Be honest : Is this your dog? - Page 16

 

 

That dog is either pregnant or its body is trying to eat its head. Dogs shouldn't "melt" into the floor when sitting. There should be space between legs and floor; they sit on haunches, not on their butts, really, unless they're fat. Capri is 82lbs with ribs easily palpable and last 2 showing...and V rated, KKL1. SOME dogs have bone structure that allows for them to weigh that much and be in good weight. Her report reads "Large (or is it strong?), powerful, and substantial" or something close (I should ask Susie, lol). But I think the females who weigh that much in "ribs showing" proper condition are few and far between and most are just too damn big or fat. My other girls are 60-70lbs. Correct size, as the GSD is a medium sized breed.

I've labeled this recent pic of Capri (9 years old) so you can see what I consider proper weight. She has no huge fat pads over her shoulders; you can easily see where the bones are. Same with ribs; last 2 are visible (more visible before I drew on them, lol). She has a very significant tuck/waist. And she is a bigger girl but not oversize. She is 60cm. 

"Meat" doesn't impress me. Correct musculature for the health of the animal impresses me, whether they weigh 9lbs or 69lbs. 

Here's some unlabeled pics to get a better idea, Mithuna. I get it that you like substance, but making a dog fat doesn't make them substantial. 

Again, note the obvious waist and rib shadows. Few females are this lean at a correct size and still weigh that much. It certainly shouldn't be a goal to have a female over 80lbs. I find most are correct around 65 if they meet the standard. 

groß = large / big ( normally used for big and/or oversized dogs )

kräftig = powerful / strong / substancial ( normally used for physically strong looking dogs )

big difference

I think it's kraftig...need to look at her original. I had it translated once and I seem to remember "strong, powerful, and substantial." I may take a photo and send it to you. :) She *IS* big for a female, but at the very top of the standard; not oversized. All measurements were 60cm. Maybe it's both. LOL

I got it! Großrahmig, kraft- und substanzvoll, tief pigmentiert, guter Aus-druck.

I think it's large BONED, not large. Right Susie? 

Never believe in German measurements - SV just skipped the 60/65 cm seize only because they want the judges to measure correctly...
I have been a breed survey helper on several occasions, I know about the real seizes of dogs.

Always either measure a dog on your own or at least believe in your own eyes ...

Jenni
I dont know how you exercise your dog but if you do lot of up hill interval sprints the dogs build seriously thick muscles in their hind legs and thick muscles over the chest and shoulder. Since protein weighs more than fat per gram .. the muscular dog can push some serious weight and be fast off their feet. Im not personally interested to have a dog trot for many hours ,but my dog thrives on an intense high level aerobic con tinuous run of 45 minutes.

" Großrahmig " means, literally translated, kind of "large boned" ( that´s the kind of female we want for breeding ), but subliminally it also may say " big ".
No chance to acknowledge the real meaning of this term without measuring the dog by yourself - sorry.

Not something most will understand but there is a huge difference with how over sized dogs work. There is a small minority that at 10lbs and 1-2 inches over the standard can still perform the work with the drive and power most people like to see, but those are few and far between. I’ve really noticed that once a dog is 1-2 inches too tall or 10 or more pounds over what the standard calls for, the intensity for the work greatly decreases. For instance, I have a within standard 2 year old male who has a littermate that is outside the standard. The difference in their drive and intensity is apparent to even the novice spectator. As a helper…I can tell you that a within standard dog is more likely to hit the sleeve much harder than a bigger dog. The difference in speed that the smaller frame allows the dog to attain IMO more than makes up for any difference in mass.

With muscles and bones being smaller, I’m assuming the acceleration due to the quicker firing muscles and more efficient movement allows the dog to achieve much higher force than a larger dog with more mass. It’s just been my observation as a helper that the males at 80-85lbs are much tougher to catch than 95lbs+ dogs. Same with females…the speed is so much greater in a 60lbs bitch than in an 80. And sure…an oversized dog wouldn’t have a problem catching a human in real life, biting one, and inflicting damage…but from my experience a dog within the standard will more than likely do a lot more.

Bav I like how you correctly qualify the subjectivity of your arguments.

Mithuna, speaking out of personal experience is far better than guessing without proof.

Why are you not able to accept that the standard for a working dog breed like the German Shepherd dog ( the standard is described in the breed standard ) can´t be same as in other breeds like for example Kangals? They are a working dog breed, too, but used for totally different services.

Big may be beautiful, but in case of breed worthiness simply useless when compared to "normal" German Shepherd dogs doing their job.