An interview conducted with Margaret Metcalf
from the Rottweiler Club of Victoria for their On Guard Newsletter
, July 2003.
Yvonne , Your thoughts on the Rottweiler today from a Judges
Perspective?
Many of the dogs that I have seen over the past few years both here
and in New Zealand could compete anywhere in the World and I am
confident they would certainly be well placed. It is frustrating
that we in Australia are such a distance from European competition.
You should be proud of the Australian dogs for their beauty as well
as their working ability and most importantly their temperament.
There are Rottweilers being shown that certainly would not stand
up to the top competition at our specialist shows , but we must
remember that we all had to start somewhere and new exhibitors should
be given as much encouragement as possible , they are our breeders
, handlers and judges of the future.
What dogs do you consider have been valuable in the development
of the breed in Australia?
As Judges and Breeders we all look for certain points when making
our selections , to each and every one of us some points are far
more important than others , therefore the dogs that I have chosen
have all contributed to strengthening those points that I feel are
of up most importance to the breed.
We must pay our respects to Rintelna the Dragoon and Rintelna the
Chatelaine , being our very first Rottweilers in Australia in 1962
Baroness Delviento (Imp UK) , Auslese Bacchus (IID) and Beaujolais
(IID), Adoram Matheson , Korobeit Hud (IMP NZ) , Vadenza Valhalla
(IMP UK) , Graf vom Gruntenblick (GMY) , Dazzler Blitz ( UK) , Von
der Kruse's Bismark ( USA) , Heimgardes Baron vom Smutley (USA)
, Lukas von der Contente (NDL) from the Imports and Aust Ch Saarlund
Qanabie Mist , Aust Ch Nottrott Wild Vroni & Aust Ch Bernzhunde
Chad from our Australian gene pool. There are literally dozens of
dogs that could be named here for their various qualities that haven't
been mentioned above , these are but just a few that have had an
influence. I love a Rottweiler with good strength, they must have
good toplines, dark eyes and dark mouth pigmentation and of course
the bitch's must be feminine and the dogs proud , masculine and
self assured. These qualities have come from the dogs above.
Tell us about your experience of Judging Rottweilers overseas.
To date I have Judged in New Zealand , Malaysia and The United Kingdom
and on each occasion I have found some very , very good dogs that
would prove strong competition in Australia. Exhibitors are always
interested in what is happening in Australia and how their dogs
rate with what you have seen elsewhere.
One of the wonderful things about the Rottweiler people is their
thirst for knowledge on their breed and how the dogs fare elsewhere
in the world.
In New Zealand there are a few Kennels with some exceptional dogs.
For those of you living in Victoria , you have seen two of those
dogs here in Australia , being Aust & NZ Grand Champion Rolex
Rumor Has It and Aust Ch. & New Zealand Grand Champ. Crusade
Cold Comfort.
In Malaysia , it was a New Zealand bred dog that caught my eye.
The hospitality of the Malaysian people is just wonderful and they
were thrilled to find an Australian that was willing to try their
many delicacies. The exhibitors are keen to find good breeding stock
to build upon their Gene pool and to improve the breed in that Country.
Like Europe , it is quite easy for exhibitors from Malaysia to travel
throughout Asia , to Thailand and Singapore to compete in shows.
There were some very impressive imports in the Country and if they
are bred judiciously , they will certainly produce some very good
specimens for the future. I am looking forward to going back again
in a few years to watch their progress.
The UK naturally have some absolutely super dogs , having access
to the dogs from " just over the border" and again a number
of Kennels that are producing dogs of consistently good quality.
The hardest part of Judging the dogs in the UK was the persistent
baiting , the dogs are so focused on the bait that it was were very
difficult to check dentition . The ring size is very different to
what we are used to here and therefore the dogs are not used to
running on a loose lead again making it difficult to check movement.
I am so spoiled by Australian Exhibitors.
I am looking forward to my appointment at the Medallion Rottweiler
Club's 35th Annual & 26th Independent Specialty Show in Chicago
this October , I will certainly report back should you wish me to.
What are the biggest changes you see in the breed today?
Looking back over the past 10 years it is obvious that the Rottweiler
Clubs around Australia have been successful with their HD/Elbow
Schemes , Eye/Mouth Certificates and where possible their Breed
Suitability Testing as the overall soundness in both construction
and in mind have had a marked improvement. Rottweilers are now showing
a lot more animation and willingness to work as can be seen at most
Breed Shows. The overall appearance of the Rottweiler is becoming
more striking with far better head models than in earlier years
and a very regal self assured presence that can be seen in a lot
of the males being shown.
