# Apollo Von Der BauerHof



## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Sorry this is a natural stack so the angle is off :-/


Just a week shy of 10 months 
What do you think?


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Sorry cannot offer any advice on the critique, I know nothing about it. To me he looks perfect in every way, and is sooo handsome to boot. :wub:


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks  I think he's pretty handsome too.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

He looks exactly like he should for his age!
Nice, handsome, young male...best wishes!


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you Robin 

Does anyone want to take a stab at an official critique?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

one thing I have to critique is the kennel name. "vom Bauernhof" would be correct


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

ohh handsome dude!


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## lorihd (Nov 30, 2011)

very handsome boy


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

Nice looking youg male with very good pigment. Nice bone structure. Not at all as gangly looking at many 10 month olds. Top line is very straight. Very handsome face. Slightly wide appearance to the ear set but could be just the way he is holding his ears in the photo.
Cannot see his feet because of the grass. 

That is all I can offer right now.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you Robk 
He has a very nice Ear set but he refuses to show it to me while I'm taking a photo of him LoL. 

Mrs. K the name translates exactly how it should be "kennel from the farm". English speakers love the word "The".

For English speakers "Bauerhof" is easier to say and read 
Thank you though!


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Its still incorrect. The correct translation is Apollo von dem Bauernhof.

Von der BauerHof does not exist. It is either vom Bauernhof or von dem Bauernhof. 

Trust me.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

If you don't like it Mrs K, that's fine, but the name the OP has chosen for her kennel suits her fine.

The majority of her buyers are unlikely to be German speakers, and won't care two bits. She asked about her dog, not your opinion on the grammatical correctness of her kennel name.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Honestly, I will correct any name that is wrong. Don't care what people think. If you name something in German do it right or don't do it at all. Just ask or use an English Kennel name instead. It's unprofessional and looks like you don't really care. I personally wouldn't buy from a breeder who does not care enough to get his/her kennelname right. 

If anyone wants a kennel name to be translated I will do it for free. Many have sent messages. Ya'll know I an German so just ask.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

So what about all of the famous kennel names with "Von Der" in their name?


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

> I personally wouldn't buy from a breeder who does not care enough to get his/her kennelname right.


Well darn, what a loss


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

4TheDawgies said:


> So what about all of the famous kennel names with "Von Der" in their name?


It really depends on the context and gender of the word. In your case "der" is dem or you can leave dem out completely and use "vom".


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Xeph said:


> Well darn, what a loss


It is a loss and I guarantee you I am not the only one that would walk away. As a breeder you are trying to sell something and your kennel name is part of your image and should be choosen carefully. it is just like selling a product and very business 101.

Despite what everyone is saying, kennels have to market themselves like everyone else and the name IS playing a role in that.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

I have a tattoo on my arm in Hebrew, and you better believe that before "branding" myself I verified that the Hebrew text was accurate (wasn't difficult since I went to a private christian bible college). I agree with Mrs.K that the kennel brand is very important. While I wouldn't walk away- it's only because as someone who doesn't know German, I'd be ignorant of the issue. I'd feel really silly though if in a proud moment I tell someone my dog's kennel name and they corrected me- yet I was sure I had the kennel name correct...

At any rate- for the critique, I just wanted to mention that the camera angle is wrong for the stack. It needs to be shot orthogonal to the front shoulder, or slightly behind. At the very least, it needs to be orthogonal to the dog, not at an angle. Because of the angle, I think that the humerus looks extra short, though I'm not sure it really is. I do still think it's short, but not extreme. In fact, I think the dog probably has (while still obtuse) a fairly decent shoulder angle. A straight on stacked photo would clarify.

The dog has a nice topline. The withers are not flat, and flow nicely into the neck. I really like your dog's lower back, and that it nicely transitions from the flat back to the angled croup. It's a really nice lower back. However, I think the croup is not steep enough, and should be about 5-8 degrees steeper. I also think the croup is a bit short, but this could very well be the camera angle. Tail set seems high on account of the short croup, but seems to be a really nice length and has decent "bushiness" to it. The rear seems balanced to the front, but I feel the thighs could _maybe_ use a bit more muscling (it's hard for me to see where the back of the thigh stops and the thigh "fluffies" start).

I very much like his head. At risk of sounding increasingly ignorant- I like that it's not blocky looking. I really don't like those huge heads; it looks off to me. But your dog has a nice one in my opinion. It is well proportioned to his body. Nice expression too. I'm wondering if the eyes could be perhaps just _one_ shade darker- and brighter (though they may simply be slightly washed out due to lighting).

Nice looking dog!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Really like the dog, especially for his age!

As for the kennel name, it's hard because I studied German for so long, so when it's not done right it's hard to even read or say, it just doesn't come out right. It's not the end of the world but to me I guess it does make a difference. If I didn't know the language I would probably feel differently.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Well I had it translated from German speakers and spoke to a couple German friends of mine about the details of it all. I see exactly what the error is now. It is a minor one.

If I didn't purchase a dog, or give a kennel a chance because of the grammatical and spelling errors when they translated to english, then I would miss out on a lot of very nice dogs. Because despite the language barrier, the dogs are of quality, the knowledge is there, it's a great package.

Maybe it's just me but I am less focused on things like that when purchasing a dog especially when dealing with language barriers. I care about the dogs and the quality they are producing a well as the knowledge behind them.
I would take a dog with an incorrect kennel name who is superior to a dog with a correct kennel name but cannot work. 

