[ROTTSVILLE]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Nancy Estes [/i]
[B]Personally I doubt that any ancient Mastiff-type dogs, Roman or otherwise, much resembled the modern-day Rottweiler. There are very few breeds that have a documented history showing a continuous type over centuries of time. The ones that do come to mind are the sight hounds, such as the Pharoah Hound. If you look at early documentation / photographs of Rottweilers in Germany they are recognizable as Rottweilers but are pretty far removed from the current type. Different head type, longer legs, less body, etc. Also there was a wide range of color. These early Rottweilers were then selectively bred and evolved into the type we know today.

To quote Andrew Brace's [U]The Ultimate Rottweiler[/U] -

Chapter One: HISTORY OF THE ROTTWEILER (Larry Elsden):

"While it may be an attractive thought that the Rottweiler has a long and ancient history, with stories of the Roman Legions tramping through the Alpine passes accompanied by large black-and-tan dogs who fell out from the line of march in the Black Forest area, the truth is that we owe the Rottweiler to Germany and to the German breeders operaing at a much later date than Roman times." (page 8)

"However, the Rottweiler certainly has one link back to the Romans and that is in its name. . . . The region where Rottweil is situated was conquered by the Romans in 74AD who then made it an important trading and administrative centre. Rome lost control of the area about 260AD. The old Roman name of Arae Flaviae disappeared to be replaced by the name Rote Will, literally Red Villa after the red bricks and tiles used in its buildings. The name then evolved into Rottweil." (page 8)

"While the ability of the Rottweiler as a herding or droving dog cannot be denied, it is an interesting fact that both physically and mentally it is a very different type to the general concept of a herding breed. Hans Korn, generally considered to be one of the great experts on the breed, wrote in 1939 that the Rottweiler showed few of the characteristics of other cattle dogs and that it appeared to be far closer to the broad-mouthed Mastiff-type dogs used as fighting dogs and as guards. Korn was of the opinion that the original cattle dog, developed over the centuries, was modified by the introduction of a broad-mouthed breed, probably the Bullenbeiser, the ancestor of the boxer." (page 9)

"There is really little benefit to be gained in speculation as to the original ancestors of the Rottweiler. A major factor is the relatively poor communications in the region. High in the mountain valleys each locality developed the dog that suited their needs. Any dog, including the rare animal from outside the immediate area that offered any chance of iimprovement, would be used to a considerable extent and as a result type tended to become fixed. This inaccesible and mountainous corner of Europe produced a disproportionately large number of the breeds that we know today, almost all of them multi-purpose, guarding and herding breeds." (page 9)



Nancy, excellent post,
someone who lives in the real world.

Fact not Fantasy.



Nancy [/B][/QUOTE]