Rottweilers are one of the dog breeds to which adequate pigmentation is of crucial importance.
Dog shows and exhibition visitors often hear that a Rottweiler is “well pigmented”, with “black mouth” or gums, with “dark eyes,” black or brown, “could be better pigmented,” etc. That is why it is important to learn what these terms refer to and what is their relation to dog kennels.
Why pigmentation in Rottweilers matters
If you’ve never had pets, you probably have not had the chance of learning on the importance of proper pigmentation in dogs. People often look for dark hair color dogs because they hear about dark pigment a lot and come to the false conclusion it refers to hair color. In fact, general population confuses dark pigmentation with hair color, while in fact it refers to eye color, mouth and gums.
Pigmentation significance varies in accordance with what you want your dog to be. If you are looking for a pet dog, or a guardian dog or a work dog, eye or hair color do not matter as much as in exhibition dogs. This is where adequate pigmentation comes to the forefront, as the fierce competition means details prevail and influence the final exhibition results.
Where pigment comes from?
Pigment comes from melanin concentration in skin cells and its amount is the primary visible coloring source, ranging from fairly light to completely dark. In dogs, melanin levels can be observed in eye color, mouth and gums, which should all be black – at least in healthy pedigree Rottweiler dogs with quality genes resulting from champion European bloodlines.
The pigment of the eyes, mouth and gums goes hand in hand with one another. That is the reason why most dogs usually have dark eyes and dark gums. On the other hand, dogs with dark eyes and pink gums, and vice versa, are fairly rare.
What eye pigment is acceptable in Rottweilers
When it comes to eye color in German Rottweilers, they should be almond brown. Sometimes it is very difficult to properly differentiate between two varieties, and even referees in shows and exhibitions experience difficulties due to light conditions and the sunrays angle on the eye.
There are two variants, A and B, with a total of 10 varieties. A variant is black, B variant brown. The color variants are the following: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 5 and 6, ranging from the darkest (1A) to the lightest (6).
Generally speaking, dogs with eye color ranging from 1A to 4A have the breeding approval, whereas 4B to 6 range and lighter pigments are not acceptable for breeding. The preferred breeding range is 1A to 3A, in which only 1A-2B is the recommended choice for the continuation of the best genes. Of course, A variant has gained prestigious connotation and has become more popular.
One of the guiding principles in dog breeding in Fere Perfectum German Rottweiler dog breed kennel is the selection of best bloodlines. Among other features, such bloodlines are characterised by naturally dark pigmentation of eyes and mouth.
That is the rationale behind mating our Dams with Sires with 1A or 1B eye color and black gums exclusively. That way not only do we continue the champion bloodlines that we already have but we also help the gene pool by further breeding of the desired genes solely.
Hair pigment and albinism in Rottweilers
FCI standards and nomenclature consider the “black with tan markings” to be the typical Rottweiler coloring, not mentioning any shades or nuances. However, there are actually three hair varieties: black and tan, black and rust, and black and mahogany.
What we also often see in real life are brown Rottweilers and, less often, even albino Rottweilers. Both brown and albino Rottweilers are considered eliminating faults.
Furthermore, markings of incorrect color, not clearly defined, and markings which are too spread out, are also considered faulty, and such dogs cannot be taken as exemplary representatives of their breed.
These faults are mostly a direct consequence of either faulty genes or Rottweiler mixtures with other breeds and should be avoided at all cost. It takes only one dog to influence hundreds of its direct and indirect litters. If such faulty genes enter the gene pool, they are virtually impossible to extinguish in generations to come.
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- Black and rust
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- Black and mahogany
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- Black and tan
The most desirable Rottweilers today are either completely black or almost completely black. Some people consider them visually appealing, but this is a two-bladed sword. Namely, a color too dark with indistinctive markings is also considered faulty, not as serious to cause show disqualification, but still significant enough to raise questions.
Fere Perfectum is a dog kennel where we highly value the good genes, and all our Rottweiler puppies for sale speak volumes. They all have natural-born black eyes, black mouth and black hair, with appropriate tan markings. We take care of them and treat them in the best way possible, making sure they never encounter stress or health problems. While with us, they have all the love and affection they need, and they go to their new families in the best shape possible. They slowly disperse around the world, mostly in the US (Colorado and California being the most recent), hence the gene pool is preserved and keeps multiplying with our helpful hand.
Mouth (de)pigmentation
When it comes to mouth color, it ranges from fairly pink to almost completely black. It is possible for this color to fade from black to pink, which is called depigmentation, i.e. lack of pigment.
The main cause of depigmentation in dogs in stress – an umbrella term for various sorts of both physical and psychological stress imposed on dogs due to various reasons.
Another known cause of depigmentation in dogs is age, which influences the emergence of pink patches and, in the long run, gum discoloration.
Improper housing, inadequate external temperature, lack of socialisation with both other dogs and people, exhausting training with insufficient rest time, malnutrition, heavy workload, lack of affection and care, heating season, exhibitions and shows, to name just a few, are the most common stress causes in dogs. Recognising their symptoms on time may help you prevent the potential problems before they manifest and thus save you precious time and money in the long run and relieve your precious pets from unnecessary stress.
How to restore adequate mouth pigment?
Unfortunately for many dog owners, pigmentation in dogs is unalterable, and, once lost, gum pigment can never be restored.
The same goes for eye color, which is absolutely unalterable. Hence, what it takes to have a dog with eye color ranging from 1A to 3A is to mate them only and exclusively with individuals with such genes.
However, while there is absolutely no way to influence age-related mouth depigmentation, stress is a whole another story. There are some ways to slightly modify gum pigmentation with quality nutrition and food supplements such as brown algae. Still, bear in mind that pink gums cannot turn into black gums, as genetics also plays a role in this process.
Rottweiler health and housing indirectly reflect in their hair, eyes and mouth pigmentation. While hair and eyes pigment cannot be influenced in their lifetime, mouth color is under the direct influence of stress and can be restored to a certain degree. That is why Rottweilers require special care and affection. Only that way can you ensure they remain the true representatives of their breed and help in preserving the desired gene pool, as well as promoting quality breeding in dog shows and exhibitions.