Our first attempt at Stacking

[Tazwell]

Hey guys, I'm still alive and very much a lurker! I apologize for not commenting much... I still don't have a computer and I do everything from my mobile phone these days (including taking, cropping, and 'editing' of the photos!).

Anyway, all of these beautiful photos of stacked Chaz dogs lately made me want to do it, too! I don't know the first thing about stacking a dog, and I've never stacked anything, ever. So here's our first attempt together!

I took them with the cell phone, sorry for quality... And don't look at me in the corner! What do you think?





ETA: By the way, I know we're in the wrong 'Position' to be 'properly' stacked (facing the wrong way), but I didn't realize that until after our fun little photoshoot LOL!

[SaraB]

I think the stack looks pretty good! I'm not sure how beaucherons are typically stacked but I would try to straighten out his rear feet a bit as he's a toed out on the rear. Not sure if that is correct for the breed or not though. He's a little butt-high as well, possibly placing the rear feet further back would help even out the topline. Not too far though.

[Saeleofu]

Assuming beaucerons stack square, make sure all four feet point directly forward. Try to make him lean more forward, right now looks like he's posting in the front. By doing this it also gets the rear legs just a tad bit more behind him, and right now they're just slightly more tucked in than I'd like.

Overall not too bad! Certainly better than my first attempt.

[Tazwell]

Thanks for the advice! It doesn't make any difference, well never show (neutered!) but I love to learn new things.

In regards to his feet, here's what the AKC has to say:

Feet: The feet are large, round, compact, and the rear toes turn out very slightly.

Are his too out of place?

[Saeleofu]

well never show (neutered!)

UKC has classes for altered dogs. There were actually several altered dogs last weekend. I know in one show a BC got BIS and in another a wirehair dachshund got BIS.


If the standard says the rear feet turn out, then they look fine to me! Maybe turn them just a tiny tiny bit more towards the front, but I'm really not familiar with the breed at all, so it may just be that I'm not used to seeing it.

[SaraB]

Originally Posted by Tazwell

Thanks for the advice! It doesn't make any difference, well never show (neutered!) but I love to learn new things.

In regards to his feet, here's what the AKC has to say:


Are his too out of place?

It will all depend on the judge's interpretation of the standard. Slightly can mean a lot of different things to different people, but yes I wouldn't go over board with correcting it.

[~WelshStump~]

He's looking really nice, he's filling out nicely too! I do notice in the first two images he look a little "high in rear", might be that he's a little more angulated in the rear that front which happens often. For the feet, yes the rears are supposed to "turn out slightly", >>>

Originally Posted by SaraB

It will all depend on the judge's interpretation of the standard. Slightly can mean a lot of different things to different people, but yes I wouldn't go over board with correcting it.

For this breed, it comes more down to gait. The rear feet should turn out slightly but some dogs turn out more than others and it effects the knees I've noticed, thus the dog gaits slightly to heavily "choppy" in motion. A great handler can hide knees which turn out slightly standing, but it always shows when in motion. The best example I've seen of this, the 2011 Westminster breed judging video, watch "Ch Flame Noire Du Chateau Rocher" who went BOS as she is returning to the judge, watch her from behind and you'll see the choppy movement I'm trying to describe.

There is a very fine line though, between "Slightly" and "Slightly more", it can be hard to get right, but as long as the dog has a nice free flowing gait and looks as if it could go all day (the breeder will know if they actually can go all day), it is up to the judge to decide which points of each dog outweigh against the other dogs in the ring that day. Fleetwood is very nicely build for his age so far, he has a lot of bone, he will fill out quite a bit over the next year.