The LINE Matters

The LINE Matters: Europe, Health, and Heredity

If you are in the market for a Rottweiler, if you are a fellow exhibitor, or if you are simply interested in the working Rottweiler, please visit our site as often as you please. We have constructed our site to be a resource to all that visit, and we hope that you will find the information that we offer useful. Please, don't hesitate to write or call if you have questions, want to offer assistance, or simply want to talk about Rottweilers.

For those new to the breed, we would like to offer a couple words. Please be aware that many kennels in America state that they have German lines but very few of dogs here have 100% ADRK German pedigrees. There can be a BIG difference between German Rottweilers and other Rottweilers bred from lines of the surrounding European countries. Although there are some good dogs in every country, every European bred dog is not bred equally.

The line and ancestry of you dog MATTERS!!! The importance of a dogs pedigree cannot be stressed enough. Please, note the above photo of KS '85, HASSAN VOM KONIGSGARTEN SchH III, AD, Gekort bis 19.05.87, ADRK 56895. Hassan won the Klubsieger title in 1985, and he is known as one of the greatest rottweilers to ever live. His effects on type, temperament, and movement still resonate in the show ring to this day. Now please note, the picture to the right of DT-VDH CH QUAID VOM HAUSE ENZIAN SchH/VPG III AD BH ZtP. Quaid is linebred from Hassan and is his 5th Generation grandson. What is noticeable is how similar they are in type, musculature, topline, head piece, and angulation. The resemblance is striking yet the two dogs are separated by more than 20 years and 4 generations! Just as appearance, movement, and temperament are passed down, so are health issues, genetic flaws, and cosmetic faults. The pedigree of your dog is EXTREMLY important. Without a strong knowledge of the past, you are doomed to repeat it, so please seek out a breeder with knowledge of the pedigrees for several generations for BOTH dogs involved in a breeding.

Finally, when looking for a Rottweiler, please seek out a Code of Ethics breeder and make sure that BOTH parents have a ZtP/BST. The Ztp/BST is VERY important to the Rottweiler community as it requires that dogs being breed are truly worthy of the opportunity. Also, having been burned before, please make sure that any potential sire and dam have their hips and elbows properly screened from the ADRK (Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub), OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), OVC (Ontario Veterinary College) or its equivalent. Any Rottweiler from Hause Bright will be hip and elbow certified through the ADRK.