Monday, May 21, 2012

Jonah the Conformation Mutt

I'm reading a book that talks a bunch about dog conformation.  It's really fascinating.  It makes me curious about Jonah's build, so I tried taking some pictures.  This is the best one, although it's far from a perfect shot.  I positioned his legs so he would be square, but it made him stand a little awkward--his front legs are out in front of him and he's not positioned so his rear pasterns are perpendicular from the ground (and note that I really have no idea what correct conformation position is--I'm just guessing from other pictures I've seen).  Here's our shot:



Here he is with some lines drawn in:



So, my beginner's assessment is:
1)  Overall, his balance is farther back than ideal, which probably makes his front end pretty light and good for jumping, but contributes to his more 'casual' running and weaving style, rather than a low to the ground BC.

2)  He's a little bit tending towards a ewe neck--not ideal.  Also his neck is a little on the small side.

3)  I like his front angles pretty well.

4)  He is longer than tall.  I'm fine with that.

5)  Given his length, his back is not especially long, which I like.

6)  I'm rather fond of his topline.

7)  He has a decent size pelvis which should give him power.

8)  Probably his biggest issue is his straight hind legs.  This picture hides it pretty well, but his hock is actually that tan spot next to the top of the white on his tail.

9)  I guess the magic pelvis angle is 30 degrees.  He looks more like 40 or 45.

10)  His femur is much longer than his tibia.  This may contribute to why he sometimes paces rather than trots.

11)  He has a nice long croup.

There are tons of other things I could pick apart, but that's good for now.

I think he's a pretty dog, even if his conformation's not perfect!

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