Conformation Help - Page 1

I am learning about showlines and would like to get your thoughts on this dog. Would you consider him to be "roach backed?"

He certainly doesnt have the straigh back that our work lines have...as to if that is too much,,,Im not a show line breeder but I do have othe old german show in all of my lines and  none of them slop like that.    Zico v Merlin doesnt , and neither does Milan who just came from germany ans has been in many shows with an SG  rating and Zico has a V rating .

I would say he is too much angulated for my consideration.

He has an SG rating and an outstanding pedigree, but seems to be more sloped than many I've seen. I've heard the term roach back many times and just wondered if this was an example and how bad a fault, if any, that is.

 This is as much angulation as I want..this is VA1 universal Sieger Triumphs Gucci

V1 Jada v Steffen-Haus grdam  of one of my boys...91 Junghundklasse Siegerin  Belgium    and this is as much female angulation as I like.

SG1  Renauldo vom Zellergrund   1995 YOUNG dog Sieger is a most acceptible angulation with a Judges review of "very good angulation

Also Sunshines boy SG3 Galaxy von Ajaye has a  very good angulation both in rear and in front. for a male.

The dog has nice type and has only somewhat moderate angulations.  In this photo he appears to have a serious roach, although it may be that he is at a bad stage and is rumpy, that is up in the rear.  One must evaluate a dog like this in person or on a long, detailed video from all directions with movement at different speds loose lead.

Actually Yellowrose the first dog you feature has far more angulation in the rear (highly angulated, close to  the ideal, the standard) than the dog being discussed.  Plus the dog you feature probably has more angles in the front too.

But He doesnt roach  like the posted one does.     It may be how the person presented him.....that has a lot to do with it...but I have another male out of  a Bruno von Arminius and he has more roach and he walks with that look..that I dont like...as if he is running into something all the time...and gonna bow up...to me it is strange and I dont like it..

 The dog is far from properly stacked and that changes everything. IF he were stacked properly, he would not have as straight a top line, but I do not believe he is roached. Further, that is a term improperly used and commonly misunderstood. 

This is extremely roached or Banana backed

 Moderately Roached  german show

the dog is bridged in the front, and bunched up in the stack. this creates an illusion of being roached. not to say that he isn't, but this is not a good picture/positioning. the last picture shown depicts a gsd with weakness in its lumbar column. thus with moderate thrust from the hind quarters and not sufficient transmission into the front, the spinal column would bend. a dog of the same structure, but with very correct front assembly would open up in the front and not compress the spine. is the dog still roached? very interesting pictures from Yellowrose. as preston said, it could be a developmental stage. right now, top heavy and loaded in the front. could change....who knows?

best of luck with the boy.

Shak