Two different breeds of dogs are often combined to make a new kind of dog that is called a designer dog. This is intentional cross-breeding to make a mixed dog with the best qualities of each breed.
The idea is to make a new dog breed that has complementary qualities of each of the parents for one of the best dogs you can find.
What is An Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix?
Just as the name implies, this dog is a mixture of an Australian Shepherd and a Rottweiler. The mixture makes a strong and happy family dog that is obedient and easy to train while loving its family members. This breed is usually called the Aussie Rottweiler for short.
The Australian Shepherd belongs to the working group of herding dogs. It’s not really from Australia but from the Western US. Their original jobs were to watch over a herd while protecting it and herding the livestock.
This breed is incredibly energetic and they love to run and play outdoors. If they are deprived of lots of playtime and exercise, they may begin to display some negative traits. This breed is very smart and that makes it easy to train, but they may have a stubborn streak at times.
The Rottweiler is protective over its family members, but if socialized properly from a young age, they are not aggressive and brutal. They can also be very playful and even silly acting at times and they love family time with their humans.
Some of the earliest known Rottweilers were herding animals and then they became guard dogs for families and also worked for search and rescue agencies. These dogs are also easy to train for any task and they love having different things to do, making them very trainable.
The Aussie Rottweiler, being a mix of these two breeds, is a very energetic dog who will make a family member that is truly special after they build a bond with you.
This mix makes a dog with a large amount of energy and love and will also give you excitement with his antics. They are loyal and adorable dogs who love to be petted and held.
They will also let you relax and rest and know you are in safe hands–or paws as it may be. The Aussie Rottweiler is one of the most loyal dogs you could ever choose.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Get an Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
This hybrid or designer dog may not be a good fit for a young novice owner as he can be a bit stubborn at times and he needs a definite pack leader to show him what he should do. Otherwise, he may decide he is the pack leader and be harder to train. This breed also needs training and socialization from a very young age.
An Aussie Rottweiler needs a lot of exercises to be happy. If your family isn’t very active, then this may not be a good breed for you. You should also know how to handle dogs that are strong-willed in order to be successful with an Aussie Rottweiler.
Reasons Why You Should Get an Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
If you have an active family and room for your four-legged family member to run and play, then this may be a great breed for you. This hybrid dog will be very protective over your family, but in the same sense be so incredibly loving and loyal at the same time.
The Aussie Rottweiler loves to play fetch and can be entertained by this for hours on end. If your family dynamic fits this profile, you may just fall in love with your Aussie Rottweiler puppy.
Appearance, Coats, and Colors of an Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
When you get a dog that is a mix of two breeds, he may take more after one side of the family or the other. You can usually tell when he is a puppy what he will look like.
Do keep in mind that this mixture makes a fairly large dog. He can be anywhere from 20 to 25 inches tall at the shoulders and he will be powerful as well, with weight as much as 120 pounds. Your Aussie Rottweiler will be very strong and powerful as well.
The Australian Shepherd has a coat in a medium length and he is double-coated. There is a topcoat and underneath is a thick bottom coat.
The topcoat may be wavy or straight and many have a marbled appearance in the colors with combinations of black, gray, white, and caramel.
The Rottweiler has a double coat as well, with it being longer on top and course. Most commonly, the color is black and tan, but they may even have variations in one color coat of gray, black, white, or brown. You will have a wide variety of colors to choose from in an Aussie Rottweiler.
The Aussie Rottweiler can have differently colored eyes too. The Rottweiler’s side generally has dark brown or medium brown eyes. The Australian Shepherd can have some stunning eye colors, including pale blue, hazel, amber, or green, and they can also have two different colored eyes as well.
The Aussie Rottweiler may have a face and head that is square and boxy with a short snout like a Rottweiler or it can be longer and thinner with a longer snout if he takes after the Australian Shepherd side of the family.
Personality, Traits, and Lifespan of an Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
Since this is a hybrid dog breed, it can be difficult to determine the exact personality your new puppy will have. They can inherit their temperament from either of the parent breeds.
