RottPerth

I don't understand how the RSPCA's recommendations are a bad thing for dogs, the only outcome I can see is healthier dogs. Given my recent experience with bad breeders I would fully support the RSPCA as somebody needs to do something about the unethical breeders in this country. What is wrong with you people?

My dogs lick their bowls (which are metal) when they want food. There is no way I could miss the sound of the metal going along the floorboards so they've never been without food. I understand sometimes forgetting though, I guess I've just always been reminded by my dogs before I have a chance to forget

That is a gorgeous photo

Do they have plenty of chew toys, or perhaps a bone to chew on? My girl used to chew on my doona/pillow when she woke up during the night and she was bored. I would just give her a toy to chew instead, I find those hard plastic chewbones are really good, or give them a kong with treats inside or something like that to keep them occupied.

Yes they have numerous balls, squeaky toys and a bungee rope hanging from a tree.

Whilst I doubt they would fight over a bone I only allow them when i'm can supervise. They dont ever fight but I wouldnt want to risk it.

How old is Asha?

This topic is in the general discussion area now

That is a gorgeous photo

Do they have plenty of chew toys, or perhaps a bone to chew on? My girl used to chew on my doona/pillow when she woke up during the night and she was bored. I would just give her a toy to chew instead, I find those hard plastic chewbones are really good, or give them a kong with treats inside or something like that to keep them occupied.

This is quoted from http://www.vkwrottweilers.com/rottweiler-heart.htm

vkm rottweiler site.

None of us fanciers (with the possible exception of the veterinarians among us) is equipped to "track down and root out" a complicated and insidious disease that has the entire canine cardiology community baffled. There is widespread disagreement within that veterinary community as to which dogs should be bred and which shouldn’t. There are wide variations in equipment. The mode of inheritance is presently unknown. We can’t even effectively screen the existing population to find the sub-clinical cases when they’re still alive and walking around. Until there is some consensus among veterinarians and geneticists as to the best way to approach this problem, we must continue to act conservatively and responsibly

The mode of inheritance is currently unknown, and dogs may be bred BEFORE there is any indication of a heart problem.

That tells me it would be quite possible to unknowingly breed a rottweiler pup with SAS and unknowingly sell it to someone.

It appears that some dogs are sub-clinical, and there is absolutely no way of ascertaining that they will throw pups with SAS.

So, I don't think the breeder can be blamed for this pup having a problem.

To breed the parents to each other again is not something I would do, and I don't believe it is best practise.

IMHO, the breeder should take back the pup, refund your money, and allow you to purchase elsewhere, if you wish.

However, it seems to me, that like MVD in Cavaliers, there is basically no way of knowing when you buy a pup, that it will develop SAS.

The breeder offered to "rehome" Molly for me (whatever that means). She is my dog and I love her, it's not her fault that she was born with this. It is also not necessarily the breeder's fault if she didn't know that she might produce a pup with this. It is, however, her fault if she produces another pup from the next litter from the same breeding parents. My intention here wasn't to throw blame at breeders, it was simply to find out if there was a way that breeders can be informed about health issues in bloodlines, any breeder who really cares about the future of their breed would be happy to give/receive this information. I also wanted the opinion of other "ethical" breeders about the responses I have received from this breeder because this is my first dog from a registered breeder so I have no prior experience to go on. If I wanted to breeder bash I could do much worse things than post a thread on a breeder forum. If you were in my situation you would want some answers too.

RottPerth I am very sorry you are in this situation. It will be devastating to lose your much loved pet at a young age.

Thanks Bilbo Baggins

As per the others, never in a million years would I consider mating those 2 dogs again and I would also be screening both Sire and Dam to see if they are clear and desexing the one that wasn't clear. Unfortunately the tests dont detect 'silent affected' dogs, however they still have the SAS gene. This is where it becomes complicated as SAS can be thought to be caused by the dominent gene which can appear as a visible health issue in some dogs and and an invisible threat in others!!

We have been relatively lucky here in Australia as this condition is not as prevalient as in the US but it is also not a test the NRC(A) requires breeders to do here in Australia (unfortunately) however in the US it is done to obtain OFA cardiac certification. Here all we are required to do is Hip, elbow, eye and mouth certs as Stolz said.

In my honest opinion to do a repeat mating is just absolute madness and very unethical.

SAS becomes more severe as the dog matures and can lead to sudden death. I hope your puppy will be okay I would be interested to hear who the breeder is (for my own knowledge) if you wouldn't mind sending me a private message as this is just disgusting!

I can only hope that my breeder reads this post and maybe rethinks her next breeding based on other breeder's posts.

