A German winner other than BMW: My dog.

[PersonaNonGrata]

As some of you know, my wife and I got a beautiful Rottweiler puppy back in late November. He's now just under 6 months old and growing rapidly. We got him from some excellent German lines with all kinds of titles but he is our pet first and foremost. As he grew out of his early puppy characteristics we noticed that he was developing into quite a great looking dog and not just that, he also has an amazing personality. Anyway, our breeder and our trainer saw something special in him and they encouraged us to try showing him. We wanted to see how we liked it and see how he handled himself, and really just for the experience of us and our dog being around so many other Rottweilers. We figured it was something fun to do with our new dog.

This past weekend he was entered in the United States Rottweiler Club Southwest Regional Sieger Show. It's a German style dog show and it does differ from AKC shows. I think these show are less prissy than AKC shows and one major difference I like is that German shows do not allow hand stacking of the dogs. That means you can't pick up their feet and place them like they do in AKC. The dogs have to stack naturally. The judge was visiting from Germany and represented the German Rottweiler Club (ADRK). How's that for traditional? (He was pretty tough. He flat out disqualified several dogs that day, including one with eyes that were too light colored. :eek: ) Our boy Heiko, was entered in the 4-6 month male puppy class and he took first place! He was given the top rating in his class of VP1, or "Very Promising 1st place". (That's the rating for pups that young. The ratings change as they get older.)

He did so well. His behavior is outstanding and he showed it off this weekend. Our trainer handled him and he totally keys in on her. She's sort of a "Dog Whisperer" for Rottweilers. Heiko looked great and more importantly, handled himself so well. He was attentive, obedient, and just shined. He almost took "Best Male Puppy" against some much older puppies but just narrowly lost out. The judge even had the trophy placed in front of Heiko but seemed to change his mind at the last minute. Oh well. We're very proud of our little guy.

Here are some pictures from the day and one from when he was just over 8 weeks old, hanging out on the center console of my X5. Incidentally, he's awesome in the car. No whining, crying, vomiting, or anything. He just relaxes and usually falls asleep.

[cmyX6go]

It's amazing how fast they grow. to Heiko. We KNOW he's the best puppy

[The Big Easy]

Kevin, nice shots, looking beautiful.
Now, when are you getting a real dog - a German Shepherd?!

Cheers,

[SuperGreg]

First off, I LOVE your avatar . Congrats to Heiko on his first win!! That picture of him on your X5 console is PRICELESS! Dogs are the best aren't they? Enjoy the unconditional love .

[Michelle]

[vinuneuro]

Beautiful dog, congrats!

[PersonaNonGrata]

Thanks for the congrats guys. We're very proud parents!

Originally Posted by The Big Easy

Kevin, nice shots, looking beautiful.
Now, when are you getting a real dog - a German Shepherd?!

Cheers,

Don't be jealous. :p I love GSD's. That is the dog that I always wanted since I had one as a kid. I had even talked my wife into a GSD but we fell in love with Rottweilers. Still like GSD's but love Rottweilers.

Originally Posted by SuperGreg

First off, I LOVE your avatar . Congrats to Heiko on his first win!! That picture of him on your X5 console is PRICELESS! Dogs are the best aren't they? Enjoy the unconditional love .

Yes, you can't beat the love of a dog. They're just so honest. It's hard to believe that he's grown so much. Now instead of taking up the center console, he takes up the whole cargo area.

Glad you like the avatar. I changed it for Heiko but it still has that nostalgic Hello Kitty! reference. Gone but not forgotten.

I got this print for the wife for her birthday. Can you tell we love our puppy?

[x5GuyInLA]

congrats! great looking rottie!

[trueX5er]

very cute!

[The Big Easy]

Kev, I know what you mean, mine are also totally consuming the cargo area! No more place for extras! Like the print too - are you placing this at the entrance?

Cheers,