The rear assembly is just as vital as the front as
this provides a powerful drive. The pelvis is
the pivotal point of the rear assembly and should form
a 30 degree angle to the topline to achieve good
balance and construction. This angle should be
the same in the shoulder blade and upper thigh
also. As with the foot, the bend of stifle needs
a long upper and lower thigh for speed and a moderate
stifle for endurance.
Well let down hocks are also an essential, when
viewed from the rear the legs and hocks should view as
two perpendicular columns: |
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This is an excellent example
of Rear Assembly.
The bitch's hindquarters show excellent muscle tone
and shape.
The rear is set correctly and the angulation is
perfect. The two perpendicular lines can be
drawn straight through the pelvis as seen.
From the static balance shown here, this dog should
display excellent movement with powerful rear action
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Good rear angulation should
be a straight line which passes in front of the pelvic
girdle, through the knee and stifle and meets the
ground just in front of the foot.
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| The angulation for the
femur should always be 45 degrees to the ground, this
allows the maximum stretch for the muscles attached -
the tibia and fibula are of a longer length which
produce the hock. The hock should be short to
facilitate endurance (remember the Rottweiler is not a
speed dog).
The Rottweiler is similar to a rear wheel drive car
- the power in the rear pushes through the spinal
column to drive the assembly.
The croup also plays an important part in this
drive. The term "falling off at the
croup" is used often - this is used to describe
the angle between the croup and the tail set - falling
off means too much angulation (literally falling off
if you were to place a marble and let it run from the
croup!). So what is the croup, let's look at
where this falls in the Rottweiler. |
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A = Croup
B = Tail Set |
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This is an example of a good
croup. The angle between the croup and the tail
set should not be dead straight or over
angulated. This should be around 10 degrees.
A "goose rump" is used to describe a dog
with too much angulation here. This results in a
short mincing stride. |
| Hocks should not be totally
straight or bend too far forward. As illustrated
in the above photos, this is an example of a good hock
- bending very slightly forward to give a good centre
of balance. A dog whose hocks bend too far
forward is what is know as "sickle" hocked -
if there is over angulation in the stifle joint this
is usually an associated fault that goes hand in
hand. The hocks should be perfectly straight
when viewed from the rear - as illustrated earlier on
this page.
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