A DISCUSSION PAPER

ON THE CORRECT TAIL SET OF THE ROTTWEILER

Yvonne Van der Horst (December 2002)

Where do our dogs come from?

It is taken for granted that the household dog must have evolved from the Wolf . Most scientists are now of the opinion that the ancestor of the dog is the Wolf.
Some research scientists , however , also believe that certain dog races have as an ancestor a very close relative of the Wolf , the Golden Jackal , which in appearance and behavior is very similar to the Wolf and anatomically does not vary much from our household dog of today, however , zoologists object , that the Jackal can not bark and for that reason alone they are out of the question as a domestic dog ancestor. From his ancestor the Wolf , the dog with it’s manifold breeds has inherited the decisive characteristics and manner from his ancestor the Wolf.

Research into the Origin of the Rottweiler
It must be remembered that the real ancestry of the Rottweiler are based on statements , which can not be substantiated with accurate founded scientific findings , however the theories about the origin of the Rottweiler are varied and numerous.
According to Strebel the Rottweiler and the German Shepherd dog belong to those sheep dogs , which have a history of evolution going back to the dimmest ancient times. The ancient Romans recognised three distinct types of sheep dogs, comparable to today’s modern breeds.
The Molossers, to which among others are related to the Russian Shepherd Dog, the Hungarian Komondor and the Pyrenean dogs
The Bristle Hair Drovers Dog, including the Istrian Sheep Dog, the Appenzeller , the Entlebuchian and the Rottweiler
The Bristle Hair & Wolf Like Shepherd Dog, which is represented by the German, the French and the Dutch Shepherd Dogs and well as the Collie. This would mean that all of the drover dogs would have to be traced back to the old bristle haired dogs used as cattle herder’s in the time when the Roman Legions were pushing North & West
Dr Ferd Brunner of Vienna believes that the cattle herder dogs and the Pastoral dogs are very much related to the sheep dogs and are as well , descendants of the old farm dogs that were prevalent practically across all of Europe. Rudolf Lons , author of "The German Shepherd Dogs of the Present Times" is also of the same opinion.
It was interesting to note in Lons’ book that he describes the tail of the Rottweiler as "a span long stump or bushy of medium length, hanging down and bent upward"
The Rottweiler has remained a generally known dog breed and is the only type of butchers dog which developed into an unchanged race or was preserved as such.

BREED Characteristics and Standard

                Mendel                            Darwin   

The theories put forward by Darwin "On the Origin of Species" and the "Laws of Genetics" by Gregor Mendel bought about a stormy development in the world of cynophilia.
At the foundation meeting of the IFR on May 16th 1969 , Dr E.H. Schmidt explained the term Standard as follows; The standard is our most important concept, but unfortunately our most misinterpreted when considered only superficially. A standard is the ideal , normal or master definition of a pedigree dog, that is in a way it is the preferred essence of the breeds characteristics.
In his book "The German Dogs" Vol.II Richard Strebel describes the Rottweiler Tail (very frequently a stumpy tail is inborn) , set high, starts as an extension of the topline in a horizontal direction and then bends upwards in sabre fashion , the hair underneath slightly lengthier

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The DRK (Deutcher Rottweiler Club) was founded on 13th January 1907 and in it’s first standard it states The Stumpy Tail (very frequently inborn) short and set high, extends the topline in horizontal direction.
In Sports News #29 , dated 19 April 1907 Herman Fehn said that he was the Rottweiler Judge for the first "Beautiful" exhibition of Dogs in Stuttgart, where there were three Rottweilers entered. These dogs were 70 - 75 cm tall and they did not have stumpy tails but instead the tail was long and carried almost evenly horizontally stretched.

In the First Standard , issued by the South German Rottweiler Club states , The Tail (very frequently a stumpy tail is inborn) set high, extends the topline in horizontal direction , will be docked

The International Rottweiler Club was founded on April 26th 1907 and in it’s standard of 1913 describes the tail as such; following the same straight line as the topline, it must not be too thin , but neither too clumsy , always docked to a short stump. Very often stumpy tails are inborn and very desirable.
The IRK and DRK tried to unite in 1913 , those efforts failed and the idea was raised again in 1920. The foundation meeting of the ADRK was held on 14th August 1921. The first standard of the ADRK of 1921 describes the tail as; The Tail (stump tail) is carried horizontally as much as possible . It is short, it is set high extends the top-line in horizontal direction . Often a stumpy tail is inborn if too long , it has to be docked.

The standards described above show that the standard given for the Rottweiler tail as we have seen of recent times is not new , and in actual fact the "set on" of the tail has been described for us by our German forefathers since as early as 1907 , some 95 years ago!.

Judging the Rottweiler tail is not a new science, many breeds of dogs that we see each and every day have tails similar to that that is required of a Rottweiler. It must be remembered that this discussion has only come about because many Judges are unsure of how the tail should be carried and how it should look. We can see at a glance by the standards that this is NOT a Terrier tail, set high and carried upright or gaily but more in line with many of the Gundog breeds that state that the tail flows from the topline and carried not higher than the back, look at the Labrador tails to see good shape and size and the Labrador and Golden Retriever tails to see carriage.

One must remember the origins of this dog to understand his Character , once we have an understanding of his Character then we can better understand the tail carriage of the Rottweiler.
During the time when the Rottweiler was a drovers dog and later when he was used to pull the butchers carts , he was a rough looking character. He was a dog , not a show off but self assured and ready to take on the tasks set before him. Today the aim is to provide a Rottweiler with a beautiful and noble pleasant appearance and keep the nobility constant. The duties of the present day dog is that of a Service , Utility and Family Dog. Agility , endurance, strength and a well balanced nature are important characteristics that should be considered when judging this breed.

