feet position-weak ligaments? Have a look. - Page 2

Alex, There are no perfect dogs. Just like people they are made up of a combination of their strengths and weaknesses. Top priorities are of course temperament and health. At 9 months he is still developing. I would start showing as soon as possible. He will gain experience, and the judges will make it clear how correct they consider him to be. Remember that Canto Wienerau was rather hocked, yet was a top producer and V1 in Germany. The severity of any structural or functional quirks must be evaluated in the context of the whole dog to realy know his worth as a potential stud/ show dog. As you stated that he moves straight, I think it is likely less of a problem than you think. You may have seen pictures of top show dogs loafing. They sometimes look rather goofy and incorrect in spite of moving like a dream in the ring. He looks like a nice male with a good head for 9 months. Best Wishes, Jonah

Klekoni, I believe your dog is what we AKC people refer to as "tied in at the elbows". I've found this fairly common in young dogs since the chest has not yet dropped to where it will be as an adult and they are more narrow in front than they will be at maturity. When the chest drops, the elbows will be correctly aligned with the rib cage and his feet should point more forward than now. Confusing? Not sure how else to say it. Not all dogs outgrow it, but IMO you dog has a better than average chance of ending up with a correct front since his pasterns seem strong and, judging by the photos, his feet look good and they are not turning out when his elbows are where they should be. What you don't want to wait for is a dog that's "out at the elbows" where the elbows stick out from the body the the dog toes in. That will only get worse. I know breeders who actually select puppies with fronts that are slightly east-west. They seem to move truer and have a more correct front when mature. He looks like a beautiful puppy and I would certainly not give up on him if he were my dog. If you want to see some really nice illustrations of a good front vs an incorrect one, log on to the GSDCA website - GSDCA.ORG - and click on Illustrated Standard. Good luck with your puppy.

Thank you everyone for all your comments. I will in due course get xrays to make sure all is well both both hips and elbows. And then as Jonah suggests I will take him to shows to see what judges think overall. He is an othewise brilliant dog with fantastic temperment and would like to breed him, however I will not do this if it is not the correct thing to do. Thanks again and a Happy new year to all of you. regards Alex

Thanks blitzen as well for the comments. these are reassuring, and I will hope that as he develops things will improve further. regards Alex

What you see if very common. Sometimes it will correct itself when the dog matures and the chest drops. Sometimes it does not. It is not a major fault. Most people call it 'east/west' front. I wouldn't worry too much. If all goes well (x-rays, temperament, titling etc) when you breed you need to makes ure you go to lines with a better front.

Klekoni Is that an Orbit daughter in the back ground????

I would allow this dog to grow naturally and see what happens. It is a good-looking dog, so there is a chance that is certainly worth taking. Most dogs grow away from minor irregularities with their legs/feet. Bob-O

I had a dog like this years ago. It was made to look worse by all the bone he had in his legs and his huge feet. When he finally filled out he was beautiful.

Badpuppy, Yes it is an orbit daughter in the background. How did you guess that? BTW when Blitzen-and the rest of you- mentioned the chest filling and dropping, I had thought this as well, its just that i wasnt sure because, I'm not that experienced with the development side of things. It does make sense thought. I suppose I'll just wait.Its reassuring however to hear this.

She looks identical to my newest girl Henna. Look for yourself http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/480082.html I just looked at the siblings. That explains it. THEY ARE SISTERS… LOL…