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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2011/10/12
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.

2011/09/21
by Linda J Shaw
2 Comments

SLOPING TOPLINES The topline of a dog can slope or appear to slope, for a number of reasons. A dog with correct structure will show a slight slope when set up for show, with one hind leg pulled slightly back. Unfortunately, in the minds of some, if some is good, more is better, regardless of how that slope is achieved. Of course, it’s best to see the dog live, moving and standing naturally. Then it’s easy to see if the dog really has a correct topline. However, dogs that are deceased and exist only on pedigrees, and dogs being advertised through their photographs, may give a wrong impression of their true structure. A slope can be the result of several different things.It’s also a good idea to define what we mean by topline, and differentiate it from the back. The topline is the silhouette created by the withers, back and croup. Some commentators include the neck and tail, but this isn’t really helpful in a discussion of slope. The back is the section of the spine that begins where the withers end, and ends where it attaches to the pelvis and the croup begins, approximately between the hips. Obviously, you can’t have a good topline if you don’t have a good back.

Correct Topline

The most common reason, at least in North American lines, for a sloping back is too much rear angulation. The dog appears literally to be sinking in the rear end, which effectively is what is happening. The knees, or stifles, are bent more than they should be, and the rear end drops. It’s the same as if you, while standing, were to bend your knees and sink down. These dogs are usually cow hocked and sickle hocked, and show soft, low, squishy movement, as if they are moving across a mattress with soft springs. Some judges think this is a sign of good shock absorption, but anyone who has had their car’s shock absorbers go soft know what a hard ride it can be. Some of these dogs will stand with a fairly level back when both hind legs are set well under them, but they can go very low in the rear when set up for show. To set the rearmost leg back so the hock is vertical, it must be stretched very far back, and the topline takes on an almost ski slope aspect. It may look dramatic and flashy, but it is not a powerful rear and is not correct.

Extreme Rear Angulation

Handling can also cause a dog to stand incorrectly. Handlers don’t seem to train their dogs to set themselves up, so there is a lot of hand setting of dogs in the ring. Inevitably, the dogs get overstretched as the handlers try to make them show more rear angulation. Perfectly good dogs that would look wonderful if they could stand naturally get overstretched and pulled into showing more of a slope than they naturally have. A few years ago a photo of a Canadian champion who had beautiful structure, but was extremely overstretched in his photograph, was circulated around the internet as an example of an extreme American dog by someone who apparently didn’t know the difference. If a dog is over-stretched, regardless of how much or how little angulation it has, the hock of the leg pulled back will not be vertical, but will be sloped. Dogs usually don’t stand this way naturally, so it’s a pretty good indication of a dog that has been improperly posed by hand.

Overstretched Show Pose

A roach back can also give the impression of a slope. If the spine behind the withers is arched more than it should be (the natural anatomy of a wolf or hunting dog shows almost no arch), then the back will bow downwards towards the rear, making the croup steeper than it should be and lowering the pelvis. In the worst cases the hindquarter seems to small, almost as if nature has shrunk the hind legs to accommodate the lowered rear. It’s also common to see cow hocks in roached backed dogs, even when the angulation is normal. A slope due to roach generally doesn’t disappear when the dog is standing naturally, and posing the dog by hand seems to cause it to hunch up even more. Any curvature of the spine alters the relationships of the major parts of the anatomy, as the back is the cornerstone of the dog’s entire structure.

Roached Back

Even dogs with basically level backs can give the impression of a sloped topline. Dogs with very high, sloping withers (sometimes the result of straight shoulders) and steep croups can seem to slope more than they should, especially in a show pose. The angle of the withers and croup creates the optical impression of an overall slope, even though the back itself is reasonably normal. I’ve seen this combination of traits in more than a few American dogs, but it probably doesn’t exist in German showline dogs.

Steep Wither and Croup

Finally, any dog, whatever its structure, will show a sloping topline when it is pulling on the lead, whether standing or gaiting. A dog that is “strung up” when gaiting to force the head unnaturally high can show a dramatically different topline than when it is gaiting naturally, hence the wise German requirement that dogs be gaited off lead. Dogs that are baited to get their attention will pick up their heads and drop their rears, and while we like a dog to look alert and poised, it will change the profile somewhat from a natural, relaxed stance.

Pulling on the Lead

As you can see, a “sloping topline” is really just a symptom that doesn’t mean very much unless you look further for the underlying structural reasons.

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