Kennel " the Valley of the Glaciers".
The kennel is located in Rhône Alpes - Auvergne (France), more precisely in Haute Savoie, near Switzerland between Annecy and Geneva.
We have 7 hectares at our disposal, the dogs are in individual boxes. They have three 800 m2 playgrounds where they spend a minimum of 2 hours each day in groups of two or three, depending on their affinities. They regularly go out for walks and, for the most part, are trained 2 to 3 times a week in obedience and defence (Ring) in a Club in the region as well as on our training ground.
The dogs live mainly outside, whatever the weather. The Rott is a hardy dog and living outside does not mean living in bad conditions. They are protected from draughts and humidity and have a 10 to 15 m2 enclosure with a sunny and a shady area.
The puppies are born at home, in a specially equipped nursery.
Very early on, they are exposed to many different situations. Contact with humans and other animals. The play area is decorated with various games, they hear different noises (radio, everyday life and others).
The admission of young dogs into the home will allow them to become familiar with family life and related activities.
This will add to their repertoire of early experiences.
The breeder’s role is preponderant in this phase of the puppies’ life and everything is done to be able to say that the puppies that leave the kennel are well socialised and thus make satisfied owners and dogs that are well in their heads.
If our role as a breeder is decisive in the behaviour and balance of the dog, the owner’s role is just as important because it is he who will take over and complete the socialisation of his young dog. It is now up to the owner to introduce the dog to situations other than those he has experienced at the kennel, such as frequenting busy places (shopping centres, railway stations, etc.), noisy places (city traffic, construction work, etc.), not forgetting relations with his human family as well as those which are just as important with his fellow creatures and other animals of all kinds of hair and feathers.
Attending a structure such as a training club where the puppy can meet other dogs of his own age or older, where he can also acquire the basics of education, is part of the indispensable stages of the puppy’s education.
The purpose of good socialization is, we must not lose sight of it, the well-being of the animal and the owner.
Having a dog is a fabulous adventure, how many of us have dreamed of it during our childhood! How many have fallen in love with that cute puppy!
But living with an animal is not only a pleasure, it is also a responsibility, a responsibility towards others but also and especially towards the animal.
Many people have let themselves be taken in and the ever-increasing number of abandonments is there to remind us of so many failures.
Unfortunately, in this story, only the dog is going to be the one to suffer and end up abandoned behind the bars of an SPA, if not, in the worst case, euthanized!
Many people have forgotten that even though dogs have lived with us for so long, they still have their instincts. As kind and beautiful as our companion may be, we must not forget that he is still an animal in his own right with his own rules of life and behaviour. His world is governed by very specific laws, based on a notion of hierarchy, with a dominant and dominated!
The Rott., by virtue of its character, will seek to be the dominant, especially the males.
He needs a master or mistress whose authority is unquestionable, showing firmness and rigour, any violence being useless. He needs a rigorous education during which he will learn what he can and cannot do.
To take this into account is to ensure that the dramas that so often appear on the front pages of the media never happen again.
But, rest assured, once these ground rules are in place, you will have the most wonderful companion.
The breeder.
The Rottweiler, a passion since 1982, an experience of almost 40 years !
My first dog, a German Shepherd born in 1974, allowed me to get into dog sports and more particularly the use of dogs. In 1982, “love at first sight” during a walk on the shores of Lake Annecy, I discovered a dog that I immediately found magnificent, it was a Rott!
After having taken some information from the owner, I started, very quickly, to look for a Rottweiler. I don’t have to tell you how difficult it was because, at the time, the breed was not very well represented in France, and it seems that our German friends did not export their best subjects!
After several months of investigation, several trips to Alsace and Germany, which confirmed my passion for this breed, Aron arrived from a small German kennel. My main objective was to “work with my dog”, a task that was not without difficulties because Aron was not at all passionate about obedience and biting, but he did enjoy tracking. Despite this, we still managed to do a brevet, a few Ring I competitions and excellent results in tracking (Brevet, B, C, PJ,..). Since then, I have been lucky enough to live every day with my Rotts.
At first, working with dogs was my main activity, then the exhibition and the breeding. The “La Vallée des Glaciers” kennel was born in 1999 after a few litters without a kennel. Fascinated by everything related to the use of dogs, I was very quickly involved (since 1983) in training and preparation, as a handler, instructor and handler, of dogs for competition.
I participated in many competitions, mainly in the ring, but also in tracking and mondioring.
I have been selected as an attack man (Helper) on several occasions and I also hold certificates as a dog training instructor and as a Club instructor qualified to practice disciplines including biting. Breeding, another passion, with the main objective: “to produce puppies with morphological qualities that will allow them to compete with the best in shows and working trials, but above all whose aptitudes are superior to those of their parents”.
Our skills :
- Holder of the Certificate of Competence for the breeding of animals of domestic species,
- Holder of the certificate of capacity relating to the exercise of the activity of training of dogs to the bites.
- Authorised trainer for the formation of the masters of dangerous dogs,
- Club monitor.