Once you've brought your new Rottweiler puppy home, you can help him have a long, healthy life by following these guidelines....
1) Make sure he gets his puppy vaccinations on time and that he completes the full set of required shots, plus any 'optional' ones that are recommended for the area you live in.
2) Keep him free of canine parasites such as worms, fleas, ticks and more
3) Feed him a premium, properly balanced puppy food (see Feeding Puppies and Best Puppy Food Recommendations for advice)
4) Keep your growing pup/dog 'lean' and continue this into adulthood.Carrying excess weight puts undue strain on the heart and other major organs as well as predisposing your Rottweiler to other health problems such as diabetes.Rottweilers were not bred to be 'giant' or 'XL' dogs, and overfeeding your pup won't make him bigger and stronger. Instead it will simply make him fatter and weaker! In fact a 14-year study conducted by Nestle Purina PetCare Study (although not specific to Rottweilers) found that leaner dogs live on average 2 years longer than their overweight counterparts.
5) Give him the right amount of exercise and rest
6) You can do a lot to help increase Rottweiler life expectancy by maintaining regular veterinary check ups, vaccinations and deworming. Also, get help quicky if you are concerned about your Rottie's health at any time. Prompt treatment can eliminate or reduce the progress of any condition and saves discomfort, worry and money.
8) Neutering or spaying your pup can help reduce the incidence of reproductive order cancers and other problems, therefor increasing Rottweiler life span. However, it seems that early spaying/neutering (prior to one year of age) may increase the risk for certain bone cancers (see this report for more information and explanation). (Whether this possibly increased risk is balanced out by the decreased risk of reproductive organ cancers I'm not sure but it's something that I will be continuing to study so that I can give you the best information possible) One other interesting point is that overall female dogs tend to live just a little bit longer than males.
If you are a Rottweiler owner whose dog is lucky enough to have a longer than average Rottweiler lifespan and who has reached the ripe old age of 13 years (human years of course!), then there's an 'Aging Research Initiative' that needs your help! It's being undertaken by The Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies, Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation and The Center on Aging and Life Course at Purdue University. The data researchers have this goal - 'to better understand aging and the factors that influence exceptional longevity in dogs and humans' and they're starting with our wonderful Rottweiler breed!
Visit this webpage gpmfc.org to find out how you and your Rottweiler can be involved.
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