where'd the balance go? - Page 1

Maybe it is just me, and I'm being picky.  But I have been seeing more and more ads and photo's of dogs on this site  where they appear to have smaller rears compared to their bodies or front end.  there's no way this can be considered balanced. 

is it just me?

why is it, a question is asked in regards to why conformation dogs are looking the way they do, does no one ever reply.

I posted in regards to size issue with Bazi Urbecke progeny, and no one replied.  Is this board not good for anything other than selling dogs and trashing other breeders?

I will tell you why there is no structural balance in so many dogs. It is simple. Too many people breed the dogs who do not have correct structure to begin with and then they end up with pups whose structure is incorrect. i am NOT talking about subtleties as to whether the dog is sable or red and black, or minor issues like where the ears are set, whether the dog has light eyes etc., nor am I even going to the issue of whether the dogs being bred have appropriate temperament, health checks etc. to be bred. I AM talking about fundamental ignorance concerning the breed standard, or people simply ignoring the importance of the breed standard, including ratios of length to height etc. 

I did not see your post regarding Bazi, but I am one who is on board with making sure the dogs bred (if and when I breed them) are within the standard. I have a beautiful young female from outstanding bloodlines among my dogs and it seems to me she will be too small. If that is the case, I will sadly have to sell her, though in every other way she is lovely. I also have some male dogs here belonging to clients.  Their males are WAY too tall. As I have written on this board before, each year we host a conformation show with SV German judges and each year they are dismissing dogs who are NOT within the standard. So I know the SV is taking this to heart and doing something about it, although it will be a slow process. This is also true of the working abilities that have been so lacking in recent years in too many of the dogs.

But back to your question......yes, the primary purpose of this site sadly has been usurped to sell dogs from too many people breeding who have little clue and ignore the most minimal requirements concerning the dogs they breed. In this manner, one then sees example after example of dogs who are not correct in structure, or who do not meet the standard in some other way (long coated for example)  and we hear almost daily of dogs whose temperaments are at issue.

And heaven forbid one should speak the truth to those breeding outside of the breed standard - such as "extra large" or long coats, or (the obviously not advertised shorter hind legs than forelegs) for a desired aesthetic, etc.  That post will immediately be followed by a dozen or more posts from like-minded idiots lambasting you (figuratively speaking) for your narrow-mindedness because you choose to breed dogs within the standard and that excludes their dogs. 

That gets old very fast from what I've read.

Uber Land, balance has nothing to do with the size of the front vs. the rear.  It is a confirmation concept which describes parity in range of motion and strength of the front vs the rear, that is all.  A balanced GSD moves like a well oiled machine, an unbalanced GSD has to compensate for any imbalance in the front and rear.  If the rear can't keep up with the potential for the front, their will be a hitch in the rear (which can look like a bad hip) and a rolling up of the rump. If the front can't kep up with the rear then often the GSD will lift and hold the front for an instant (this often occurs in sickle hocks, ie long lower thigh bone in the rear).  A GSD with extreme angles at both ends can be balanced, as can a GSD with limited angulations at both ends. The GSD with short angles tends to tire out more than the GSD with moderate to extreme angles.  A GSD with extreme angles is not necessarily a degenerate or limited in strength if it is properly muscled and ligamented, has the proper length and slope of croup and does not have a long lower thigh (ie sickle hocked, like so many American Shepherds vs. the true West German Blooded GSDs).