| Thinking of Breeding Rottweilers? |
| The ultimate objective must be the pursuit of excellence. With this in mind our chances of success, however we may measure it, are greatly enhanced. Now we come to the hard questions. Some will be offended. So be it. If, perchance, they cause you to stop and think about your breeding program, even for a moment, my minimal objective has been achieved. Have you read the "Breed Standard" this year? This decade, then? Ever? How do you learn correct Breed type? That is what the Standard describes. It is a blueprint for the "perfect" Rottweiler. Personal preference does not allow you to deviate from the Breed Standard. As a Breeder you are the "Steward" of the Standard. It is your responsibility to Breed dogs that closely adhere to the Standard as possible. Which is more important in your breeding program, type or structure? The answer is "both". Breed type is the quality that makes a breed unique from all other Breeds. Now the questions become even more difficult. Do you know that it is taboo to double up on a fault? A poor front bred to a poor front will hardly produce a good front. Not that difficult to understand, right? So why is it constantly happening? When you send a bitch to a stud dog, what research do you do? Do you attempt to examine the male yourself? Are you familiar with the mechanics of shoulder lay back? Can you put your hands on a dog and satisfy yourself that all is well or do you rely on the word of others who may not know either? Do you understand movement in the Rottweiler? Are you familiar with the anatomy of the dog? Boring stuff? But essential. Have you really mastered what is required for the correct Rottweiler head? I have often heard people remark on what a beautiful head a dog has and although it is a beautiful head it does not fit the Standard by any stretch of the imagination. When making breeding decisions, do you seek the advice of your handler? Another breeder? Someone who has used the male previously? Your horoscope? All of the above? Are you familiar with the concepts of COI (Co-Efficient of Inbreeding)? No shame here. It is not easy, but it must be done. Do you calculate the COI for a complete ten generation pedigree or do you simply glance at a three generation pedigree which may not accurately reflect the true antecedents of the stud. How many Rottweiler books have you read? How fortunate we are as Rottweiler breeders to have a priceless collection of knowledge and wisdom in these books. Do you go to dog shows and look at dogs? Do you actually look at the dogs? Do you ever ask to go over a dog? This should be used as a learning process and not an opportunity to assassinate the quality of the dog. Do you refrain from repeating rumors and innuendo concerning other Rottweilers? No need to answer this one. We are all guilty sometimes. No matter how much you praise a dog it is the negative comment that is remembered, repeated, and eventually conveyed to the breeder/owner. The better the quality of a dog the better it is for the breed. If the other breeder produces better dogs it will in turn encourage to to produce better dogs. Do you exhibit or work your dogs at any level? Do you put anything back into the breed? Do you really give a hoot? Do you take the puppy money and run? Are you breeding to produce cute, saleable puppies or are you trying to improve you lines? Are you a true breeder, or merely a dilettante? One final question, if your National Kennel Club or some level of government in your community introduced the licensing of breeders would you qualify? Only you can answer this truly, but the time may come when others may be making that determination. If you have answered "NO" to any of the above questions, there is room for improvement in both your breeding program and possibly your lifestyle. The purpose of this article is to drive home this point: we may have a breed that is in better shape than some, but not one which has escaped many of the problems of health and structure. We are deluding ourselves if we think that all is well. Our worst enemy is our own ignorance. For this we have no excuse. |
| Many inexperienced breeders choose a stud dog by photo's. There is so much more to analyze! Something that is very important to understand about breeding and genetics is that when you find a dog worthy of using to impart a great menu of positives...you MUST remember that with those positives come the accompanying negatives! A breeder is looking for both and their likely appearance in subsequent generations. A breeder will not know which traits are dominant when combined with the bitch's pedigree...no matter how intensely inbred...until you do the breeding..or there are a good number of progeny from similar crosses already out there to analyze. This is why simply looking at the individual dog and critiquing him is really meaningless for breeding..without complete analysis of all the factors that affect what he will produce or have the capability to produce. To get a thorough range of possibilities, one must look at all the available siblings, full brothers and sisters to the parents, and what they have produced, and the full brothers and sisters of the grandparents and what they have produced. These first two generations hold a greater influence on the immediate analysis of the pedigree, of course, not to dismiss the third, fourth and futher back generations, because these dogs close up will be more typical of what you will more than likely get from this dog/bitch. |
| Breeding Program |