Trials and tribulations of stacking - Page 1

Hey guys!! I've been working really hard on my stacking and would like a critique. This is not necessarily a critique of the dog, although comments are always welcome. Please let me know how I'm doing and what I can do to improve. Thank you.

Melissa









If there are any questions as to the angle of the camera, please be kind. My 6 year old son took all of the pictures.

 Oh come on!!! Not one reply? How is it that a post who's content is what this forum is all about... I'm trying to get some opinions on how I can inprove myself so that I can show my dog. Sorry if there's no drama here, nothing all too interesting, BUT it does have to do with German Shepherds, showing and training!!! Thank you.

Melissa

nice dog, he seems to be cooperating, lot to be said for that.

i go to conformation class with my dog, you can look around on the internet. the trainer will hlep.

 I am the trainer but I have never shown or handled a dog in conformation. My main focus is working, but the more well rounded I can become the better.

Melissa

find a conformation show trainer in you area.

running around is circles is really fun.

i go to a "pick up" class. people just show up when the can. we pay our 15$ and practice. its harder then you think.

i do it more for a controlled socializing, but who know you might meet some life long friends there....

 Thank you very much for the advice!! I will have to see if I can't find something like that around here. I can't say that it exactly sounds like fun, but I'm up for anything. I never want to stop learning. Thank you.

Melissa

Melba,
just like you would tell a client, you need to figure out where you want to show (AKC, UKC or SV style). Once you have made up your mind, find a person to mentor you or to take you under your wings.
Looking at your dog, he is stretched with a very short and steep croup. Dogs like that benefit from having both rear legs stretched out. The bad thing is that it emphasizes on the body length. The front legs should be tugged under, usually in line with the withers, so the dog does not appear bridged. In your case, you should try to get these front legs under as far as possible. It creates a better wither.
The best photo is No. 3 (maybe, you hair covers the break in the topline a bit?), but my choice would be No. 6 if it was taken from a different angle. When taking photos, you always need to sit directly parallel to the dog at about the wither or middle back and then snap the photos, unless you need to hide some faults. A steep front can be less obvious then sitting at the head of the dog and taking the photo slightly angled toward the dog, for example. Again, try to find a good handler and they can teach you!

Well I was going to ask what type show, AKC All Breed, GSDCA Specialty Shows or SV type shows (UScA and WDA). Each type show is very different from the other.

In the AKC there will be much more emphasis on stacking and it is possible to get good results showing your own dog, provided it is properly prepared.

In GSDCA Specialty and SV type shows, the emphasis is placed more on movement and "double handling" is very prevalent. The dogs attention is almost always focused on someone outside the ring that he is very attached to. For this reason few owners are able to present their own dogs in these type shows successfully unless the dog is very attached to another member of the family.

Best and good luck.
Rik

 Well, I was hoping to do SV style conformation to get a rating(maybe?Lol) Fortunately for me he is most attatched to my 6 year old son who has done most of Nero's training so far.

Sibersee, might I ask why you chose # 6? What about it is better then the others? Please if yo don't mind?

Also, my 6 year old son took those photos, so if the angle is a little of, my apologies :)

Thank you all so very very much!! I truely appreciate the feedback.

Melissa

Melba,
I chose No. 6 for the reason already stated.
1) The rear legs are both stretched out.
2) The dog is attentive.
Unfortunately, the angle of the picture is wrong. BTW, I did not criticize the photos or the angle, I just gave advice on how to do it. After all, taking these pictures is often part of the stacking. We sometimes take 40 or more photos of our dogs, only to discard all or most of them. Not easy!
Looking at your dog, if you don't mind me point out some things, you do need to be aware of his short upper arm, the angle seems to be ok (can't really tell on the photos). A good rule of thumb is that the upper arm should have roughly the same length as the foreleg (from elbow to the beginning of the pastern). In addition, your dog also has a very visible dip behind his withers. Just  like a lot of workinglines, he is very long in his mid back area. That often causes workingline dogs not to be able to transmit the movement from front to back effectively. And if these dogs are not stretched, they lack the correct angles to have a sufficient stride. This is an observation I made in general, with years of watching them in the show ring. I am mentioning this, so you will be aware of your limitations with your dog. We used to have all showlines but own V-rated workingline dogs as well. My husband's young male will need a show rating in fall of this year from the working classes, as he turns 2 years old in a couple of months. Of course, we are hoping for a V-rating because several judges in Germany already stated that he should have no problem achieving that. But we also know that we will have to condition him and train him, so that could not be used as an excuse for denying him that rating. This is why you need to go and train and practice. Do not ever give a judge an excuse to deny him what he deserves, jsut becasue he is conditioned. But... That is not really what you wanted to know, right? Show training? You wanted to find out about stacking (which for us is part of it). Again, put tension in your dog when stacking (meaning get his attention directed towards a third person calling him), put his frontlegs as far under as possible, stretch him out (not extremely) with both rear legs. Shampoo his coat and loosen it up on the topline. Try to hid this dip by fluffing it up right at that spot.
Good luck!