[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: The Standard and the drop of water
- From: Gsdman2@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:13:34 EST
<<I've been told that when the dog is stacked, it should appear that
if a drop of water fell on its head, it would roll smoothly down the head,
body and off the tip of the tail. >>
-------------------------------------
Unfortunately, that drop of water would keep on rolling down a back that is
too long, a croup that is too steep or too short, a dead tail ... wait ... a
proper saber shaped tail carried out as it should be, just might catch that
drop
of water. <G>
I put no faith in descriptions such as the drop of water theory. They always
remind me of "watching how far the rear foot passes the front foot" to judge
reach in the rear. The truth is, it should be how far the rear foot passes
the imprint left by the front foot, and believing that is all there is to rear
action (some judges seem to) is a killer for this breed. A steep croup can set
a rear under far enough to make that rear foot pass where the front foot
leaves off, and that type of croup is a fault. That dog cannot drive or follow
through correctly. A dog with a ridiculously steep topline in motion will fit
the drop of water theory just fine, but where in the standard is that
exaggerated topline called for? Sure, it's exciting to see ... if you want
something
other than what the standard asks for.
I had a dog that moved pretty darn well with his head forward and a level
topline in motion. I also had one heck of a time trying to persuade handlers
not
to string him up on a tight lead, (they wanted a high head carriage and an
exaggerated topline in motion). He won like crazy on a loose lead, and never
on
a tight lead. Now it is true that some folks will not even look at a dog
unless it shows a lot of topline in motion. I didn't care then, and I wouldn't
care now, because the dog fit what the standard asks for and he was rewarded
because of that under some very knowledgeable judges.
I invite everyone to look at the standard, and show us where an exaggerated
topline in motion is correct. I'm not talking about topline when the dog is
standing. That can change according to how the dog is stacked. Even my level
backed dog could be set up to look very extreme. I honestly believe that this
is an important topic to discuss, because in order to achieve that extreme
topline in motion, other parts of the dog need to be contrary to what the
standard asks for.
Just one more note ... My level backed dog also fit the drop of water theory
just fine. His wither was higher than that level back, and the topline
continued downward with his long correctly shaped and angled croup. His head
carriage in motion was at about 45 degrees, which is correct, but also happens
to be
about 45 degrees lower than the exciting dogs we seem to want these days.
True, when a dog is excited he tends to lift his head, but can that dog move
correctly with his head forward?
Tom Langlitz
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues
============================================================================
Other related posts:
