PET or SHOW QUALITY PUPPIES
(Full registration vs. Limited registration)
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION and as time permits, I will add more detailed information regarding disqualification faults, etc.
When the puppies are approximately 6 weeks of age, we will do a comprehensive character and conformation evaluation on them. This process is very thorough and usually takes 2-3 hours per puppy. We are comparing them to the breed standard as well as their siblings and we are ascertaining if we met our breeding goals for that litter. The CONFORMATION is the physical beauty of the dog. Even if you have no desire to breed or show, the physicality of the dog is still of importance not only to the breed preservation, but can also effect health and performance. When I do my evaluations, I am meticulous. Even though some physical flaws may seem slight or unimportant, the problem with permitting them in a breeding program is that they will be amplified with each generation. If the goal of breeding were simply to produce more puppies, there are loads of them already in need of homes in the animal shelters. The goal of breeding should ALWAYS be to preserve and better the breed, and this can only be accomplished by selective breeding. It is just as important to note that even a physically perfect specimen might still not be a show/breed quality puppy. The Rottweiler is a working breed dog. Although not every puppy needs to be a high drive, hard dog, there must exist some drive or desire to work. It is impossible even to show a dog that has no desire to stack up, run, or work. Equally, the Rottweiler is a confident dog, and, although it is not uncommon, especially for a young puppy, to be apprehensive with new people and new situations (which is why socialization is so extremely important especially during the first 2 years), a puppy that is uncharacteristically nervous or timid should definitely not be given the opportunity to breed. Although, in the correct home, even a puppy that is shy can build confidence and blossom, it is still a temperament that will have the ability to be passed on and even amplified in future generations. When we do our evaluation, the character, drive, workability, intelligence, problem solving, confidence/recovery and focus are just as important aspects as a bone, substance and head type.
There is no such thing as a perfect Rottweiler (well, with the exception of Diesel 😉 ). No matter how many titles, how deep the chest, how super the character, every single specimen will have a fault or flaw, and therefore a genetic predisposition for producing said fault/flaw. The job of a breeder is to be critical, which of course can be hard when it is a dog you love, admire, respect and treasure. This is why we have show and working competitions. If I am unable to see what is right in front of me, an expert on my breed, the breed judge, is able to give an objective, critical and thorough evaluation of my dog from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. And because each judge has his own opinions/preferences, the more judges I can get to evaluate my dog, the clearer of a picture I will have. The sole purpose of going to a conformation show or working trial (besides having a ton of fun and bonding with your best friend) is to get honest and professional evaluations on the working ability, character and physical attributes of your dog. Winning trophies and ribbons is a by-product, and even on shows that I did not walk away with “the hardware”, I still learned and grew. Once you have a good understanding of what your bitch/dog’s attributes and shortcomings are, an understanding of the pedigree is also essential. Maybe your dog has a soft toppling. Is this a phenotypical expression of an issue that already is present in the bloodline/pedigree? Or perhaps your dog has an excellent topline, but his/her pedigree is lacking in consistency. When considering a mate for your dog/bitch, both the assets and disadvantages must be taken into consideration. The goal of breeding is to help fix a flaw or fault in either the sire or dam’s bloodline. A good breeder already has breeding goals in mind for each litter and pairing and with bloodline knowledge, will already have expectations for the puppies. However, even when breeding the best of the best and putting extensive care and research into a litter, there is always the risk of that “genetic dice roll”. When we are breeding, it is impossible for 100% of the puppies produced to look exactly like mom or dad, and as a matter of fact, we would not want that. If our goal is to improve on an issue, and we only produced photo copies, we would never reach our goal. It is the subtle difference that we want as that is how we improve our own bloodlines as well as the breed in general. Fortunately, when you are worked with bloodlines that have been bred correctly for nearly a 100 years, and breeding with type and goals in the forefront of the litter planning, the consistency with which the pups are produced should be expected, and most of the deciding factors between a show quality puppy and a pet quality puppy come down to those subtle differences.
So what does LIMITED REGISTRATION mean? A dog that has limited registration is a PET QUALITY puppy. Either in character or conformation, it deviates from the breed standard and should therefore not be considered for breeding. You will still get papers on Limited Registration puppies because that puppy is still a pure bred dog, still from the same litter and same parents with the same exceptional pedigree. He/she will just not be able to be bred or show in conformation shows. He/she can still compete in countless working venues to include carting, fly ball, agility, tracking, herding, therapy, etc. and of course is still registrable. PLEASE BE LEERY OF ANY BREEDER THAT TELLS YOU THE PUPPY YOU ARE BUYING IS “PURE BRED” BUT WILL NOT COME WITH PAPERS BECAUSE HE/SHE HAS A FAULT. AS LONG AS THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE REGISTRATION OF THE SIRE AND DAM, NO HEALTH ISSUES, AND NO INTEGRITY ISSUES PREVENTING THAT BREEDER FROM OBTAINING PAPERWORK FROM AKC, EVERY SINGLE PUPPY BORN SHOULD COME WITH PAPERS. Limited Registration puppies still make wonderful pets, and if the puppy is a PET QUALITY puppy for lack of drive, might even make a better pet for a family that is inexperienced with a working breed dog.
