Shawlein Fine Art & Purebred German Shepherd Dogs

2012/01/02
by Linda J Shaw
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The Back & Spine When I first look at a dog, the first thing I see is the spine. The topline is the upper surface of the dog that is visible to the eye, but the spine, or backbone, is what lies underneath the muscle and fur. I think of the spine as the cornerstone of the dog, the architecture that is the foundation of the dog’s structure. If it is normal, the rest can’t be too bad (according not to some show standard, but to nature’s requirement for how a dog should function). If the spine is not correct, whether too long or too short, swayed or roached, it can affect the proportions and function of the entire body.

In the German shepherd breed, roached backs are a problem, and have been for decades. It’s obvious from show critiques that many judges do not understand the anatomical structure of a roached back, and why it is wrong. Hundreds of roached dogs appear in breed magazines with critiques praising their strong backs. Recently a photo of a young dog made the rounds of the internet, with discussions about her topline. Some commentator suggested that, because her midback did not rise above her withers, her back was therefore not roached. She is a very nice female and I like her, but her spine is roached. This person could see only the visible back, which was not humped, but could not visualize the spine underneath, which was. It’s little wonder that curvature of the spine has become widespread.

Before you can visualize the spine though, you have to know what a spine looks like. Below I’ve attached six illustrations from the preeminent folio of studies of mammalian anatomy: An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists, by W. Ellenberger, H. Dittrich and H. Baum, originally published in 1901. The Canidae, or family of canines, is represented by a large central European “cur dog” very similar in structure to a wolf. The lion represents the family Felidae, the felines, which with the dog are dominant members of the order Carnivora. The horse represents the order Perissodactyla, the odd toed animals, while the ox, goat and deer represent the even toed. The predatory carnivores evolved for pursuit speed, while the hoofed prey animals evolved for escape speed. The goat specialized somewhat for agility and the ox for power. However, the most immediately interesting thing about them is how similar they are.

The Dog

The most important points to take away from these illustrations is how the longer thoracic spines of the withers give the topline a much different contour from the actual line of the spine. In all cases in an animal built to run, the vertebrae are strung in a virtually straight line from the base of the neck to the pelvis. In the predators, both of which show a double suspension gallop with huge flexion of the backbone, there is a very slight upward curvature of the spine, which is generally not visible particularly in a dog with a heavy coat. This cur dog is very close coated. In all cases the withers show a slope well differentiated from the slope of the back.

The Lion

Look at these studies carefully. Note that the “cur dog” was a nineteenth century animal produced without any influence of shows (dog shows as we know them did not exist in the mid-nineteenth century), or artificial breeding by man. He was just a common dog, and probably the product of generations of street and farm dogs. So it’s a pretty fair guess that this is the anatomy that nature confers on a large domestic dog when man does not interfere.

The Horse

In Part Two I will post drawings of the typical roach backed GSD, the kind that is regarded as having a good, strong back, as well as anatomical drawings of what the spine of a dog like this actually looks like under the fur and muscle.

The Ox (cow)

The Deer

The Goat

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2011/12/15
by Linda J Shaw
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Balance in the German Shepherd Dog There is an interesting article on Ed Frawley’s site (http://leerburg.com) written by Jean Mueller, “Balance Problems with the American Show German Shepherd”, concerning over-angulation and the American show type GSD. The article has been there a while. Ed’s is a good site, full of information for anyone interested in working dogs, and I highly recommend it. Jean’s is a good article, well written and on point. It’s illustrated with a photograph of a black and tan dog posing with his trophies, and labelled as a typical American show dog. Well enough, except that he’s a very balanced looking show dog. I’ve never been able to figure out why this particular dog was chosen to illustrate this article, because he is not really a typical AKC show type, at least not a typical specialty style dog, and he is not over angulated. In fact, he is a very beautiful, very correct dog, the type of dog that American show lines can produce when breeders know and care what they are doing, and judges know what they are looking at. He looks like a substantial, compact dog with a short, straight back, beautiful shoulder, high withers, decent croup and good rear angulation – not too much, not too little. His feet are good, his head looks nice, even his colour is attractive. I don’t know if he was a good dog or not (temperament, hips etc), but he certainly looks like a nicely constructed dog and using him as an example of extreme structure must be very confusing to anyone trying to learn about conformation. I know it’s probably not possible to use a photo of an extreme winning US show dog – the owners tend to object – so if Ed would like to use one of my drawings of an extreme dog that would really illustrate the article, I’d be happy to send him one.

