Straight front???

[ClantyreSheltie]

My landlords SPoodle has 12 points with a major. Her handler told us she was too small (at 21 inches), had too much bone, and too much muscle. She has a decent front for a SPoodle, but was too different looking to get that last major. They like them spindly.

 

[BarbV]

very interesting
so if we take some pix and/or videos of our dogs- someone here could maybe give us an idea if our dog is somewhere close to correct?

I agree...I find the gait vs. structure topic fascinating.

I'd love to see more examples of what it correct and more likely to be judged favourably.

btw - that picture of the poodle is horrific. Even I can spot the flaw. I'd love to see how that poodle moves though.

 

[Lightplum]

Here is an example of horrendous structure. It's not easy to see through the coat, but look where the front legs are, and think if they are holding up the front of the dog well (the answer is no). Then look at where the ears are. Some of that is the handler jamming the dogs head back, but most of it is really bad structure. What I cropped out of this picture for anonymity is the handler, and the kennel club name and award. This was a major win.

http://sheltieforums.com/album.php?albumid=334&pictureid=3824

Good Grief..any further back and he'll be hearing with his butt

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

Good Grief..any further back and he'll be hearing with his butt

And they are obsessed with getting that square butt, so I'm sure the breeder thinks that's nice too.

 

[Mikos_Mom]

And they are obsessed with getting that square butt, so I'm sure the breeder thinks that's nice too.

Something about that square butt looks painfull to me... I guess I figure that hip bones shoudn't be square... sharp edges don't "glide" all that well.

 

[corbinam]

Straight front effects

I took a picture of Bentley today and decided that he has a bit of a straight front...I mean I really have no idea...but his ears are sort of over his feet.

What are the long term effects of this on an agility dog? Is this something that I would see in the long run? Or short term?

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

What I see with straight front dogs is that they slam their rear legs down as soon over the jumps as they can to get the weight off the front. It's not a nice flowy kind of jump. My dog with the not great front (and add a broken front leg as a puppy, and lymes) can't jump 16 inches more than one course a day. I put him in preferred, and he does OK. He also hits the ground really hard coming down the a-frame. But he is a 16 1/2 inch, 30 pound dog with a not great front.

 

[corbinam]

What I see with straight front dogs is that they slam their rear legs down as soon over the jumps as they can to get the weight off the front. It's not a nice flowy kind of jump. My dog with the not great front (and add a broken front leg as a puppy, and lymes) can't jump 16 inches more than one course a day. I put him in preferred, and he does OK. He also hits the ground really hard coming down the a-frame. But he is a 16 1/2 inch, 30 pound dog with a not great front.

I'll keep an eye on this...I haven't noticed any jarring jumps/landing yet.

My hope is that he won't be in Championship (jumping 16") for more than a few more years.

 

[Calliesmom]

very interesting
so if we take some pix and/or videos of our dogs- someone here could maybe give us an idea if our dog is somewhere close to correct?

haven't been able to get a pic/vid of Cran trotting but here is a recent side pic:
http://cranberrycallie.shutterfly.com/589

and side pic at about 3 months:
http://cranberrycallie.shutterfly.com/122

 

[seashel]

Somehow I missed this until today but it's a really interesting discussion and the links are great and really useful.

I think the 'angulations' are like springs. A dog with a good front like this
<
will have more jumping and shock absorbing potential than one with a front like this
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I have also occasionally heard the term 'straight front' used in critiques to describe the head on view of the dog, meaning its legs are not crooked, in which case it is desirable.

I wonder how the poodle people think golden retrievers etc are able to swim holding birds in their mouths and they don't usually have a front like that!