The Evolution of the Back of the German Shepherd Dog - Page 7

The never ending story of opinion, politics and posing.


the king of working dogs...... so sad.

In Arab world, we have a type of Arabian horse called (Endurance horse), but I never heard they changed or bred for more angulation. Horse was, in history, a crucial tool of travel and war. Endurance type and speed type were very important for transportation and war, yet no major improvement was done to angulations.

In GSD there are two terms, endurance and efficiency, in science they are connected and lead to each other, but does that apply to animals?!!

Is more efficient movement necessarily leads to better endurance ? I have always been pro the connection.

But I do give appreciation to work GSD enthusiast argument of importance of athletic/ robust build of a dog to ENDURANCE !!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe, afterall, more angulation is good only to a certain point after which it becomes a hinder to endurance ?!!!!!

 

Ibrahim

Go back a few pages, efficiency was defined in the standard - and defined wrongly. apparently dog breeders give a pfffft about the laws of physics.

Ibrahim, the Arabian breed has become a joke in the performance horse world like the gsd has in the dog world.


the endurance horses are breeders disconnected from the mainstream show world and oblivious to current trends.


lots of egytian horses in my neck of the woods all competing but never shown or hardly any with papers.

A friend acquired this working line bitch 2 days ago. Not the greatest picture, but you can see her shoulder opens much better than the German showline I posted on the previous page.

The hind leg would come further under the body if she were moving faster. My friend messed up her leg really badly in a horseback rding wreck, and can't run very fast!

BTW, I am now this dog's co-owner... 

 

Nice dog, SS. I like her side gait.

Sitasmom, isn't it amazing how the same dog can look so different depending? IMO the first photo you posted shows a dog with a very steep croup and a very low tail set. The other photos don't look that way at all. Same dog? Right?  Wow!

Ibrahim, I have to take a guess and say the dog with a straighter backline would have the most endurance. It would expend the least amount of energy IMO.

I like to see the feet moving close to the ground in most breeds other than some terriers.... no lifting, padding, or pounding. I like to see a shoulder joint that opens fully too, no bending or very little at the elbow.  A straight line from the highest point of the withers to the pad. Personally, I can forgive a dog that reaches out beyond the tip of its muzzle. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker either.

Good discussion.............

Sunsilver that was a nice visual with both german and US showlines at the trot in the extended phase.

There is a lot about endurance that has nothing to do with structure, like conditioning, and body, lung, heart, function, plus the ability to go without water or food for long periods of time. How much weight you have to cary matters too. What is that animal that is really good at that? Is it the camel? I saw a documentary on camel and donkey tours through Petra. 

I'm biassed, I think the modern arch back is stylish, but not really functional, and by standards wrong. But, I have gotten used to it, so I don't get so upset seeing it anymore, and the same thing happens with too much rear if I look at them too long. I sometimes I like the dogs anyhow because of other reasons.

I like many of the worklines as well,because they select dogs on temperament first, they have much variation in back/topline. Still you can get straight back in WGSL and WL and every line if you look hard/long enough. I found these recently.

SG Jello vom Fichtenschlag / Born : 01. January 2004 SZ  2138181 (CSZ 8000970) (Shorter neck, but straight back)

 

 

VD Titus z Pohranicni Straze CS H-I, SP-PS / Sire Born : 17. December 1987

 

CKSP  0564-90/87/90

several toplines/backs in working lines.

V Onix vom Haus Valkenplatz

 

V Quinn vom Sickinger Moorwerk

 

 

G Fenia vom Zentaur

 

GSD Lineage, Titus looks like he has NO neck! 

Love, love, love Onix. Now, THAT'S what a GSD SHOULD look like IMO.

I was involved with horses for 15 years, and everyone knows the best build for an endurance horse is slender, but not so slender as to lose strength. The horse should have a large surface area in relation to its mass, as the skin is what helps keep the horse cool. The most common cause of death in endurance animals is overheating.  Any excess fat on the animal will also help cause overheating as fat is an insulator.

There are stories of the mustang accomplishing tremendous feats of endurance that have never been equalled. They are described as being smallish and bony and cat-hipped...with rock hard hooves. Hardly a one that stopped and standing still would catch the attention of an Eastern horseman, used to the big, carefully bred, carefully fed horses of racetrack and stable... [Jack Schaefer, Mavericks]

I have no doubt about what build a GSD needs to be able to trot all day. And it's NOT the buld of a showline GSD!

 

Do you mean Jello, SS? I like Onix too.

This is one of my favorite females, owned by the parents of a friend, bred by Kinzel. Berta's owners train and title all their dogs themselves. Very impressive. 

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=380575-berta-vom-quasliner-moor#usercomments

Yeah, I meant Jello, not Titus...