Craffenheim Rottweilers - Edited (1)

Our Females

The Incredible Females of Craffenheim Rottweilers 

Our Queens

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At Craffenheim Rottweilers we believe that every great litter begins with an exceptional female. Our special girls are more than breeding stock — they are family members, teachers, and the heart of our program. Below is an overview of how we care for them, the specific value a female adds to any breeding combination, and why a strong, balanced female is indispensable to producing healthy, stable Rottweiler puppies.

The Females of Craffenheim Rottweilers 

BAILEY1
Craffenheim Bailey
BELLA1 (1)
Craffenheim Bella
EYDIS1 (1)
Craffenheim Eydis the Eyeless
FEE1 (1)
Craffenheim Fee
CRAFFENHEIM FREYA 1 (1)
Craffenheim Freya
GRACIE LOU1 (1)
Craffenheim Gracie-Lou
LAGERTHA1 (1)
Craffenheim Lagertha
NALA1 (1)
Craffenheim L-Nala
PIA1 (1)
Craffenheim Pia
RAYNE1 (1)
Craffenheim Rayne
UTA1 (1)
Craffenheim Uta
ZELDA1 (1)
Craffenheim Zelda

Retiring Soon

BETTY BOOP1 (1)
Craffenheim Betty Boop
GRACE KELLY1 (1)
Craffenheim Grace Kelly
JOSY1 (1)
Craffenheim Josy
UNJA1 (1)
Craffenheim Unja
YANKA1 (1)
Craffenheim Yanka
Find Out More About Our Retiring Queens

Care, Wellbeing and Daily Life

We treat our females first as companions and second as breeding partners. Their physical and emotional wellbeing guides every decision we make.

Practical Care We Provide:

Nutrition
Nutrition
age- and condition-appropriate, high-quality diets; extra attention to balanced protein, omega fatty acids, and supplements where needed during pregnancy and lactation.


Exercise & Enrichment
Exercise & Enrichment
controlled, regular exercise to maintain healthy weight and muscle tone; mental enrichment through training, scent work and supervised social time.


Veterinary Care & Testing
Veterinary Care & Testing
routine wellness checks, vaccinations, parasite control, and pre-breeding reproductive health screenings. We follow breed-specific best practices for hip, elbow, cardiac and (where applicable) genetic testing.
Reproductive Management & Whelping Support
Reproductive Management & Whelping Support
heat-cycle tracking, progesterone testing when indicated, careful selection of mating time, and hands-on support through whelping and early neonatal care.
Grooming & Comfort
Grooming
& Comfort
regular grooming, dental care, and comfortable, quiet whelping areas with soft bedding and temperature control.

Emotional Care & Handling
Emotional Care
& Handling
constant gentle handling so mothers are confident and comfortable with people; calm, consistent routines that reduce stress before, during, and after whelping.

We invest time, resources and affection into our females because stress-free, well-cared-for mothers raise healthier, better-adjusted puppies.

What a Female Contributes to a Breeding

Beyond Genetics

People sometimes focus only on the stud. The female, however, contributes far more than DNA alone.

Key contributions of the dam:

Maternal behaviour & early learning:
maternal instincts—nursing, grooming, teaching bite inhibition, and setting social boundaries—shape the puppies’ early behavioural framework. Puppies learn calmness, confidence and social cues from their mother’s behaviour.

Epigenetic and in-utero environment:

maternal nutrition, stress levels and uterine environment influence growth rate, immune system development and even long-term temperament traits. A healthy, calm female often produces healthier, sturdier pups.

Milk quality & immune transfer:

colostrum provides critical antibodies in the first 24–48 hours. The quality of maternal milk and the mother’s health determine the puppies’ early immunity and resilience.

Social modelling:

we see lasting effects from maternal temperament—gentle, balanced dams tend to raise puppies who are confident and people-oriented; overly nervous or reactive dams can pass on stress-reactive patterns (behaviourally and physiologically).

Selection of traits beyond pure phenotype:

good maternal lines often carry desirable traits not obvious on paper—consistency in soundness, trainability, and stable temperaments across generations.

Why a Strong Female Matters

A “strong” female doesn’t mean dominant or harsh — it means physically sound, mentally balanced, and temperamentally stable. These qualities cascade into every puppy she produces.

Benefits of a strong dam:

  • Lowered perinatal risk: she whelps more easily, nurses reliably, and mothers her litter effectively, reducing neonatal loss and veterinary emergencies.
  • Predictable temperament: breeders can rely on repeatable behavioural strengths—confidence, trainability, calmness—when the dam demonstrates them consistently.
  • Better puppy socialization: a calm, social mother facilitates appropriate early interactions among littermates and with people, which is crucial during the critical socialization window (2–8 weeks).
  • Long-term soundness: strong females often produce offspring with better structural balance and working potential, especially when matched thoughtfully to complementary males.

How We Select and Pair

Our Females

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Selection at Craffenheim is intentional. We prioritize:

Health Clearances
Health
Clearances
hips, elbows, cardiac screening, and any breed-relevant genetic testing.
Temperament Assessment
Temperament
Assessment
stable, confident, and teachable — friendly with family, tolerant with puppies, and steady in novel situations.
Conformation & Movement
Conformation
& Movement
sound structure that supports longevity and function.
Maternal Record
Maternal
Record
proven mothers get preference; their past litters tell us about their maternal skills and what traits they pass on.
Line-breeding & Outcross Strategy
Line-breeding
& Outcross Strategy
we balance preserving desirable family traits with avoiding excessive inbreeding, always thinking multi-generationally.

Our Promise

Love, Transparency, and Responsibility

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Every female at Craffenheim is a cherished member of our household. We make breeding decisions with welfare, ethics and breed betterment in mind. Prospective puppy owners receive full transparency on the dam’s health testing, maternal history, and early life care their puppy received.