Raising the Rottweiler
Breeding and raising Rottweilers is an experience few people fully understand until they have lived it themselves.
The experience of breeding Horowai and raising Simba’s puppies became one of the most demanding, emotional and meaningful chapters of our lives. From the artificial insemination process and repeated vet visits, through to the sleepless nights beside the whelping box, the experience was both amazing and terrifying.
For the first weeks our lives revolved entirely around the puppies. They were fed every two hours, checked constantly, handled closely, and never far from human company. The puppies were not raised at arm’s length. They were raised with touch, presence, supervision and love.
This experience now forms the basis of a work in progress titled Raising the Rottweiler — a future book and long-form reflection on the reality of breeding, whelping and raising a litter, not only in practical terms but in emotional ones too.
The material shared on this page is an introduction to that story, with more to come.
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•    [Insert photo: Horowai at vet]
•    [Insert photo: ultrasound]
•    [Insert photo: Horowai with newborn puppies]
•    [Insert video: puppies at 3 days]
•    [Insert photo/video: puppies outdoors at 6 weeks]

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Raising Simba’s Babies

This section began as notes on what it was really like to breed and raise a litter from our girl Horowai and our preserved boy Simba. It was never meant to be a polished manual. It started as a record of a very intense, emotional, and unforgettable experience.

We did our research and took advice where it mattered, but in the end the responsibility sat with us. Horowai was not a breeding machine. She was a beloved family dog, affectionate, sensitive, and deeply attached to us, and this was her first and only litter. That shaped the entire experience.

Looking back, the main thing that stays with me is that from day one mum and puppies were loved and never left to go through it alone. For the first weeks I stayed beside the whelping box or slept on the couch next to it. There was no version of this where I could simply leave her and hope for the best.

The insemination process itself was emotional. It took repeated vet visits, constant timing, and a level of strain I had not truly appreciated until we were in it. Then came the pregnancy, the whelping, the feeding, the lack of sleep, and the constant watchfulness that comes with trying to do right by a first-time mother and a litter that depends on you for everything.

When the puppies arrived, they were handled constantly, watched constantly, and folded into our daily life from the very beginning. We wanted them to know people, seek people, and feel safe with people. Even the rough sibling moments were managed gently. When they got too nasty with each other, I found myself using soft toys to break the tension rather than frightening them.

There were stressful moments, funny moments, and moments that still sit heavily with me now. There were also the great moments - the pups thriving, rolling in the grass, falling asleep on you after a burst of chaos, and gradually becoming the sort of dogs you hoped they would be.

If there is one idea at the heart of this section, it is that time with people should feel valuable to a puppy. The feedback we later received from Nismo’s owner - that he always wanted to be with people and had become his best mate - told me we had done something right.

This page can grow over time into a fuller journal of breeding, whelping, puppy handling, and what the experience taught us. For now, it stands as a true account of how much these dogs meant to us and how seriously we took their start in life.

[PLACEHOLDER - Insert sequence of photos/videos: AI journey, ultrasound, newborns, hand-feeding, 6-week play sessions, puppies asleep on grandad.]

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