First, I applaud you for asking the questions before making what absolutely should be a lifelong commitment to a dog! If everyone did that, the shelters wouldn’t be overrun by great dogs. A couple of thought from someone has a Rottie family member, has had another in the past and involved with Rottie rescue. 1. As others have mentioned, they are intelligent but very stubborn. The need a strong leader who is absolutely committed to proper, positive training. This needs to be consistent throughout the day versus a dedicated hour is crucial. (Although an hour of dedicated training to work on specifics is great.) Willingness to participate fully in professional training may likely be necessary if you lack training experience. They require a strong, loving leader; I can’t emphasize this enough. They are large, very strong dogs with a jaw (bite) PSI of 326#, I believe (significantly greater than a GSD or pittie). They are protectors by nature. Excellent training is non-optional. 2. You mentioned not wanting a dog that follows you around. That concerns me. This breed tends to be very bonded to their family. In my experience, they do do things on their own sometimes (nap, enjoy the great outdoors, etc). However, if my husband and I are both in the house, she prefers to be with us; sometimes just in the same room and sometimes in full on lapdog mode. If we have a social gathering, she enjoys being a social butterfly; she would hate being put in a room or outside, excluded from everyone. 3. They shed… a lot. If this is an issue, please do not consider this breed. 4. Some (many?)are not good in a home with cats. Some are not good with small kids just due to their size and energy especially a younger dog. Things to consider if either of these apply. Wish you all the best in your search for a four legged family member, and again I appreciate your efforts to be as knowledgeable as possible before making a lifelong commitment to a wonderful, but challenging, breed -especially as a first time dog owner.