Definitely NOT a typical American Specialty dog

2011/10/22
by Linda J Shaw
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GSDCA Judges’ Booklet I’ve had some queries about the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s Judges’ Booklet, and whether I did the illustrations. Yes, I did. However, the four images showing posed dogs in the four basic colour patterns were done at least thirty years ago, before I knew anything really, and while I had given permission decades ago for them to be used by the club, when this publication was being assembled I did express the desire that they not be used. These four images illustrate dogs with a degree of hyper-angulation that is not ideal for an athlete, and reinforce the idea that an extreme dog is correct. I was disappointed to see them appear in this booklet and used to educate judges. The GSDCA has promoted hyper-flexion of the stifle and hock joints for years, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. I just don’t want anyone to think I agree with it. Aside from these four images, it’s a good publication and illustrates the rest of the standard nicely. I’ve attached the pdf version below.

GSDCA JUDGES’ BOOKLET

2011/10/12
by Linda J Shaw
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JUDGING TYPE In the judging of conformation in purebred dogs, there has always been a great emphasis on rewarding uniformity of type. The final lineups of knowledgeable breed judges are expected to show consistency of type, and if the dogs in the ribbons differ in type, the judge is assumed to be ignorant or incompetent, assuming he had a reasonable number of dogs to choose from. This phenomenon is very apparent in the German shepherd breed resulting in several distinct types. A V (excellent) rated German showline dog in an American specialty ring will probably be ignored, unless the judge has a fondness for German dogs. On the other hand, a top rated American champion, assuming it could achieve a schutzhund title, would likely be completely ignored, or worse, in a German SV show. The FCI and AKC breed standards do differ, but not that much. Good German dogs are imported by American breeders and crossed into American lines with good success. Aficionados of both types claim their dogs show the most efficient working trot, and have true shepherd working ability. And yet we have two radically different types of German shepherd. I think it’s because judges, rather than judging the dogs, are judging type instead.

The bigger issue of course is the genetic consequences to a population of breeding a race of lookalikes within a dwindling genetic pool. The desire for uniformity has created an environment that bestows an aura of quality on a group of animals simply because they look the same. Humans love consistency. We like things to match. However, rewarding genetically similar animals for similar virtues will result in elevating animals that often have the same weaknesses. How better to deal with this conundrum than to turn those flaws into virtues. American judges claim the hyper-angulated hindquarter shows stronger rear propulsion. It doesn’t – extreme American dogs virtually never achieve the AD (endurance test) or schutzhund titles that require jumping – but that’s what they believe and it is a fiction which has persisted for over thirty years. German judges claim the roach back is an indication of strength. It isn’t – slow motion video shows how a malformed back distorts in motion – but that’s what they believe and it is a fiction which has also persisted for over thirty years. When you have boxed yourself into a genetic corner with no acceptable genetic resource to correct a problem, make the problem go away by transforming the problem into a virtue. You won’t improve the dogs, but you can keep handing out awards. So now we have the sad situation of American judges who won’t reward a dog who doesn’t show an extreme rear, and German judges who won’t reward a dog who doesn’t show an arched back.

In the first graphic, I’ve shown a lineup of nice American dogs, with one nice German dog. They are different, but they are roughly equivalent in quality. But the poor German dog looks the odd man out because he spoils the uniformity of the class. The American dogs all show extreme angulation and, from a genetic perspective, the German dog could bring the qualities of correct angulation and firmness that the American dogs lack. The German dog should be in the ribbons if the judge is thinking of the breed, but if the judge is rewarding uniformity of type, the German dog will be excluded. Click on the image to show it full size.

