The advice here is excellent. According to the AKC standard:
Size, Proportion, Substance
Dogs--24 inches to 27 inches. Bitches--22 inches to 25 inches, with preferred size being mid-range of each sex. Correct proportion is of primary importance, as long as size is within the standard's range.
Serious Faults--Lack of proportion, undersized, oversized, reversal of sex characteristic
s (bitchy dogs, doggy bitches).
Source:
www.akc.orgAs you can see, the acceptable standard for the breed is 22 - 25 inches at the shoulder. So, a 26 inch rottie is actually large for a female. Rotties that are within the breed standard, which I think is kept uniform for good reason (healthwise, and other) are shorter and compact, more robust. The rotties we see every day...on the street are mostly from backyard breeders or even sometimes from well-intentioned breeders...the
y just genetically turn out the way they are and some are shorter, taller, etc. But, with very selective breeding from a specific gene pool, correct me if I'm wrong, one has a much better chance of producing a sound litter with, not only the desired healthy aspects, but sound temperment, size and all that good stuff that comes along with keeping the pups within the standard so as to not produce joint problems, etc., etc.
Now, once again, as we all probably agree here, we love our monsters no matter how they grow up...big, small, sway-backed...you name it! But, I have seen from personal experience the difference between an oversized rottie and a well-proportioned, muscular one. I own an oversized rottie. She has experienced a lot of problems due to the slope of her knees, which caused a tear in her cruciate ligament. She is tall instead of compact. Her chest is very deep. Her nose is a little long. Overall, she has long bones...not big bones, but she is tall for a female. Her hindquarters are underdeveloped compared to her front end. Even her front paws are a bit bigger than the read and since she fractured her hip when she was still a pup the muscles in her rear are more of an atrophied type, so her hind end is not very powerful.
My little rottie, on the other hand, of sound German lineage is short, stocky with a big muscular rear that is in proportion to her front end. Her chest is not noticeably deep. Her nose is shorter. Her paws are well proportioned. And, she is very sound, so far, physically. She is limber as heck. She twists and squirms in the air and lands lopsided halfway on the porch and it does not phase her. My big girl, on the other hand, experiences a series of snaps and pops every time she takes a step...she is stiff and has never been able to lie down with her hips splayed in that signature rottie way.
So, I believe what the others have said here is right. Sometimes the veterinarians themselves do not keep up with all the little stuff, like breed standards and only go by what they see in general. Perhaps your particular veterinarian has experienced a lot of oversized rotties...
By the way, there is no such thing as a mini-rott. In a joking manner we sometimes call little Betti a mini-rott, but in essence, she is not. It is kind of like the Gladiator Doberman concept they have here in good ol' Spotucky...adv
ertising and selling them as a papered purebreed.
Little Betti weighs about 70 lbs. She is the cutest. She can curl her little body up on a pillow and not hang off the edges. But, she's well proportioned. I think she's beautiful. They are all beautiful.
It is their health that I always worry most about. It doesn't matter what a rottie looks like, there are always people who will come up and ask if he/she is a mixed breed. They ask me that about Betti, despite her lineage, and they ask that about Greta. And then they go so far as to ask if Greta and Lou are littermates, and Lou is half Labrador Retriever.
My veterinarians over the years have cautioned me to maintain Greta's weight in order to alleviate the pressure on her hips. They say that even one pound is a lot of weight distribution for a dog to carry. They have also stated time and again that MOST rotties they see are overweight. Take a look at "linsavingrace's" Lady and Grace...they are a prime example of healthy pups...they are not overweight. I've been told that there should not be a layer of fat between the skin and the rib cage. The ribs should not be visible and defined, but easily felt underneath the fur. This makes the dogs much healthier.
Greta is now over eight years old. She has a heart condition. Despite all her maladies...I am so surprised she is still with me.
