Dogs

The Situation Of The Rottweiler In Germany

Text by Franck Haymann, pictures RR

Germany, the native country of the breed, suffers as much as the other countries from the legislation that affects the Rottweilers. It seemed interesting to analyse the situation in Germany, and to focus more particularly on the studs. Let’s begin with a little and obvious reminder: the Rottweiler is a German breed, and all that concerns the ARDK, the German breed club, has clear repercussions on the selection at a worldwide level. This seemed to us a good opportunity to sum up the history of the Rottweiler, which will celebrate in 2007 the 100th anniversary of its official selection! A few major dates in the creation of the breed

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The first Rottweiler to enter the German Stud Book was Russ V Bruckenbuckel. Born in 1904, it was the first dog, the number one, in the Zuchtbuch, which the Deutscher Rottweiler Klub e.V – DRK – created in 1907. Its father, Stumper, just like its mother Flora, came from a kennel located at Heilbronn, a town near the city of Rottweil. Russ’s breeder lived in Heidelberg. With Otto Hell – Von Holstein Kennel – and Hans Gennerich – Von Der Watyerkranft Kennel – he was one of the precursors of the Rottweiler’s selection and did a great job for the recognition of the breed as a police dog, as early as 1910. Let’s note that Russ, at the occasion of a dog show in Heidelberg in 1905, became the best supporter of the German cattle dog in the process of its official recognition. Almost a century later, the German Stud Book, controlled by the ADRK – a result of the fusion of the 3 associations existing at that time in Germany – can boast more than 107,000 entries in its book.



A powerful evolution







A striking example of this evolution can clearly be seen with the two studs here in pictures. They have the same name, but more than 50 years of selection separate the one from the other. On the left, Arko V Hirchbrunnele, and on the right ADRK Champion 2000, Arko Von Der Werther Stadt (sold to a Brazilian owner in 2001.)



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Along the generations, the type was fixed, but it has also changed, with more powerful bone structure and head. Picture on the left: Dago V Hause Norman, to which Falco V Gruntenblick and its descendents owe a lot. The first document describing the German cattle dog, co-written by Strebel and Dr Hauck, stated that the size of the dog was between 50 to 60 cm – there was still no size difference between males and females, as for the weight, between 25 to 30 kilos. In 1901, Krull’s standard gave no precision whatsoever about the size nor the weight, simply stating that the dog had to be powerful and squarely built.



One had to wait 1907 to see the first standard written by the DRK, in which it was stated that the selection of the Rottweiler was that of a large dog: the required size for the males had to be from 60 to 70 cm, and for the females from 50 to 60 cm. The distinction between the sexes was then made very clear. There were many good breeders within the SRK: Franz Fränznick, with the Von Der Strahlenburg Kennel (Heidelberg), who had produced the male Max Leo VD Bühlermühle x Flora V D Strahlenburg), and also Ignatz Bertram (Vom Schifferstadt Kennel). Besides this association, there was the “Internationaler Rottweiler Klub” – the IRK – favouring another type of dogs, which were smaller, as the males had to be from 60 to 65 cm, for a weight around 30 kilos.



Two dogs clearly illustrate the duality of the selection from these two associations:



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Lord Remo V Schifferstadt, on the right (Neckar x Flora), born on November 10, 1911, and entered with the #130 in the Zuchtbuch. This dog was very large as it was 72 cm tall at the withers. He won the title of Sieger – German Champion – and became an unavoidable dog in the world of German breeding.



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Lord Von Der Teck, on the left, was the perfect model according to the IRK breeders. It was a direct son of Lord Remo with Fanny von der Teck. Born on September 6, 1914, it entered the stud book with the number # 413. It mated more than 100 times between 1914 and 1917, as all the main German breeders came to him. It was 67 cm tall. Four years after its birth, Lord von der Teck mated his mother, and their puppies were born on June 1918. Among the puppies was Arco Torfwerk - # 955 – which became a tenor of the German breeding between the two World Wars. All the tenors from contemporary breeding can be traced back to Arco, and of course even further back in time to the two Lords. Let’s note that one of Arco’s brother, Arbo V Torfwerk – ZB # 954, was exported to Sweden, and that he had an enormous influence on the Scandinavian breeding.