What is the most common construction fault you see in Rottweilers
today?
Top-lines, head shape , muscle tone and overall appearance have
improved but sadly I think that the legs have suffered. I see far
too many animals that are upright in shoulder and others that have
flexing or twisting hocks. Upon reading critiques from your various
shows it is also apparent that you have an insidious new problem
creeping in and that is of twisted teeth. It appears to be mainly
P3's and certainly needs to be watched. One would have to ask if
this is because the head shapes are changing or is the overseas
judges now making special mention of this...............something
to ponder!
What is the most important advice you could give a new breeder
?
It is extremely important to start off with a good quality bitch.
It is my opinion the bitch is more important in your breeding programme
than the dog , however I certainly am not suggesting that the Sire
does not have an influence on puppies. What I am saying is that
with a quality bitch you have a far better chance when using a good
sire to produce a litter of puppies that you can be proud of , that
may win in the show ring. If you are breeding , this certainly should
be your ultimate goal because along the way , you will always find
a few puppies in to sell as pets.
Simply Look , Listen and Study Pedigrees. We all watch in awe when
Judges place their dogs , especially the Overseas Specialists. It
is important to look at the Catalogues from these shows , write
up a list of all of the Sires in the catalogue and then write down
the placings of their progeny. Spend time discussing the Sires that
you have found to have the most influence and listen to what experienced
breeders have to say , you ultimately must make up your own mind
so it is important to get a number of differing views on a the Sires
that interest you.
Finally read pedigrees over and over. Collect pedigrees of dogs
that really catch your eye and try to find a common dog in those
pedigrees. It is also important when collecting pedigrees and statistics
that you also check the statistics on HD scores and Dentition all
of which can be found in the National Rottweiler Council's HD ,
Eye and Dental Register , a publication I would not be without.
Yvonne , what is the most important advice can you give a
new exhibitor?
Lack of training for events by both handler and their dog is very
costly when competing in the show ring. Spend the time and effort
when the dog is young , get him to work with you , beside you ,
run with you and you will be greatly rewarded. Watch how other exhibitors
show their dogs to their best and practice their methods. If you
are impressed with a handler of another breed, their method will
work for you....if you practice and take the time to do so. The
more time you spend with your dog on a one to one basis the more
it shows in the ring , but having said that without fitness for
both the handler and the dog you are not in the race when it comes
to specialty shows.
What do you believe is the correct tail set for a Rottweiler?
The FCI standard # 147 of 2000 states; natural condition, level
in extension of the upper line; at ease may be hanging. This standard
can not be disputed therefore the tail will come off the back of
the dog as an extension of his back line. There are dogs being shown
that have tails that are carried Vertically and they are not correct
, however lets not get too involved with this issue and concentrate
on the overall dog first. If I had two almost perfect dogs in the
ring , one with a horizontally carried tail and the other with a
vertically carried tail , then I would have to choose the dog that
fits closest to the standard.
Where do you think the breed will be in ten years?
The majority of Rottweiler people that I know are very passionate
about this breed and having nurtured and improved upon the breed
to where it is today , I am confident that the Rottweiler will still
be in very safe hands in 10 years time. Sadly for some , he may
have a long tail but that wont be without a serious fight with Politicians
and Radicals by myself and thousands of other folks out there that
are currently doing battle over this issue.
Who has been the most influential person in your education
an experience with the breed?
That's a difficult one as there certainly has not been any single
person involved with my education of the Rottweiler breed , but
a number of people over many years and of course the learning continues
until we no longer breathe!. I have been very fortunate in being
able to spend time with some of the most knowledgeable Rottweiler
people in this Country and Overseas and I feel that each time we
converse , there is always some new point of view to consider. John
Belbin and the Late Mr Jim Pettengell along with his wife Yvonne
certainly at the forefront of my earlier learning however , many
informative and intriguing conversations have been had with numerous
long standing Australian Rottweiler Breeders and Exhibitors right
across Australia. A great deal can be learned by listening and considering
other peoples points of view. Clara Hurley (USA) , Joan Klem (USA)
, Tony Huyskens (NDL), Lex Quartel (NDL) , Tony Spindler (GMY) ,
Paul Fleige (GMY) , Goof Kuijpers (NDL) have also contributed many
hours of informative discussion that have continued to shape my
ideas. I still relate many times to the teachings of the late Aage
Christensen from Denmark who took us through the Danish Mental Test
for Rottweilers and his interesting and informative points of view.
Each time I have the opportunity of discussing Rottweilers with
anyone , it is always thought provoking & I am looking forward
to another Rottweiler Talkfest in October.
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