GSD back legs - Page 3

IMO GSD's are traditionally set up that way to demonstrate the slope and shape of their backlines.

Ugggg... I sincerly thought that the OP mentioned something about wobble. The reason it stood out to me is that i was recently (early part of the year) at a big show and seen a few GSDs whose rear legs had a "wobble" to them, like in the video. My intent here is not a SL vs WL or such and such is destroying the breed, i really thought OP brought it up... But thanks to the responses i now know what cow hocked means.

Blitzen wrote : IMO GSD's are traditionally set up that way to demonstrate the slope and shape of their backlines.

Also to show hind angulation ( angle of stifle), plus croup angle. It is the only positioning a judge can see actual back slope, croup slope and stifle angle.

bubba,

Stack main purpose is not posing for a picture, it is actually posing for the judge to estimate (visualize) angles and proportions of dogs body.

A good judge will not limit his/her evaluation based on a stack only, final proof of correct conformation is evaluated through gait (trot) and when all dogs are set in correct order, then the best dogs are further numbered by efficient trot (observing each one's relative fatigue).

In regards to stifle length being longer in the show dog, in my humble opinion is a mistaken note made by some judges and we took as a fact when in fact it is not. We could discuss this in detail in another post maybe. Just a side note

Both the ASL and GSL dogs have the this hind end/hock wobble some have mentioned. I have noticed it because it really bothers me and I don't understa the purpose. In my eyes,  it's disgusting.....yuck. Show after show I attend....there it is. You can't see it from stack photographs. It's only in person when you watch the dog move away.

I want to take the hocks/hind end, nerve, and working ability from the workingline; the head, coat, and richness of color from the german showline;  and the gait, shoulder, front leg set, and topline from the All-breed ASL line!!! Now, that would make the PERFECT german shepherd!!!! :-)

As a side note.....I have found that, ironically,some of  the white german shepherds seem to embody a beautiful balance of types. Research further revealed a consistent effort on the part of white fanciers to empahsis health..much more than that found in any of the other branches.  I am not sure on bitework stuff but I have seen a lot of beautiful white german shepherds with nice hind ends and type that were nice performance dogs. I thought about this a lot and I would have no problem breeding my WL bitch to a white german shepherd if I found one that matched up well. Like someone said, if we care about the breed we need to seek out genetic diversity that has type, health, and temperament.

Smiley:   I so sincerely hope that is true about breeders of White Shepherds

in the States ... 'cos it sure as hell ain't, and hasn't been, the case in the

UK.  [See previous threds about Epilepsy, also re deaf dogs, longevity,

intelligence, eye disease,  etc etc etc].

Yikes!! I think it may be different here.  I talked to a couple breeders out of curiousity.....they sent me to a health database they created. Apparently, the whites have been tracking health criteria through this open database. They also started doing PennHip on their dogs more than any breed I have seen and have lowered their hip problems. Also, I saw a breeder advertise a dog for sale and stated that he could not be used for breeding due to a health issue. And...I have only seen that once in my life.....and it was a white gsd breeder site. Now, it's not possible to never run into health problems even with all the testing. I appreciated the honesty of publically sharing the information and pedigree.

I don't know anything about whites so I am not a spokeperson! I just happened to see a lot that looked balanced and had a lot of performance titles and health clearances so I got curious.

However, I think there is a big issue regarding their status or whatever but I don't know anything about it. I only know a tiny bit as I inquired about the availablity of a white stud breeding outside bitches and was informed that most whites can't breed german shepherds anymore. Sop, I guess their genetics are now lost. Something about they are suddenly not german shepherds anymore but have a new name so can't breed other german shepherds as the registrations will not be right. What a shame.

Again, I don't know much of anything about whites. Just found them interesting. I do know that the GSDCA opened up the top Performance awards to whites recently (I don't know a couple years ago maybe). Then, of course, a white kicked ass and won the obedience title/Victrix and walaa......they suddenly were not allowed to get the top performance awards anymore.

I guess I am bias as my first gsd was white as a kid. It was an unregistered "cull" white from black/tan parents. Much to the horror of the breeder to have a white pup pop up. Great dog.

I don't get the separation of whites.....but I also don't get the separation of all the branches of german shepherd dogs. Seems to me we could mix them together to improve the breed as a whole.

the balance that caught my eye: i dont know the dog

White GSD's are not eligible for GSDCA awards because white is a DQ color.

I don't get the separation of whites.....

I was once told by a Körmeister that white shepherds where 'allowed' in the early days but one of the kaisers (his word) did not like them and labeled them a birth defect and from that point on, white was a disqualifying color. I don't know how true that is, but that SV Judge had a lot of great stories. His personal preference on color was the white shepherd, but he was quick to remind you that "..color does not work nor does it tell you the heart of the dog..." LOL