A.D.R.K.
2010
21st-22nd Aug. (Coesfeld)
“An onlooker’s perspective”
Preamble:
There are
many questions I asked myself as I set out once again to attend the most
prestigious Rottweiler Show in the world. I am now in my third decade of
travelling to the many varied towns in Germany which host this show, and
I have never been disappointed with the venue or the location chosen by
the club.Rural Germany is, for me, one of the most beautiful countries
in the world and many of the towns are so picturesque. It has long been
my belief that every Rottweiler exhibitor or breeder, circumstances
prevailing, should try to attend at least once in their lifetime,
preferably to Rottweil. It is an unforgettable environment and attracts
Rottweiler enthusiast’s from all over the world. The vast distances
travelled by many of the exhibitors and followers of the breed are truly
astounding. Is it genuinely worth the effort?? This is the enigma and
my perception of events.
I arose at 4.am to catch a flight to London where I was met by friends,
in the South of England, and we travelled by car to the Euro Tunnel, at
Folkestone. After a short break we boarded the shuttle train to take us
under the English Channel to Calais in France. We travelled through
France into Belgium and then through Holland to our final destination in
Coesfeld Germany. I had been in six countries since I left home so early
in the morning. Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Holland and finally
Germany.
Coesfeld is a beautiful quiet town with great architecture and our hotel
was within walking distance of the venue. This was of great benefit to
the many guests from all over the world staying at this hotel. Dogs were
at the forefront of all conversations within the hotel and it was nice
to meet so many friends from the various countries and listen to their
desires and hopes for their chosen dogs. The show has changed over the
decades and “foreigners” are now more vociferous with their comments and
opinions. This would have been deemed totally unacceptable when I first
came to this show, as “foreigner’s” opinions were regarded then as
frivolous and inappropriate. Truthfully I think it is still the same
today.
It is important to remember that The German perception of the Rottweiler
is sacrosanct to them and they will defend it against all odds. They of
course regard themselves as the guardians of the breed and as this is
their heritage it is understandable. The A.D.R.K. does not regard the
Rottweiler as primarily a show dog. It is first and foremost a working
dog with exceptional qualities they do not wish to see eroded by
fashion. Is it still prevalent in today’s modern society???? The world
has watched, listened and learned over many years and there is no
doubt, in my mind, that there are many quality breeders emerging outside
Germany but in my opinion they will always be regarded as “foreigner’s”
and not pure enough by the elitists within the A.D.R.K
Over the decades it has been proven that “foreigners” or “Auslanders”
would seldom receive the true accolades they deserve at this particular
show. In the past forty years, if my memory is correct, the Sieger or
Siegerin has only gone outside Germany 5 times and not since 2004. The
creation of the Auslander Sieger and Siegerin was a warning shot across
our bows. Many failed to see the significance of the formation of this
title and still do. In essence this implied, to me, that outside dogs
would never be deemed good enough to win the coveted German Title.
For their effort,” foreigner’s”, would be given a partial recognition of
their breeding or purchasing programme by being allowed to win a trophy
of a lower standing, “Auslander Sieger” to appease the majority of
exhibitors. I cannot see the logic in having a best foreign dog and
bitch. It is a two tier system. To those who win this title it is of
course greatly cherished, and rightly so, but I am sure that on many an
occasion they, and the majority of onlookers, sometime feel that they
were denied the ultimate trophy
I have said many times I would never go back but like many others it is
so compelling and it is a genuine opportunity to see dogs from many
other countries that would otherwise just be photo’s on a web site. This
is the real reason many attend and the fact is many of the German dogs
are no longer commanding the respect they once had in the wider world.
Many of the Eastern European dogs have attained celebrity status and are
in wide demand throughout the world. This I think perplexes the elite of
The A.D.R.K. and it does not bode well for these dogs when they compete.
In some respect I understand their dilemma and I personally am not in
favour of crowds standing on benches and chanting out particular
fashionable dogs names. I have witnessed this in other parts of the
world and its intention is to pressurise the judge into making decisions
that the crowd agree with.Judging should be based totally on the judge’s
opinion, experience and knowledge and not be influenced by outside
pressure. The Germans rightly will not succumb to this type of behaviour
and indeed it possibly has the opposite effect. There of course is a
paradox in this last statement as although I firmly believe that the
A.D.R.K. must preserve the Rottweiler as they see perceive it the
possibility remains that they are still clinging on to an agenda from
the past and will not recognise qualities out with their own influence.
It was rumoured at the show that some elitists within the A.D.R.K. would
like to go back in time and only allow pure German bred dogs to compete
at this show. It is indeed a dilemma for them. It was also inferred that
at a meeting by the judges prior to the show they intended to penalise
dogs they regarded as exaggerated in their features and wrongfully in my
opinion they named certain dogs.If this was true it was totally
unacceptable and it did cause some consternation among the crowd. They
were pre judging dogs before they even entered the ring and this is
wrong. Many had come to see named dogs and did not get the opportunity
to do so and it was implied that some withdrew from the ring in protest.
