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sad to see it happen in the Rottweiler. It can look impres- sive standing in the ring, but when the dog moves, you see the shorter stride in the front and often the elbows pop out to try and accommodate the over angulated rear. The hallmark of the breed is a well-proportioned dog that is balanced and moves effortlessly at an easy trot. With this athletic build is good bone to fit the size of the dog and a strong head that lets you know this is a Rottweiler. 4. How do you feel about undocked tails? Since I travel to Europe a great deal, tails have become a non-issue for me. I think it is difficult for those who haven’t seen a lot of tailed Rottweilers in conforma- tion shows and performance events and are just not used to seeing them. Like most things in life, people often find it hard to accept change and new ideas until they have more exposure. The AKC dog show ring is to assess breeding stock and whether or not a tail has been docked, it is not a genetic issue. Judges need to find the best Rottweilers they can in the ring, to help improve breeding programs and Rottweilers for the future. The tail is an issue that can be resolved in the whelping box, as per the breeders decision. A tailed or docked dog is not going to change the genetic outcome of their offspring. It is simply a cosmetic issue. I find a tail is only a distraction when the rest of the dog is of poor quality. On the flip side, the tail will hardly be noticed on a good dog. I would recommend to be more aware of the tail set and croup, on both docked and natural tailed dogs. Many of our docked dogs have a flat and short croup, which is incorrect and the tail should NOT be going straight up from the spine. Our breed standards calls for a slightly sloping croup, which is important for rear drive and the set of the tail. There are so many other issues in our breed that need attention and may not be noticeable at first glance. This includes balance angulation front and rear (which affects movement AND toplines), breed type and adequate bone for the size of the dog. 5. Why do we mostly see dogs (as opposed to bitches) in the top ranked Rottweilers? As with most breeds, males are generally more robust, are larger and the breed characteristics are more pro- nounced. I would like to remind all judges (and breeders) that our standard states Rottweiler females need to be feminine and doggy bitches are to be severely penalized. When judging, look at movement, structure and drive and good breed characteristics in a female, that demonstrates the feminine breed type so much needed for our breed. 6. Is there anything Rottweiler handlers do you wish they would not? This is a breed that is not to be groomed except to tidy up. Some exhibitors take this to extremes and a few even shave the rears and on the sides of the neck. Please all handlers, and this includes owner handlers, practice and train your dogs to show their bites easily and that includes opening the mouth to see the small molars (M3) in the back of the mouth. Judges need to be able to see the full dentition (any more than one missing tooth is a
disqualification) and it is the exhibitors’ job to make sure this can be done efficiently. 7. Name a dog not currently being shown that exempli- fies your ideal type. There have been many great dogs over the years and our breed has been fortunate in having so many good dogs that have been campaigned over the years. One dog that truly stands out in my mind, is Carter’s Noble Shaka Zulu. He was owner handled by Keith Carter. A Rottweiler should be loyal to his owner (or handler) and show excitement, courage and drive. I remember watch- ing Keith and Shaka at the ARC National one year and it was an outdoor show. Shaka was put in front of the line and the judge asked the group to move around the very large ring. His movement was so clean and effortless, even in a regular trot, he was soon several strides in front of the rest of the dogs. This powerful sound movement truly took my breath away. The Rottweiler needs to be a strong, powerful and athletic dog and Shaka truly present- ed that exact picture. He also possessed excellent bone, great head type and excellent proportions and balance. MS. C. L. “SURELY” RAWLINGS
I currently am approved to judge one Hound (Whippets), eight Working breeds and three Toy breeds (Italian Grey- hounds, Miniature Pinschers & Maltese) and all-breed JS and I was just approved as provisional for Havanese. I will be concentrating on the Working and Toy breeds, hopefully being approved for a group and BIS in the future. I am a student of the dogs and have been to a lot of seminars and institutes, especially for the Working and Toy breeds. Also I am attending the National Specialties for different breeds in those two groups. 1. What five traits do you look for, in order, when judging Rottweilers? What do you consider the ulti- mate hallmark of the breed?
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