undercoat stays as dense, soft and wooly as the baby coat. The outer coat is thicker and traps the undercoat to form cords. A fully grown Komondor dog is entirely covered with these heavy cords.

Life Expectancy

About 10 – 12 years

Personality

Bred to think by itself, the Komondor is intelligent, devoted and extremely loyal. They are very affectionate and protective of the people that they know; they always want to be near those they love and always seek attention and physical contact.

If the dog isn’t properly socialized, it can react very aggressively when confronted to a new situation or when meeting a new person.

Care

The coat of the Komondor must never be brushed but it has to be trimmed. It needs a lot of bathing and it is very long to dry. It barely sheds.

Training

The Komondor tends to think for himself so it can be obstinate and difficult to train. They might think that they have no good reason to listen. The Komondor gets easily bored, so the training sessions have to be entertaining. It must constantly be kept under control. It doesn’t need to have rough corrections; it could lead to mistrust.

Training and socialization must start early (at age of 4-8 months). The Komondor is intelligent and will quickly learn what is thought to him.

Activity

The Komondor is a very lazy dog. It can live in the city but he prefers country. If the Komondor is left outside, it will automatically burn the energy it needs to. In contrast, the dog doesn’t need a big amount of exercise and it sleeps a lot.

Originally used 2000 to 3000 years ago, the Alaskan Malamute is the oldest of the Nordic dogs. It gets its name from Mahlemuts, a tribe of northwestern Alaska.

He was developed by the nomadic Inuit Indians to haul their possessions over long distances and was highly valued. This large Alaskan dog was built for strength and endurance rather than speed.

Breed Group

Working

Size

22 – 28 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

70 – 115 lbs

Color(s)

The usual colors may include various shades of gray to black as well as sables to red, the legs and muzzle nearly always white.

Coat

The Malamutes breed wears a thick double coat of medium length. The outer coat is coarse protecting it from extreme weather and the undercoat is dense, oily and woolly.

Life Expectancy

About 10 – 15 years.

Personality

The Alaskan Malamute makes a loyal, devoted companion, not a “one man” dog, they are certain to make a nice family pet. He does well which children who are old enough to play with him safely. Extremely loyal, affectionate and friendly, the Alaskan Malamute isn’t all work and no play. Males can be very dominant and both sexes can be combative with other dogs. Although very intelligent this calm and quiet dog can prove to be a bit stubborn.

Care

The Alaskan Malamute is a very sturdy breed, however they are prone to hip dysplasia but less then many others large breed. Some are subject to anemia, chondrodysplasia and possible day blindness. Clean and odorless, bathes for this breed really aren’t necessary. The Alaskan Malamute dense coat should be brushed twice a week in the spring, one is enough at other times. In summer make sure they have shade spot and clean cool water because he does not like hot, humid weather.

Training

Although this is not a breed for the first-time dog owner, it is not especially hard to train them to be well-mannered because they are eager to please. Firm handling and obedience training are imperative as well as proper socialization with people and other dogs. The Alaskan Malamute are large and strong working dog bred for sledding and independence, they have participated in many polar expeditions due to their legendary endurance and sense of direction. The Alaskan Malamute are very friendly and therefore are not suitable as a guard dogs.

Activity

Alaskan Malamutes are very active and tireless dogs and are not recommended for apartment life, they prefers largely to pull a sled or a wheeled cart outside all day. Malamutes need a minimum of 2 hours exercise a day, but be careful not to overdue it if the conditions are too hot.

The Akita Inu breed is native to the island of Honshu in the regionof Akita, is considered as a natural monument and a national treasurein Japan, is also one of the oldest dog breeds (recent DNA analysisconfirms that this is one of the most primitive breeds of dog).

Imperial, in appearance, the Akita inspires immediate respect, in the past each noble houses kepted a kennel of this large and mighty dog to hunt boar, bear and deer in the mountainous areas of Japan.

The Akita Inu are the biggest of the Spitz-type breeds and is an impressive and powerful animal with an uncomparable shape; a massive bear-like head, deep muzzle, small eyes, erect and triangular ears uniquely positioned and a large curled tail.

Breed Group

Working

Size

24 – 28 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

75 – 120 lbs

Color(s)

Rich, brilliant and clear, the most common colors of the Akita coat are pure white, red, brindle, sesame and pinto.

Coat

The Akita is a thick double-coated, waterproof breed. The outer coat is straight, harsh, and stands out slightly from the bottom off the body. The under coat is soft, dense and shorter than outer coat.

Life Expectancy

About 10 – 12 years.

Personality

The Akita is a first class guard dog renown for his loyalty and
obedience to his owner, however this strong willed, instinctual and dominant breed is not a dog for everyone. The Akita is particularly aggressive to other dogs and animals, if teased, Akita’s may bite, however most Akita tend to be docile, quiet and keep to themselves, but sometimes spontaneous.

Careful and very affectionate he may tolerate and be good with children from his own family, but he may not accept children they don’t know, also they are wary and aloof of strangers. It’s a powerful, alert, responsive, intelligent, dignified and fearless dog.

Care

The rough, stiff, short-haired coat needs moderate grooming. Bathe only when required as bathing removes the natural waterproofing of the coat. This breed sheds heavily twice a year, use a firm bristle brush. The Akita is subject to hip dysplasia and problems with the knee, immune diseases like VKH (uveodermatologic syndrome), hypothyroidism, allergic skin disease and possible congenital eye problems.

Training

The Akita is not recommended for the owners who are easygoing and compliant, it is absolutely imperative that they know who their master is. They require a huge amount of attention and must receive socialization and obedience training from a very early age. These dogs tend to get bored quickly and are capable of ferocity, then training requires patience, kindness, fairness, and consistent leadership, Akita do not respond to harsh or heavy-handed training methods.

Activity

The Akita need space and should not be confined, however he will do okay in an apartment if it is moderately but regularly exercised. Daily walks, occasional swimming (Akitas have webbed feet and are very good swimmers) and freedom to run in a large securely fenced yard is important for him to stay in shape. Be aware to avoid really active exercises until when there joins are fully grown, usually about three years old.