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Finally, Arco also gave birth to an extraordinary female, Anny VD Lauter – ZB # 8117 – which was at the origin of one the most famous German kennels, that is Erich Weber’s V. Kölherwald Kennel. Indeed, in this kennel were born the majority of the great studs from the 30’s, among which was Hackel, WS Ido ZB #16582, born in 1929, here in picture. Its influence is still seen on modern breeding.



In 1921, a first meeting of the committees of the two clubs was held, and this marked the beginning of the uniformity of the selection, and then in 1927 the creation of a common association, the Allgemeine Deutscher Rottweiler Klub.eV – ADRK – which still controls the selection of the Rottweiler today.



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The type was really completely fixed during the 15 following generations and from the 80’s, real stars quickly and successfully showed up on the entire European stage. Europe then really began to be interested in the breed selection. On the left, a great dog from the 1980’s, Baas Von Der Siegbrucke, a son of Falco Von Der Tente, whose type made many breeders envious



Modern Selection



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If one dog is generally admitted to be one of the most influent in modern breeding, it’s Ives Eulenspiegel, here in picture. It was born at Marianne Bruns’ kennel, a woman who devoted more than 50 years of her life to the Rottweilers. Ives represented a new bloodline in Germany: actually, from his father Astor V Landgraben, he descended from Scandinavian lines, among which was the famous Thor. Ives left in breeding all the tenors from the late 70’s: let’s name only a few here: Dingo V Schwaiger Wappen, Nero V Schloss Reitheim, etc. Those dogs were accomplishing the majority of the matings in the early 80’s.



As years went by, the fame and value of a stud dog were fortunately not only the results of its titles, but mostly of its long term influence on breeding and of its own qualities (Körung, DH, SchH, etc.). Despite what some purists may think, the two dogs below: Noris Vom Gruntenblick, on the left, and Doc Von Der Teufelsbrücke, on the right, are unavoidable studs in today’s selection, and this is true not only in Germany, but also in the majority of the European countries.







Closer to us, i.e. in the past 5 years, new studs have taken over: just to name a few, they are: Jackomo Von Der Bleichstrasse (a direct son of Noris), below left, and Rick Von Der Burgthann (a son of Doc), below on the right.



The in between

Other dogs also played an important role in between these star studs, and left their marks in today’s selection, in a complementary way to the above mentioned dogs:



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Ari Von Hertener Wappen, renown for giving to its descendents a strong character, but also a lot of type. Pascha V Hegestrauch was the best example of this. It’s quite funny to note that Ari was a direct descendent of Buli V Hungerbuhl ZB #42465, the very first ADRK Klubsieger, in 1971, in Rottweil, and which also won the year after in Cologne.



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Hassan Von Königsgarten, a descendent from the Ives Eulenspeigel line, left it smark with its sons and grandsons, Chris, Irk, et Pascha Vom Obergrombascher Schloss, Matcho V Burgthann and Endy Von Der Kurpfalz etc.



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Falco Von Der Tente, a small male which left famous descendents like Ingo, Iwan, and Ilco, 3 brothers from the same litter born at the Von Fusse Der Eifel Kennel.



Contrary to what has often been written or said about Germany, mass breeding never was a common practice in the country. There never was the same phenomenon which crossed the whole world, and which caused a boom in the number of births. Anyway, there’s a compulsory test, the ZTP, for any future reproducer in Germany: excessive size, lack of character, result of hips exam ++ or +++, damaged elbows (ED), lacking teeth, yellowish eyes, and the dog fails the test!




Source Aniwa (http://www.aniwa.com )

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