Molly went from Moderate to Severe within 4 months so isn't expected to live past 3, I think given the severity at such a young age she will be lucky to get another 12 months. Even my vet said to me at the last visit that there's no point in having her desexed (which is a very big call for a vet in my experience)

Are breeders able to find out the pedigree of a registered dog just by the dogs registered name? So if I post my girl's registered name that will help other breeders who read this to make informed decisions? Am I allowed to do that?

Thanks for your reply, is there any way for breeders to know that they may be purchasing a breeding pup which may come from parents that have produced this? This is my main concern.

No there is no open health registry in this country for Rottweilers. We (NRCA) only record HD, ED Eye and Mouth. Heart checks is not compulsory at this stage, I really don't know if they ever will be here. I personally think they should be and certification should be done at least a basic like the OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals) offers.

I think there needs to be some sort of registry to report any health issues so breeders can at least look at a blood line and see if there's any common issues. It seems too easy for some breeders to produce puppies for money and not care about the future of the breed. This is really sad for Rotties I love my girl so much, she is the best dog I've ever had, I would hate for this to become a common problem because it's heartbreaking

Would other breeders ignore this and keep breeding away like there's no issue?

This would concern me greatly and to answer your question, no I wouldn't continue on like there is no issue. SAS is an extremely serious health issue for any breeder and one IMO that should be of a priority to make sure it doesn't happen again. I shake my head that a "breeder" would continue to go on and repeat a breeding knowing it has produced a pup that has a diagnosed SAS condition. I would be testing all pups in that litter to be finding out answers. But saying that, I do take health issues extremely seriously. I do not think that ignorance is an excuse, and in this case it seems education is not being considered either. Maybe my ethics and morals are to high?? I really don't think so, the ONLY reason to breed is to improve, breeding knowing that SAS has been produced is not breeding to the betterment of the breed, it is to the detriment, but hey that is my opinion.

Thanks for your reply, is there any way for breeders to know that they may be purchasing a breeding pup which may come from parents that have produced this? This is my main concern.

I would like the thoughts/opinions of breeders out there with regard to a problem I am having. My 11 month old Rottweiler was diagnosed with subaortic stenosis at 12 weeks of age. She has had two heart ultrasounds and my breeder has been advised and also had a second opinion from her own vet. I am concerned about the future of the breed in Australia because she is breeding the same two parents together again this year. I have asked her to consider that there is a possibility of this being hereditary but she is not interested in listening.

I would like to know if there is a requirement for pedigrees with major health issues to be reported/documented somewhere for the benefit of future purchaser's of future litters and to advise those who have already purchased from the same breeding. My girl has no restrictions on her so if the wrong type of person had bought her they could be breeding her with papers. Or a breeder might buy one from the next litter without knowing that this condition is running in the bloodline.

I don't know what to do and it is really concerning to me because I would like to continue to have Rottweilers as pets and I don't want to see this become a common problem with Rottweilers in Australia.

Would other breeders ignore this and keep breeding away like there's no issue?

I had a GS for almost 16 years and lived in everything from a 1/4 acre block to a tiny courtyard villa. She was a very happy dog, walked daily, loved playing fetch and swimming at the beach. I had 3 others dogs during her lifetime and she was happy being around them. She never had exposure to kids and yet at ag 6 when she first interacted with some she was great, really gentle. She liked digging so maybe a digging pit would be a good idea. They love being around their people so she was always with me, inside or out. Great dog, I love the breed and think there's no reason not to have one in suburbia as long as you're committed to giving it what it needs and putting up with a few trenches in the garden

Ok so these are my videos of my dogs. I have only just started making videos and Youtube and I have a bit of uploading issues. It continuely says Error in the uploading process it has all my friends and I stumped on why it wont work. I have tried heaps of formats but they never work, Good thing the ones that have uploaded will do for now.

this is of Piper -

this is of Lizzy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyJV0AcYchQ

this is of Pink - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFFDNZU5q3Y

this is of Hamish - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIIIGPOT8mQ

I hope you like them.

Your Rotties are absolutely beautiful, great videos

Hello

My 11 month old girl Molly also has SAS. You are the first person I've been able to find who is in the same situation so it doesn't seem very common here in Australia. I did a lot of research on the web and it depends on the severity of the condition as to their longevity. Unfortunately Molly was diagnosed as severe at 9 months and already had damage to her heart wall so she won't make 3 years

The vet told me that a lot of dogs with this condition can go on to live normal happy long lives. I hope Schmoo is one of those

I'm like you, I'm really worried about getting my next Rottie because it's such a heartbreaking condition to deal with.

For a balanced view, I suggest you use the search facility on the forum (right hand side top), ask for "tail docking", and ask for more than 12 months ago.

Thank you, there's a lot of good information there

Could someone please explain to me why tails are docked? I have a Rottie with a tail and she wouldn't be the same without it. Is there a valid reason for docking?

