Do Rottweilers Point?

Rottweilers are well known as a versatile breed and over the last several thousand years they’ve done everything from herding cattle and protecting property to hunting and even some agility courses now and again.

But are there some limits to what this brainy and brawny breed can do? What about pointing…do Rottweilers point?

Purebred Rottweilers won’t naturally point like retrieving, flushing, or pointing breeds but with enough practice, the highly intelligent Rottweiler can be taught to point. Pointing won’t come naturally and it may be difficult for inexperienced trainers to teach a Rottweiler to point but with enough patience, it can be done. 

But let’s take a closer look at why Rottweilers don’t naturally point and what you can do about it!

Why Do Some Dogs Point?

Pointing is a very specific stance that allows hunting dogs to communicate to their owner exactly where game can be found. It’s hard to miss the distinct look of a point and dogs will freeze, lift one front paw and stretch out their head into a pointing position.

This instinct is hardwired into many breeds but especially hunting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Weimeriners, and the appropriately named German Pointers. That doesn’t mean that these breeds will point appropriately without training and many of them will point at squirrels in the park or even their food bowls despite not receiving a single day of training in their life.

Or maybe because they haven’t received any training!

This can be especially confusing when you consider dogs that are mixed with pointers or other pointing breeds. These dogs may look like a Pittie, Boxer, or any other bully breed but the instinct to point can still drive them to strike the pose!

Do Some Rottweilers Point?

Rottweilers have done just about every job there is for a dog to do. From roles that you would expect like guarding and police work to some that you wouldn’t like working as therapy or service dogs.  Rotties have even found themselves working as farm dogs or even hunting dogs.

But nowhere in their varied history have Rottweilers been bred or trained specifically to point.

So you shouldn’t expect a purebred Rottweiler to point but if your Rottie is mixed with any kind of pointing breed then they may naturally pick up the habit- even without any training.

Can You Train A Rottweiler To Point?

Yes, you can!

In fact, as one of the smartest dogs on the planet (at least according to Stanely Coren) Rottweilers can easily be trained to do just about anything. But that doesn’t mean it won’t require a good of patience to pull off!

Training dogs to point can be a complicated process that’s way beyond the scope of this article so I suggest checking out this video series if you’re interested in teaching your Rottie the art of pointing:

Closing Thoughts

It shouldn’t be too surprising that this big burly breed doesn’t have a history of pointing but Rotties are also a lot smarter than most folks realize. So even though pointing doesn’t run in their blood, it doesn’t mean they can’t be taught.

Who knows, you might even earn your Rottie some YouTube fame if you’re able to post videos of your big Rottie pointing at birds and squirrels!