# ...Critique?



## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

So, I've come to see Zira finally growing into more of an adult.... and I wonder to myself... is there anything correct with her now that she's starting to get more mature and maybe grow into herself?

She is definitely a product of BYB, we pulled her from a really bad pet store situation, so I can assure you there is no good breeding in there. However, since she was a baby she ALWAYS would stack herself.. naturally! I never worked with her... or trained her to do it... she just would. Now, with that said.. even if I was to try, my ability needs a lot more work and knowledge! lol! So her stacks are all her..... as for me... if you all have some suggestions on how to better stack her... or any GSD for that matter, I'd appreciate it! 

Basically, what I am saying is.... I KNOW she is incorrect in a million ways.... but is there anything right? I have an untrained eye, so I certainly can't tell the specifics. Either way, I love her all the same.... this is just out of curiosity.

-Some info about her-
Height: 26"-28" (she was measured a few months ago, but has since grown a bit more, so I am unsure of exact height currently... I tried to find the measuring stick... it's missing )
Weight: 65lbs 
Age: 1 yr

I did nothing except hold her still, she just stood there like that... so the stacking is definitely off I am sure! (this was about 1.5months ago) The sun was very bright, so her color is not this light and her back is black..





























around 8 months.. can't see paws, I accidentally cut them out, sorry.












5.5 months... she turned her head, so I know this may not be the best to use for critiquing..









I know she is over standard on her height and probably will be on her weight as she is a bit underweight right now... She should be around 80lbs or so. Dam and Sire are both over 100lbs... 108 and 110 to be exact. Her hips are looking to be bad, so I know her rear end is weak. We are doing x-rays on them soon.

Anyway, what do you all see?


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

I see a happy girl who knows she has a family who loves her!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I'm lousy at criticing, so I will say, I think she is still very much a youngster and long lean and at that lanky stage,,and i LOVE long legged lanky dawgs


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

robk said:


> I see a happy girl who knows she has a family who loves her!


Oh she certainly does! She's definitely spoiled.... such a 'daddy's girl', gets whatever she wants!! She's a lucky pup! :wub:



JakodaCD OA said:


> I'm lousy at criticing, so I will say, I think she is still very much a youngster and long lean and at that lanky stage,,and i LOVE long legged lanky dawgs


Lol! Oh yeah, she's still a bit awkward! She reminds me of a deer/gazelle sometimes! hehe  We love her regardless!


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## CeCe (Jun 1, 2011)

I think her coloring is very pretty. She has a beautiful mask and nice strong ears. Her body looks athletic and fit.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

She has nice rear angulation - not too much, not too little. Otherwise, she is kind of a mess structurally. But she looks like a sweetheart!


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

CeCe said:


> I think her coloring is very pretty. She has a beautiful mask and nice strong ears. Her body looks athletic and fit.


Thank you! Her ears are definitely very strong, they've been straight up since the day we got her at 3.5 months old. Never have I ever seen them down or floppy! I kind of like the GSD puppy stage ears though :wub: lol

And she is very athletic, not any fat on her. She stays lean and we keep her that way to give her bones a break. Since she's over standard, we want to help her bones as much as we can.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

phgsd said:


> She has nice rear angulation - not too much, not too little. Otherwise, she is kind of a mess structurally. But she looks like a sweetheart!


Thank you for your input! She definitely is a sweetheart! Troublemaker, but still a good girl!

She is a mess, I agree... the product of horrible breeding and absolutely terrible lines (mentally and physically). But, we love her anyways.

She always seemed to have nice rear angulation. I always said it was enough, but not too much. Glad to hear I was right on that.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I can't formally critique but I would like to say that I absolutely LOVE her coloring. You can tell she has a lot of filling out to do! But I think she's a very pretty girl. :wub:


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

GatorDog said:


> I can't formally critique but I would like to say that I absolutely LOVE her coloring. You can tell she has a lot of filling out to do! But I think she's a very pretty girl. :wub:


Thank you! Yeah, she still has a lot of growing and filling in to do.... she's taking her time growing up and maturing as most shepherds do. 

