# One More Try- Critique my Girl, Please



## GsdLoverr729

I'm very curious how others would view my girl in terms of her confirmation and movement. I am also trying to learn more about confirmation, since I hope to get into show one day. So I've been going through all the critiques in this section, checking out other critiques on sites and in person, and will be attending the show in Atlanta in September.
Anyways, I figured that a critique on Koda couldn't do anything but give me an idea on your view of her as well as help me learn. So I'm trying again (I do have a former thread, but movement pic was horrible, stack was bad, and the video I tried to use to show her moving failed lol). 

Stack:









Headshot:









Movement (Only two I have where she isn't hackling from play... If they aren't good enough then I can live without a movement critique ):


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## chloesmama2

I think she is a beauty, but since I have her twin (LOL) I am impartial I guess. Chloe has that same diamond on her forhead too. So funny how much they look alike. I even fooled my daughter the other day saying that Koda was Chloe - she believed I took the pictures.
Anyways sorry to make such a long comment and not what you were asking for. I think she is gorgeous.


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## GsdLoverr729

Lol! Thank you! That's hilarious that she thought Chloe was Koda! As her twin, Chloe is quite a beauty as well


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## marbury

Woah! Who is this? She looks EXACTLY like a line one of my bitches is from!


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## GsdLoverr729

She's just my girl, Dakoda. 
She came from a BYB who moved here from Germany with his dogs, according to him she is from German working lines.


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## GatorDog

I really like her movement shots! Awesome!


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## GsdLoverr729

Thank you, Alexis!!!


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## marbury

GsdLoverr729 said:


> She's just my girl, Dakoda.
> She came from a BYB who moved here from Germany with his dogs, according to him she is from German working lines.


That is so crazy, I swear she looks just like some Tindrock/Amber lines... :wild:


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## GsdLoverr729

Do you have any pictures? 
Since I never bothered to get her papers and am now out of touch with the breeder, I have no clue what she's from and I'm quite curious xD
Of course, looks won't prove any link. But it never hurts to be curious!


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## GsdLoverr729

Here are a couple natural stacks lol (I know they aren't perfect, particularly the angle, but I just remembered to add them haha):


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## GsdLoverr729

A more recent stack (I don't think I stacked her as well in this one as I did in the first stack lol):


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## Freestep

She looks better in the natural stack, IMO. You have her leg pulled back too far--her rear hock should be at a 90 degree angle to the ground.

Where her shoulder meets her upper arm, the angle looks too open. Is anyone else seeing what I'm talking about? 

Her topline looks like it sags slightly in some of the photos.

In short, she looks like a typical BYB GSD. She is at a good weight and looks healthy. Have you had her hips/elbows checked?


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## GsdLoverr729

Yeah I was wondering about that, thank you! I'm super green on trying to stack so I keep doing that. She also pulls her leg back farther when I move away from her.

What does that mean, exactly? The angle being too open?

Her topline does sag in some pictures, it's from where she will lean on me and when I back away and take the picture she is still moving to try and regain balance. 

I figured as much, I'm just trying to learn lol  Her elbows/hips are going to be checked in November, when we are less busy in the office. She did have an accident at 6 months that threw off one of her hips a bit (got her hind leg stuck in a railroad track and panicked before it could be pulled out).


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## Freestep

GsdLoverr729 said:


> What does that mean, exactly? The angle being too open?


I am thinking the angle where the shoulder and upper arm meet should be close to a 90 degree angle... and it looks more like 120 degrees. Hopefully, one of the conformation experts can explain what that means to the dog, in terms of physics. To me, it appears that it would limit extension of the front limbs, as evident in her movement photos.


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## GsdLoverr729

Ahhh alright... Interesting. Hopefully that won't mean anything very bad for her in the longrun. Thank you for your answer! 

I also looked into the back sag. I noticed she does it in sand, and I have one stacking photo of her doing it on concrete (which is the one where she was leaning against me and when I moved away it threw her off a bit). 
Do you think that might cause any issues later on?


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## Freestep

I really don't know if a slight sag in the topline necessarily means problems. I have heard that the "open" angulation of the shoulder can cause joint breakdown if the dog is doing a lot of hard work; running, jumping, climbing, that sort of thing.


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## Zeeva

I'm not an expert at this kind of stuff. But she's very pretty. Does she have a diamond on her forehead?!? If so, that's really pretty. I absolutely LOVE the third picture. Her movement looks so balanced and yet poised 

Pretty girl bless her!


