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Welcome to von der Sieben
Felder Rottweilers, a Code of Ethics Breeder. We are members in good
standing of the United States Rottweiler
Club and our local club affiliation is
SPARK (Southeastern
Pennsylvania Area Rottweiler Klub. Our working club is the
Penn Ohio Working Dog Club.
We strive to breed the complete Rottweiler. Our breeding stock comes primarily
from Germany as well as the United States. We search for the best dogs and
bloodlines available so that we breed dogs that will be able to compete and win
in all venues, be it show or work. At von der Sieben Felder Rottweilers, we
believe in the total Rottweiler.
Von der Sieben Felder Rottweilers is not our primary
business. We will be breeding only to improve our lines. Therefore, we expect
one to two breedings per year. We expect our first puppies to be available in
February of 2009.
We have made many friends through our work with
Rottweilers and would like to thank each of them for their contribution to our
skill and knowledge. We would especially like to thank Kimberly Cardona of
vom Drakkenfels
Rottweilers
for her advice, training, guidance and most importantly
for her friendship as we embark on this new venture.
The
Character of the Rottweiler
"Every living creature is enmeshed in the totality of its relationships,
possessing qualities which it requires for self-assertion"
-- Hermann Keyserling
Nature gave the wild forbears of our dogs not only the physical, but also the
mental and spiritual powers which they needed in the struggle for existence.
With domestication the urge and the occasions for the use of these powers grew
less, under the influence of the human will. This unquestionably brought about a
change in the mental attributes of the dog in the course of many thousands of
years; the basic elements have remained the same, but their character and their
functional capacity and intensity have been altered in a greater or lesser
degree. For example, the instinct of flight was immensely more important among
the primitive ancestors of the dog than it is today among breeds in which for a
long time other instincts, e.g. the fight instinct, have been preferred. Another
example is offered by our hunting dogs, which possess characteristics which are
in part quite contrary to those of their forbears which hunted for their living.
The nature of the dog was formed, stabilized and up to a certain point made
uniform, according to the wishes and needs of man, by breeding, selection, and
rejection. We may therefore speak rightly of the specific qualities of character
of a breed by which they are more or less distinguished from other breeds.
The account given here of the character of the Rottweiler in its essential
features is based upon many observations and comparisons in every kind of
situation, upon exchanges of experience and opinion with those best qualified to
judge, and last, but by no means least, in the knowledge that there are always
gaps between those qualities which are generally present and the ideal, which is
the aim of responsible and conscious breeding to close so far as possible. For
it is upon the preservation of his good character that the Rottweiler must
depend if he is to retain his circle of faithful adherents. His place is where
mere external, elegant, or grotesque exaggeration of form do not set the
standard, but when a dog with particularly well-marked qualities of character is
desired and esteemed. This is not only nor in the first place a question of the
use of the Rottweiler as a working dog, but also and above all, the question of
the dog as a domestic pet in the home, in business, and in the workshop - the
watchdog, companion and guard dog. To this sphere the Rottweiler, as a result of
long domestication, brings a great measure of trustfulness, loyalty, and
adaptability, qualities which greatly ease his absorption into the course of
domestic life, his adaptation to the customs and procedures of business, etc.
Distrust is a quality which is not very strongly marked in the character of the
Rottweiler as with all courageous dogs. He remains, however, always reserved and
watchful towards all newcomers and strangers, though mostly not to an excessive
degree and without unnecessary barking. His ability to learn and especially his
capacity for adapting himself to his environment is very great and is much
prized by professional dog handlers. That a breed which has so long been bred
for use, possesses an exceptional willingness to work is as self-evident as the
Rottweiler's capacity to retain what he has learned in the course of training.
It is not for nothing that trainers who are familiar with other breeds are often
heard to say, "When the Rottweiler has once grasped a thing, it sticks." A
quality which is particularly striking in such robust and courageous dogs is
their tractability both in and out of doors, generally combined with patience
and with cheerfulness which is hardly ever disturbed. He is, so to speak, always
in a good mood. Consider for example, the way in which this strong and valiant
fellow puts up with children or how tolerantly he lives with other domestic
animals once he knows them.
