I got the point of the thread, but too me it is pretty much the same as the other... the owner posts what they think and others chime in on it. I like to see threads like this though some who ask seem not to like the answers...
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the standard is the standard. So I too hope everyone takes it with a grain of salt when asking and uses the info as a learning tool. We all love our own dogs regardless of faults...
Even judges can't help but to have their preferences it seems though when they interpret the standard.
A good natural stance means more to me than one that has to be manipulated. I say that because the better the overall structure the better a dog will naturally stand. The better the structure the better the movement and workability of the dog as long as the temperament and drive also meets the standard. Those things you can't see in pictures and to me are just as important.
LOL I for one am not kennel blind and am probably harder on my own dogs then others would be...
After doing some research, my boy has a slight roach but it's hard because it depends how he's standing.
You want to judge the structure when the dogs is stacked. Most dogs can wiggle and look like their structure is off if they aren't standing properly.
Rudy4747,
Legs too far out or in will throw off a topline, but manipulating them a tiny bit certainly can help the look of a roached topline just watch it doesn't push anything else into a weird position.
A good judge will pick up on a handler covering up things, while watching the dog move and the dog's total structure in a stack, but it doesn't hurt to be conscious of what makes the dog look best. Sometimes a good handler is what helps a dog win more so than the dog when it is a close call for the judge picking.
There are all sorts of little tricks handlers use in the ring with manipulated stacks.