My reply wasn't aimed at anyone so no insuating going on here.

My comment doesn't imply that the dogs aren't already happy, the original topic was 'what's the point of playing' - I was just trying to demonstrate that I think (my personal opinion) that dogs may get further enjoyment/fullfillment out of other activities we may not usuaully agree with or particpate in, whether that's playing, swimming, eating icecream or digging holes in the backyard.

Yes, I think the original question got lost somewhere along the way

My border collie loves just sitting in the water and the occasional swim but isn't interested in strange dogs. When we meet our friend's dogs down the river though she plays with them. I don't intentially go to dogs parks to socialise them with strange dogs, but unfortunately there are always strange dogs there and they need to be able to cope with that. Having said that, I have now stopped taking her because she has become so intolerant of other dogs because of people who can't train them properly and let them jump all over her when she clearly wants them to back off. If she still enjoyed it, I would still take her.

Isn’t it a bit like having a child (which I don’t) and not letting them attend birthday parties or play with their friends on the weekend. Sure they might get used to the routine and entertaining themselves but this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t get enjoyment and fulfilment from those other activities. I’m talking about my own dogs here, I don’t have any experience with working dogs/farm dogs/sports dogs.

Not really... my dog doesn't find other dogs all that interesting and will rarely play with other dogs, there are many things that she finds more enjoyable and fulfilling. There are SO many things our dogs can get enjoyment from than just playing with other dogs.

I could use the same argument for people who don't do dog sports - why not when the dog finds it so enjoyable, aren't their dogs missing out on something great too? In reality many dogs don't do much more than laze around at home and go for the odd walk, that doesn't mean their lives are any less enjoyable or fulfilling than a dog who is trained every day and competes in dog sports and is always being taken out and about - or that the dog that doesn't do any dog sports isn't "happy".

Also just want to point out that having met Huski's Daisy, shes a happy well adjusted little dog, and definately the apple of her mumma's eye (-: She'll happily have a sniff and lick with my GSD Sophie, she's a curious little munchkin!

She's a really happy little dog, you can just tell. For example at training so many dogs are straining like moron's trying to play with other dogs or getting frustrated at waiting (like mine - LOL) but Daisy is happy go lucky, I held onto her for 5mins while Huski went up to pay and again she was happy enough, wagging tail and smelling all the nummy smells.

I just don't want anyone insinuating that Huski is somewhat depriving her dogs for not having them down at a park regularly because from what i've seen of Daisy as an example she's such a happy little doggie and a real credit to Huski.

If Daisy is doing what she enjoys, then that's all that matters. All dogs enjoy different activities. You wouldn't want to force a dog to go to dog parks if they don't like it. I only take them because they love going, if they didn't enjoy it I wouldn't take them.

Because dogs need to be dogs. When they play wrestle and chase each other around, it's something that humans can't give them which they absolutely love doing.

We can still play with and engage our dogs... I play with my dogs everyday

I play with my dogs too, but they both really enjoy the rough play with other dogs, which wouldn't be a good thing to encourage with humans. Not all dogs like this, but for the ones that do, I think why not let them have their fun

Because dogs need to be dogs. When they play wrestle and chase each other around, it's something that humans can't give them which they absolutely love doing. My dogs have all loved swimming, without going to a public dog area they would never be able to swim. To take them to the public swimming areas they need to be socialised with other dogs

I bought my Rottie pup last year and found myself wondering how I should raise the pup the right way cause I didn't receive any info (I was given the free Eukanuba puppy book). I searched a lot on the internet for info on how to train a Rottie because I have heard so much about how they are quite different to other dogs. With this in mind, the things I would like to have in a puppy pack:

1. Detailed information on "best practice" training/discipline for the breed

2. Details of health issues of previous litters from same breeding

I would also like to see a full money back guarantee on pups with a serious illness which will kill them prematurely. My pup was diagnosed with moderate sub-aortic stenosis at 12 weeks and it progressed to severe by 9 months. She won't live to be 3 years old. The breeder wouldn't give me a full refund, but gave me half with the promise of a new puppy when she dies. I would have much preferred the refund straight up and sourced another pup later on from somewhere else.

Camping is so much fun for dogs especially near water (if they like swimming). I'm guessing your dog is young and still not fully trained. I wouldn't be comfortable letting my 11 month Rottie offlead in a camping area yet as I don't trust her. Having said that, I have felt that way with all my dogs at some stage but they eventually reach an eage where I would have no doubt that they would return to me. I've gone camping several times with my dogs and they love it, the main thing is to always know where they are if they're off lead. With access to water it can be good to get on a raft and go out (the dog will follow and love the swim).

Good on you for taking your dog camping :D

Welcome RottPerth! You have 2 gorgeous furries there!! :D

thanks, they are pretty special