Your breed, then and now

Since Xeph already posted Horand and I can't get any farther back than this without ending up with him....

VA Roland von Starkenburg Sch3 KKl1, circa 1903

 
Kenya

This shows Belgians through the 80s. Take from Villa Roma's site: http://www.villa-roma.com/history/history.html

A couple of my current dogs:

(Ignore the awful name) This photo is from Australia in the 1920s. This is actually a 'big pom' and pedigree-wise, probably is more in line with the modern Pomeranian. But the 'modern Pom' of 4-7 pounds is a relatively YOUNG breed- the breed standard called for a smallish/mediumish dog that averaged between 8-15 pounds until the 1880s when Queen Victoria fell in love with the tiny version of the breed. But the original 'Pomeranians' imported to England in the 18th century were almost 30 pounds. Here's a Gainsborogh painting of this type -

These dogs were spitz - German Spitz, probably more of the mittel or grosse type than the klein or zwergs.

and a modern GS (mittel) for comparison

Llancarfan Arctik Hero, #1 GS in Australia in 2007.  

Can someone explain to me the slope in the German Shepherds back legs....I know my terminology is way off but I was watching a dog show and they kept reffering to it. Why is it desired adn what does it mean?

APBT then

APBT Now....

well ideally speaking, I hope they dont continue ot be bred into big fat hippos!

Can someone explain to me the slope in the German Shepherds back legs....I know my terminology is way off but I was watching a dog show and they kept reffering to it. Why is it desired adn what does it mean?

The sloping topline is caused by angulation in the hindquarters, where the stifle and thigh bone meet.  The American standard calls for an angle of 90 degrees, whereas the German standard calls for an angle of 120 degrees.  Because of this difference, you will not (should not) see dogs with toplines as extreme as the American dogs.

It is not the sloping topline that is bred for, but the angulation, which can (and has) gone to the extreme in both American and West German lines.  The East German dogs have a tendency to be UNDER angulated, which is just as bad.

The GSD standard also calls for a high wither that slopes into a level back, and extreme angulation in the rear can make the dog appear high in the wither, though he may be completely flat.

Takes a good eye to see a flat wither when the appearance is of a dog with a high one, due to the stack.


 

Xeph

The GSD standard also calls for a high wither that slopes into a level back, and extreme angulation in the rear can make the dog appear high in the wither, though he may be completely flat.

Takes a good eye to see a flat wither when the appearance is of a dog with a high one, due to the stack.
 

Or, you can have a dog like my Kenya with such a flat wither I'm not sure any amount of stacking could disguise it! 

AuroraLove

Can someone explain to me the slope in the German Shepherds back legs....I know my terminology is way off but I was watching a dog show and they kept reffering to it. Why is it desired adn what does it mean?

  It is desired only in the AKC ring because it produces extreme reach and drive in the side movement. The "slope" is actually caused by a couple factors - angulation of the rear leg bones (how the bones are placed in relation to each other)  and excessive length of the rear leg bones. It is not really "correct", even according to the GSDCA's (AKC) standard - it is just what wins :)

  This is the AKC/GSDCA illustrated standard. If everything was as it should be, the dogs winning in AKC shows should look like the dog shown here: http://www.gsdca.org/Noframes/standard/IllStan1.htm

Airedale terrier 1923 -

Airedale terrier today -

Pembroke corgi, 1938

(Royal) Pembroke corgi, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret

Today's corgi