The complete Rottweiler as they see it should of course not be
compromised for current fashion but they must remember that they
themselves have changed the total appearance of the dog of 100 years
ago,
The Show:
How I envy them for their venues. They never fail to amaze me with
there expanse of ground and great sized rings. The show is run over two
days with the younger dogs competing on the Saturday and the older dogs
on Sunday. In general terms there were four rings in action with 456
dogs entered over the two days.Each dog is meticulously judged and when
you have 79 young bitches in one class you can imagine the time involved
just for one class. Each dog is critiqued and a stenographer types out
all of the judges comments and each dog is rated on its qualities. A
system the A.D.R.K. has implemented and is now used by many countries in
the world. It is an excellent system if utilised by knowledgeable
judges.
Saturday is a leisure able day with the young dogs competing and
it is possible to visit more than one ring and view the different sexes
and their stage of development. It is an opportunity to see the progeny
of the widely acclaimed stud dogs and their influence on the breed. It
is difficult for U.K. breeders to determine the final outcome of the
younger pups as generally what we see at eight weeks is what the end
result will be. This is not necessarily the case in Germany. Many young
immature dogs can change dramatically and we must be aware of this
divergent development and not be too critical of what we see at this
age. Out crossing from these lines can leave us with a dilemma when the
pups are born. They are not always as we expect and only experience will
guide us. In general a percentage of line breeding can be the most
successful. My own opinion is that perhaps the best benefits will
perhaps be in the second and third generation of out crossing.
Sunday is a totally frustrating day for me every time I visit. The
classes are so large, the crowd is so great and it is impossible to see
all the rings as they are all in action at the same time. You have to
make a choice as to what you wish to see and book your place round the
ring very early. I chose the Champions class as I wished to see the
fashionable studs competing against each other. During the preliminary
examination it is possible to leave your chair occasionally to see other
rings but as the day progresses it is totally futile. It is a dog eat
dog situation (excuse the pun) When all dogs have been examined, a long
process, they are broken into smaller groups and each group are ran for
a considerable length of time with each dog then being brought into the
centre of the ring in reverse order. The final few dogs in each group
are then short listed to compete against the best of the other groups.
Crowds at this time become so thick around the ring that you dare not
move your position or you will lose it. I detest this part of the show.
There is no courtesy or consideration for any one. Pushing and shoving
to take pictures is the norm and even if you are sitting at the ropes
they just jump in front of you and obliterate your view. Certainly
without doubt an unpleasant situation. This is why I always promise
never to go back. I cannot tolerate rudeness. I understand their
enthusiasm and do realise that the adrenalin is racing but common
courtesy should never be compromised. It is also a tragedy that you
ultimately miss seeing other classes which would be of interest to you
at their final stages but this is impossible as each ring has its
followers and they are also so deep around the ring.
As the final contest of the Champions began in earnest the crowd round
our ring was in a height of tension as the dogs ran round the ring at a
very fast pace each of us with our own particular dog in contention.
Sadly this is when certain partisans started chanting particular dog’s
names. I believe this was detrimental and unnecessary and in fact could
have hindered the dogs ultimate placing. I had sat at this ring for so
long to form an opinion of the “superstars” and strange as it may seem
as each of the final dogs were brought into the centre in reverse order
my attention was drawn to two particular dogs that I had not been aware
of before I came. “Gringo Vom Oberpfalzer Wald” (Germany) and “Gandalf
Marstal” from Poland. The longer the contest went on the more I
personally thought that they were the best contenders for the title of
Sieger. They were not flashy in anyway but so true to type and totally
effortless in movement.
My own personal choice was eventually second in the line up. “Gandalf
Marstal” from Poland.
A dog with immense qualities. Medium to large dog with excellent bone
and substance, Broad head, well defined stop, dark eyes, broad and deep
muzzle, correct dentition, dark mouth and flews, Strong neck, very clean
over the shoulders with very good top and underline. Strong rich well
defined mahogany markings. Excellent angulations fore and aft, which
powered him round the ring in an effortless movement with correct tail
carriage. Not the star I came to see but his light shone the brightest
for me. A completely unassuming dog that lit up my day.Life is strange.
Publicity and the Internet can be very instrumental in our pre conceived
opinions but close analysis is always the way forward if possible. The
Sieger Gringo Vom Oberpfalzer Wald was very similar in type, slightly
stronger overall. He was a worthy and very balanced winner but I
pondered the question. Did the fact that he was German Bred and owned
tip the balance?? I will never know.
In the limited time I had to see the bitches I liked Boa vom Hause
EdelsteinV2 in open class. A strong substantial feminine bitch with
great breeding qualities
Despite all
the aggravations it was an amazing week end. Will I go again? Time will
tell.
Eddie Nicol
Jacraila Rottweilers
www.jacraila.com
The Author Resting at The Show
