A good all over general article about the stack

[gemy]

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As breeders one of the most important critical tools you have is to watch your dogs movement without the interference of anyone handling them. Take videos and mix that up with just sitting n watching.


The most common mistake is to pull up on the lead. This is rife in the toy breeds and in many of our working breeds. It distorts so much the movement and the outline of the dog as it moves.


If in this observation your dog habitually moves with a low and incorrect head/neck placement - you quite simply have a problem - and that is usually structure of the head/neck/shoulder assembly.


Sometimes temperament plays a role here with insecure and or timid dogs working in unfamiliar terrain. Often found with in the toy breeds.

Sometimes the handler is not taking wide enough steps andor is too slow for the dog under their lead - and so the dog hunches up to match their pace to yours. This is more prevalent in the large breeds and or sight hounds etc.


For the owner handler you really need to show train your dog. And by that I mean breed specific exercises and the resultant muscular development that helps insure a great canine athlete. And make no mistake a show dog - any show dog should be a canine athlete and their event is the show ring.


I fondly remember a handling workshop I did with a very experienced judge -dog breeder etc, out of 40 dogs there - at the end of the weekend we did a mock conformation competition. He was adamant that we show under loose lead. At the end of the competition Razzle and I came in second behind my breeder/trainer who won it. The reason the judge announced to the group is I never gave up, and I showed the judge I thought my dog was the best in the ring!