Hock walker? - Page 5

This angle suggests how well the hind leg will reach forward or follow through  behind. Steepness of pelvis is responsible for many German Shepherds exhibiting a  twisting motion in the stifle and hock joints that shows as "Cow Hocks".   With the coming of video studies and their slow motion modes another problem is  surfacing. Extreme over-angled dogs of America who cannot straighten their hind legs as  they drive forward have no choice but to drag the ground with the tops of their hind feet  as they bring the hind leg forward, after the drive. Part of this phenomena, is displayed by  a driving into a fixed  
The dogs below show the problems of straightening  rear legs to get full drive. The near one has a steep  croup. Also notice the front leg angle, indicating lack  of shoulder layback.



angle at the knee; at  the point of greatest  push and the forward movement of the leg.  This is associated with the above noted toe  curling and dragging the top of the foot.   Some contend that the extreme angulation  results from a disproportionate longer lower leg between the stifle and the hock joint. It is 
not disputed at this time but know that  by steepening the pelvis we are in effect,  lengthening the effect of the thighbone,  and increasing angulation. The search should  now be on to find dogs that do fully straighten the bones of the femur and tibia fibula into  one unit at the point the dog pushes forward.  This locks in the kneecap as an extra  stabilizer. A clue as to where to find the  desired characteristics is to look for a long  properly angled pelvis. The follow through from the hock down will likely come along,  finishing close to the ground.  Now let's move forward with the push. As the drive is taken through the straight  column of bones of the rear into the firm  level back, the push is forward without roll  sway or roach. There is some argument, that comes through the German authorities,  supporting the idea of less rear with the roached back allowing for greater forward reach  of the hind end. My slow motion studies of the German dogs indicate however that there  is a straightening of the topline at the point of final push, which also lessens the angle of  the pelvis allowing for a smoother and more definite follow through.   This action is in some way similar to that of the sight hounds such as th

Borzoi,  in full gallop with a flexing topline. Recent pictures suggest the roach may be modifying,  in German dogs, even though most experts agree, a roach is strength.  The front is the receiver of the forward motion  and supports the forward  propelling body each time a front foot touches the ground and levers the front onward.  Some Standard information on the German Shepherd breed called for more give in the  pasterns, supposedly to absorb the shock  of landing. However,  those working with  German Shepherds in extensive tracking, jumping, and other strenuous tasks, have found  the down or soft pasterned dog does not hold up. The dog that is more up, on good feet
and pasterns is more likely to withstand the rigors of the work they are expected to do.  The let down pastern is an American fashion development. It goes with flipping pasterns  and feet.  A look back confirms it was not an original design.  Similarly, the better working dog usually  has a better shoulder. The 45-degree  angle of shoulder is the proclaimed ideal. What are we talking about? Simply it is the  angle that the shoulder blade lays back on the body and is determined simply by placing  one finger on the point of the shoulder and running the other hand up the spine of the  blade to the top of the blade and looking at the angle created, off the perpendicular or  horizontal. The best would be the same.    A 45-degree angle is seldom seen. A simple geometric plastic protractor will  show just what 45 degrees is. The significance of the well laid back shoulder is shown in  the way the front moves. A dog with the blade angled off the perpendicular less than the  45 desired will proportionately land with the foreleg more vertically into the ground  causing greater stress. A let down pastern is an indication of loose ligamentation that  adds to the problem rather than cushion the landing. The angle of the foreleg when the 
foot touches the ground is parallel to the  angle of the extended imaginary line of the  shoulder blade. Consequently, the well laid  back shoulder allows for a more gradual  angle and thus shock absorption as the foot touches the ground then proceeds to take the  weight of the dog. Look back to the dog pictured in full stride, two pages back, then look  at the dogs pictured on the next page. This is a study if you want to understand you have  to spend time studying pictures. 

That is not all there is about the front. Seldom mentioned  is the significance of the upper arm in the degrees off the  vertical. The upper arm must also angle back at 45  



The dog above reaches poorly in front, is soft  in the pasterns, lacks follow through behind  but reaches well under with hind legs. The one  to the side has no reach, short upper arm,  drives front leg into the ground, has no reach  or drive in the rear and with all this, it is  balanced and going nowhere. Note the lifting  and curling.



