Please Explain...:( - Page 1

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/441849.html

My female and her Koer report.......

The only thing that I wasn't sure what the judge meant was the "large" part.  As it turns out she's 59 CM, so it is still a bit at the upper end.  Though when she got her V the following weekend, that judge said "over medium sized" and I asked him what the difference was......

She definitely could have more reach in the front, but has a very powerful rear drive when gaiting.  She has what is called "very good expression"  overall she's still put together pretty well for working....

My male and his Koer report....

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/377128.html

1. Very typey and expressive  - The dog conforms closely to the breed type (breed standard). I think expressive refers to the dog's facial expression and head, and means they have a good head that clearly shows if they are male or female.

2. Dry and firm - you don't see this much on koer reports any more, but it means the dog is well muscled and has good bone and is not fat. (Firm muscles, with no excess flesh or skin.) I've heard them say a dog with a dewlap (extra folds of skin around the neck) had a 'wet' neck.

3. Very good overline - the dog's topline or overline - the withers, back and croup - conform to the breed standard.

4. Very good fore reach - the dog reaches out well with its front legs. Usually, this means the foot extends beyond the dog's nose when trotting.

5. Correct angulation in front and rear - the angles formed by the shoulder and hip joints conform to the breed standard.

6. Powerful hind thrust - the dog pushes off well with its hindquarters. This is important because the breed standard calls for a long, powerful stride at the trot, and the rear end of the dog is what provides the thrust for this.

7. Harmonious underline - the under side of the dog is good. It is neither paunchy (sagging, may mean the dog is overweight) or tucked up.

8. Week nerves - the dog is nervous, and likely tried to bolt when a gun was fired. It might also shy away from stick hits during the Schutzhund bitework test.

9. Strong nerves - dog stands firm when a gun is fired, and shows good fighting drive during the bitework test. It engages immediately when sent after the  helper, and keeps a calm, firm grip on the sleeve at all times.

10. Firm back - the back does not move when the dog is trotting. It does not sag when someone presses on it.

11. Straight front - - not quite sure how to describe this. May mean the dog does not have a well developed chest, or the upper arm is too short and steep. It's not good, I know that!

Somewhere I heard that "dry & Firm" had something to do with the mouth. like the diff. between a St. Bernard mouth and a Lab. mouth. I could be SOOOO wrong, but I remember hearing this somewhere.

I'll take a shot at this, anyone feel free to correct me or embellish on these.

1. Very typey and expressive  The dog is a model for what a German Shepherd should look like, it's physical characteristics speaks strongly of "German Shepherd"

2. Dry and firm The tendons and ligaments inside the body hold the bones together, they define how much flexibility anything can have, if they are loose, the the chances for the bones to rub together and become arthritic is higher, wet is another term for "loose", dry is another term for "firm".  Firm, tight tendons and ligaments are also stronger, gives the dog better jumping, running and trotting capabilities...like the difference between a rubber band that is pulled on, and a rubber band that is slack.

3. Very good overline Overline is another term for topline, just refers to how the line running from the neck, back and tail look when viewed from the side

4. Very good fore reach The fore reach is the dog's front legs when it is extended forward during motion, the German Shepherd's ideal fore reach is the front paw should be in line with the dog's nose when fully extended forward during the trot.

5. Correct angulation in front and rear Angulation refers to where the bone joints connect and what the geometric measured angle of that joint formation is.  A better explanation can be seen here http://www.shawlein.com/The_Standard/Index_Page/Index_Page.htm 

6. Powerful hind thrust  A powerful hind thrust refers to how the dog pushes off from the ground with a rear leg while moving.  A strong thrust from the rear legs during motion would be caused by a combination of correct rear angulation, tight ligaments and tendons and good strong muscle developement

7. Harmonious underline Similar explanation like the "overline" but in this case it refers to the line made by the edge of the elbow, chest and belly and where the belly meets the hind leg.  The corner of the elbow should be in line with the bottom edge of the chest, the chest should run smoothly to the belly, belly should show slight tuck-up (but not too much!) and join smoothly with the flank and upper thigh of the rear leg.

8. Week nerves "Nerves" is a term used to describe part of a dog's temperament.  If a dog has weak nerves or is "nervy" then it means that it is either easily spooked, or "sharp" and likely to bite without much provocation or reason.  Fear of gun shots, thunderstorms, walking on strange surfaces, prone to snapping at rambunctious children, seperation anxiety and fear-biting are all examples of weak nerves.

9. Strong nerves Likewise, strong nerves refers to a dog with a "stable temperament" or " clear mind" a dog with strong nerves is not gunshy, is not fearful during thunderstorms or fireworks, these kind of dogs are capable of making good judgements between what is not a threat and what is a true threat,  they should be calm and not frightened or aggressive during strange situations that we humans would know is not threatening

10. Firm back.  Just combine my explanation of "overline" and "dry and firm" and you should get a good idea of this.  The dog has a correctly structured spine al

I would consider a dog with a straight front one that has firm elbows, does not toe out or stand east/west?  Perhaps I have been mistaken.

EuroShepherd - your post got cut off.  part of #10 and all of #11 are missing

Euroshepherd,

very good explanation. Well done.

I too would like to have seen your reply to #11. Sunsilver not correct on this one.

Julie