ROTTWEILER TAIL SET

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.

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
Sabre  carriage- correct set when dog is alert, happy or excited	Coiled - improper