Hi Guys,
To experienced Rottweiler owners and breeders here, I have two questions

Why do Rotts Grumble so much?
When is a Growl Not a Grumble?

First time Rott owner here (14 months old male Rottweiler)! I only had Malinois and Dutch shepherd till this dog.
the Rott belongs to my Girlfriend's (soon to be wife) and I've noticed that he growls quite a lot even when he's simply being petted.

Other than that, he's quite a good boy! good prey drive and very playful...


Paul

I can only speak for myself here, but I would not be comfortable trying to interpret why your dog is growling/grumbling while he is being petted. I think analyzing it would require much more information than a one-sentence description on an internet forum. Some dogs are more vocal than others and like to "talk" for lack of a better term. But without actually observing your dog during this behavior, hearing what the growl sounds like, noting his demeanor and other body language, observing the human who is interacting with him at the time, and other factors, it would be impossible to try to come up with a simple explanation.

Did this dog come from a breeder? A responsible and ethical breeder will have lots of experience with the breed and would be in a position to know if the behavior you describe is typical.

the dog is currently being trained for IPO, same as my previous dogs. and I've quite grown fond of him.

He has a hard bite and full mouth grip on the sleeve.
Play tug with energy and always brings the toy back voluntarily for more (he didn't use to initially).
No problem with the out command when asked to let go whether on the toy or sleeve.

on our daily walk for exercise, he doesn't pull on the leash nor does he show aggression toward strangers or other dogs passing by.

I'm just curious about the "Grumble" while being petted because I've never raised a Rott before and I never experienced this behavior from my previous dogs.
his Sire and Dam are the same way and the breeder says it's just a typical trait within the breed they are quite vocal. According to the breeder, I shouldn't be worried as long as the dog is not showing teeth and his overall demeanor is placid during the "Grumble" while being gently petted.

When the breeder cam over to see what I was talking about, the only thing he asked me for is to see by himself how the dog behave when I clean the dog hears and trim the nails.
curiously enough, the same dog never grumbles when I do these things.
All this seems kind of weird to me, I never experienced it with any of my dogs before.

since there are other longtime owners and breeders in this forum, I wanted to know if this behavior in Rottweilers ever been thoroughly studied before as I would like to know more than just the fact that it's a typical trait within the breed.

For instance:
- Why is some dogs grumble and others don't?
- What is the state of mind behind "grumble"?
- Is this trait a derivative of a specific temperament type and which one?

Very typical of most all the Rotts I've known.

I think it comes down to reading the dog's body language.

Done while being petted it could very well be nothing more then like a human enjoying a good back scratch.

Is the dog tensing up, wiggling around, relaxed open mouth or a closed, puckered mouth.
Eyes relaxed or a hard stare?

So many different things to know about him to determine what's going on.

One of my daughters had a very large Rott some yrs ago that was probably the best dog I've ever know around kids yet my SIL would freak out ANY time the dog growled no matter what the situation.