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## msvette2u

Her croup looks short and steep to me?
She's a pretty girl and just fine for a pet, which is what most of us own!


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## GsdLoverr729

Freestep- She is extremely active (runs 2-3 nights a week, lots of long walks, herding sometimes, swimming), but only the running is really hardcore. Not much jumping or climbing.

Zeeva- It is a diamond  Thank you!!!!

Msvette- I see that now that you mention it (and I'm comparing it to other pics in this section of the forums). That's all she really is, is a companion.  I would like to do shows with the next shepherd I get. I just figured my out-of-conformation dog would be a nice learning tool xD And I figured that posting here would be more fun and less harmful to my pride than posting on PDB


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## Freestep

All that really matters is that you love her! She's not a show or breeding dog, so the only thing that matters about her conformation pertains to her health and longevity. Is she on any joint supplements, fish oil, etc?


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## GsdLoverr729

Like I said, more of a learning/fun experience 
She takes a fish oil capsule daily, and some calcium supplements that were recommended when she twisted up her hind leg at 6 months. Is there anything else you would recommend?


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## wildo

I agree with the comments about her croup being short and steep. However, in spite of that, I wanted to comment and say that in my opinion she has a lovely tail. The GSD standard states of the tail:



> _Tail_ bushy, with the last vertebra extended at least to the hock joint. It is set smoothly into the croup and low rather than high. At rest, the tail hangs in a slight curve like a saber. A slight hook- sometimes carried to one side-is faulty only to the extent that it mars general appearance. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail raised, but it should never be curled forward beyond a vertical line. Tails too short, or with clumpy ends due to ankylosis, are _serious faults_. A dog with a docked tail must be _disqualified._


I love the length of her tail, and the bushiness. I think the tail set may be _slightly_ low, but the top line through the croup does flow nicely into the tail. One thing I just don't like about some GSDs is the "rat" tail (short [or kind of short] and not bushy). I think that a good tail can sometimes be overlooked.

Her in motion shot shows a nice tail position as well:









And her stacked shot shows the good length. You have her bridged, so the tail doesn't _really_ lay on the ground as much as shown.


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## GsdLoverr729

Thank you, Wildo! Her tail, or whip as Matt calls it, is definitely one of my favorite things just for the fluff on it. It's not excessive for her fur length, but it's not super short/thin either.  I never put any thought into it as far as standard went... Thank you very much for your comment!!!

I do have her stacked HORRIBLY in that last picture! Her tail is better seen in the first stacking picture, as far as its length goes (though the angle is over-extended there as well. One of the things I am trying to work on).


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## msvette2u

> That's all she really is, is a companion.  I would like to do shows with the next shepherd I get. I just figured my out-of-conformation dog would be a nice learning tool xD


I agree with this - it doesn't hurt at all! 
I actually compare my Dachshunds with the breed standard, and only 2, maybe 3 come close to 'matching' that standard. A few are very far outside it!

Our GSD is like yours, a "pet quality" dog - but then again, most are, and even dogs bred for show/work end up being "pet quality"


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## GsdLoverr729

That's true  But her pet quality, to me, is worth more than most show qualities. :wub:


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## lorihd

love that motion picture of her, very pretty girl


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## GsdLoverr729

Thank you, Lori


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## GsdLoverr729

Sorry to bring this super old thread back to life, but I just compared a couple new stacks to the last one and I was amazed at the difference made by her head/hind leg position. 

Old:

New:


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## x11

i think an athletic looking dog that looks like a lot of fun. her ears seem a bit big to me?? just trying to find a negative. possibly lacks some pigmentation - **** i haven't a clue, nice dog.


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## GsdLoverr729

Her ears are big, she never finished growing into them. Her growth was actually stunted at 6 months. So I have a forever puppy  
She is also VERY lacking in pigmentation. I prefer dark sables, and black/reds. Buuut she's my baby girl and I think her coloring suits her well :wub: 

Definitely athletic. She can CLEAR (and I mean clear it) a 6 foot fence, or my boyfriend's head  And he is 6'2"


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## x11

GsdLoverr729 said:


> *Her ears are big*, she never finished growing into them. Her growth was actually stunted at 6 months. So I have a forever puppy
> She is *also VERY lacking in pigmentation*. I prefer dark sables, and black/reds. Buuut she's my baby girl and I think her coloring suits her well :wub:
> 
> *Definitely athletic*. She can CLEAR (and I mean clear it) a 6 foot fence, or my boyfriend's head  And he is 6'2"


yay i got 3/3 on my first critique.


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