Rottweiler

The Origin of the Rottweiler is not a documented record. Actual history and reasonable supposition indicate that the Rottweiler is descended from one of the drover dogs indigenous to ancient Rome. This drover dog has been described by various accredited sources to have been of the Mastiff type, with great intelligence, rugged, dependable, willing to work and with a strong guarding instinct. The ancient Romans used three different kinds of sheep or cattle dogs, viz, the Moloses, the wolf-like sheepdog and the short haired herding dog; the latter is the ancestor of the Rottweiler and was almost identical in appearance to the Rottweiler of today.
The butchers and cattle dealers, who in increasing numbers settled in Rottweil, found the Roman herding dog ideal for their purpose. In this way a trade in purposely bred working dogs began in Rottweil and it followed that this sideline interested the cattle dealers in particular.

In honor of the good qualities of the breed the dogs that came from Rottweil were called Rottweilers. Later on this name was used to denote descendants of the Roman herding dog in Southern Germany generally, and the breed has been called Rottweiler ever since.