The upper arm is more likely to have the desired angle than the shoulder blade but  it also must have length. It must have enough length to bring the foreleg it is attached to  directly under the upper tip of the blade. When the upper arm or humorous swings  forward it usually extends to a point slightly beyond the vertical in the best examples.   The length brings the elbow closer to the ground, which will make the angle of the  foreleg more horizontal as it reaches forward. Extension of the upper-arm beyond the  vertical indicates ligament looseness and does not take the weight as well. If the upper  arm balances the angle of the shoulder the foot will hit the ground, at the point of full  extension, in the best examples, in unison with the alternate rear foot.   The whole dog can still appear balanced, if both upper arm and blade are short  and not well angled, if not driven by a well angled or properly moving rear. If the upper  arm is shorter than the blade the angle will be less and at full extension the foot will be  above the ground and have to drop, an almost hackney wasted motion. If the upper arm is  long on a less angled laid back shoulder, the front foot reaches forward in an upward arc,  pawing the air before landing.    

Note the pictured dog at full stride has both front and rear feet well off the  ground. Rear not quite extended at stifle, good back, good shoulder angle, but  suspect short upper arm. A three-stage gait, right legs down, left legs up. 



The ideal front will contain flat muscles on  the outer side of the well laid back blade, The  upper arm will slope back at an identical angle  and the closer the two angles together  approximate 90 degrees the more efficient the  front will operate.    As the dog reaches forward, whether moving fast or slow, it will reach forward  close to the ground, place the foot on the ground at the point of full extension, then give  somewhat on a strong pastern, the angle of the foreleg will not be a steep angle and will  match that of the laid back shoulder. At a faster speed the upper arm and blade angle will  open as the arm swings forward and the blade swings back, the angle of the foreleg as the  foot hits the ground will be the same angle that the blade is laid back at that point. As the  front leg follows through, pasterns that flip right up behind the leg are an indication to  look for softness in landing. The ligamentation is weak. As with the rear, a smooth follow  through close to the ground is the ideal, but often missed. Look at the ideal dog picture.     This is the tie in of structure and  movement. Some dogs will have less than  desired angles but may display an outstanding balance of movement. There are various  reasons why dogs do not move true but with the German Shepherd an over reach of the  rear is actually desired which makes the legs not usually move in a true one behind the  other line. However both hind legs on either side of both front legs is an indication 

In response to above post by ibrahim.... The dog is not supposed to emulate it's prey, the rabbit, by traveling with it's ENTIRE foot( from hock to toes and pastern to toes) in contact with the ground. Instead, the dog is designed to travel on it's toes for maximum power and minimum impact on body.

usually of too short proportions of body. Sound coming and going has not always been a  priority with American German Shepherd breeders but many years ago when  interviewing a German judge I was surprised when he placed such importance on this  feature. I have since come to believe he was right. I will continue the study of structure  and correlative characteristics in a future chapter, when this was first written in the early  ‘80s I was working with a Pentax camera. Later I had better access to better and better  video cameras and the ability to slow the motion down. Then there followed progressive  computer capabilities as the study  continued. More pictures and analyses  will be included later in the book. To the  left is  Ch Bihari’s Houdini. Joe Bihari  came from Hungary in the fifties, bred  dogs for working and along European  line, but eventually integrated with  American lines. The dog on the left is  symbolic of the balanced shepherds he bred; observe the great front.   A picture of a dog taken at full extension  with ideal front reach, but this dog is  unable to straighten at the stifle and  properly follow through. So front and rear  are not quite coordinated. 

Here's the link to the book " German Shepherd Dog History" by Gordon Garrett

http://www.angelplace.net/doc/GarrettBook.pdf

At the end of the day the breeding of show people and sport people should be to enhance the dogs structural and temperamental working ability. Period.......The END result of what you are seeking in the show ring or sport field should be able to seamlessly transfer into the the real working world.....Period. If in the course of the pursuit of singular aspects of the breed, you lose other aspects that create a decline in working use, you are deluding yourself and the breed at the breed's peril. Its really very simple....this is the only way to ultimately measure the worth of what you are breeding. Sure, all pups won't become working dogs we understand that, but if the essence of your breeding does produce working dogs, then we should change the breed from a working dog to a "show dog" or sport dog.

At the end of the day the breeding of show people and sport people should be to enhance the dogs structural and temperamental working ability. Period.......

The END result of what you we are seeking in the show ring or sport field should be able to seamlessly transfer into the the real working world.....Period.

If in the course of the pursuit of singular aspects of the breed, you we lose other aspects that create a decline in working use, you we are deluding yourself ourselves and the breed at the breed's peril.

Its really very simple....this is the only way to ultimately measure the worth of what you we are breeding.

Sure, all pups won't become working dogs we understand that, but if the essence of your our breeding does produce working dogs, then we should change the breed from a working dog to a "show dog" or "sport dog".




Gustav - please define "working dog" and "real working world".

After pm'ing with Gustav......he (falsely) believes that the only thing a GSD can do that is work is "police work".

So now we all know where he's coming from.........small vision......very small.....