# Working Lines - 4 years 9 months (conformation and function)



## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Been stacking Trent a lot so I thought I might as well ask for a critique (again!)  Would appreciate any thoughts or comments from either a conformation or a functional/working standpoint. He is turning 5 years old in February and is from West German working lines.

Please excuse his current physical condition. I've been busy these past few months and we are working on building muscle again. 

Stacked



























Front (yes, he has a baby face!)









(eyes are a result of the afternoon lighting)









Still the best gaiting picture I have at the moment









Running


















Running, from the front









Thanks in advance! We meant to enter a UKC show this summer but was informed by an acquaintance that it was actually a specialty for another breed :crazy: Whoops! Hoping to make the time to attend one eventually and see how we do.

Huge thanks to Xeph for her grooming tips and her comments/thoughts earlier on another site.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i don't know anything about conformation but
i think you have a very nice looking dog.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

The first stacked photo is really really nice. It shows him to his best advantage. There is not much I would criticize other than his croup needing to be longer. Very nice boy.


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## lorihd (Nov 30, 2011)

"WOW", the best stack picture that I have seen!!!! Of course the subject matter does come into play. Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I agree with Lisa. I love your photos and have always looked at all your posts on Trent but that stacked photo is the best one I've seen as far as his overall conformation.


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## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

You know I think he is such a handsome boy!! 


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

Rei, I would just like to say that the way you have him set up, and the placement of your hands on his head is very AKC in the first picture.

I friggin love it, LOL!

If at all possible, I think you should pursue a UKC championship with him. He's a super nice animal, and I will admit, he has matured out and developed extraordinarily well in my opinion.

I feel he has a lot of attributes that WL tend to lack. One of the things I love most is his rear angulation, primarily because he has turn of stifle, but *is not overdone*. I CANNOT STAND straight rears. I'm sorry, I can't, I hate them. These are German Shepherds, not Malinois or Chow Chows. Turn of stifle is correct, and beautiful.

I find Trent to be a wonderfully balanced animal, and from the pictures you take, he is quite agile, looks like a fluid, easy, moderate mover, and is the kind of "old style" dog I would be absolutely proud to own.

If I'm going to pick on anything, it's his head...and it's not even really his head. It's his ears. Usually we find our dogs to have ears too big for the head, but Trent has the rare ears that are too small! I would also like a better shaped eye, but that's being super nit picky.

His croup could be a smidgen longer and his tail a bit lower set, but like I told you before, grooming up that croup will help the appearance a bit.

Trent, IMO, is a dryer type dog, but has the coat and muscling to be aesthetically pleasing. I know you think his muscling needs to be better, but for "just a pet", he's way ahead of the game for most dogs.

You got a real good one, for sure


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

Wow!! Thanks so much to each of you, I really appreciate the wonderful comments. And thanks for for the critiques and thoughts on the stack! I really can't imagine higher praise for him than that, considering how much credibility you all have. 

The first two pictures are definitely the two I like best overall, they show his structure well and he still looks how he would if you saw him in person. I wish my hands weren't in the shot, but at least his head is up! I actually kind of like it  Gives the illusion that we know what we're doing.

As for comparing the first and second stacked shots, I noticed that he is a bit overstretched in the rear leg closest to the camera, and the other rear leg was actually pulled the other way (making him go down a little on the hocks). Would this be why the first stack is preferable to the second? 

Thanks! 



Xeph said:


> Rei, I would just like to say that the way you have him set up, and the placement of your hands on his head is very AKC in the first picture.
> 
> I friggin love it, LOL!


AKC handler in the making? LOL I think you're rubbing off on me! :laugh:

Thanks for reassuring me on his physical condition, and for all the praise!! So great hearing such a positive opinion from you; I'll definitely see about entering a UKC show or two this coming year.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

I have no expertise but just wanted to say he's so freaking handsome!


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

WateryTart said:


> I have no expertise but just wanted to say he's so freaking handsome!


Thank you!! If Trent could read, his head would definitely be overinflated by now


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Lovely boy and nice to see his updated photos!

Too overstretched in the rear in pictures 2 and 3 so I used #1 along with head/expression in #2/3. Movement photos used for shoulder and upper arm.

Large male with rich pigment, good type, dark mask, dark eyes, beautiful expression - mature and soulful, good head but ear set could be better, normal withers, slight dip behind withers, firm back, well developed chest, front slightly bridged, upper arm could be slightly longer and shoulder could use a tad more angulation, but he has a nice reach. Slightly stretched but well balanced overall - dry and firm. Nice underline with a slightly deep chest, very good rear angulation, nice tailset, croup has good angulation but could be slightly longer. Neat dog - obviously very loved! Congrats


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

He's a very handsome dog! I always love seeing his pictures! You always stack him really well too.


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

I just found these replies today! Sorry for the delayed response, and thanks a million for the kind comments 



qbchottu said:


> Lovely boy and nice to see his updated photos!
> 
> Too overstretched in the rear in pictures 2 and 3 so I used #1 along with head/expression in #2/3. Movement photos used for shoulder and upper arm.
> 
> Large male with rich pigment, good type, dark mask, dark eyes, beautiful expression - mature and soulful, good head but ear set could be better, normal withers, slight dip behind withers, firm back, well developed chest, front slightly bridged, upper arm could be slightly longer and shoulder could use a tad more angulation, but he has a nice reach. Slightly stretched but well balanced overall - dry and firm. Nice underline with a slightly deep chest, very good rear angulation, nice tailset, croup has good angulation but could be slightly longer. Neat dog - obviously very loved! Congrats


Thank you so much. I really look forward to your critiques and thoughts because they are always detailed and easy to understand. Also appreciate the mention of which pictures were used, will help me with my future photos and threads. 

I'm very pleasantly surprised by how he turned out, although I'd probably love him either way! He's not perfect by any means, but I like that he looks (to me) like a generically all around nice dog. 



TrickyShepherd said:


> He's a very handsome dog! I always love seeing his pictures! You always stack him really well too.


Thank you! Stacking is a part of our picture taking routine now; we've been practicing since he was an adolescent (we tried when he was a puppy, but I don't think staying still was physically possible)


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

I am not the opinion you are looking for! But beautiful....great looking dog!


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## Rei (Oct 10, 2008)

mcdanfam said:


> I am not the opinion you are looking for! But beautiful....great looking dog!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thank you! No worries, comments and overall thoughts are appreciated as well


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