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I got my first rottweiler way back in 1984. This was
actually the first rottweiler I ever saw in person as well. He was
not a quality example of the breed. He had a long coat and a bad bite
but he did have enough of the characteristic rottweiler qualities that
caused me to fall in love with the breed and begin what has now been a
26 yr involvement with these great dogs!
Back then, the breed was so uncommon that when I took one
of my dogs out in "public", I was asked what breed it was or I was asked
if this was one of those dogs in the "Omen" movie. Frankly I had never
seen that movie! Anyway, things sure have change since then. It was soon
thereafter that they became way too popular. Everybody wanted one and
would be "breeders" popped up everywhere. Along with the increased
popularity of the breed came irresponsible owners and bad breeding which
in turn resulted in frequent attack incidences which quickly gave the
breed a bad reputation as "vicious". As you'd expect, the news
media almost never reported the good stories involving the breed.
In time the breed began to fall in popularity. This is
better for a breed. Less demand for puppies means fewer "backyard"
breeders. But this is still a very popular breed and there are far too
many out there that sacrifice the quality/health of the breed to get
puppies that they can sell for a few hundred dollars.
Quality puppies are not inexpensive to produce. Much is
spent on quality food, vet expenses, breeding costs, rearing of the pups
and showing. High price doesn't automatically mean a quality puppy
but a cheap puppy is most always a high risk puppy. Most "cheap" puppies
are not out of parents with health clearances. They are raised on poor
quality food with questionable vet care. In the long run, the "cheap"
puppy often turns out to be the most expensive puppy if the owner is
faced with serious health issues. You see on many websites
"quality is priceless". It is sooo true.
Rottweilers are fantastic dogs but they aren't the right
breed for everyone. It is the job of a responsible breeder to be careful in where their
puppies are placed.
I want to address a question I am sometimes asked? Have I
ever bred a puppy that had "hip dysplasia". The answer is YES. So what
does this mean? Well it means that I am telling you the TRUTH for one
thing and I am no different than any other responsible breeder that does
what they can in terms of selective breeding to prevent it but we have
not, and maybe never will, be able to absolutely eliminate it from the
breed. ALL breeders of Rottweilers have to face this risk!
If you ask this same question of someone else and they
say "NO, our dogs do not produce hip dysplasia", there is several
possibilities for their answer. Most likely this person is lying.
All rottweilers have the genetic potential to produce a puppy that will
not pass OFA. The goal of a quality breeding program is to breed only
dogs that have the highest likelihood of producing strong hips and be
free of other health issues but no breeder can truthfully tell you that
there is no chance at all and no breeder is GOD and can predict the hip
development on a puppy they sell at 8 wks! There are also factors the
breeder has no control over that can cause HD such as bad diet, improper
exercise, injury etc... that can take a puppy with good genetics to HD
state.
I have been told by more than a few people looking for
puppies that some other "breeder" said they never produce puppies with
HD so I know some are saying that. Aside from a "breeder" lying, another
possibility is that this person is just starting out in breeding or has
produced only a litter or two ever. If this person has raised only a
litter or two and they are all still young, they have not likely been
xrayed or are just still too young to show any symptoms. This does not
mean all these dogs are fine, they are just too young to tell much
about. Any Breeder that has been around for a few yrs or more and has
bred more than litter or two has almost certainly produced a puppy
or puppies would not have passed OFA.
Another possibility is that this person trying to sell
you a puppy is simply an "idiot" and breeding strictly for money at the
cost of the dogs. He doesn't really know anything about hip dysplasia,
dog breeding and genetics and is expert at filling you full of whatever
BS he needs to so he can sell you a puppy. This person does not xray ALL
his breeding stock at the age of 24 months and he tells you that because
his dog(s) and puppies he has sold, never have "limped", they do not
have HD! Well, unfortunately there are more than a few "Breeders" out
there like that but that excuse is nothing more than BS! You can not
tell on ANY dog just by looking at them that they have strong hips. Just
because they don't limp or seem in any discomfort, it does not mean that
they have hips that would pass OFA and are worthy of breeding ( at least
in that regard). Only an xray can prove dogs do not have HD. Only
by xray can you make a sound decision as to which dogs should or should
not be in a breeding program. If a person trying to sell you a puppy
can't produce certificates of clearance on all the dogs he's breeding
and show clearances acquired on puppies he's sold, run away as fast as
you can! Such a puppy is ASKING for trouble.
What I am trying to say is that this problem is IN the
breed. Responsible breeders do what they can to minimize the risk but it
is always there, no matter who you get your puppy from. A person looking
for a quality puppy must do their homework and not take anyone's "word"
for anything. You need to see those clearance certificates and feel that
you are dealing with a person who keeps accurate records!
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