Rottweiler Great Dane Mix (Weiler Dane): Info, Pictures, Characteristics & Facts

Some dogs are gentle giants, but the Weiler Dane takes this phrase to a whole new level. These are among some of the most gentle animals you’ll ever come across.

But at first glance, that’s not the perception you’ll get. Weiler Danes are a Great Dane and Rottweiler hybrid that are physically imposing and intimidating dogs. However, at heart, they’re as sweet as can be. And despite their size, they are suitable for just about everyone. They love children and are more than mellow enough for apartment living.

The Rottweiler Great Dane mix is a true example of not being able to judge a book by its cover. Let’s take a closer look at the breed and what makes them so special.

Weiler Dane Puppies – Before You Bring One Home…

When looking into getting a Weiler Dane, there’s one key factor you need to consider: their size. These are not small dogs at all. They’re a cross between one of the tallest dog breeds (the Great Dane) and the stockiest (Rottweiler).

Being such a large animal, they’re going to require a ton of food—more than 3 cups every single day. And this can add up to become very expensive very quickly. So, if you can’t afford to keep up with their dietary intake, the Weiler Dane might not be the best choice for you.

Next, you should have some room for them to maneuver around. This doesn’t mean you need a large fenced yard or sprawling ranch. They thrive in apartments, townhouses, or other smaller abodes. But you might have to rearrange the furniture just to help them move freely—whenever these couch potatoes decide to move that is.

The last thing to consider about their size is that they don’t have any self-awareness as to how big they are. And if there’s one thing that these big babies love to do it’s to curl up in your lap after a long day of doing nothing. They may be the biggest lap dogs of any dog breed. While this is a wonderful trait for some owners, others might find this rather difficult to deal with. Early training will help to break this habit.

3 Little-Known Facts About Weiler Danes

1. The Weiler Dane hails from a lineage of noble working dogs.

Both the Rottweiler and Great Dane have storied working histories. The Rottweiler can be traced back to the Roman Empire where they were used as sheep-herding dogs. In more recent years, the Rottweiler has found itself at the forefront of law enforcement and security ventures. The Great Dane, on the other side, can be traced back to 3,000 B.C. with the Ancient Egyptians. The Assyrians ultimately started spreading the breed around the ancient world where they quickly became boar hunters. But although the Weiler Dane hails from these hard-workers, today it’s one of the laziest dogs you’ll ever meet.

2. The Weiler Dane is bred to be a companion dog.

Despite their size and lineage, the Weiler Dane isn’t bred for work or service. Instead, they’re bred for companionship, which is abnormal to see for breeds of their size.

3. They blow their coats twice a year.

While they’re not the heaviest shedders around, the Weiler Dane does require weekly grooming. However, you may need to focus more on grooming during the spring and fall months.

Temperament & Intelligence of Weiler Danes 🧠

The Weiler Dane is one of the world’s cuddliest dogs, despite its enormousness. They want nothing more than to cozy up to you on the sofa or in the bed. But their love and compassion reach out further than just snuggle time. They’re also extremely mellow dogs in their daily life and don’t require too much stimulation.

They’re relatively intelligent; however, they do have a bit of a stubborn streak. The good news is that it can be easily trained out of them, and you should start training as early as possible.

Are These Dogs Good for Families? 🏡

These are excellent dogs for families, even for those with children. Weiler Danes love kids. They’re patient enough to deal with pesky kids and even adore all the attention they receive while they’re climbing all over them. Some Weiler Danes will even allow their families’ children to climb on and ride them like horses.

Regardless, be careful to always supervise playtime between your pup and children as accidents do happen, especially considering the size of this dog.

Does This Breed Get Along with Other Pets? 🐶 😽

Weiler Danes can also get along with other pets with little to no issue. They’re just big lovers and will often try to snuggle up with your smallest pup when taking a nap. When your Weiler Dane is raised with another pet in the family from a young age, they will treat that animal like any other member of the family and love and protect them.

Things to Know When Owning a Weiler Dane:

There’s more to owning a Weiler Dane though than just feeding them a whole bunch of food and giving them plenty of snuggles. Let’s go over some of the basic needs this breed requires.

Food & Diet Requirements 🦴

As we mentioned before, this pup needs a sizable quantity of food to help maintain their large frames. We’re talking at least 3 cups of food a day. As they grow larger, you may need to increase that quantity.

However, you need to be very careful when feeding them. They just don’t know when to stop sometimes. Weiler Danes are super prone to overeating which could ultimately lead to obesity. And if obesity isn’t bad enough, they also tend to eat very fast. Weiler Danes will gulp down their food extremely fast and a bunch of air to go with it.

This leads them to be very susceptible to bloat. That’s why you need to ensure they don’t start exercising until given a chance for their food to settle.

Exercise 🐕

You’d think a dog of this size would require a bunch of exercises. However, that’s where you’d be mistaken. These giants don’t need but 30 minutes of exercise a day. Simply take them for their daily walk, and that’s all they’ll need.

They’re not very active at all as it takes a bunch of energy to move around their large frames. Since they don’t require much exercise and they’re not going to be bounding around the house, Weiler Danes are excellent apartment pets.

Training 🦮

Just like every other dog breed, the Weiler Dane should be subjected to obedience training and socialization early in life. They’re not the smartest breed around; however, that doesn’t mean they’re untrainable. They follow commands very well once trained.

But getting to that point may be difficult at first. They’ve been known to have a stubborn streak in them which can make them a little thick-headed to start.

Grooming ✂️

As far as grooming goes, they’re not as high-maintenance as you might think. Weiler Danes aren’t super shedders and only require weekly brushing to keep their coat in check. But there are two specific areas you’ll need to pay closer attention to.

The first is their ears. Since they have large floppy ears, there’s a high chance for the wax buildup to occur. Be sure to clean out your pup’s ear regularly to prevent ear infections.

The next is their nails. Because they live such a sedentary lifestyle, their nails do not get naturally filed down. Clip them monthly to keep them at a manageable length.

Health Conditions ❤️

Being a hybrid dog, the Weiler Dane is technically susceptible to most of the ailments that plague their purebred ancestors. However, since they are hybrids, the probability of them contracting any of these is much, much lower. So, they’re generally healthier and more robust. But due to their size, they are at risk for a small number of conditions.

Male vs Female

When it comes to differences between the sexes, there’s only one real noticeable trait. The males can grow to be bigger than females. Males of this breed are often 10-15 pounds heavier and a few inches taller.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an incredible family dog and don’t mind a large dog, the Weiler Dane would make a perfect addition to your family. They’re super chill, patient, and loving. Don’t expect them to be your next jogging partner, though. They’d rather just snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket and bowl of popcorn. The only real difficulty in raising these gentle giants is keeping up with their demanding diets.

Featured Image Credit: Erik Lam, Shutterstock