A Correct Rottweiler Front Assemble

By Steven A. Robinson
Of
Darkstarr Rottweilers

A good front assemble is very hard to acquire in a breeding program and even harder to keep. Because of it's complexity, It is better understood if we look at what each part is responsible for. It is after you understand each parts function, that you truly appreciate the operation of the whole front assembly.

Shoulder blade - The shoulder blade in dogs, is not firmly attached as it is with horses but is held in place by muscles and ligaments. The main function of the shoulder is to efficiently divide the force that originated from the rear assembly into adequate support of the dog and his momentum forward. The efficiency of the shoulder blade is for the most part dependent upon its positioning. From the side, the greater the angle (straight) the more the force from the rear is directed downward (support) and the less that is directed forward (momentum). This is why some people seek a 45 degree layback (the mythical shoulder position) because it evenly distributes the push from the rear toward the support and momentum functions of the blade. As the dog is facing you, another important angle of the blade is the inlay angle. It is the angle formed when the blade goes from where it meets the upper arm to the withers. When the dog is moving at a trot, it moves one front leg forward as the other front leg is retreating. This motion causes the dog to twist his front allowing the inlay of the blade to become more vertical (parallel to the forward momentum's plane of travel) which allows the action of the blade to be more effective in the dogs line of travel. Problems with inlay occur when you have to much inlay or to little. With wide dogs, the spacing between the blades needs to be wider because, narrow spacing between shoulder blades increases the inlay angle to where the blade cannot be aligned with the forward momentum's plane of travel. This greatly reduces the effectiveness of the blade. Loaded shoulders, Straight shoulders causes excessive width between the blades which reduces the inlay angle and similarly, causes the effectiveness of the blade to be miss guided from the direction of forward momentum.

Upper arm - the main purpose of the upper arm is to provide extension of the front. It is more responsible for this aspect than any other part of the front assembly. If the blade is positioned properly, the extension of the front is in direct proportion to the upper arm's length.

In a correct front, the upper arm and shoulder blade should be of equal length and when at rest the front feet should turn out slightly. This allows the feet to be aligned properly in the forward line of travel when single tracking.

**Not for reprint without authors consent**