Article for show line fanciers - Page 2

the article should be re-posted. 

http://The Modern-Day Fairy Tale: The Myth of Reach and Drive

http://www.dogchannel.com/dogsinreview/the-myth-of-reach-and-drive.aspx

So, is my assumption that the author of the article is not a GSD breeder/specialist, but she is rather an all breed person (maybe a all breed judge !!!)?

Author says:

Form Follows Function

The original wild dogs (wolves) had to survive on their own. They had to be a jack-of-all-trades, able to track, hunt and efficiently kill their prey. They excelled in sustained locomotion, having the ability to trot for very long distances with tremendous endurance. There was never anything exaggerated about their trotting style. They covered the maximum amount of ground with the minimum amount of effort, keeping their heads somewhat forward for balance and their feet close to the ground through all phases of the trot. This easy, free, energy-conserving gait allowed them to travel for miles in their quest to survive. Fancy? No. Efficient? Yes.

If I am not mistaken, the above described efficient trot of a wolf is same-in-description as what GSD Standard describes the trot of a well angulated GSD. Yet angulations and build of a wolf is not same as the GSD. So if that is true about the trot of the wolf, why did the creator of our breed bother designing a well angulated dog, why didn't he copy the structure of the wolf and paste it in his new breed standard?

the article is not breed specific, it contradicts a terrier built for tunneling after rats, angulation is non-existent.

Did I say it was breed specific? The intent was to solicit educational comments from SHOW LINE fanciers. Note the subject of the thread and the forum it was posted in.

Yes Blitzen, you are right, I just wanted to make sure my understanding was correct. I should have mentioned in my first post that I think the article is very informative and interesting. I read it more than once and I have few comments/requests for clarifications, one of them was mentioned in my first post and would like to see what you personally and others thinl !

Author says wolf is the best trotter in terms of efficiency. GSD creator wanted to start a breed that is best in trot efficiency (ofcourse in addition to versatile utility). But I see structure of wolf is less than moderate in front and rear angulations, so the questions that come to my mind

1. Is it true the wolf has the most suitable trot for endurance and efficiency?

2. Is the design of the GSD (as described in standard) wrong?

Ibrahim

Sorry Blitzen if this is not what you have in mind for this topic, if I am way off I can stop at this question/request for clarification

Anything that is pertinent either pro or con to the article is good, Ibrahim. I was addressing vk.