Breed Summary

The Rottweiler Pitbull mix, often called a Pitweiler, is a very powerful, large-sized dog that is sought after by experienced dog owners looking for a loveable and active protector.

The mixed-breed is recognized by the DRA and IDCR, but not the AKC, which does not recognize any Pitbull breeds.

You may have also heard them called:

• Pitbull Rottweiler Mix
• Pitbull Mix
• Rottie/Rottie Pit
• Rottbull
• Rotten Pit
• Prott

When trained well, these gorgeous pooches make excellent guard dogs or family watchdogs.

They play wonderfully with children and adults alike, just keep an eye out for overexcitement with small children. Their large size can lead to small children getting inadvertently hurt during play.

As a mixed-breed, there’s plenty of variety in coat colors and patterns for Pitweilers, depending on how much of each parent they inherit. However, they will certainly have a short, soft coat, the Pitbull’s wide head, and a deep mouth, with good-size teeth!

Contents

Pros and Cons
Physical Characteristics
Size and Life Expectancy
Appearance
Ability
Shedding
Health Problems
Mental Characteristics
Temperament
Trainability
Leadership
Caring for a Pitweiler
Training
Exercise
Socialization
Grooming
Diet and Feeding
Cost
Breed Summary Table

Pros and Cons

Pros
Energetic!	Powerful
Beautiful coloring	Protective of their pack
Excellent guard dog	Low-maintenece coat
Agile	Playful, paticularly with children
Cons
Energetic!	For experienced owners only
Can be aggressive*	Non-hypoallergenic coat
Breed may be banned	Too excitable for small children*
Lot’s of exercise needed	Prone to many health issues

*When not well-trained.

You may have noticed that being energetic is both a pro and con – this depends entirely on your lifestyle. Make sure that the breed you choose fits in with your lifestyle, and please, don’t expect a dog to change its nature to suit you.

What is a Pitbull?

The Pitbull breed is not recognized by the AKC, but is widely known to cover the following breeds:

• American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT)
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Staffordshire Bullterrier

Because of this, there is some variance in the Pittie’s appearance, and trying to pinpoint exactly which breed the pooch belongs to can be tricky, even with a trained eye!

Physical Characteristics of the Rottweiler Pitbull Mix

Size and Life Expectancy

There is some variance in size, but you can expect your Rottweiler Pitbull mix to have grown to the following size and weight after 18 months of age.

Rottweiler Pitbull Mix	Male/Female
Height	18”-26” (46-66cm)
Weight	40-110lb (18-50kg)
Life Expectancy	10-13 years
Purebred Rottweiler	Male	Female
Height	24”-27” (61-69cm)	22″-25″ (56-64cm)
Weight	95-135lb (43-61kg)	80-100lb (36-45kg)
Life Expectancy	9-10 years
American Pitbull Terrier	Male	Female
Height	18”-21” (46-53cm)	17”-20” (43-51cm)
Weight	30-60lb (14-27kg)	30-50lb (14-23kg)
Life Expectancy	12-14 years

As you can see, the APBT is smaller than the Purebred Rottweiler, which accounts for the Pitweiler’s size.

Appearance

It is difficult to predict the exact appearance with it being a mixed-breed – the parent’s specifics, and how much of each parent breed makes its way into their genes will determine their coat color and pattern, build of the pup, and a lot of their temperament.

Coat length: Generally short, but can range from fine to thick and dense.

Coat color/pattern: There is a good range of color variance, including brown, fawn, blue, black and tan, golden, and even white. The pattern can be solid, merle, or brindle.

Head: The Pitbull’s characteristic head shape should also be noticeable, along with a deep muzzle and large teeth. Pitweilers’ ears will be short and floppy and their eyes can be light or dark.

Ability

These wonderful dogs are quite agile and very strong.

They will be bounds ahead of most breeds when it comes to weight-pulling and agility sports but will perform well regardless of the dog-sport category.

Shedding

You can expect light shedding twice a year. Due to their short coat and low-maintenance grooming, the shedding is minimal.

Health Problems

The popular opinion is that a mixed breed is more likely to inherit all of the health problems of both parent breeds.

In reality, like all mixed-breed characteristics, they’re just as likely to inherit none of them!

Common health problems found in Pitweilers are:

Hip/Elbow Dysplasia – common in large breeds, the joint is not formed correctly allowing movement beyond the healthy range. Combine that with the Pitweiler’s active nature and you’re quickly heading down the road of wearing down the dog’s hips/elbows.

Unfortunately, there is no cure no matter how early hip/elbow dysplasia is diagnosed, but your vet can prescribe meds for pain and inflammation management.

Cataract Eye Disease – leads to blindness due to the eye lens clouding, preventing light from reaching the retina. Both Pitbulls and Rottweilers are susceptible to cataracts, so make sure that regular vet check-ups are scheduled!

Bloat – Another one that large-size dogs are prone to, the gastric dilation or twisting of the stomach can occur if a dog exercises too soon after eating. Allow at least an hour between meals and exercise.

Addison’s Disease – More common in female Pitweilers, caused by the glands not producing enough hormones to function normally.

Heart Problems – Narrowing of the Aorta can cause problems and may lead to surgical correction.

Allergies.

Mental Characteristics of the Rottweiler Pitbull Mix

Temperament

The Rottweiler Pitbull mix is a rough and tough breed, but they are actually very sensitive dogs under the bravado. Although they may get a bit too excited for small kids, they play well with children, considering their size and strength.

