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Tracing
the history of any breed of dog is almost impossible prior to of
the breed societies at about this time. However, one can draw
certain conclusions from the history of man's own evolution,
campaigns, commercial ventures and fossil remains; from these, an
intelligent synthesis can be made.
Most
accounts of Rottweiler history start with the Roman invasion of
Germany and the crossing of the Alps by the legions in the first
century AD. Statements made to support or reject this source are
difficult to prove or disprove, but conclusions can be drawn from
premises which have a measure of acceptability. One may say,
without fear of contradiction, that the term 'Rottweiler' cannot
be applied to the herding-guarding dog dogs used by Roman
legionaries during the course of their stay in Germany. The Roman
Influence lasted not much longer than two hundred years, and the
dogs they brought with them certainly influenced the breed, whilst
the settlement they built,
das rote wil (which later became Rotwil and still later Rottweil),
gave the breed the name by which it is known today. The romans
returned to Rome in the third century AD, after their defeat by
the Germanic tribe known as the Alemanni. Bazille, An early
Rottweiler authority, accepted the history that the breed is a
direct descendant of the Bavarois Bouvier, dating back to Roman
times, supported by the roads built by early Romans. On the other
hand, Hans Korn, Author of the classic Der Rottweiler, is of the
opinion that the breed descended partly from this early Roman dog
there from the north after the Roman invasion.
A
feature that emerges very clearly in the history of the dog's
evolution is that no dog was confined to a particular country.
When one refers to a British or German breed, the reference is
only valid if applied to a definite and limited time period, A dog
may have originated in a particular country, but its ancestors
most probably came from outside, whilst its descendants may have
emigrated to create further breeds elsewhere. The term "Pure
Breed" cannot be applied to any breed except in the very
limited sense demanded by the breed or canine societies, in the
context of Pedigrees.
The City of Rottweil
No history of the breed would be complete without some reference
to the city from which it derives its name and with which, to this
day, it still retains strong associations. Five hundred years
after the departure of the Romans, new conquerors, in the shape of
the Franks of the holy Roman Empire, arrived and exerted
considerable influence on the area. A Christian Church was built
and a new
settlement grew up. The site, like earlier Roma ones, was called
wil (from villa) and, To distinguish it from others, it was called
das Rote Wil after the red colour of the tiles and bricks
unearthed from earlier Roman buildings and reused.
The City of Rottweil and dogs are synonymous. Pointing out that
the dog featured in numerous early forms AD 180, to stone carvings
featured on a chapel tower.
All of this led to increasing respect for the "Butcher's
Dog," and local owners began selectively breeding them. Since
they were considered far superior to others of their type to be
found in that area, the name "Rottweiler" was bestowed
upon them to distinguish them from the rest. This name has
remained until the present day.
In the study of the Rottweiler. It is useful to have some idea of
its antecedents, how the dog developed and how its instincts and
capacities were modified and adapted to carry out its working
role. This knowledge will help us to appreciate the modern breed
and see its mental and physical characteristics in true
perspective. This is the basis for any interpretation of the
standard, the correctness of which is necessary to every breeder,
judge and student.
In concluding this brief historical look at the Rottweiler, any
attempt to appraise the relative contributions made at different
point in time to the breed seem quite unfair and inappropriate. A
superstructure is only as sound as the foundation on which it is
built, and the metaphorical extension of this would be to conclude
that the Romans selected the ground and cleared the way for
the Renaissance drovers to lay the foundations; the Swabian
Butchers built the superstructure and the finish was applied by
the German Breed clubs.
Information
Taken From The Book:
THE NEW ROTTWEILER
For Owners, Breeders And Judges
Of : Jim Pettengell
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Rottweiler Anatomy
DENTAL
ANATOMY OF DOGS
 
ROTTWEILER
TAIL
As of June 1, 1998, a federal law was passed in Germany prohibiting the
docking of Rottweiler tails.The basis for this law was
the fact that the practice of docking and cropping was deemed to be inhumane.
In order to comply with the new federal law requiring tails to be left in
their natural state, the ADRK (national breed club in
Gemany) revised their breed standard for the Rottweiler to reflect the
required natural tail.
TAIL: In natural condition, level in extension of the upper line; at ease may
be hanging. Faults: Set on too high or too low.
Disqualifying faults: Kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation.
The FCI translated and adopted the new breed standard and gave all FCI member
countries several years to comply with the
new
breed standard.
