Old fashioned Rotties

S

sonjafoers

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 May 2009
Messages
2,107
Visit site
I've been enjoying the rottie pictures over in Soapbox but I've noticed the type of rottie seems to be changing.

I have what I call an old fashioned boy - very stocky & muscular, big square head and plenty of jowls. It's what I've always known a rottie to be, but the male we rescued last winter is much more athletic and has less jowls and a different face shape.

The ones I tend to see now, and some of the pictures posted in Soapbox, show a much more athletic looking dog with a longer nose and not such a 'heavy' face and neck.

Is this the way they are bred now and do you think we are losing what I call the traditional type of dog?
 
i hope not :{
thats what i believe a rotti to be large head and very stocky/muscular
some of the recent rotties ive seen are smaller than labs :{
with longer noses
not very good in my opinion.
bring back the old fashioned rotties :}
 
These are my idea rottie. Beautiful dogs just like they should be:

http://www.redyre.com/katie/
Their boy Milton is outstanding!

Unfortunately there are hundreds of poorly bred rotts around and most people don't bother to research for a good breeder so we only end up seeing poor examples of the breed and thinking thats what they look like nowadays.
 
See I'm not in rotties so sorry for hijack :p but I hate the 'old fashioned, big boned GSD' thing.
They, like Rotties, are quite a modern breed so 'old fashioned' doesn't actually mean that much.

The first and early GSDs were medium sized, short coupled, clean limbed, tight-coated and dark grey (Google Horand von Grafath, the 'Adam' of the breed!) like the European workingline dogs still around today, the ones who compete at and excel in work and who are used by the police and other services.

In my breed anyway, I think it is more of a selling term for people breeding non-standard animals and I will always, always prefer a more athletic type because those are the type which excel at work/competition, and they are a working breed.
 
katielou that's a great site & Milton is so similar to my boy it's unreal! I find it a real shame that this type of rott could be few & far between some day soon.

CaveCanem I understand totally that it's preferable to breed an athletic type for a working breed, and I also see the health benefits in having an athletic dog but I just don't like the changes I see in rotties recently.

I'm absolutely no expert but my Aunt was a prolific breeder and brought German lines over here and I guess because I've grown up with a certain type of rottie that type will always have a place in my heart. Some rotties I see these days look almost like cross breeds ( not helped by having a tail now!) and I've even had a rottie owner stop me & ask if I thought his dog was a real rottie as he's never been sure since he had her. She was quite small and had a long snout and although she was clearly full rott it's not the type I like to see.

It's just personal preference and there must be a demand for the types we see now or they wouldn't be bred in such a way but I just prefer to see them stockier squarer - like this :D

liedown.jpg
 
Most of the rotties winning in the show ring do seem the stamp you like. With a popular breed you do see lots of variations in type, as people tend to breed with poor quality specimens, which perpetuates the type.
 
Sorry lexiedhb but he's kept under lock & key as he's the love of my life. I'd hate to ever have to choose between him & my husband because I don't think hubby would be too pleased at my choice :eek:

I know I'm biased but I think he's sooooo handsome even though he was such an ugly puppy!
 
Utterly handsome!! :)
Dont fret though I would not leave you dogless.... would leave my asbo critter as a replacement!!!

Goes off to read about picking locks..... LOL
 
Oh no lexiedhb please don't leave me an asbo critter, I have 2 other rotts and the latest one is an absolute loon so I couldn't cope with another asbo type!

It's good to hear that what I call the old fashioned type is what's winning in the show ring and are still around as working dogs. I only come into contact with people's pets so maybe they aren't bred quite as carefully and the typical features are being diluted.
 
I love rotties.

Starting to look into bloodlines now. I have a feeling they may start being my thing. I have a cross breed at the moment (9 months, hes being erm interesting). But I think that in the future (not near) I may look into getting one.

I prefer the stockier types and my cross breed has the same head shape as the boy posted here. Does any one one here have or know of working rottweilers?? Keep looking at shutzhund training on youtube with rottweilers. Soooo tempted. Not sure if I could start with Dylan as he has such a great training attitude?
 
katielou said:
These are my idea rottie. Beautiful dogs just like they should be:

http://www.redyre.com/katie/
Their boy Milton is outstanding!

Unfortunately there are hundreds of poorly bred rotts around and most people don't bother to research for a good breeder so we only end up seeing poor examples of the breed and thinking thats what they look like nowadays.
Click to expand...


Milton is lover-ly. Cayla had a lovely boy Kai in her rescue, if I didnt already have Dylan I would have been soooo tempted. (forgot to mention we also live other ends of the country)
 
I know a couple of working Rotts, one imported, one bred at home, your best bet would be the GSD League working branch for contacts or a club near you to go and have a look (they have a website), I know it is a GSD club but there are a certain percentage of member dogs allowed from other breeds.
Have a look on the Eylauerhof website also or maybe contact them for advice on getting started.
 
I get what you mean, mine does not exactly resemble old fashioned rotts, but she is all in proportion pretty well built for a bitch wih a descent size head and in the right way, she has a very defined waiste, something that is rare in a rotti, as they are usually obese, I think folk think they should be obese as its part of being "huge":rolleyes: mine is well muscled because she is exercised by a pack of lurchers:D her snout is a little longer than the old timers, but she has not got a "pea head" like I call the ones with a huge body and titchy little head with funny uneven ears that dont lie evenly:D
I think she is littl for a bitch rott but folk see her as huge, possibly because she is pretty well set.

Anyways i loves my girl and would love any rott I get to resemble her, I never bought her she is a rescue.

2011-07-03153335.jpg

2011-07-03153507.jpg
 
Cayla she is lovely, gorgeous looking girl.

I agree with you about lots of them being obese and it looks so awful. My boy that I posted a pic of on page 1 is 8 and a half stone but he is stocky & well muscled. I like think I manage his weight quite well but I stand to be corrected!

Here he is again showing his body

lovelyboy.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top