Pictures of your dogs gaiting! - Page 4

Looks like a little culture clash here. Americans think a GSD should pull itself with it's front 
This is incorrect for me.  I do not think a GSD should pull itself with it's front.  It should drive off the rear.  I just fail to see how a dog throwing itself into its collar shows movement when it forces the dog to dig in with the rear and lift at the front.  You don't see shoulder opening, suspension, or any of that.

I do think American dogs should be shown at the walk more often, but I would like to see a TRUE walk, not a dog hauling into a low collar.

I have seen Euro dogs with correct opening of the shoulder (though many unfortunately still have incorrect toplines), and good drive off the rear in photos.  I haven't really gotten to see one in person yet.

I would like to add that I've been wanting to obtain a GSL bitch.  The problem is, I'm super picky, and I can't get past incorrect toplines.  I find a bitch I like, but unless it's a regular photo (not Urma or Mendely or what have you), I can't tell if a topline has been photoshopped or not.

For me it's all about a balanced gait; a GSD should be able to open it's shoulder fully, not lift the front legs far off the ground; move with all 4 feet close to the ground. Way too many dogs of all breeds have a restricted shoulder joint so they are not able to straighten their front legs fully so move from the elbow. I don't want to post photos of anyone else's dogs, but from what I see here and on other breed boards, many have no clue and that includes both the German and the American line breeders. Few WL's are going to open their shoulder fully, I doubt the breeders would even want to see that anyway.

I'm not sure why or how some handlers do it, but it seems to me that most photos of GSL dogs are intended to accentuate a roach. I've seen dogs in person that had an absolutey flat backline that had a horrible roach in a photo. When I gave a retirement home to an older female I was aslo given her URMA and another show photo frm the Austrian Sieger. I asked who that dog was. it look absolutely nothing like her, she was not roached, but those photos showed a distinct roach. ASL people beat up the GSL because of their toplines and the GSL people beat up the ASL for the way they  stand on their inside hock on a photo. It's all smoke and mirrors, you must see the dog and not depend ever on photos alone. However a movement photo showing a roach is very telling IMO.

I found this on the net listed under "German Shepherd Movement". Since it was on a public site, I guess it's OK to copy it here and the dog was not identified. Why would anyone use a photo like this? There are others almost as bad; google the above if you're interested in looking at them.

Excellent points all around, Blitzen

I also am not impressed byt a "movement" photo that looks like weight pull, and I'm not sure what these photos are supposed to be showing me.  Show me a photo of the dog, gaiting, all four feet off the ground, NOT restricted by a lead (so loose lead or off lead) and the movement can be evaluated.

Very much agree with both of you. It is VERY hard to find photos of the Euro dogs TRULY gaiting.  Hauling into a collar is not gaiting, and you end up with overloaded fronts, which ALSO restricts front movement!

There are dogs that really look to have great fronts, but because they are so over muscled from being taught to pull hard into the collar, the front reach they could and SHOULD have disappears!
Also seeing many poor toplines in motion.  Roaches are accentuated by hard pulling into the collar, and steep croups aren't helping anybody.

Here's another great example.  Please note, this is only a commentary about what constitutes movement and is NOT a commentary about the quality of the actual DOG!

I do not see how this shows movement.  All I see is a dog that is lifting at the elbow and digging in at the rear.  I dislike this as much as dogs that just FLY around a ring.  The dogs do not herd this way.  They do not pull along like freight trains all day long, nor do they gait at warp speed.

These are NOT my dogs so I'm not offering them for critiques please but these are photos *I* have taken that I believe show dogs actually gaiting, please correct me if I'm wrong.  Some may be still a little too restricted by the lead but this was an SV show.

VKGSDS, can't see your pics in the post above!      
 "The dogs do not herd this way.  They do not pull along like freight trains all day long, nor do they gait at warp speed."   
spot on, Xeph!      

it also aggravates me when I see pics of dogs pacing and the caption is raving about the dog's "correct gait"    (no, I'm not talking about that slow speed between walk and trot, I'm talking about dogs that appear to be pacing at a trotting speed.
                                                                 

Those are all proper gaiting photos, VK!  And BEAUTIFUL shots at that!  Very, very nice!

Thanks Xeph.  Even with a decent camera it's not always easy getting a good gaiting shot with my cheap/slow lens!  I much prefer taking hi-def video and capturing video stills but at a show that's not possible.  The hard thing for me is everyone wants flattering photos of their dog and at these SV shows often a majority of the dogs never actually gait, let alone look correct and I get it on camera.