| Rottweiler - Breed standard Standard of Rottweilers (Files for downloads under forms...) Rottweiler: F.C.I.-Standard Nr. 147 / 19.06.2000 / D Origin: Germany Date of publication of the valid original standard: 06.04.2000 Utilization: Companion, service and working dog Klassifikation FCI: Group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer type, Molossian type and Swiss Mountain- 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 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: Nose well developed, more broad than round with relatively large nostrils, always black. Muzzle: The fore face 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, 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 fore chest 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. 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 metatarsal. Upper thigh: Moderately long, broad and strongly muscled. Lower thigh: Long, strongly and broadly muscled at top, sinewy. Hocks: Sturdy well angulated hocks; not steep. Hind feet: 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: 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 hind legs. 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 Height at withers: For males is 61 - 68 cm. 61 - 62 cm is small / 63 - 64 cm is medium height / 65 - 66 cm is large - correct height / 67 - 68 cm is very large Weight: approximately 50 kg Height at withers: For bitches is 56 - 63 cm. 56 - 57 cm is small / 58 - 59 cm is medium height / 60 - 61 cm is large - correct height / 62 - 63 cm is 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). Fore face: Long or pointed muzzle; split nose; Roman nose (convex nasal bridge) or dish-faced (concave nasal bridge); aquiline 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 eye-lids. Ears: Set on too low, heavy, long, slack or turned backwards. Also flying ears or ears not carried symmetrically. 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 too long. Wavy coat; lack of undercoat. Colour: Markings of incorrect colour, not clearly defined.. Markings which are too spread out. Eliminating Faults: 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 and 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. Behaviour: Anxious, shy, cowardly, gun-shy, vicious, excessively suspicious, nervous animals. N.B.: Male animals must have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. |
What Is A German Rottweiler
What is the difference between a German Rottweiler and an American Rottweiler?
A German Rottweiler is born in Germany, and an American Rottweiler is born in the USA. All German
Rottweiler born after June 1998 (and some American Rottweiler) have a tail, other than that, there really
isn't much difference. Size, heads, bone and temperament is not indicative of a dog being of German or
American lines, as some backyard breeders would lead you to believe. In fact, aside from the tail, the breed
standards between the FCI and America are almost identical. Regardless of where a Rottweiler is born, it is
one breed, and all Rottweiler belong to the same breed.
Germany is where the Rottweiler breed originated. It is an old breed, descended from the roman drover
dogs. To this day, many great Rottweiler are still bred in Germany, and in the US from select dogs imported
from Germany. Both of our dogs are bred from pink/red papered German imports, but are American
Rottweiler since they were both born in the US.
One big difference between Germany and the US is how dogs are registered, tracked and bred. In the US,
anyone can breed a purebred dog to another purebred dog of the same breed and register the litter with
the AKC. In Germany, breedings are approved by the breed warden - a representative appointed by the
national Rottweiler club (ADRK), that personally oversees and approves litters. Without the breed warden's
approval of a litter, it cannot be registered. Every puppy is tattooed at eight weeks of age, and that number
is used to track the dog throughout its life.
Before a Rottweiler is bred in Germany, it must meet specific criteria, part of which includes passing a Ztp
test. This breed suitability test requires an obedience title (BH), hip and elbow clearances, a conformation
evaluation that includes weights, measurements and proportions, and includes a written evaluation of the
dog by an ADRK judge (kormeister), and a temperament test. Further, one of the dogs must have earned a
title in schutzhund. If the dog fails the Ztp and is ever bred, its offspring cannot be registered.
This information is entered into the annual Kor book, and in the ADRK database (Dog base), which
encompasses all registered Rottweiler and breedings in Germany, and keeps track of dogs from birth to
death. Every breeding, every litter, every title, hip/elbow ratings, every Ztp and korung evaluation is
included in this database. It gives a breeder access to invaluable information about the dogs contained in a
pedigree, written evaluations done during the dog's Ztp, hip/elbow scores, and the ability to evaluate
breedings by co-efficient and probabilities of certain traits on breedings. This is an extremely valuable tool
that assists breeders in planning breedings and in making good breeding decisions.
Generally, in the US, reputable, code of ethics breeders tend to focus more on genetic health by clearing
hearts, eyes, hips, elbows, and thyroid before breeding. Their dogs are typically titled in conformation, and
some will also have working titles. In Germany, it is unlikely that any dog will have more than just hips and
elbows cleared. Generally speaking, US breeders tend to breed more versatile dogs that can work in
obedience, schutzhund, carting, agility, therapy, tracking and conformation. In Germany, most Rottweiler are
bred for and worked in schutzhund. In the US, most reputable breeders whelp and rear puppies in their
homes, paying particular attention to early socialization and development, whereas in Germany, most dogs
are kept and kenneled outside.
However, no matter where a Rottweiler is born, breeding top quality dogs is an art of balancing genetics,
pedigrees, knowledge, experience, and a little bit of luck, which is not exclusive to any particular part of
the world, Germany or otherwise.
