Mr. Donald asked me a difficult question - Page 5

One more clarification,

Wherever I talked about shoulder or shoulder blade angle in connection with the line WA I was referring to the angle marked with the red arrow and not the angle marked with the gray arrow.

I was also requested to clarify one more thing.

A triangle has total sum of its three angles = 180 degrees, this is a rule.
Vertical line with horizontal line makes an angle of 90 degrees, this is also a rule.



We agreed the red line is the vertical and the white line passing through it is the horizontal, therefore both the angles made are 90 degrees each as shown.
In an ideal angulated GSD the angle at the J joint is 37 degrees (180-53-90=37)
And in same process the angle marked with the red line in above previous figure is 45 degrees.

One request please, anyone who wishes for further explanation or clarification please ask it here not to my e mail.

Ibrahim

One final note about e mail questions: Please do not take all this as established facts, just consider them as an amateur thoughts on the front assembly, unless Mr. Donald and or one of the really experienced approves of them they remain thoughts, and to be subjective I could and might be mistaken somewhere.

Ibrahim

Just a thought to take this thread a step forward, experienced members are requested to share their experience and knowledge of various dogs in regards to shoulder blade lay & length in regards to good trot, also to those familiar with genetics please provide info in regards to whether longer shoulder blade is or isn't usually associated with longer front upper arm and or better front upper arm angle.
Also it is nice if we can get info on specific dogs who had good trot eventhough front upper arm was relatively short and or steep (one example was Dingo with a steep front upper arm but with remarkable trot). Thanks

Ibrahim

Ibrahim you have done a great job, be very proud, also be conscious of but not too hung up about what may be correct and what might not be correct in what you have stated or hypothesized.
Like my paper, you have covered too much ground in too short a time frame and at a very technical level and that can scare people off participating or even asking a question. Unfortunately most people want an explanation on most matters related to dogs and especially movement in as few words as possible and at a level that is not too cerebral. An example might be; dogs fall on the forehand if the highest point of the back is higher than the highest point at the wither. This is true and that's about as much as most people know and about as much as they want to know. If you go into an explanation on why this occurs most people find it too complex, too much to take in and that's why so few people really understand the mechanics of movement and their individual but interconnected component parts. Most people are not like you! Hopefully your efforts will be rewarded by a few enthusiasts responding and that will then lead to discussion, debate and resolution of such matters should they exist.
The frustrating part will be when you find that very few people comment and if that does occur take heart in knowing that you are now far more knowledgeable in regard to the forehand having undertaken the exercise.
A parting comment that you may be aware of but given a number of your comments regarding dogs moving very well but having an impediment that should inhibit such a thing.
In the context of a GSD being a trotting endurence dog it's not unusual for it to be better for a dog to have two faults than one! In effect a dog with two faults beating a dog with one fault and that one fault is the exact same fault that exists in the other dog!

Louis