Rottweilers are not overly aggressive as most people think when they are trained and socialized correctly. Rottweilers can also act much like a clown with their families in attempts to get them to laugh.
However, they are more reserved when meeting strangers or in an unfamiliar situation. Rottweilers take cues from their family members as to how they should act in a situation.
Australian Shepherds are fabulous four-legged family members. They are loyal and loving and enjoy playtime just as Rottweilers do. They can be a bit hard-headed at times due to herding instincts. The match between these two dogs will give you a wonderful new family furball.
An Aussie Rottweiler that has veterinarian care and is well taken care of should have a lifespan of somewhere between 9 and 15 years. So, choose your new family member wisely, as he will be with you for over a decade.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Puppies for Sale
This breed of designer doggy is fairly new, so it may take quite a bit of research on your part to find a puppy of this breed. You may contact a Rottweiler or Australian Shepherd breeder to search for a mix between the two.
Some of the seasoned breeders will know of each other and might be able to direct you to a reputable breeder of Aussie Rottweilers.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 for an Aussie Rottweiler puppy. It is most probably not advisable to search for an adult of this sort at a rescue service.
First off, they aren’t usually found at a rescue shelter, and secondly, if you don’t know the entire back story and how the dog was socialized or trained, he may be too much for you and your family to handle.
He may also be more on the aggressive side than what you are searching for in a dog as a forever family member. It’s best to get a puppy of this designer breed so you can socialize and train him yourself from a young age.
When you are at the breeders and looking at the puppies, make certain that you get to see and observe both parents as well.
A good and reputable breeder is happy to show you the parents and how well behaved they are. You want to choose a puppy that is bright-eyed and playful both with you and your littermates.
This is usually the sign of a healthy puppy that will make a great four-legged family member for you. Puppies that are very shy of you may not be the best choice because they lack socialization and this can
lead to behavioral issues as they get older unless you are a socialization expert and can turn the behavior around.
Grooming Your Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix
If your Aussie Rottweiler has a thicker coat that is more on the Rottweiler side of his heritage, you will only need to brush him once a week.
Do keep in mind that he will shed twice a year and during those times it’s advisable to brush him out really well on a daily basis.
This helps to remove the thick undercoats so they don’t tangle, get closer to the skin and cause him to have mats, which in turn can lead to skin problems that will require a vet.
On the other hand, if your adorable Aussie Rottweiler takes after the Australian Shepard side of his parents, he will have a longer coat that needs brushing at least twice a week on a normal basis. You will also need to brush him daily when he is shedding.
When you groom your pooch, also check his eyes and ears to make sure they are clear, and brush his teeth once a day. You will only need to give him a bath when he gets dirty or about every three months. That is when he’s older and doesn’t get into mud puddles as much.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Health Problems
All purebred dogs have some sort of health problems that are associated with their breed. It’s just something inherited from their breeding lineage of many years past.
The good news is that when mixing two dog breeds, the health risks of each breed may give you less of a change in the dominant genes emerging.
The most common health issues for Australian Shepherds include hip dysplasia, collie eye anomaly, cataracts, and epilepsy.
The most prevalent health issues for Rottweiler include hip dysplasia, knee dysplasia, hypothyroidism, and eye disorders, as well as cancer.
If you get your new furry friend at a young age and take him to the vet annually for a checkup and his vaccines, the vet can be on top of any health issues that may arise. This means that your furry friend can have great care when anything first arises to have a much longer and happier life with you.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Food Requirements
Since your Aussie Rottweiler is a high-energy dog, you should feed him appropriate food that is high quality.
It should always be a food that is recommended for his life stages such as a puppy, adult, or senior dog, and your vet may recommend food for large breed dogs when he reaches maturity.
Large breed dog food may contain Glucosamine to support healthy joints and reinforce safety from your Aussie Rottweiler getting hip or knee dysplasia, which is usually only found in large breed dogs.
Some large breed dog foods also add fiber blends as well as probiotics to aid in digestion. Rottweilers are prone to overeating and bloating, so this may help your lovely pet to stay healthy as well.
