[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Standard backlines....
- From: Karen C. <kmc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:11:58 -0500
On Tue, 5 Dec 2006 10:19:49 -0800, "Carolyn"
<marhaven@xxxxxxx> wrote:=20
>Okay....if the higher wither "SLOPES"....onto a "LEVEL back".
>OOOPS...that's TWO ANGLES!! .
>( slope and level. That would cause a 'junction' )
Hey all,
I've thought for awhile about this post and, first
considered not sending it at all, and then thought about
only sending it privately. After all... I'm only a noob.
Who do I think I am participating in any discussion of a
Standard with JUDGES and other folks much more
knowledgeable than myself. But then I thought, what the
hell am I on this list for if not to pick brains and share
information? So, here goes... If this post is wrong or out
of line, just press delete and/or tell me to go get lost.
=46rom the GSDCA Standard:
"Topline: The withers are higher than and sloping into the
level back. The back is straight, very strongly developed
without sag or roach, and relatively short."
When I studied canine structure, I was taught that the
back (and backline) are totally different from the
topline. The topline is made up of several parts running
from the ears to the tail: the neck, withers, back, loin
and croup. Many would include the tail itself here,
depending on breed. In my breed, for example, the tail is
supposed to come smoothly off of the topline as almost an
extension of it. There shouldn't be any noticeable dips or
breaks and the tail shouldn't be held up over the dog
(gay).
The backline is the specific section of the topline that
goes from a point just behind the withers to the beginning
of the tail. The actual back itself, on the other hand,
starts at that same point just behind the withers and ends
at the front junction with the loin. The loin then picks
up from there and goes to the junction with the croup.
If you have a picture of a dog skeleton handy, these parts
can be visualized perhaps a bit more easily. The neck is
made up the 7 cervical vertebrae and corresponds to the
area from what we call the occiput and running down to the
point of the wither, which is the highest part of the
backline. The withers is made up of the first 7 of the 13
thoracic vertebrae. The point of the wither is made up of
the first 3 which are also the tallest of all the thoracic
vertebrae. The last 6 of the thoracic vertebrae form the
back, and go roughly to just before the end of the
ribcage. The loin is formed by the first 5 (or 6?) of the
7 lumbar vertebrae. The croup (rump) is formed by the last
lumbar vertebra(e) combined with the 3 fused vertebrae
that make up the sacrum. What we call the set-on of the
tail is the area at which the sacrum joins the coccygeal
vertebrae: the tail. What I've written here is true, more
or less. Some might argue about the exact vertebrae where
the various parts begin and end. But you can use this as a
general guide -- in this regard, your mileage varies.
The reason why we don't see abrupt beginnings and ends
(or sharp, distinct angles) to the parts of the topline is
due mostly to the amount of muscling that the dog has and
the way in which that muscling fills in the topline
because how it is attached to the spinal column. Muscling
can obviously be affected by such things as exercise and
nutrition, but a dog must have the skeleton first and be
built correctly in order for the muscles to have a point
of attachment. This is why we place so much importance on
angulation front and rear. But the topline and the
backline really don't have anything to do with angulation.
Proper angulation is about the angles created by the bones
that make up the forequarters and the hindquarters and the
way those parts fit together.
If anyone has a copy of Spira's Canine Terminology, do
look this up. It's pretty fascinating stuff! ;)
Karen C.
kmc@xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Herding dogs are outstanding in their fields..."
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