As more and more countries are adopting the anti-docking platform for
Rottweilers in order to comply with the revised
ADRK/FCI Standard, and tails are becoming more commonplace, it is very
important to become familiar with both the good
and bad tailsets out there. Below are illustrations of those tailsets
ROTTWEILER
HIPS
EYE
COLOR
FCI
STANDARD FOR ROTTWEILER
ORIGIN: Germany
UTILIZATION: Companion, service and working dog
FCI CLASSIFICATION: Group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer type, Molossian
type, SwissMountain- and Cattle Dogs and other
breeds).
Section 2.1: Molossian type, Mastiff type. With working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The Rottweiler is considered to be one of the oldest dog breeds. Its
origin goes back to Roman times. These dogs were kept as
herder or driving dogs. They marched over the Alps with the Roman
legions, protecting the humans and driving their cattle. In
the region of Rottweil, these dogs met and mixed with the native dogs in a
natural crossing. The main task of the Rottweiler
now became the driving and guarding of the herds of cattle and the defence of
their masters and their property.
This breed acquired its name from the old free city of Rottweil and was known
as the Rottweil butcher’s dog’. The butchers
bred this type of dog purely for performance and usefulness. In due
course, a first rate watch and driving dog evolved which
could also be used as a draught dog. When, at the beginning of the twentieth
century, various breeds were needed for police
service, the Rottweiler was amongst those tested. It soon became evident
that the breed was highly suitable for the tasks set
by police service and therefore they were officially recognized as police dogs
in 1910.
Rottweiler breeders aim at a dog of abundant strength, black coated with
clearly defined rich tan markings, whose powerful
appearance does not lack nobility and which is exceptionally well suited to
being a companion, service and working dog.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Rottweiler is a medium to large size, stalwart dog,
neither heavy nor light and neither leggy nor
weedy. His correctly proportioned, compact and powerful build leads to
the conclusion of great strength, agility and endurance.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: The length of the body, measured from the point of the
sternum (breast-bone) to the ischiatic
tuberosity, should not exceed the height at the withers by, at most, 15 %.
BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT: Good-natured, placid in basic disposition and fond of
children, very devoted, obedient,
biddable and eager to work. His appearance is natural and rustic, his
behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless. He reacts to
his surroundings with great alertness.
HEAD:
CRANIAL REGION:
Skull: Of medium length, broad between the ears. Forehead line
moderately arched as seen from the
side. Occipital bone well developed without being conspicuous.
Stop: Well defined
FACIAL REGION:
Nose: Well developed, more broad than round with relatively large nostrils,
always black.
Muzzle: The foreface should appear neither elongated nor shortened in relation
to the cranial region.
Straight nasal bridge, broad at base, moderately tapered.
Lips: Black, close fitting, corner of the mouth not visible, gum as dark as
possible.
Jaws/Teeth: Upper and lower jaw strong and broad. Strong, complete dentition
(42 teeth) with scissor
bite, the upper incisors closely overlapping the lower incisors.
Cheeks: Zygomatic arches pronounced.
Eyes: Of medium size, almond-shaped, dark brown in colour. Eyelids close
fitting.
Ears: Medium-sized, pendant, triangular, wide apart, set on high. With
the ears laid forward close to the
head, the skull appears to be broadened.
NECK: Strong, of fair length, well muscled, slightly arched, clean, free from
throatiness, without dewlap.
BODY:
Back: Straight, strong, firm.
Loins: Short, strong and deep.
Croup: Broad, of medium length, slightly rounded. Neither flat nor
falling away.
Chest: Roomy, broad and deep (approximately 50 % of the shoulder height) with
well developed forechest
and well sprung ribs.
Belly: Flanks not tucked up.
TAIL: In natural condition, level in extension of the upper line; at ease may
be hanging.
LIMBS:
FOREQUARTERS: Seen from the front, the front legs are straight and not placed
too closely to each other. The
forearm, seen from the side, stands straight and vertical. The slope of the
shoulder blade is about 45 degrees to
the horizontal.
Shoulders: Well laid back.
Upper arm: Close fitting to the body.
Forearm: Strongly developed and muscular.
Pasterns: Slightly springy, strong, not steep.
Front feet: Round, tight and well arched; pads hard; nails short, black and
strong.
HINDQUARTERS: Seen from behind, legs straight and not too close together. When
standing free, obtuse angles are formed
between the dog’s upper thigh and the hip bone, the upper thigh and the
lower thigh, and the lower thigh and metatarsal.
Upper thigh: Moderately long, broad and strongly muscled.
Lower thigh: Long, strongly and broadly muscled, sinewy.
Hocks: Sturdy, well angulated hocks; not steep.
Hindfeet: Slightly longer than the front feet. Toes strong, arched, as
tight as front feet.
GAIT: The Rottweiler is a trotting dog. In movement the back remains firm and
relatively stable. Movement
harmonious, steady, full of energy and unrestricted, with good stride.