Behavior & Temperament of the Rottweiler
The current ANKC breed standard calls for; Behavior / Temperament Good natured, placid in basic disposition and fond of children, very devoted, obedient, biddable and eager to work. His appearance is natural and rustic, his behavior self assured, steady and fearless. He reacts to his surroundings with great alertness.
The above calls for a dog that is self assured and fearless , this is a dog that will react to his surroundings with his tail held high when extremely alert, but as can be seen from what has been required of the standard since 1907 , the tail should not curl over the back. From the drawing below you can see that the forehead is moderately wrinkled, showing that this dog is alert and his tail is slightly raised , showing his self assuredness. If he was confronted by another male Rottweiler or Aggressor, we could expect the tail to raise higher again as per photo on next page , but not curl over the back.

The photo above is of the German Klubseiger 2002 Eddy v Hammerbachtal


If he was confronted by another male Rottweiler or Aggressor, we could expect the tail to raise higher again as per the photo below , but not curl over the back. This bitch placed V3 in a Bitch Working Class in Germany in 2002.

A Rottweiler under control in the show ring, without experiencing any outside stimuli or aggression from other exhibits would stand calmly in the show ring with the tail hanging down , slightly raised towards the tip, as shown in the diagram above , but not curled. This same tail will raise as the dog begins to move around the ring and with stimuli such as the excitement of being shown , cheering or clapping from outside the ring or perhaps upon hearing a grumble from another exhibit this same tail may raise just above the top line but should not curl over.

A tail that is set too high , that does not follow as an extension of the topline will possibly curl over when excited. This type of tail is to be considered a faulty tail. See diagram below

The following diagram shows the tail as a major fault , this is a kink tail , carried over the back. This tail is NOT what has been called for since 1907 , this tail is not carried horizontally as an extension of the top-line

**When judging the tail one must consider if the dog is under stress, if he is excited or if he is relaxed before considering how it is carried. Consideration must also be given to the projection of the tail, the length, the thickness & the fur (colour and furnishing). When considering the short tails in a class we must ask of ourselves , would this tail fall as described above if it were a full length tail? , only then can both lengths of tails be judged evenly in the same class. Rottweiler exhibitors have been used to this comparison at Specialty Shows in Australia since 1999.

There are various aspects to Canine behavior which occur separately, or together in a combination. These components will tell the handler or judge everything he requires to ascertain the animals demeanor, and what it means in a given situation. This is particularly important during judging. If you misread the dogs physical signs you may unknowingly in-correct judge his tail set and other aspects of the Rottweiler.

• The first of these components is the dogs eyesight. It is a common belief that the dog has poor and limited vision. On the contrary, although they may see differently than you or I, tests have shown that dogs can in fact focus very clearly on objects in excess of over one hundred meters.

• The second component is the animals keen sense of smell. The size of the olfactory system on a human being is approximately one inch in area as compared to that of a dog which can be close to one yard in area. The dog also has a powerful ability to store and recall scents from memory

• The sense of hearing is the next aspect of behavior language we must be aware of. The dog can utilise his ears like a directional antennae system. He focuses towards the sound with each ear and has the ability to sense, localise, and discriminate sound with extreme accuracy. The hearing capabilities of a dog are much greater than the capacity of human hearing.

• The next component of communication is the dogs use of barks, whines, yelps and growls. The position of his jowls, and stances which he assumes when voicing all combine to indicate some form of instinctive message.

• Physical posture also plays an important role in reading the animal. A submissive animal will cower, ears back , tail between its legs. A dominant dog will hold his tail high sometimes above his topline and carry his ears forward and erect. His hackles may go up and the forehead may furrow when he is being dominant. The animals tail, when held high above his topline, shows complete domination. When it is held half way out from the body this is a ready signal. A tail which is held down is showing a non aggressive or relaxed state, whereas the tail which is held down between the legs expresses fear or anxiety.
  
  
  Below are more "tails" seen at the 2002 Klubseiger show in Germany. At this stage tail set is more important than the furnishings.
  
      

  I hope that you have enjoyed this insight on "Rottweiler Tails" , I am sure there will be many more discussions on Judging the tail however this discussion is to guide you on what I perceive is required by the ADRK Germany , which is the FCI standard that we follow.
  I sincerely believe that it is the democratic right for individuals to choose if they wish to have a dog with or with out a tail and the above discussion paper in not intended in any way to campaign for dogs with tails or without , but to assist you in Judging tailed dogs with non tailed dogs and considering them evenly.
  
  
  References;
  Der unverstandene Hund - Ferd Brunner
  Der Deutschen Schaferhunde der Gegenwart - Rudolf Lons
  Die Deutchen Hunde und ihre Abstammung - Richard Strebel
  Dog Training for Law Enforcement RS Eden
  Know your Rottweiler - Dick Chardet
  Our Friend the Rottweiler - Yrjola & Tikka
  Rottweiler , Adolf Pienkoss
  Sports News #29 ,  Herman Fehn
  The German Dogs Vol.II  , Richard Strebell
  50 Years Rottweiler Club _ADRK   (Powderhorn Press)

This article was researched and written by myself in 2002 in response to a call from Western Australian Rottweiler owners who wanted an article for their magazine..  - Yvonne Van der Horst (December 2002)

Ramona Crni Lotos (Denmark)