Imagine you are a Rottie fan, never owned one, but always wanted one. Decide the time is right and go puppy hunting, you trawl through the internet, newspapers and magazines and find sites that have or are about to have litters, the site or advert tells you the dam is Fffiona of Puddleturn and the sire is CH Bogeynose of Fleaintheear. The cost per pup is £600 and they require a deposit of so many £s' to be sure of booking one of the pups. You e-mail or telephone them saying you have specific requirements, perhaps you're looking for a bold and eager adventurer, or a laid back pup whose only visible signs of agression are when she is asleep and appears to be chasing something with her paws flapping, eyes batting and letting out little grunts, perhaps the pups are very young and not yet old enough to asses them, but you need to pay that deposit or you will not be in line for that Rottie puppy you've dreamed of, you see foto's of the puppies and notice one or more of them show up as having white marks on the chest, so you mention it to the breeder and they say something like "Well madam, that's the one we assesed would suit your specific requirements, the white will fade to tan as the puppy gets older, you are only having it as a pet after all is said and done"

So my question is... When is a Rottie not a Rottie?

Well one things for sure - the white isn't going to fade to tan!

Rotties - my favourite breed. it's hard to know excactly what you're saying from your post, but I personally wouldn't put a deposit on any pup from e-mails & photos alone!

I'd want to meet the Sire & Dam & all the pups in the litter & I'd want to pick my own pup, not let the breeder tell me which one I was having.

Goes without saying I'd also want to know parents were healthy / had all relevant health tests & were of a sound temperament.

Good Luck

snoopy1. x

edit to add .- why don't you register? It's free & easy

"So my question is... When is a Rottie not a Rottie? "

the answer to that is when it puts on lipstick then its your mother in law :-)

I will have to remember that one :-) :-) :-)

A deposit is there so both the new owner AND the breeder knows there is a home for the pup
I guess the only way you could choose your pup with out putting a deposit down is wait for adverts saying pups ready now
which in all honesty isnt the way you want to be going.
White hairs dont vanish as such but can be less visible when the dog matures ie chest fills out
but is doesnt always happen.

No breeder can guarantee temp on a pup after all its as much up to the owner raising the pup properly
to get it right.

I'm a little confussed about your question/s.  I have been waiting 30 years for the right time to buy a Rottie, so I can understand that part. Are you asking whether or not to ask for money off because you think the puppy is 'tainted'?  I don't supose it would hurt to ask, so long as you are sure it is 'tainted'.
Are you asking if a Rottie with a white flash conforms with the breed standard? I've read some US Rottie books, one states that white patches is an automatic disqualifier, the other  doesn't quite go that far, and on some sites in the UK they say similar things. Perhaps someone can tell you, and me ;)
If it bothers you that the puppy will grow up looking like a blemished Rottie, just say thanks, but no thanks.
I hope you don't mind a little bit of advice from a fellow Rottie hunter.  I found to my cost, (refused puppy after a break down of comunications) that asking the breeder lots of questions regarding temperament testing or how would they asses the pups to find that special pup who comes bang on for your circumstances.

I wish you well fellow hunter, I hope your pup is 'round the corner'
Septamus

Hello Septamus,

Did you ever find the right puppy for you? (I take it that you are the Septamus that needed a very 'special' pup to fit in with your mobility circumstances). I do hope that you did!.I know that a lot of fellow champdoggers would love to hear whether you found the right one.

Ali :)

Hi,
According to the KC Breed Standard, white marking is highly undesirable. (In the UK there are no disqualifying faults.)
Hope this helps.
:)

We recently went through the process of puppy hunting and visited many rottie breeders. Our search took both myself and my wife to every county in the uk, we visited variouse homes of breeders,if we was to go through it again, we would consider the following. (1) A deposit is required from the breeder agreed, however is your deposit returnable? have it put in writing.(2) visit both the dam and sire owners before you you make any decission or place a deposit.(3) i also agree with snoopy1 do not take emails or photographs as any proof that the litter shown being the one you will visit.(4) last but not least i would vet the breeder more than the new puppy, in our search for the perfect pup we found theres a lot out there that claim to be what they are not, one breeder after taking our deposit offered the pup to us at 6 weeks old "we declined on our vets advise" the breeder kept our deposit. Find the breeder you feel happy with one who can offer not only a good bred puppy but a continueing helpline do not just look for that ball of fluff "nice to see" look at its breeder if anything at all puts you off then go with your senses and steer clear.