SKIN: Skin on the head should be overall tight fitting. When the dog is alert,
the forehead may be slightly wrinkled.
COAT:
Hair: The coat consists of a top coat and an undercoat. The top coat is of
medium length, coarse, dense
and flat. The undercoat must not show through the top coat. The hair is
a little longer on the hindlegs.
Colour: Black with clearly defined markings of a rich tan on the cheeks,
muzzle, throat, chest and legs, as
well as over both eyes and under the base of the tail.
SIZE AND WEIGHT :
MALES:
Height: at withers is 61 - 68 cm
61 - 62 cm is small
63 - 64 cm medium height
65 - 66 cm is large (correct height)
67 - 68 cm is very large
Weight: 50 kg
BITCHES:
Height: at withers is 56 - 63 cm
56 - 57 cm is small
58 - 59 cm medium height
60 - 61 cm is large (correct height)
62 - 63 cm very large
Weight: Approximately 42 kg
FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault
and the seriousness with which the fault should
be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
General appearance: Light, weedy, leggy appearance. Light in bone and
muscle.
Head: Hound-type head. Narrow, light, too short, long or coarse head. Flat
forehead (lack of stop or too little stop).
Foreface: Long or pointed muzzle; split nose; Roman nose (convex nasal bridge)
or dish-faced (concave nasal bridge); acquiline
nose; pale or spotted nose (butterfly nose).
Lips: Pendulous, pink or patchy; corner of lips visible.
Jaws: Narrow lower jaw.
Bite: Pincer bite.
Cheeks: Strongly protruding.
Eyes: Light, deep set. Also too full and round eyes; loose eyelids.
Ears: Set on too low, heavy, long, slack or turned backwards. Also
flying ears or ears not carried symmetricaly.
Neck: Too long, thin, lacking muscle. Showing dewlap or throaty.
Body: Too long, too short or too narrow.
Back: Too long, weak; sway back or roach back.
Croup: Too sloping, too short, too flat or too long.
Chest: Flat-ribbed or barrel-shaped. Too narrow behind.
Tail: Set on too high or too low.
Forequarters: Narrow or crooked front legs. Steep shoulder placement.
Loose or out at elbow. Too long, too short or too
straight in upper arm. Weak or steep pastern. Splayed feet. Too
flat or too arched toes. Deformed toes. Light coloured nails.
Hindquarters: Flat thighs, hocks too close, cow hocks or barrel hocks. Joints
with too little or too much angulation. Dewclaws.
Skin: Wrinkles on head.
Coat: Soft, too short or long. Wavy coat; lack of undercoat.
Colour: Markings of incorrect colour, not clearly defined. Markings
which are too spread out.
ELIMINATING FAULTS:
Behaviour: Anxious, shy, cowardly, gun-shy, vicious, excessively suspicious,
nervous animals.
General: Distinct reversal of sexual type, i.e. feminine dogs or masculine
bitches.
Teeth: Overshot or undershot bite, wry mouth; lack of one incisive
tooth, one canine, one premolar or one molar.
Eyes: Entropion, ectropion, yellow eyes, different coloured eyes.
Tail: Kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation.
Hair: Definitely long or wavy coat.
Colour: Dogs which do not show the typical Rottweiler colouring of black with
tan markings. White markings.
Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be
disqualified.
NB : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended
into the scrotum.
More
on Rottweiler Tails
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by Erika Butler - Dreibergen
Rottweilers |
What is a Breed Standard?
For each breed of dog, there is a breed standard which is a word
description of the perfect dog of that breed. Standards describe the
mental and physical characteristics that allow each breed to perform the
function for which they were originated. The standard describes the
dog's looks, movement and temperament. Breeders involved with each breed
are attempting to produce a dog that most closely conforms to the breed
standard. In this respect, dog shows are not unlike cat shows, bird
shows, cattle shows, horse shows, etc. In fact, for almost every species
bred by man there are competitions among breeders. Licensed judges
examine the dogs and place them in accordance to how close each dog
compares with their mental image of the "perfect" dog as
described in the breed's official standard. |
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The FCI
(Fédération Cynologique Internationale) is the World Canine
Organization. It has 80 members, almost every country in the world
has a Kennel Club that is a member. One National Kennel Club is
recognized from each country (the AKC in the US) and that National
Kennel Club issues their own pedigrees and trains and licenses their own
judges. The FCI also mandates breeding rules and a Code of Ethics to be
followed by breeders of each member country.
The FCI recognizes 337 breeds, each of them is the 'property' of a
specific country (normally the country of origin). The 'owner' countries
of the breeds write the breed standard for their breed and the adoption,
translation and updating of the standards is carried out by the FCI. The
Rottweiler originated in Germany and the
ADRK (Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub has the right and
responsibility to set, maintain and revise the breed standard for the
Rottweiler for the rest of the world.
