[ SHOWGSD-L ] The shoulder, movement, & "cat like" discussion....
- From: Barbara Galasso <uwish@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 09:12:29 -0500
I have sat back and read the many, many posts of the shoulder and it's
purpose in movement. Chuck, Tom, Fred, Morton, Helen and others truly
gave a viewpoint coming from a combination of many years of education,
judging and breeding. I heard the discussion of "cat like" motion used.
Some agreed with it. Some did not. I think some took it too
literally. I really liked how Helen and Chuck described it. From my
own understanding of what I thought they were trying to say, I don't
think they meant that the dog needed to be structured like the cat to
move in this "cat like" motion. What I gathered from their conversation
and what I have believed all along myself is when I good mover moves, he
propels himself forward with his head and drops his body moving close to
the ground. He pushes from his hindquarters and thrusts this movement
to the foreassembly in one smooth action. There's no hackney, choppy,
lifting kind of movement. Everything moves like a well oiled machine.
I'm sorry I don't have some of your scientific background or extensive
research that you have done, but if you read the posts of the last
couple of days, how very confusing reading all this stuff about the 35
degree angle, the 90 degree angle, the layback, the lay on. I
personally believe when a judge goes out into the middle of the ring, he
is not thinking about all those scientifically correct equations that
he's read and studied about. Of course he should understand them, but
it's what the animal is presenting to him in the ring. This is not an
exact science, we know the perfect animal hasen't been born.
Excuse the comparision, but it's like once you learn how to ride a bike,
you never forget. Show a student of the breed what a great moving dog
looks like, and the vision in your brain shall never forget it. All the
laybacks of shoulders by laying hands on and feeling for length of upper
arms, in my opinion is not as necessary when you see the dog move
properly. If he's opening up in the front, you know he must have the
proper bone structure. I see people advertising dogs in the magazines
or web sites right now and they are showing dogs that are reaching from
the elbow, kicking up in the rear, roaching the back because they don't
have the proper transmission of follow through from the thrust of the
rear extending to the front assembly.
I guess my point is, all this discussion on paper is fine.....it gives
us an education.......it teaches us the scientific reasons to back up
peoples points of views. Students of the breed can learn the
theory................but when it comes to applying that theory to the
dog, just how much smarter are they. They have learned book knowledge,
that's all. They need to apply that theory, and the only way they are
going to do that is with live animals that know how to move. It is the
best education one can get. Charts, diagrams, pictures are all nice,
but lets face it, most of the dogs we see in person don't look anything
like what the standard calls for anyway. So what's the point?
Admittingly, I'm a movement nut (right or wrong), it's just my
preference. I've been successful in a very small, humble way, but I was
lucky to study movement and shoulder assembly because I owned a
beautiful moving bitch and she produced it. Sure I read every book and
magazine on the subject, but looking at my dogs was all the education I
needed. And like the expression or not, she did move like a
cat...............a powerful cat. Here
again.................JMHO.............Barbara Galasso
Owner and/or breeder of: BIM CH. Arbar Xanadu, ROM, Sel #3 CH.
Chieftain's Kharu, CH. Chieftain's Kazaan, CH. Chieftain's Nobility,
BOS Maturity Chieftain's Nuance, Llenroc Summer Harvest (5 pt. major),
Chieftain's Phara of Rymsas (Am. ptd.), Chieftain's Dakota (Can. ptd.)
and now Amber's Strike a Pose
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