The Rottweiler is a tough dog. This applies not only to his physical needs, but
also to his mental disposition. By a tough dog we mean one that soon forgets
unpleasant or painful experiences and does not allow himself to be influenced by
them in his subsequent behavior. Despite this toughness, most Rottweilers are
very tractable, i.e., they easily subordinate themselves and are exceptionally
obedient. The Rottweiler's reaction to external stimuli is generally deliberate
and seldom hasty. He has a certain moderation of temperament, a quality which is
both desirable for a working dog and for a pet. Nothing can cause more
disturbance or annoyance, if not serious danger, than a dog with a very highly
strung or excitable temperament. The Rottweiler behaves calmly and peacefully in
the family, at home, in public and in traffic. He does not bark on every
insignificant occasion and when left alone readily accepts the inevitable. He
does not need an undue amount of exercise and for this reason he is a quite good
dog to keep, even in a town. Moreover, he is easily house trained and does not
push himself forward or make a fuss. Where there is an opportunity to let him
run about free, one need have no hesitation in allowing him this pleasure,
because when let out alone he has little inclination to fight, pays little or no
attention to what goes on around him, and is not much given to chasing things.
The diminution of certain instincts as a consequence of domestication is in many
ways a good thing, but it has it's limits, e.g. good nature should not
degenerate into stupidity and lack of resolution; calmness and peaceful
temperament should not change into laziness and undue love of comfort. The
decline of the tracking instinct must also be avoided in the interests of the
working qualities of the dog and the preservation of a harmonious character. The
Rottweiler still possesses exceptional powers of scent and often gives proof by
his ability to track. The preservation of these valuable qualities undiminished
must be the task of breeding, supported by practical work and careful judgment
of each animal.
How stands it with the Rottweiler in regard to the quality called sharpness, a
quality of the working dog which even today is often misunderstood and wrongly
interpreted? By sharpness we mean (Following the definition of Dr. Menzel) the
constant readiness of the dog to react most rapidly and in a hostile way to
external stimuli. If one reflects upon this definition, one is led to the
conclusion that in working dogs, whatever the purpose for which they are used, a
very high or exaggerated degree of sharpness is not a desirable thing. Jean Sir,
the well known expert on working dogs, considered for example, that a guard dog
should possess normal sharpness and that this, as far as practicable, should not
be exceeded. This requirement, the validity of which has been demonstrated a
thousand times in practice, is fully satisfied by the Rottweiler. Dogs which are
too sharp can easily cause uproar and danger without any serious reason. Such
dogs often possess little or no courage; they flare up, but do not stand their
ground in the face of danger.
The courageous dog is one which meets resolutely and without fear the dangers
which threaten it and its human companions. Courage is a quality which is
unmistakable in the Rottweiler. This fact is of inestimable value for only a
courageous dog possesses the true instinct to guard, i.e. readiness to protect
his master against dangers without being compelled and without regard for his
own safety. The firmer a dog's courage is, the more pronounced is his instinct
to guard and the more reliable his performance as a guard dog.
Now we often observe dogs whose qualities of courage and sharpness cannot be
denied, but which only show moderate readiness to guard and ward off danger.
These dogs lack the impetus to attack: the fight instinct. A dog with strong
fighting instinct takes up the fight without regard for pain and danger and sees
it through whatever may befall. The Rottweiler is well endowed with the fighting
instinct; without this valuable quality he could not have survived or have been
able to fulfill his tasks, which were often connected with fighting. The
important task of preserving and strengthening the established nature of the
Rottweiler was fortunately recognized at an early stage by breeders. The
qualities of character are taken fully into consideration and no Rottweiler is
used for breeding unless he has been thoroughly tested.
Let us once again sum up the character of the Rottweiler and it's principal
features: He is a faithful and obedient dog, loyal to home and master,
possessing medium temperament and sharpness; a bold and fearless dog who keeps
the peace for a long time, but in case of need attacks swiftly and without
regard for consequences, who combines joy in battle with readiness to guard, but
soon changes to a peaceful mood and possesses firmness of nerves in all
situations, that is the Rottweiler.
There is one thing that he is not: he is not a dog to be kept in captivity or on
a chain. Naturally one can occasionally keep even a Rottweiler in captivity or
tie him up for a short time, but if this is done all the time his character will
be ruined. The more he can be in the company of men, the more intimate the
family relationship, the more firmly does he attach himself to man, and the more
do the good, useful and amiable sides of his character reveal themselves. Thus
there arises as Paul Eipper has so well expressed it, "A beautiful relationship
based on reciprocity which may grow and deepen in an unimaginable degree."
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For more information contact:
Von der Sieben Felder Rottweilers
Hunter Lund and Anthony Schiavone
Rottweiler Breeders, Show Handlers and Trainers
Seven Fields, PA
(404) 660-0493 (Hunter)
(412) 337-0956 (Anthony)
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