Welcome to RiverRock German Shepherds
RiverRock German Shepherds is a small hobby kennel in
St. Cloud, Minnesota dedicated to breeding beautiful German Shepherd
Dogs that embody all of the finest qualities of this magnificent breed
as described in the AKC Breed Standard.
My name is Dr. Zoa Rockenstein and I am the “pack
leader” around here. I am a retired Professor Emeritus in the
Psychology Department at St. Cloud State University where I taught a
course in Canine Cognition and specialized in ways that dogs think,
learn, and continue to co-evolve with their human partners.
I
am a member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America and have served
on the Public Relations, Herding, Membership, and Redbook Committees
for this organization. I am also a member of the German Shepherd
Dog Club of Minneapolis/St. Paul. I am a signatory of the
Breeders’ Code of Ethics for both of these organizations and have been
designated an “AKC Breeder of Merit”.
My son River Rockenstein, his wife Honah, and their daughters Rowan and
Haven are also major players at RiverRock.
The History of RiverRock
Zoa at 7 yrs. and Freda at 7 mos |
I
have been involved with German Shepherd Dogs for 60 years, having
received my first gsd, Freda, from my father at age 7. She came from a
puppy mill, and was probably the ugliest gsd to ever grace the planet,
but she was everything to me. |
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While my parents were outaged, I was utterly intrigued. Did this mean that there were German Shepherds better than my beloved Freda? I wanted to know them. I wanted to own them. I wanted to be in the show ring with them. A dream was born! |
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| I
purchased my first show-quality bitch and attended my first show while
in college in the 1970’s. Sitting ringside at this show, with the
breeder of my new bitch, I correctly picked the winners in each class.
The breeder was impressed with this and asked me if I would like to be
trained as a handler and handle his dogs at shows throughout the
Southeast. This was part of my dream-come-true, and I learned about the
breed standard and about the correct structure, movement, and
temperament of the dogs. I was also fortunate to be in the ring every weekend with some of the great handlers like Jimmy Moses, Doug Crane, Kim Knoblach, and Lamar Kuhns who were generous with advice and were models of sportsmanship. I also saw many of the great dogs of the era like Ch. Lance of Fran Jo and his progeny. Since that time, I have bred, owned, trained, and shown many German Shepherd Dogs from both German and American lines. |
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| Zoa and Callie at 3 mo. |
Breeding Program Philosophy
RiverRock is not a puppy mill, and I do not breed for profit. My goal is to contribute dogs excelling in soundness, performance, beauty, and style to the German Shepherd gene pool. It is my belief that only dogs that will enhance the gene pool should be bred.
While I prefer the American-bred dog in type, I
believe that well-bred dogs from both American and German/European show
lines have value in the gene pool. At the present time, both German and
American show lines are being combined in my breeding program for the
purpose of introducing genetic diversity while maintaining the
elegance, floating gait, and gentle/protective temperament of the
American-bred dog.
I
usually plan 1-3 litters per year. Months of careful study go into the
planning of these litters. Visits to the kennel include a review
of my Breeder’s Books along with an introduction to my pedigree
analysis process.
Puppies are given the very best of care and receive extensive socialization from an early age. Puppies are given early neurological stimulation as well and are temperament tested in order to place them into situations that match their personalities.
Puppy buyers receive a health guarantee.
Soundness in a German Shepherd Dog and Puppy
A beautiful dog is nothing unless both physically and mentally sound:
- A sound dog is a healthy dog with a long lifespan (10-13 years).
- A sound dog is free of crippling hip and elbow dysplasia.
- A sound dog easily passes the Temperament Test.
- A sound dog will be a friendly, yet protective, family companion.
The breeding of sound dogs requires a thorough knowledge of all dogs in a pedigree for at least five generations. The gene pool is small, and even the best pedigree research cannot rule out health problems entirely. What it can do, however, is reduce the probability of problems related to health and soundness.
Reputable breeders take this responsibility seriously by researching the pedigrees of prospective breeding partners, breeding only dogs who are free of health and temperament problems at the time of the breeding, and guaranteeing puppies against maladies proven to be genetically transmitted.
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River & Honah with Karla in the Puppy Garden |
German Shepherds and Performance
Sound dogs will have both the physical and mental capacity to perform in sports like conformation, obedience, rally, agility, herding, and schutzhund. They will be useful as assistance or therapy dogs. They will be an asset to law enforcement and the military.
Personally, I enjoy herding competition with my dogs. Since this is the purpose for which the German Shepherd Dog was originally developed, the herding instinct is still present in many of our dogs today.
I select breeding partners with herding instinct and/or working titles in their backgrounds in order to breed for both beauty and working ability. I also participate in obedience and rally competition.
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River & Sera in the Puppy Garden |
Beauty in the German Shepherd
At RiverRock, beauty is evaluated by the degree
to
which the dog conforms to the official AKC Breed Standard for German
Shepherd Dogs. There are other Breed Standards with slightly different
variations.
The Standard defines the proper structure and appearnace of the dog
from nose to tail,
describes how the dog should move at a trot, and outlines correct
temperament. The Breed Standard is a blueprint which should guide both
breeding decisions (including the important decision not to breed a
given dog) and the independent, objective evaluation of dogs by judges
trained in the application of the Breed Standard in the show ring.
There is a link to the current AKC Illustrated Breed Standard on my Links page.
German Shepherd Style
Style is a matter of personal preference
regarding appearance plus attitude.
I
like a “classic” type American-bred dog with strong pigment, a
beautiful coat, tight feet, a noble head, medium drive, and the
unmistakable “look of eagles”. You will see this type of dog on
the Boys and Girls pages.
I prefer a well-balanced,
medium-sized dog rather than an over-built dog with extreme
angulation. Bigger is not better in German Shepherds.
Excessive size puts too much stress on the joints. Extreme
angulation creates weakness in the rear. I want a dog that walks
on his feet, not his hocks. She may be a show champion, but she
should also be able to jump into a vehicle or herd a flock of
sheep. The German Shepherd is, first and foremost, a working dog.
I
expect a strong work ethic, unwavering loyalty, and a desire to please.
In attitude, I value an intelligent dog who exudes nobility yet
exhibits playfulness and a sense of humor; a dog who is a loving and
gentle companion, yet would give his life to protect his family.
That is the type of dog that I strive to produce at RiverRock.
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Rowan Rockenstein with Tucker X Sera pups |