Similarly, in the second graphic I’ve shown a lineup of nice German dogs, with one nice American dog. Again, it’s the American dog that looks out of place. The German dogs all show arched backs, and the American dog (leaving aside issues of working titles) could bring the genetics for good backs that seem to have been bred out of so many German dogs. The American dog should be in the ribbons if the judge is thinking of the breed, but if the judge is rewarding uniformity of type, the American dog will be excluded. Click on the image to show it full size.

It should be remembered that these types all have the same genetic roots, and isolating them into discreet genetic populations is a form of inbreeding that is not in the best, long term interests of the breed.

2011/09/25
by Linda J Shaw
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DENTITION OF THE GSD The jaws of a carnivore carry what are arguably its most important tools – the teeth. The jaws of all animals that are classified within Order Carnivora, including all dogs, cats, bears and weasels, both living and extinct, feature the hallmark of their order: the Carnassials. These teeth, designed for shearing meat, are the fourth upper pre-molars, and first lower molars, and are enlarged and flattened like blades to varying degrees, even in those Carnivora that retain omnivorous and even herbivorous diets. In the German shepherd dog as with the wolf, the carnassials take the form typical of the hyper-carnivora, carnivores whose principle diet is meat.

Mesaticephalic Skull showing gape

The teeth of a wolf tend to be large and very strong, with huge carnassials, and very long, thick canines or fangs. The incisors are lined up in almost straight lines between the fangs, and missing premolars are extremely rare. Of all the wolf skulls I have inspected, none showed missing teeth. The bite is always scissors. The formation of GSD teeth should be almost identical to that of the wolf. All domestic dogs characteristically show teeth that are reduced in size, particularly showing shorter fangs. In many GSDs bred with a longer, finer head than we want the teeth are small and widely spaced, with incisors lined up in a curve due to narrow jaw structure. The extreme form of this type of jaw structure can be seen in the collie.

Correct bites, side and front

The ideal GSD head should be somewhat shorter and broader than a wolf, with a deeper stop and rounder eye. A long, broad back skull gives greater area of attachment for jaw muscles, and a slightly shorter jaw gives greater leverage and a powerful grip. A slightly convex curvature to the bottom of the lower jaw, and slight chin, gives plenty of room for the teeth to set deep roots. I have never seen a GSD with canines as long as a large wolf, but the teeth should be large and thick, close together with no spaces between them, and white and free of blemish. In general, the strength of the teeth seems to relate to the strength of bone. Big boned dogs will have stout teeth, and fine boned dogs will have more delicate teeth.

A missing premolar won’t have any practical consequences for a dog, but more than that may indicate other problems, such as a narrowing or misaligned jaw. Incisors that don’t align or occlude normally would probably result in broken teeth in the wild, and should never be used for breeding, and double teeth might be a sign of genetic abnormality. Other conformation points give us a beautiful dog, but good teeth are a requirement of any normal carnivore, and the GSD should be no exception. They are essential for a working dog, are less vulnerable to breakage and premature wear and help maintain a healthy mouth. Care should be taken to keep the dog’s teeth clean with diet and regular veterinary attention.

Upper and lower arcades

Correct scissors bite, Incorrect pincer or level bite

Overshot bite, missing 1st lower premolar, Undershot bite, double 1st lower premolar

Correct sissors bite, Incorrect wry or offset bite

There are 42 teeth, 20 in the upper jaw, 22 in the lower. They should be large and closely spaced.
The total count is:
Incisors:     6 upper and 6 lower.
Canines:     2 upper and 2 lower.
Premolars: 8 upper and 8 lower.
Molars:        4 upper and 6 lower.

Age of tooth eruption:
Incisors:       deciduous 4-6 weeks, permanent 3-5 months.
Canines:      deciduous  5-6 weeks, permanent 4-6 months.
Premolars:   deciduous    6 weeks, permanent 4-5 months.
Molar:                                                 permanent 5-7 months.

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