Björkelunds Rottweiler

Johanna and her mother Inga-lill have run the kennel Björkelunds Rottweiler for over 20 years; a kennel with a focus on well-built, strong dogs with good temperament. In the long run, such a breeding focus produces healthy and durable dogs, says Johanna.

Despite that, bad luck can of course strike anyone. The female Sessan, an almost 9-year-old rottweiler, was struck by the disease SLO 5 years ago. SLO is an autoimmune disease that causes the dog to lose its claws, a condition that can be both painful and difficult to treat.

"We tried different treatments, both cortisone, salmon oil for extra fatty acids and biotin supplements, but nothing helped. She got side effects from cortisone, so we had to end that treatment, and instead try to relieve her as much as possible when she lost her claws. Last summer we heard about Petgood from one of our previous puppy buyers, and decided to try to see if Sessan's stomach got better, since she can also be a bit uneasy in the stomach now and then. Imagine our surprise when her claws improved! Now, for the first time, she has claws on all her toes since she got the diagnosis - and we have to trim them soon! But we of course have to consider that a luxury problem, haha!"

One of the kennel's males has also switched to Petgood. In the background you can hear the result of his participation in the kennel: seven rottweiler puppies, just over a week old, are now crawling around and sniffing in the whelping box, cared for by their mother Björkelunds Bra-ssa, also called Mio. The very first litter came as long as 20 years ago, a year after the kennel was founded. The choice to work with Rottweiler was, for Johanna, more or less a coincidence.

"I was actually a little afraid of dogs before - but when I ran a riding shop we had an intern there with two rottweilers, and since then I have been sold. After that I got my own first puppy and have been very active in the Rottweiler club and trained with my dogs."

The rottweiler may seem like an unusual choice for someone who was afraid of dogs, but Johanna explains that the rottweiler is a very direct dog that is easy to read. They clearly signal their mood and what they think, which makes them easy to communicate with. Temperament is everything in Johanna's breeding, giving open and happy dogs that have a natural curiosity about life. The dog's physique and anatomy also play a big role, as this lays the foundation for a healthy and durable dog. It is then important to have a good grasp of the dog's anatomy and to be able to see early on which dogs have traits suited for further breeding. But despite her long experience, Johanna remains humble.

"I think that as a breeder you should always be open to asking questions and learning from and helping each other. It is important to trust your gut feeling, but also to ask for help when it is needed and to lift up each other's strengths!"

With those wonderful words, we thank Johanna and Inga-lill for being part of our Petgood breeder club, and we look forward to following the growing litter on their journey!