FULL REGISTRATION puppies are puppies that, at the time of the evaluation, we are unable to find faults on AND are good representatives of the breed. Simply being “fault free” in and of itself does not necessarily make a puppy BREED QUALITY. The puppy may not possess any disqualify faults, however, still be lacking in type, and therefore should not be considered for breeding. All of our SHOW quality puppies come with a LIFETIME GENETIC GUARANTEE. Although no breeder can guarantee you what your puppy will look like or act like as an adult, what I can guarantee is that, if any any point in his/her life, a disqualifying genetic fault is presented, we will stand behind our puppy.
From our GR PUPPY Contract:
WE ARE THE ONLY BREEDER I KNOW OF THAT OFFERS A LIFETIME HEALTH AND CONFORMATION GUARANTEE ON SHOW QUALITY PUPS! If this puppy is being sold as SHOW QUALITY and it develops a genetic fault (a fault that can ONLY be inherited from the parents) which DISQUALIFIES it from the show ring, a free pup of equal value will be provided from the next available litter AND Buyer will be able to retain possession of original puppy. Proof of the genetic defect must be provided from either a licensed veterinarian or written proof that the puppy was dismissed from the show ring for a genetic fault. Complete contact information for the Judge/Kennel Club or veterinarian must be given. Proof from a licensed veterinarian that the dog was spayed/ neutered must also be provided. We will not take your best friend away from you simply because we failed to fulfill our end of the contract, we just ask that it be spayed or neutered to prevent the genetic flaw from being passed on and amplified in future generations. This clause DOES NOT cover size of the dog as the dog’s environment will be the greatest determining factor on the size/weight of the dog. GR Guarantees that SHOW QUALITY pups will receive a fair or better hip rating, however, the dog must be pre-limed at 12 months of age and x-rayed for certification before the dog is 30 months of age. Failure to provide proof that the puppy/dog was fed premium quality food (as listed on the GR NUTRITION page or agreed to by GR) will void your health guarantee. X-rays showing the dog to be dysplasitc must include the dogs microchip number scanned at the time of x-ray. GR reserves the right to have x-rays repeated or PENN hip performed by an orthopedic specialist at the Buyers expense. Any bite problems must be noted by your vet before bite work is started and hips and elbows must be pre-limed before any work is started. Breeding your puppy/dog before x-rays are performed or without following GR’s breeding policy (see next clause) will void your guarantee. The GR SHOW Guarantee ONLY covers GENETIC defects and not injuries, accidents or acts of God. GR always reserves the right to have any diagnosis reviewed by our vet at the Buyers expense. No monetary refunds will be given under any circumstances. GR agrees to replace applicable puppy with another puppy of equal value or the Buyer may elect to purchase a puppy of greater value and use the full amount paid to GR for the original puppy (minus any delivery charges) towards the new puppy price.
It is important to note that we only offer the LIFETIME GENETIC GUARANTEE to our show/breed quality puppies. However, even for families that purchase a pet quality puppy and are faced with an issue now or 10 years down the road, we will always be here to help you out and offer any advice or support we have on the issue. I just cannot offer a guarantee that the puppy will be flawless, when, by definition, it already has a fault.
What if I want a SHOW/BREED puppy but have no intensions of showing or breeding?
You will often see breeders that will only let their show/breed quality pups go to active show homes, and/or only honor the genetic guarantees if you are actively showing the dog. Our family, kids included, have already won countless trophies, ribbons, titles and achievements with our dogs, and will surely continue to do so. I do not need any of my clients to title their dogs simply so I can add to my repertoire. However, of course, if anyone ever wants to show or title any of our pups/dogs, it would be my absolute pleasure to help in any way possible. We quite often have families who want the pick male or pick female simply because they want the most beautiful pup they can buy, but they want nothing more than a great companion for their family or themselves. Our number one ambition with any of our puppies is that they have a forever family that loves them unconditionally and treasures them the way a Rottweiler should be treasured. If this is your goal for our puppy, then you are welcome to any of our puppies <3
What if I want to pay for a PET QUALITY puppy but want to have the option to breed it later?
The only time you are limited in your options for your puppy is when you purchase a PET or LIMITED REGISTRATION puppy as these are not permitted to be shown in conformation shows or bred. Any puppy that is classified as a PET or LIMITED REGISTRATION puppy, he/she already exhibits a fault or deviates from the breed standard, and, as previously stated, we do not want the bloodlines that we have worked over a decade to build up to be come diluted. We take a great deal of pride in our breeding program and not just the quality of dogs we are able to offer, but more importantly, what we are doing for this breed. I am very passionate about my Rottweilers and truly feel it to be my mission to give back and not just take. We hope every generation of puppies is even greater than the generation preceding them.
