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As of June 1, 1998, a federal law was passed in Germany prohibiting the docking of Rottweiler tails.The basis for this law was the fact
that the practice of docking and cropping was deemed to be inhumane.
In order to comply with the new federal law requiring tails to be left in their natural state, the ADRK (national breed club in Gemany)
revised their breed standard for the Rottweiler to reflect the required natural tail.
The FCI translated and adopted the new breed standard and gave all FCI member countries several years to comply with the new
breed standard.
As more and more countries are adopting the anti-docking platform for Rottweilers in order to comply with the revised ADRK/FCI
Standard, and tails are becoming more commonplace, it is very important to become familiar with both the good and bad tailsets out
there. Below are illustrations of those tailsets.
that the practice of docking and cropping was deemed to be inhumane.
In order to comply with the new federal law requiring tails to be left in their natural state, the ADRK (national breed club in Gemany)
revised their breed standard for the Rottweiler to reflect the required natural tail.
- TAIL: In natural condition, level in extension of the upper line; at ease may be hanging. Faults: Set on too high or too low.
Disqualifying faults: Kink tail, ring-tail, with strong lateral deviation.
The FCI translated and adopted the new breed standard and gave all FCI member countries several years to comply with the new
breed standard.
As more and more countries are adopting the anti-docking platform for Rottweilers in order to comply with the revised ADRK/FCI
Standard, and tails are becoming more commonplace, it is very important to become familiar with both the good and bad tailsets out
there. Below are illustrations of those tailsets.
| Hanging - proper set when dog is calm |
| Straight |
| Coiled - improper |
| Sabre carriage- correct set when dog is alert, happy or excited |
The Truth About The Rottweiler Tail: The True Tale of Tails
There is an amazing amount of incorrect information and blatantly spread untruths about tailed Rottweilers written by people that have
never owned or would consider owning a Rottweiler with a natural tail. I have owned Rottweilers with natural tails for the past 4 years,
several years after the law change in Germany regarding the tail. I have been to many shows over the last 5 years, including the 2004
Klubsieger Show in Düsseldorf, Germany and have seen many different tail carriages and sets.
There is an article on an internet website written when the FCI Breed Standard was first changed that describes the 'disastrous effect
the natural tail would have on our breed'. The article describes tail sets that don't exist in quality breedings any more than they existed
prior to the standard change and depicts structure changes that would be necessary for a tailed dog that simply aren't true.
The below photo is from a pro-Tail docking website depicting the docked Rottweiler that most people recognize. The second photo
describes a tail set 'as seen in Sweden'. In the hundreds of natural tailed Rottweilers I have seen across the US and internationally, I
have NEVER seen this tail set on anything but an Akita!
The below photo show the natural tail as an elongation of the topline. A Rottweiler's natural tail is carried hanging while at rest, and
often over the back in what is called a sabre carriage when excited. The only time a Rottweiler's tail would be seen in the below
position is when the dog is excitedly wagging it's tail.
Some additional reasons the author of the original article is against tails:
The author would have us believe that a natural tailed Rottweiler might look like the dog in the first photo below. The truth is, the
Rottweiler in the first photo has a falling croup, and was born with a falling croup with or without a tail! The structure is already
determined at birth, the genetics for the croup and tail set were already set in place long before the puppy arrived in this world. The
puppy was born with a tail and the croup remains the same whether docked or natural. The second photo below demonstrates this
point clearly...it is quite obvious that the croup does not become more correct simply because the tail was docked!
Using the author's own drawing, it is easy to see how correct structure remains unchanged, with or without a tail.
Tail Myths
"...tail selection will suddenly move from no consideration at all to major consideration in the selection of breeding stock"
In some AKC lines this may be true due to the fact that they have been breeding and incorrect flat croup into their lines for many
generations. Couple that with a natural Rottweiler tail and we will see a lot of tailsets resembling those Akitas we spoke of earlier. The
bottom line is that because the natural tail would be devastating to some major AKC line breeders (read dollars) due to the incorrect
croups being bred, that this myth has been perpetuated. To date, I have whelped 3 litters and left natural tails. I have found no need
to reconsider our breeding partners due to some imaginary problem with the tails or structure. Correct structure is correct structure
regardless of whether a natural tail is present or not!
"...a long tail would probably become injured by beating it against the wall, the table, etc."
