Before we go into the differences, we need to look at the most important point – have you chosen a good breeder?  A good, knowledgeable breeder will have a good handle on the puppies characters and may well not give you a choice of pup.  There is nothing at all wrong in this provided you have been honest with the breeder about your circumstances and what you want to do with your pup.  A breeder would give a calmer natured pup for instance to a first time owner or if they had young children, one with a high chase instinct (prey drive) to someone who wants to work their Rottweiler, one with show potential to someone who wants to show.  You have to sit down, have a good think about what you want from your Rottweiler and a good breeder will help you with the right dog.

First time owners are nearly always advised to have a bitch because they tend to be more malleable in nature, however this is not always the case!  One of my Rottweilers, Elsa (Vormund Witchcraft), was a very dominant bitch and the breeder at the time commented that a male would certainly have been less problematic!  This highlights the importance that the breeder plays in assessing your needs and characters.  For a new owner, Elsa would have been extremely hard work – a complete contrast to the other Rottweilers I have owned.  My first male Kane (Cormiston Hurricane Lad) was a beautiful laid back boy with bags of patience, his sister Cheekie (Cormiston Tee Em Bee) again was of sound temperament but much craftier than Kane – you had to try and be a few steps ahead!

If you already have a dog, the choice is easier for you – your Rottweiler should be the opposite sex to the one you have.  Although you can have two or more of the same sex, this can lead to squabbles.  I would rather have two squabbling dogs than two squabbling bitches!  The males tend to be a little more pragmatic (unless their natures are the same and you can have constant challenges), the bitches hold grudges and once you have two bitches fighting, it’s very difficult to resolve.

If you want to introduce a dog of the same sex, it’s advisable to introduce a puppy rather than an adult as all dogs take to puppies.  The other key element is to have a good age gap between dogs of the same sex – two dogs or two bitches of similar ages and you have a good bet that you will get squabbles.  However the most important element is character, if you are introducing adults, don’t put two dominant ones together.

Bitches tend to have a stronger pack drive in my experience.  Pack drive is the definition of the dogs ability to interact with the pack and the desire to be part of that group.  Pack drive is important in training and I think bitches tend to have the edge here.

The bitch tends not to “wander” as much off the lead as the dogs – if you have a dog and a bitch, you will notice that the dog scampers off all over the place where the bitch tends to stick with you more (although this is not a hard and fast rule!).

Bitches have a sharpness and the craftiness element I think!  They are much more subtle in the way they do things than the males.  They can weigh up situations and pull them to their advantage without you even knowing about it!  This case illustrates this nicely -  Doris is an 8 year old bitch and Keeper a 4 year old dog.  If Keeper decides he wants some attention, he will happily come and throw a toy in your face, give you a good whack with his paws etc. to say “oi – I’m here, give me attention”.  Your reaction to this is usually “no!” because he has done it in such an obvious, rough manner!  Doris will sit beside you then gradually lean against you and your natural reaction is to pat her – she wants exactly the same as Keeper but has got it through guile!  This is a great illustration of the difference in natures.

When running a dog and bitch together, the bitch is usually the boss (very few exceptions to this rule).  In dog/wolf packs, although the pack is run by an alpha pair (male and female) the male is more there for “show” due to his larger stature, in the event of threats or problems, it’s the bitch that does the thinking and resolving!  This is important to remember when choosing between them.

Dogs are natural clowns!  Keeper is a great illustration of this  – he acts the fool and thinks he’s just great!  Dogs tend to have a more outwardly superior nature of “look at me, I’m just great” and will push  his behaviour to show this (bitches tend not to because they are of the opinion, “look I know I’m great and I don’t have to prove it”).  Dogs tend to be more popular than bitches because of their looks/presence and the obvious not having to cope with seasons.  When you go to dog shows and it comes to judging for best of breed, it's more often that not the dog who takes the BOB, the dog tends to command more presence.

There is no mistaking that a Rottweiler dog is an impressive looking boy and will attract many an admiring glance.  However, they tend to be more headstrong and more difficult to train than the bitches (thought again this is not a 100% rule).  There is also the obvious height and width difference between the two, the dogs are much bigger.

In conclusion we are back to the most important thing – choosing your breeder. You are responsible for teaching your puppy manners and the social graces but genetics play an important part.  If your puppy comes from temperamental stock, you will have a lifelong battle to stay on top as you will be constantly masking the undesirable traits which are in the bloodline.

We cannot stress the important of choosing a good breeder – that’s what we are here for.  If you want a good breeder, we will recommend some for you and will help you with your pups ancestors