The Pitweiler’s strong will can sometimes lead to a stubborn pooch, and without enough exercise, they can become quite destructive.

However, with well-balanced training, a suitable exercise regime, and good socialization, they will make a very affectionate, playful, loyal, and protective companion.

If you’re keen to have a dog that gets more time off-leash, then this might not be the breed for you. The strong nature of the Rottbull can lead to unfriendly confrontations with other dogs. Make sure your pooch is well socialized from a young age to avoid this.

Ultimately, your Pitweiler’s temperament will be a mix of nature and nurture. Get to know the parents if you can, and make sure you provide your pup with plenty of attention and training.

Trainability

Rottweilers are used by the police as a working dogs, and Pitbulls are known for their loyal nature, so the Rottweiler Pitbull mix should respond well to regular training.

This breed responds well to:

• Positive reinforcement
• Reward-based training (food, praise, petting)
• Clicker training
• Mental exercises

Leadership

The Pitweiler is a courageous dog with a strong will.

It is likely that this pooch will try to dominate you and your family, so firm boundaries will need to be set and adhered to from early on.

Caring for Your Rottweiler Pitbull Mix

Training

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. These pups are naturally strong-willed and will take over the home if they are not given firm (but gentle) boundaries from their early days.

30 minutes of obedience training a day should be sufficient, but you will have to adjust this to your dog.

Both parent breeds have a reputation for aggression, stemming from poor/nonexistent training, and owner behavior is a big factor in a dog’s personality, including aggression. The more time is spent training and caring for our loveable mutts, the less aggression they will exhibit.

If you are not confident and experienced in dog training, it is recommended that you do not take on the Rottweiler Pitbull mix. At the very least, you should have a professional dog trainer’s guidance from the start.

Make sure that you follow all the steps below.

1. Establish verbal commands: The two most important commands are recall (“come”) and leave (“no”, “leave”, “off”, etc.). You can choose the words for this, but keep them short and distinct from other commands. Once those are established, your Pitweiler will benefit from “sit”, “stay”, and “stop”. Introduce them one at a time.
2. Leash training: Slow and steady does it. Keep it fun and make sure that your pup has road awareness.
3. Crate training: Let your Pitweiler feel safe and secure by getting it used to a crate. Like all training with this breed, slowly does it. Remember to make it fun for your furry friend – and stay out of the crate yourself!
4. Ignore/redirect unwanted behaviors: It may be tempting to give negative attention when your dog is chewing your shoe, but you must either ignore the behavior or replace it with another, like a chew toy or obedience training.
5. Socializing: This breed is naturally aloof to strangers and will attempt dominance over other dogs, so regular socializing from a young age is a must.
6. Use their name positively: Pick a great name for your dog, and use it when they are behaving well. Do not use their name to get their attention in the middle of undesired behavior.

A final point is that both a raised voice and physical intervention are to be avoided. The strong-willed Pitweiler may rise to the “challenge” negatively.

Exercise

These furry friends need a lot of exercise.

Puppies need to get out and moving for at least an hour a day. It is best to do this in smaller chunks throughout the day.

As they grow older, increasing the time spent exercising to 2 hours+.

Some ideas for getting your best friend moving are:

• Fetch – the timeless classic.
• Laser pointer games.
• Set up an obstacle course.

Socialization

This is important for any breed of dog, but particularly for such a powerful one as the Pitweiler. Gradually introduce your pooch to children and other dogs as young as possible.

If you don’t have children or other dogs in your social circles, then dog-friendly playgrounds are a great place to take your pup once they have been fully vaccinated. Such an adorable little one is sure to get lots of attention from the children.

Always check with other dog owners before you introduce your pup to their furry companion. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Grooming

This is a great, low-maintenance dog if you don’t want to spend long hours brushing each week.

A light, quick brush twice a week will be plenty to keep your Rottie Pit’s coat in good condition.

Diet and Feeding

The Piweiler is a large size and should be fed accordingly.

Feeding twice a day will reduce the likelihood of bloat – always leave at least an hour between feeding and exercise.

Any changes in diet must be introduced gradually, with a mix of the old and new food.

Cost

Compared to other breeds and mixed-breeds, Rottweiler Pitbull mix puppies are fairly cheap. You should be able to get them from a reputable breeder for $500+.

How to tell if a breeder is reputable?
You’re playing a genetic lottery with a mixed breed, so we recommended that you get this dog as a rescue. That way, you can get to know the dog before you choose them to be your companion.

A rescue Rott-Pit mix should cost roughly $100-$300.

Considering that a purebred Rottweiler can cost upwards of $2000, that’s not a big price tag.

Don’t forget to insure your hound, you’ll be grateful when you’re not forking out huge sums at the vets’.

Breed Summary Table

Size18”-26” (46-66cm)Weight40-110lb (18-50kg)Lifespan10-13 yearsCoatShort, ranging from fine to thick and dense.ColorBlack and tan, golden, brown, fawn, blue, or white. Brindle, merle or solid.Shedding?Very light shedding.Exercise1+ hours from a pup. 2+ hours in adolecense to adulthood.TemperamentTough but sensitive, strong-willed and potentially stubborn. Loyal and affectionate.IntelligenceVery smart.SocializationNecessary from young age and throughout adult life.ChildrenExellent with children but can be too exciteable for little ones.Destructive?Yes, if exercise needs aren’t met.

Rottweiler Pitbull Mix Characteristics

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