In my 20 plus years of owning tailed breeds, including natural tailed Rottweilers, I have not incidence of tail injury from a dog banging
its tails against any object in my home. Nor have I experienced severely bruised shins...not from tails anyway...more from Rottweiler
block heads crashing into me when unable to stop during a game of fetch! And not one table cleared by a Rottweiler tail, but certainly
many cleared by a nosy Rottweiler muzzle!
The bottom line is, docked or natural, the Rottweiler tail is purely personal preference. It has not, and will not change the structure of
the breed. In the US, regardless of personal feeling, ALL Rottweiler fanciers should striving for the same thing...THE RIGHT TO
CHOOSE TAIL PREFERENCE!
There is an amazing amount of incorrect information and blatantly spread untruths about tailed Rottweilers written by people that have
never owned or would consider owning a Rottweiler with a natural tail. I have owned Rottweilers with natural tails for the past 4 years,
several years after the law change in Germany regarding the tail. I have been to many shows over the last 5 years, including the 2004
Klubsieger Show in Düsseldorf, Germany and have seen many different tail carriages and sets.
There is an article on an internet website written when the FCI Breed Standard was first changed that describes the 'disastrous effect
the natural tail would have on our breed'. The article describes tail sets that don't exist in quality breedings any more than they existed
prior to the standard change and depicts structure changes that would be necessary for a tailed dog that simply aren't true.
The below photo is from a pro-Tail docking website depicting the docked Rottweiler that most people recognize. The second photo
describes a tail set 'as seen in Sweden'. In the hundreds of natural tailed Rottweilers I have seen across the US and internationally, I
have NEVER seen this tail set on anything but an Akita!
The below photo show the natural tail as an elongation of the topline. A Rottweiler's natural tail is carried hanging while at rest, and
often over the back in what is called a sabre carriage when excited. The only time a Rottweiler's tail would be seen in the below
position is when the dog is excitedly wagging it's tail.
Some additional reasons the author of the original article is against tails:
- "To add a long, heavy tail to the structure described in the standards would change the center of gravity, moving it towards
the rear of the dog..."
"...would lessen the Rottweiler's ability as an endurance trotter, unless the croup we desire today changes."
"...the Rottweiler's presently desired croup and tail set would have to change to accommodate an undocked tail."
"I also would expect to see the undocked Rottweiler change proportion, too, and become a longer dog."
The author would have us believe that a natural tailed Rottweiler might look like the dog in the first photo below. The truth is, the
Rottweiler in the first photo has a falling croup, and was born with a falling croup with or without a tail! The structure is already
determined at birth, the genetics for the croup and tail set were already set in place long before the puppy arrived in this world. The
puppy was born with a tail and the croup remains the same whether docked or natural. The second photo below demonstrates this
point clearly...it is quite obvious that the croup does not become more correct simply because the tail was docked!
Using the author's own drawing, it is easy to see how correct structure remains unchanged, with or without a tail.
Tail Myths
"...tail selection will suddenly move from no consideration at all to major consideration in the selection of breeding stock"
In some AKC lines this may be true due to the fact that they have been breeding and incorrect flat croup into their lines for many
generations. Couple that with a natural Rottweiler tail and we will see a lot of tailsets resembling those Akitas we spoke of earlier. The
bottom line is that because the natural tail would be devastating to some major AKC line breeders (read dollars) due to the incorrect
croups being bred, that this myth has been perpetuated. To date, I have whelped 3 litters and left natural tails. I have found no need
to reconsider our breeding partners due to some imaginary problem with the tails or structure. Correct structure is correct structure
regardless of whether a natural tail is present or not!
"...a long tail would probably become injured by beating it against the wall, the table, etc."
In my 20 plus years of owning tailed breeds, including natural tailed Rottweilers, I have not incidence of tail injury from a dog banging
its tails against any object in my home. Nor have I experienced severely bruised shins...not from tails anyway...more from Rottweiler
block heads crashing into me when unable to stop during a game of fetch! And not one table cleared by a Rottweiler tail, but certainly
many cleared by a nosy Rottweiler muzzle!
The bottom line is, docked or natural, the Rottweiler tail is purely personal preference. It has not, and will not change the structure of
the breed. In the US, regardless of personal feeling, ALL Rottweiler fanciers should striving for the same thing...THE RIGHT TO
CHOOSE TAIL PREFERENCE!
| The authors depiction of a docked Rottweiler with correct structure. |
The author's tail taken from the
tailed dog with a falling croup
tailed dog with a falling croup
A dog with a tail, with the same
structure as the dog without the tail.
structure as the dog without the tail.
*Courtesy Von Den Dreibergen Rottweilers.
