[laurlitt]

I find it very ironic that you can admit to your limited experience with Schutzhund yet still seem to know a lot about the type and claim that they are not versatile and then even think that they can't fit the breed standard of aloofness I promise you that my dog fits the breed standard for temperment better than most non-sch rottweilers I"ve seen. And I promise you that my Sch. dog who has pretty extreme drives is very versatile... She can walk into a rally trial and kick-butt over the other rottweiler team who's handler is begging their dog to complete the course. I've had a judge get the attention of everyone in the crowd and tell them to make sure they watch us b/c we were one of the best working teams she's ever seen... Can you imagine that... a schutzhund dog working in an enclosed area NOT at MACH 2, completely under control and doing obedience?

If we think it's important to keep the workability into a rottweiler then there is no problem with using Schutzhund as an evaluation. A sch. dog CAN transfer over to other venues. Do you not think that tracking and obedience are not other venues? Rally is a subset of obedience, agility is a form of obedience which requires a bit more drive and work ethic, herding requires a strong work ethic & control (yet I think a dog's desire to herd is genetic and independent of whether or not they can do sch). Pulling a cart... come on... my schutzhund dog can pull a cart b/c she understands obedience & has confidence. Search and resuce requires a dog with a strong work ethic and ability to overcome stresses... (which is proven many times over with a sch dog)...

Sometimes it is best to sit back and read and learn about something before making such broad statements about it... especially when it's clear you're lacking in the overall understanding of it. It's okay that you don't do Sch... not all dogs are capable and we are a far way off from making sch. a breeding requirement (although interesting that the ADRK require a Ztp before breeding).