Please Note: I have added additional links: Ratbones Rescue, the OFA and Volhard puppy testing. Another Addition: Both the UKC and AKC breed standards have now been added for quick reference for your conformation studies.
ASSESSING FRONT ANGULATION & CONFORMATION:
1. The length of the shoulder blade, upper arm, and forearm should approximate the same length. 2. The distance between the shoulder blades on top of the withers should be approximately 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the shoulder blade, upper arm, and forearm. 3. The depth of the chest should extend at least to the point of the elbow or (better or more desirable) slightly below the elbow. 4. The chest in profile view should extend forward past the upper leg to a visible point (called the prosternum). This point should not be much higher than the depth of chest or the chest will appear too shallow. 5. The angle of the shoulder blade and the upper arm should approximate a 90 degree angle. 6. The pasterns should be straight when viewed from the front, but should be slightly angled in a foremost direction when viewed from the side. 7. The elbows should be tucked in close to the side of the ribcage.
ASSESSING REAR ANGULATION & CONFORMATION:
1. The length of the croup, the upper thigh, and the lower thigh should approximate the same length. 2. The croup should fall away from the point of the hip bones where they tie in to the backbone at an approximate 30 degree angle. 3. The tail should be an extension of the backbone, neither set-on too highly (as in the typical "gay" tail of the Toy Fox Terrier), or set-on too low. 4. The angle of the upper thigh to the lower thigh should approximate a 90 degree angle when the dog is standing naturally. 5. When viewed from the rear, the hocks should be parallel to one another and placed vertically when the dog is standing naturally. 6. The dog's rear angulation will neither be too extreme or too shallow if, when in profile view an imaginary vertical line is drawn from the base (rear) of the tail to the ground, the hocks line up perfectly with that imaginary line.
ASSESSING THE BACK, NECK, SHOULDERS & RIBCAGE:
1. There are four sections of the back, and each section should approximately be the same length: A. Withers B. Back C. Loin D. Croup 2. The topline of the back should be fairly straight with a very slight rise over the loin permitted, but not preferred (an arched loin is called "roached-back"). 3. The neck should approximate the same length as any one of the back sections. 4. The neck should blend into the shoulders smoothly, and it should ascend in a straight line to it's tie in with the head. 5. The profile view of the neck should show tapering from the body up to the head, with no evidence of arch ("bull neck") or curvature ("eweneck") 6. The shoulders should gradually evolve into the musculature of the dog. If the frontal view of the shoulders appears to evolve too greatly the dog's appearance will be overdone. If the shoulders appear to evolve too slightly the dog's appearance will be underdone. 7. The ribs should be well sprung, neither too rounded (which will make the elbows protrude and the front legs turn in), or too shallow (which will make the chest appear too narrow), and should extend well back. 8. The dog should present a moderate tuck when viewed in profile (too extreme and the dog will look like a GreyHound; too slight and the dog will look like a Bull Terrier).
by John Chance of Lone Oak Kennels
Date(s): June 19, 2004. Album by Vicki Lauer. 25 - 37 of 37 Total. 16295 Visits.
Just looking at your site again. You've done good job :-) - Darla, Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:42AM
Good morning Viki, your site is outstanding. I'm currently building mine and was wondering if I could copy the basic info on your conformation site. I have quite a few of the same diagrams etc but you have a few I don't and didn't want to copy paste with out asking even though they are probably out in cyper space somewhere :>) I absolutely love the logo Electra did for you also. - Randi, Thu, 10 Feb 2005 6:57AM
25 another picture of a proper front. Note how all the bones travel in a sraight line to the point of the shoulder.
26
27 Cowhocked
28 East-west--front structural fault in which the legs and feet point outwards, away from eachother
29 Pigeon toed--feet (front or rear) pointing inwards, towards each other Out at elbows--elbows turn outward, away from body, at a natural stance. Some dogs can elbow out without being Pigeon Toed, but it is usually a combination of the two.
30 Bowlegged - legs curve outward. The point of the hocks is to the outside of the line from point of hips and feet are on the inside. Also known as "Bandy Legged"
31 Scissor Bite -one in which the upper incisors just overlap and touch the lower incisors. This is the preferred bite for the Rat Terrier.
32 Reverse Scissor bite-photos of a 6 year old male Lhasa Apso with a "reverse scissor" bite. Note how the upper lateral incisors are displaced anteriorly by the lower canines and have been pushed out of line with the other upper incisors. The lower canines - in fact, the entire anterior segment of the lower jaw has moved forward so that now the two jaws are equal in length.
33 Overshot bite - In this condition the upper jaw is longer than the lower jaw. There is a gap between the upper and lower incisors when the mouth is closed. Some puppies that are born with an overbite might self-correct if the bite is no larger than the head of a wooden match. In most breeds of dog the bites are "set" by the time a puppy is ten months old. An overshot bite will rarely improve after the puppy reaches ten months.
34 Undershot bite - In this condition the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw.
35 Even Bite
36 Apple Headed - a domed or rounded topskull. this type of head is a serious fault according to UKC standard for Rat Terriers. Please note also the abrupt stop on this head which is a fault in RT according to UKC standard. A Rat Terrier should have a moderate stop and a blunt, wedge shaped head with the muzzle and the skull being equal in length. contributed by Barbie Trammel of Burway Kennels
