Rottweiler Breed Magazine - Showsight

ROTTWEILER THE

1. Where do you live? What do you do “outside” of dogs? 2. In popularity, the Rottweiler is currently ranked #8 out of 195 AKC-recognized breeds. Do you hope this will change or are you comfortable with his placement? 3. Do these numbers help or hurt the breed? 4. Can you speak to masculinity and femininity in the Rottweiler? 5. How much emphasis should be placed on head characteristics? 6. What is the biggest misconception about the Rottweiler? 7. Does the average person on the street recognize him for what he is? 8. What special challenges do breeders face in our current eco- nomic and social climate? 9. At what age do you start to see definite signs of show-worthi- ness (or lack thereof)? 10. What is the most important thing about the breed for a new judge to keep in mind? 11. What’s the best way to attract newcomers to your breed and to the sport? 12. What is your ultimate goal for the breed? 13. What is your favorite dog show memory? 14. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. PAMELA BOLES My husband, Drew Schroeder, and I breed under the “Raven- screst” prefix. I am an AKC Bronze Breeder of Merit and member of the ARC Club. To date, from limited breeding, I have bred or co- bred 21 AKC titled dogs, including 17 AKC Champions. A number of those dogs are BIS, BISS, HIT winners and/or attained top-ten rankings in conformation and/or performance. We purchased our first Rottweiler, “Khan,” in 1999. He was titled by us to become ’01 WCLG Sieger Multi V-1 Am. Can. UCI Nat’l and Int’l Ch. Ghengis Khan vom Eaglehaus HT TT CGC (CHIC). He was a multi AKC Specialty Best Veteran. MRC, RCC and CRRC Hall of Fame designate. #5 Top producing Rottweiler male in Canadian history. We purchased our foundation female, “Paris,” from George and Betty Chamberlin (Ironwoods) in 2001 and we titled her to become Jan and Sept. ’02 ARC Top Ten Multi V-1 Am. Can UCI Nat’l and Int’l Ch Ironwoods Paris of Diorr HT TT CGC (CHIC) ARC Bronze Producer, Kennel Review Top Producer, 2007 RCC National Specialty Best brood bitch. MRC, RCC and CRRC Hall of Fame, and we later acquired her littermate, “Timmy,” who was titled to become Multi V-1 Am and Can Ch Ironwoods Primetime RTD CD TT CGC. Dogs we’ve bred include; “Burton” aka 2007 AKC #2 Rottwei- ler all systems #13 AKC working dog, Multi BIS and Multi BISS Am Gr Ch and Can Ch Ravenscrest The Alchemist CD RE CA, CHIC, ARC Silver producer, National Specialty BISS, (co-owned by us) Westminster and Eukanuba AOM; and “Kobe” aka CRRC Sieger, Multi V-1 Select 1 Am and Can Ch Ravenscrest The Tal- isman CDX RE TD CX CGC TT HCT TDI ARC VX. Kobe was handled by me to Select and Best of Winners at the 2005 ARC National Specialty; and “Radar” aka BISS Am and Can Ch Ravenscrest The Navigator CDC TDI ARC Heroism Award recipi- ent, also #2 Rottweiler in Canada.

I am working towards my AKC permit status and have been fortunate to have judged Sweepstakes at the following AKC/ARC sanctioned Rottweiler specialties: 2017 ARC National Specialty, Carson City, Nevada (Puppy Dogs, Veterans Bitches and Best Vet- eran); 2019 ARC Specialty, hosted by Pacific Coast Rottweiler Per- formance Club; 2005 Rottweiler Club of Alaska Specialty, Palmer, Arkansas; Mile High Rottweiler Specialty, Greeley, Colorado; and 2007 AKC sanctioned Specialty Match, Columbia River Rottweiler Club at Canby, Oregon. In addition, I have judged the Rottweiler Club of Canada Spe- cialty Sweepstakes for both the Prairies Region and Ontario. I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada, working as a trial lawyer. The Rottweiler is currently ranked #8, do I hope this will change? I have been tracking the popularity since 1999. It has declined a little, but they remain in the “Top Ten” from AKC which bases it on puppies registered in a given year, not import registra- tions or unregistered litters, so I suspect the number is higher. With this ranking there is a consistent need for owner education from puppyhood and beyond making ARC and all Rottweiler clubs piv- otal. In the 1980s, I started in Vizslas whose numbers were then modest, but have since grown in popularity tremendously, and have observed the remarkable transformation of that breed accordingly. Do these numbers help or hurt my breed? I am confident that many responsible breeders and owners say the numbers hurt the breed, and without the popularity perhaps we would not have disas- ters like the “Texas 200” and so many of our breed needing foster care and ending up in shelters. Can I speak to masculinity and femininity in my breed? Person- ally, I am attracted to what is referred to as the “doggy bitch,” but there is definitely a line that cannot be crossed in that regard. Gen- der character is not a facet of our breed that I would like to see lost. How much emphasis should be placed on head characteristics Unfortunately, various elements seem to change as a “style” almost as if in fashion. There have been individuals/lines with what I con- sider to be extreme and incorrect heads that have seen success and have developed a following. Muzzle length, when shortened, and proportion in some of the dogs cannot help but negatively impact the room for teeth and correct bites. What is the biggest misconception about my breed? Undoubt- edly that aggression is a hallmark of the breed’s temperament. Does the average person recognize my breed? Generally speak- ing I agree with this statement. Perhaps, and rightly so, due to sheer size there is a hesitancy on behalf of some members of the public to interact initially [with the breed]. This is soon put aside with positive interaction. What special challenges do breeders face currently? At present with COVID-19, we are facing challenges with access to reproduc- tive technology and face to face evaluations of prospective puppy owners. This will pass in time, but other challenges remain like the high costs of production of puppies and high costs of exhibiting. At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? From my perspective, at six weeks. What is the most important thing about my breed for a new judge to keep in mind? To be respectful of the dogs and handlers, and to be gentle when examining the bite. What’s the best way to attract newcomers to my breed and to the sport? For our breed to be “out and about,” and for knowledgeable breeders, owners and handlers to be inviting and non-judgmental when addressing inquiries from newcomers, and to follow-up with

174 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020

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