Why do Rottweilers now have natural tails?
In 1999 the country of Germany passed a law that made it illegal to dock
a dog's tail or crop a dog's ears. The basis for this law was the fact
that the practice of docking and cropping was deemed to be inhumane
treatment of animals.
In order to comply with the new law, the ADRK revised the
Breed
Standard for the Rottweiler and this new breed standard required a
natural tail. The FCI translated and adopted the new breed standard and
gave all FCI member countries several years to comply with the new breed
standard.
A docked Rottweiler does not conform to the current FCI breed
standard. As each FCI member country finalizes their adoption of the new
breed standard Rottweiler breeders in those countries will no longer be
allowed to dock and docked Rottweilers will be disqualified at shows and
prohibited from breeding.
The AKC (American Kennel Club) is not a member of the FCI.
AKC does not follow any of the rules and regulations set by the FCI for
the rest of the world and they do not always follow the breed standards
set by the countries of origin. The AKC Breed Standard for the
Rottweiler has always deviated from the FCI standard and they are
currently struggling to deal with the breed standard regarding the tail.
There are a number of Rottweiler breeders in the United States that
follow the FCI Code of Ethics for breeding and strictly follow the FCI/ADRK
Breed Standard for the Rottweiler and those breeders will all leave
natural tails on their dogs.
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American Veterinary Medical Association Position Statement on Tail Docking
(Current as of June 2005)
Ear cropping and tail docking in dogs for cosmetic reasons are not medically indicated
nor of benefit to the patient. These procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all
surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthesia, blood loss, and
infection. Therefore, veterinarians should counsel dog owners about these matters before
agreeing to perform these surgeries |
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s position on tail docking
The WSAVA considers amputation of dogs' tails to be an unnecessary surgical procedure
and contrary to the welfare of the dog. The WSAVA recommends that all canine organizations
phase out any recommendations for tail amputation (docking) from their breed standards. The
WSAVA recommends that the docking of dogs’ tails be made illegal except for
professionally diagnosed therapeutic reasons, and only then by suitably qualified persons,
such as registered veterinarians, under conditions of anesthesia that minimize pain and stress. |
What is tail docking?
Tail docking today is the amputation of a dog's tail at varying lengths to suit the
recommendations of a breed Standard. Docking involves the amputation of the puppy's
tail either with scissors, a knife or with a rubber band. The cut goes through many highly
sensitive nerves in the tissues including skin, cartilage, and bone. This procedure is usually
performed without any anesthetic at between three to five days of age. The procedure
can be performed by either a registered veterinary surgeon or by an experienced dog
breeder. In many countries veterinarians are declining to perform this unnecessary procedure,
meaning that breeders are now docking more dogs. |
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Is tail docking painful for the puppy?
Yes, there is strong evidence that this is the case. The puppy has a fully developed
nervous system and a well-developed sense of pain. Puppies scream during the
procedure and they whimper, whine and cry for 2-3 days following docking. During the recovery
stage they do not eat well and gain less weight than undocked puppies. Many veterinarians
condemn the practice and refuse to perform the procedure because it is totally unnecessary and can lead to
serious complications. Some veterinarians continue perform tail amputation reluctantly in order
to keep the procedure under professional supervision, please their clients and to minimize the
risk to the pups.
Does tail docking prevent tail injuries?
The vast majority of dog breeds have natural tails.
There is no movement in natural tailed breeds to remove the tail in order to
prevent injuries. When tails
remain intact, there are no more tail injuries in breeds that were customarily docked
than in other breeds of dog.
Can docking cause problems in later life?
There is considerable scientific evidence that docking can lead to complications, including
hemorrhage, infection and occasionally death of the puppy. In later life the stump of the tail may
be painful due to the formation of neuroma (nerve tissue scar) in the stump. This also occurs
following amputation of limbs in people and causes considerable discomfort. Dogs have evolved
into their current shape over many thousands of years. If a tail were
not useful to a dog, natural selection would have eliminated it long ago. Indeed, tails have
many useful functions and are important for balance and body language among other things. |
Are tailed Rottweilers different?
Certainly not! In fact once people get used to seeing dogs with their
natural tails, the docked dogs look strange, like something is missing. Once
you own a tailed Rottweiler it is hard to understand why the tails of this
breed were ever amputated in the first place. They use their tails for
balance and agility and most importantly, expression and communication. Try
to imagine if the reverse happened and you saw a breed such as Labrador
retriever with a docked tail. The dog would look quite strange without a
tail and you would wonder why the procedure was done.
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