Rottweiler care calendar

Year-round routine

What a Rottweiler needs on a repeating cadence, whatever the month.

• GroomingBrush coatWeekly, twice weekly in the moult

  A rubber curry brings out more than a bristle brush on this coat. Sheds more than the short coat suggests.

• GroomingBathEvery 8-10 weeks

  Rarely needs more; over-bathing dries the skin.

• GroomingNail trimEvery 3-4 weeks

  Thick nails on a heavy dog. Start young — a 50 kg adult who objects is a different proposition.

• GroomingCheck ears and eyesWeekly

  Drop ears; check for wax, odour and redness while brushing.

• ParasitesHeartworm preventiveMonthly, year-round

  The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention rather than a seasonal course, because a missed shoulder month is how most infections get in. Give it on the same date each month.

• ParasitesFlea and tick preventiveMonthly, year-round

  Peak exposure runs spring through late autumn, but fleas overwinter indoors and ticks stay active above about 4 °C, so most vets now advise dosing through the winter as well.

• DentalBrush teethDaily, or at minimum three times a week

  Only pet toothpaste — xylitol and fluoride in human paste are not safe to swallow. Plaque mineralises into tartar in two to three days, which is why twice a week is the floor rather than the target.

• DentalCheck gums and back teethMonthly

  Lift the lip and look at the upper carnassials and the gum line. Red margins, a brown band, or breath that changed recently are the signs worth a call.

• DentalProfessional dental assessmentAt the annual exam

  Your vet grades tartar and gingivitis at the yearly visit and advises when a scale under anaesthetic is due. Most dogs need one somewhere between years three and five.

• WellnessAnnual wellness examYearly

  Book it in the same month each year so it does not drift. Twice yearly from about age seven, when changes move faster than a twelve-month gap can catch.

• WellnessCore vaccinations reviewedYearly review, boosters on your vet's schedule

  Rabies interval is set by local law; distemper/parvo combinations are commonly three-yearly after the initial series. Lifestyle vaccines — leptospirosis, Lyme, kennel cough — depend on where you walk and whether you board.

• WellnessWeigh and body-condition scoreMonthly at home

  You should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer, and see a waist from above. Weight creeping up is the single most common thing an owner can fix without a prescription.

• WellnessNail length checkEvery 2 weeks

  If you hear the nails on a hard floor they are long. Overlong nails change how the foot loads and, over years, how the joints above it are loaded too.

• WellnessControlled growth — measured feeding to 18 monthsDaily, first 2 years

  A large-breed puppy diet fed to a lean body condition, and no forced running or repeated jumping until the growth plates close. This period has more effect on adult joints than anything later.

• WellnessLameness checkMonthly from age 5

  A limp lasting more than a week in a large-breed adult, especially with a firm swelling on a limb, warrants imaging.

• WellnessHeart auscultationAt every wellness exam

  Subaortic stenosis is over-represented; a murmur found in a young dog changes the exercise plan.

Month by month

The dates that move. Shedding, parasite season and the annual checks worth booking in a particular month.