Wildo thank you for your comments. Like I said its a natural stack so unfortunately the camera angle is off. You can bet I tried to get a better angle but as soon as I did Apollo saw me leaning out of the chair and saw it as an opportunity to play. :-/

I really like his lower back too. His back strength is tremendous. While he is in play or going for the ball he will often stand on his front two legs and twist his body with his rear in the air then thrust his rear legs under him and go flying in another direction. It cracks me up. I love how athletic him and his sister are, with extreme intensity. 

You are right about the croup, it is a little short and could be steeper. He does have a very bushy tail that I like. 
I'm surprised you think he needs more muscling. Normally people make comments on how lean my dogs are and how muscular they are lol. Maybe it is the angle. I think hes a pretty buff young guy. 

I do like his head as well, but I think it will get a little blockier as he ages. 
I tend to get photos of my dogs looking into the sun. I love the effect. But he has very dark brown eyes. 

This is an old picture from 2 months ago


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I love his color and his expression! He's very masculine without being too heavy or having the Akita-face. His eye color looks good to me.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

OH YEAH! His eyes are MUCH better in those pictures. As to the muscling in the back legs, I did note that I wasn't 100% confident on that... haha! I just felt the distance from the front of his thigh to the back (the start of the fluffies) could have been, maybe, a bit deeper. In person, and in motion, I could very well recant that statement. Overall, I think he's a great looking dog! I really think he looks very balanced.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

If the croup is short, the width of the thigh will also be shorter. So I think you might just be picking up on that.

Just as an example - this dog has a loong croup and a really wide thigh...
http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=517068


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

wildo said:


> OH YEAH! His eyes are MUCH better in those pictures. As to the muscling in the back legs, I did note that I wasn't 100% confident on that... haha! I just felt the distance from the front of his thigh to the back (the start of the fluffies) could have been, maybe, a bit deeper. In person, and in motion, I could very well recant that statement. Overall, I think he's a great looking dog! I really think he looks very balanced.


Yea I just wanted to clarify those things  Thank you very much for the compliments. I really like him, but I always like finding out other peoples opinions who are not biased. Because unfortunately we can't help but be at least a little biased. 

Here are some working photos & videos of him

















Protection





Obedience


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Well- I'm anything but biased since I don't know what the -heck- I'm talking about! hah! I just think it's fun to try... You outta hear me at a conformation show. Geesh- people must think I'm crazy! LOL!


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

lol People think I'm crazy too. So its ok  We are dog nerds!


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

In your protection video, you should not back your dog from the outed sleeve. Always you should kick it back to the helper. To back your dog, takes from him. Let him be the dog, do not back him away. Keep him in drive.


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## christinaekenn (Jan 10, 2011)

lovely young boy! I think he is extremely handsome and will continue to fill out and muscle up as he grows!

In regards to the kicking vs backing up at the sleeve...I think it depends on what you are working on. Yes, kicking it will generally trigger more prey drive as it escapes. However, backing up just enough also allows the helper to come in and "fight" for the sleeve with the dog. This is also useful in certain situations. Without knowing the dog or what the helper is working on, it is hard to say what is better or not.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Thank you Christinaekenn!

You are right, depending on what you are working on, kicking the sleeve away or pulling the dog back both have their benefits


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

I figured he was not fighting the dog for it since he is in no way engaging the dog while picking up the sleeve nor right after getting it. If you choose not to accept the advice that does not break my heart. It was offered in kindness only from my observation in effort to help a newbie in the sport.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

That's ok thanks anyways GSD6800. I'm happy with my training and have many mentors whom are highly experienced in the sport helping me out. 
It's the thought that counts though, right?


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## christinaekenn (Jan 10, 2011)

No one was saying your advice was not appreciated. I assumed we were just having a dog training discussion. I was only merely pointing out the benefits of each and where the purpose lies so that it was not taken as pulling the dog back never served a purpose. My comment was not directly related to the video, which I did not get a chance to watch.
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/members/52765-germanshepherds6800.html


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

GSD6800 I wanted to explain to you what the purpose of the exercise in the video is doing, just to clarify in case anyone watching this thread was wondering themselves as well.
Yes, I am a newbie to the sport (only 3 years), which is why I am a member of a club that provides real, hands on experience for myself and my dogs. One that also evaluates our progress and helps me make training plans and decisions based on many hours of working with my dogs and myself. 

The purpose of taking a dog away from the 'sleeve' by backing is to bring the dog out and showing it that it must be at all times powerful. This is a lesson in introducing active aggression and minor defense, which are different drives than the prey that is triggered by kicking the 'sleeve' away. I'm saying 'sleeve; because even in my newbie ignorance, I'm aware that that is a bite pillow. 

I hope that explains in my newbie terms why I am doing what I am doing.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

sleeve/ pillow tomato/ tomotto 

I will not try to "help" you again as I see you are not "open" to it. I wish you all the best in your training and getting your first gsd to an ipo1. Have the very best day there and I hope it is not as hot as it is here. We are now on night training schedule due to the weather leaving me some daytime bored in the ac to browse online.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Oh I am very open to new ideas! Love them actually. However you are not giving me any new ideas. I am very aware of the differences between a helper taking a sleeve, and kicking it to the helper. 

I am always willing to listen to training ideas, but taking training advice from some random person on the internet who anonymously posts should always be taken with a grain of salt.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

I respect that. Plenty of people even ones on here know me and who I am and why that information is not made public to others. Plenty of people here have also been offered help from me privately and were helped by it and I will continue to help them where it is most welcome. I feel no need or desire to "prove" my accomplishments to you and am fine with just dropping it. My employers are the only ones that need my training resume. I can assure you my experience is not training people's dogs for cash in bite work when I have never completed training in it myself. Take care and good luck in your dog training business.


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