Her color is very interesting... She went from a typical saddle back to this! Her color has changed dramatically!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Young female with flat withers, OK topline, good placement of a croup that should be longer. Sufficient angulation in front. Good in rear. I would like to see a bit more bone. Her feet look good in some of the photos and not in the others so I will say they are good. She does toe out a bit in front. She has a very good ear set, but I would like to see some stop in her profile. Her head is almost un-shepherd like which, for me, would be the biggest negative in her overall critique. I almost wonder if there is Crok Erlenbusch behind her. She has good color, dark face and dark eyes.


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## amaris (Jan 6, 2011)

lhczth said:


> She has good color, dark face and dark eyes.



Just curious but how important is a dark face, assuming rest of the body is pigmented...


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Nice ear set, nice dark coloring. Interesting withers, which are higher than her back in the first, second and last pictures. Hips look 'funny' in the last picture. Lack of full stop: nose is full size but skull is not but that could change with maturity(?). Leggy, I bet she's a gazelle. First impression is: Pretty dog!


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Amaris, it is a personal preference.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Lisa , I would speculate that this female is an American bred show line type breeding . I saw this type of collie-like head , elongated muzzle with less to no stop , and really big ears - (Covy-Tucker Hill dogs) . 
is there any information on her?

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Carmen, yes, that thought entered my mind too, but the head looked familiar so maybe a cross.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> Nice ear set, nice dark coloring. Interesting withers, which are higher than her back in the first, second and last pictures. Hips look 'funny' in the last picture. Lack of full stop: nose is full size but skull is not but that could change with maturity(?). Leggy, I bet she's a gazelle. First impression is: Pretty dog!


Thank you! lol, yes she has a lot more filling in to do... we are still growing taller, not thicker. 



lhczth said:


> Young female with flat withers, OK topline, good placement of a croup that should be longer. Sufficient angulation in front. Good in rear. I would like to see a bit more bone. Her feet look good in some of the photos and not in the others so I will say they are good. She does toe out a bit in front. She has a very good ear set, but I would like to see some stop in her profile. Her head is almost un-shepherd like which, for me, would be the biggest negative in her overall critique. I almost wonder if there is Crok Erlenbusch behind her. She has good color, dark face and dark eyes.


Thank you, lots of great information!



carmspack said:


> Lisa , I would speculate that this female is an American bred show line type breeding . I saw this type of collie-like head , elongated muzzle with less to no stop , and really big ears - (Covy-Tucker Hill dogs) .
> is there any information on her?
> 
> Carmen
> Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


She is American lines, I never noticed any german/czech or other lines there. Honestly, I have NO idea what they were even trying to breed for. Her conformation isn't correct, she is a bag of nerves most of the time, lots of fears, not confident in 70% of things (when she wants to be and with others dogs she is), And her health is horrible. The ONLY thing I will say is... she has a heart of gold. She has never shown aggression with anything... DA/PA, Fear, resource. None of it. She is fantastic with kids, and has never even let out a grow. So I will say.. she is a good dog with that. Never had an issue with socialization.

I do have her papers, but they are in my other laptop case. She has horrible lines from somewhere in Missouri. Her father has some ridiculous name, I've forgotten it over the months. I never put too much work into looking at her bloodlines as I already know they are a mess. I can't expect much more from a rescue. Love her anyways.

Thanks for the information btw! 



lhczth said:


> Carmen, yes, that thought entered my mind too, but the head looked familiar so maybe a cross.


She is pure bred, just poorly bred. No other breeds in her.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I meant a cross of lines. Not a cross of breeds.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

lhczth said:


> I meant a cross of lines. Not a cross of breeds.


Ah, ok. Misunderstood, I apologize.

And that is completely possible. To be honest, the people who breed her probably had no idea what lines were!


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