# Critique Please - Ava 10 months



## Ava (Mar 18, 2011)

We have been working on stacking for just a couple weeks. Getting better, but slow progress. Here's a self stack from a few weeks ago that's not too bad. Hopefully good enough to get some opinions.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

Nice, balanced, looks like she could be athletic. Not over angulated, not under angulated. Short steep croup but well placed. Nice pasterns and paws. Underline and muscle tone could be better but she is still a baby to.


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## Six (Oct 16, 2011)

Beautiful dog.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Very pretty and balanced female. Flat withers, good topline though her croup should be longer. Very good angulation front and rear. Good feet and pasterns. Would maybe like to see a bit richer color.


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## Geeheim (Jun 18, 2011)

Ava sure is beautiful!


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Beautiful. I have a feeling that the pigment is better in 'real life' because cameras and sunshine can make things look lighter than they really are. Slightly flat withers, not expert enough to remark on the rest. Looks like slight turn-out on the right front.
Over-all terrific. Once again,far from an expert but I like this 'stack' the best because it is a natural stance and you see what the dog is really like. The manufactured (required) stack is too fake for my liking. JMHO


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

PaddyD said:


> The manufactured (required) stack is too fake for my liking. JMHO


Not necessarily. When I stack my dogs I walk them in slow and just tell them to stay (or give the command for stand-stay). IMO the stack *should* be natural. When my dogs stop and stand alert at attention it looks the same if not better than when I try to walk them into this position for a picture. All dogs are different so all stacks are going to be slightly different. I don't like pics where it is obvious the dog was placed and is not standing natural. It should not take a ton of training and work to get a nice stack.


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## dazedtrucker (May 2, 2011)

She is totally GORGEOUS! I don't know what you plan on doing with her, but she is a 10!


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## Ava (Mar 18, 2011)

*Thank You!!!*

Thanks everyone. She's my baby so I've always thought she was a pretty pup. Over the past month or so I really noticed she's turning out to be a great looking dog - as mentioned, balanced. Great to hear some confirmation. 

She is very athletic - a runner and a swimmer. We've kept her very active since we got her at 13 weeks, but since we got the Aussie pup about six weeks ago so she's been going literally non-stop. The muscle is building.

Lisa & Pat, you're both right on the pigment. Lighting makes a big difference. Sometimes she looks very rich, other times washed out. The 2nd pic shows reality a little better. Still very light underneath. As for the withers, I don't know how they really are? The longer thick sable on the back of her neck takes a few inch break at the top of her shoulder then continues into another longer thick sable patch. Sometimes they look flat, other times a dip.

GS6800 - I grew up in Hampton and lived in Va Beach (Dam Neck / General Booth area) as a younger adult.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

lol I grew up in Pungo. If you have not been there in a while the general booth area has changed so much.


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## mwiacek10 (Nov 8, 2010)

She is absolutely beautiful.


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## Ramage (Oct 10, 2009)

Lovely!


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Ava said:


> Thanks everyone. She's my baby so I've always thought she was a pretty pup. Over the past month or so I really noticed she's turning out to be a great looking dog - as mentioned, balanced. Great to hear some confirmation.
> 
> She is very athletic - a runner and a swimmer. We've kept her very active since we got her at 13 weeks, but since we got the Aussie pup about six weeks ago so she's been going literally non-stop. The muscle is building.
> 
> ...


She could be Abby's prettier sister. The lighting means everything, without sunshine or a flash you can see that their tan is almost dark in most places.


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