It’s also advisable to feed your dog two to three meals a day instead of just letting him free feed so he doesn’t get overweight and has many of the health issues associated with the extra weight.
Hard kibble-type foods are best for a large dog. If you feed him wet food, he may gobble it down too quickly and develop digestive issues.
The hard kibble also helps to get his pearly white teeth clean so he doesn’t get tartar buildup and need his teeth cleaned by the vet very often. Tartar buildup can also create periodontal disease and be painful for your pooch.
Dogs can also have all of the same dental issues as humans, such as retained baby teeth, abscessed teeth, or broken teeth, all of which need your vet in his capacity as a doggy dentist.
It’s fine to feed your puppy and dog as he gets older some dog treats. It can be hard to resist those big brown eyes staring at you when you are eating dinner with the family, but you shouldn’t feed your pooch people food.
Many different foods that humans eat are not good for our pets. Instead, choose some good quality dog treats and only give him about 5% of his daily food intake of treats.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Exercise Requirements
The Aussie Rottweiler is a high-energy dog and, as such, he needs lots of playtime and exercise on a daily basis. It’s best if you have a large backyard with a doggy door so he can go in and out on his own and play with toys outside.
Living in the city will work for this hybrid dog, but you will need to take him on a long walk twice a day for his exercise. Small homes and apartments are not usually advised for this breed of dog.
You should also provide your dog with plenty of toys that are made for strong mouths that he may inherit from the Rottweiler side of his heritage.
These types of toys will hold up to his hard chewing without them breaking off little pieces that can choke him. Kong toys are specially made for large breeds of dogs and they hold up very well.
When your lovely puppy reaches about four months old, you can put him in an agility training program.
The instructor will know the correct equipment height, the proper exercises, and how long the lessons last to help you to guide your pooch through obstacles.
This type of program allows you to have time with your dog while he learns something new and becomes confident. Building confidence in your dog will help him to achieve just about any type of training you want to teach him.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix Training
Your Aussie Rottweiler will be a very easy dog to train and socialize with. He is loyal and loves to please his family members. He is intelligent and will learn tricks and commands in a flash if you use positive reinforcement for training.
Your little ball of fur should first learn the sit command because he will be very large as an adult and can knock people down easily. Your pup will be so smart that it’s easy to train him.
The next commands he will need to know stay, down, come and leave it. These will help you in any further training you are going to attempt as your dog gets older.
A few training tips for an Australian Rottweiler is to let him rest ahead of his training in a comfortable place.
You should only train him for a short amount of time when he is a puppy at around six to eight weeks old, so he can focus. As he gets older, you can extend the training time as his focus time will lengthen as he grows.
The best positive reinforcement training uses a mixture of dog treats or kibble as his rewards for a job well done. If you are working on a recall command that he’s mastered several weeks before, you offer him a lower value treat.
However, when you are working on a new command or trick, he will respond better if you offer him a high-value treat when he responds appropriately. Your pup or dog actually determines which treats are low and high value and you can tell which he likes the most.
Always use the same words for commands. This way, your puppy will know exactly what behavior you are asking for and it will make him more successful as well as more obedient.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix and Families
Your fluffy little friend will get along very well with your family members. He would be loyal and also guard them against strangers.
He will bark to alert you to anyone that is at the door or on your lawn, but he will not act aggressively towards strangers unless he senses that you are nervous or scared yourself.
This hybrid dog will take very good care of your kids as well but note that if you have small children in the home, you will want to socialize and train your new buddy quickly so he doesn’t overpower children while they are young.
Australian Shepherd Rottweiler Mix and Other Pets
A socialized and trained Australian Rottweiler will get along with existing pets in your home very well.
You will need to introduce them slowly when you first bring your puppy home and make sure he doesn’t jump on a cat or smaller dog in your household.
Your designer dog has lots of energy and power, so he will need to learn to contain himself at a young age.
Learning all about the Australian Shepherd Rottweiler mix can help you to determine if this is the hybrid puppy that will fit in your family’s lifestyle and be happy to be there.
This mix is a great family dog who is kind, smart, and willing to please his family while also being protective of them. You may have just found your new breed of dog.
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