Questionable Phenotypic traits in the Rottweiler, by Prof. Dr. Peter Friedrich.
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Controversy has broken out among Rottweiler fans. Differences of opinion between breeders across the world are becoming increasingly evident. Preferences are drifting apart when it comes to selecting stud dogs and bitches to breed from and judging dogs at shows, and it seems that two camps have emerged. A second type of Rottweiler has appeared alongside the type reflecting the traditional breed standard which has existed for decades. While the new type is prized by quite a few people,
it must nevertheless, on closer inspection, be deemed problematic. The new Rottweilers have striking features – especially in the head area, but also in relation to their physique more generally – which have developed due to exaggerated interpretations of the breed standard. The animals in question are not only poor exponents of the traditional breed standard – no, they are also susceptible to health risks which are both serious and avoidable. The next three sections of this text will describe the problematic traits alluded to above and sketch out a proposal for practicable counter-measures. But before moving on to look at specific issues in detail, let us first contemplate the difference between a healthy breed population and one which must already be considered threatened; this is a distinction which could become relevant for Rottweilers more quickly than any of us would likely care to acknowledge.