# Critique Zefra @ 21 months



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Would love a critique on Zefra if anyone feels up to it.

21 months - Spayed female
23" at the withers
60lbs

I am not sure which stack is better; I tend to prefer Zefra stretched a bit.



















Head 










I have better photo's but she isn't in a stack in any of them (thinking for colour/pigment).

Thanks all!


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

I don't have the knowledge to critique, but I got a big smile as I scrolled to your last picture....She looked like she's ready for whatever you want to do....


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

very nice girl, i will bet she is active and athletic. i hope you are doing something training wise with her, she looks like she would work??

don't know much more than that.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks all.

Yes, this girl is ready for anything. 

@ x11 - yes, we train in both schutzhund and agility. She has also participated in SV confirmation and has her HIC. I try to get involved with as many venues as I can with my dogs. She will be trialing this spring for her BH and hopefully IPO1 (and possibly 2).


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

i am glad (for myself) that my intuition based on a pic was consistent with the actual dog. i am glad for the dog that you are doing cool stuff with her. question do those different venues make it harder to train yr dog ie the classic cross-training dilema.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I have not had any issues with training with Zefra (other than my newbie handling skills - only been working dogs for about 3 years or so).

I believe the dogs know what is expected in each venue, especially if you lay a good foundation.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

Don't have a critique presently. Sorry you had to spay Zefra. Thought you were planning to start breeding with her (although my memory could be incorrect)


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

She was to be used by her breeder but things happened and I spayed her to keep her with me instead. Big long dramatic story that ended well.


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

I am still not good at critiquing-but think she is a very pretty girl-like her head-and she looks in really good condition-glad everything worked out for you


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Not that I had ever shown a dog-but she looks better than a G to me


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

I can't critique but she is STUNNING!


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Zefra did her SV show in the middle of her young, awkward phase. If she shows again with an experienced handler/stacker, I'm sure she would get an SG.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I haven't critiqued in a while, and honestly I feel a bit rusty. However I REALLY love your Zefra and figured I could at least tell you my opinion. The usual disclaimer: I'm still new at this and may not be accurate.

Lovely feminine head with awesome pigmentation. Actually, her pigmentation throughout is absolutely stunning. She's a gorgeous dog! I really like how her neck is set on her shoulders. It flows well and looks substantial.

I _think_ that her withers are slightly behind her elbow, but it certainly doesn't appear to throw off her balance. She looks very balanced and very athletic! Shoulder angle is very good, but humerus is short. You can see the pasterns in the lower stack pic, and they look nice. I can't really tell if the wither is flat or not, to be honest. This is not an area I feel super comfortable. I think the wither is flat since I think the top of the scapula is behind the elbow. Sometimes though I see critique threads where I think the dog has flat withers, and then more seasoned critiquers note of the "excellent" withers... so, who knows.

I also like the topline much better in the first (slightly stretched) stack. I like the slight slope of the back and this also shows her croup better. The croup is a nice angle, but I think it's slightly short. The stretched stack allows it to appear a bit longer. Her back end screams balance, in my opinion. Femur and fibula/tibia appear to be the same length- both slightly longer than the croup, and the fibula/tibia angle mirrors the croup angle in the lower stacked photo. In other words, the rear forms a nice parallelogram that structural diagrams like that of Linda Shaw typically highlight.

Overall, I like her size, her weight, her gorgeous coat, and her expression. She looks athletic and balanced. I admit that I have looked up Wild Wings before on account of your pup!  Nice dog!!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks all - yes, the show was a bit of a mess and I think her performance was more of the "G" rating than her structure.... lmao! Also, I took her in the ring with only one lap around as practice.... never again! We will TRAIN for this venue next time! 

Wildo - Wild Winds, not Wings. 

Thanks for your critique. She was definitely built for speed and is one of the most athletic, agile, FAST dogs I have ever seen - not kidding, she is FAST and can turn on a dime. 

She is not true to her parent's breeding as her size is the smallest they have produced in 3 litters. I happened to really like it! Her heart and intenseness makes up for it! 

Here is the critique that Johannes gave her at a year old:

dark female
short hair
large
very good pigment
dark face/dark eyes
strong mask
normal withers with slight indintation 
firm back
croup short/steep
upper arm more slanted
restricted in rear ang
underline more longer
more substance/bone


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> dark female
> short hair
> large
> very good pigment
> ...


I agree with this. She's very nice, feminine but not too refined. Great color and pigment. I personally like more coat but I don't think it's faulty.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Lies, I agree with the critique for sure - except for the "large" part... that made me laugh. Zefra is JUST 23" and only about 60lbs when at her max. To me, that is a small GSD, or at least medium sized.. not sure where the "large" came from.... lol.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

The show line female ring is trending smaller (not *small* but smaller than what people seem to normally think of). I transported a dog for Johannes recently and she was in the 6-9 month class but couldn't have weighed more than 40/45lbs. When I saw Nikon's littermate show the SV judge said she was absolutely the correct size and she is smaller than Nikon (24", 70lbs) and was much leaner at the time.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Wow.. that IS small... yeah, I never thought I would like a smaller dog but I really do prefer Zefra's size, especially in a female. She is easy to tote around.


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