The goals and ethics of an individual breeder's breeding program are what really makes the difference in
what is being produced, not country of origin. Some breeders focus primarily on breeding for working
ability, others for soundness & genetic health, others for temperament, and yet others for structure and
type.
There are a lot of breeders out there that like to say they are breeding German Rottweiler, when in fact they
are backyard breeders, breeding from unproven dogs that may have some German imports in the pedigree,
and try to pass their puppies off to unsuspecting buyers as "German Rottweiler". If a dog is born in the US,
it is not a German Rottweiler, period. German Rottweiler are those dogs that are imported directly from
Germany, but just because a dog is imported from Germany does not mean it is a quality dog. Some of these
German dogs are sold to people in the US because the dog isn't good enough to be used in a German
breeding program. Germany's rejects are often what gets dumped over here in the US with breeders that
are inexperienced and new to breeding. Be cautious, don't buy into the hype, and do your research on a
potential breeder very carefully.
What is the difference between a German Rottweiler and an American Rottweiler?
A German Rottweiler is born in Germany, and an American Rottweiler is born in the USA. All German
Rottweiler born after June 1998 (and some American Rottweiler) have a tail, other than that, there really
isn't much difference. Size, heads, bone and temperament is not indicative of a dog being of German or
American lines, as some backyard breeders would lead you to believe. In fact, aside from the tail, the breed
standards between the FCI and America are almost identical. Regardless of where a Rottweiler is born, it is
one breed, and all Rottweiler belong to the same breed.
Germany is where the Rottweiler breed originated. It is an old breed, descended from the roman drover
dogs. To this day, many great Rottweiler are still bred in Germany, and in the US from select dogs imported
from Germany. Both of our dogs are bred from pink/red papered German imports, but are American
Rottweiler since they were both born in the US.
One big difference between Germany and the US is how dogs are registered, tracked and bred. In the US,
anyone can breed a purebred dog to another purebred dog of the same breed and register the litter with
the AKC. In Germany, breedings are approved by the breed warden - a representative appointed by the
national Rottweiler club (ADRK), that personally oversees and approves litters. Without the breed warden's
approval of a litter, it cannot be registered. Every puppy is tattooed at eight weeks of age, and that number
is used to track the dog throughout its life.
Before a Rottweiler is bred in Germany, it must meet specific criteria, part of which includes passing a Ztp
test. This breed suitability test requires an obedience title (BH), hip and elbow clearances, a conformation
evaluation that includes weights, measurements and proportions, and includes a written evaluation of the
dog by an ADRK judge (kormeister), and a temperament test. Further, one of the dogs must have earned a
title in schutzhund. If the dog fails the Ztp and is ever bred, its offspring cannot be registered.
This information is entered into the annual Kor book, and in the ADRK database (Dog base), which
encompasses all registered Rottweiler and breedings in Germany, and keeps track of dogs from birth to
death. Every breeding, every litter, every title, hip/elbow ratings, every Ztp and korung evaluation is
included in this database. It gives a breeder access to invaluable information about the dogs contained in a
pedigree, written evaluations done during the dog's Ztp, hip/elbow scores, and the ability to evaluate
breedings by co-efficient and probabilities of certain traits on breedings. This is an extremely valuable tool
that assists breeders in planning breedings and in making good breeding decisions.
Generally, in the US, reputable, code of ethics breeders tend to focus more on genetic health by clearing
hearts, eyes, hips, elbows, and thyroid before breeding. Their dogs are typically titled in conformation, and
some will also have working titles. In Germany, it is unlikely that any dog will have more than just hips and
elbows cleared. Generally speaking, US breeders tend to breed more versatile dogs that can work in
obedience, schutzhund, carting, agility, therapy, tracking and conformation. In Germany, most Rottweiler are
bred for and worked in schutzhund. In the US, most reputable breeders whelp and rear puppies in their
homes, paying particular attention to early socialization and development, whereas in Germany, most dogs
are kept and kenneled outside.
However, no matter where a Rottweiler is born, breeding top quality dogs is an art of balancing genetics,
pedigrees, knowledge, experience, and a little bit of luck, which is not exclusive to any particular part of
the world, Germany or otherwise.
The goals and ethics of an individual breeder's breeding program are what really makes the difference in
what is being produced, not country of origin. Some breeders focus primarily on breeding for working
ability, others for soundness & genetic health, others for temperament, and yet others for structure and
type.
There are a lot of breeders out there that like to say they are breeding German Rottweiler, when in fact they
are backyard breeders, breeding from unproven dogs that may have some German imports in the pedigree,
and try to pass their puppies off to unsuspecting buyers as "German Rottweiler". If a dog is born in the US,
it is not a German Rottweiler, period. German Rottweiler are those dogs that are imported directly from
Germany, but just because a dog is imported from Germany does not mean it is a quality dog. Some of these
German dogs are sold to people in the US because the dog isn't good enough to be used in a German
breeding program. Germany's rejects are often what gets dumped over here in the US with breeders that
are inexperienced and new to breeding. Be cautious, don't buy into the hype, and do your research on a
potential breeder very carefully.
| Information I have on the difference |
