Form Follows Function

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

by May and Arnold Jacobson, USA
A Discussion of the Doberman Pinscher As A Working Dog

There are more than 140 different breeds of dogs and many of these breeds have specialized functions.  A border collie was designed to herd sheep. Some of the sporting dogs were developed to hunt and some to retrieve. Many of these dogs have sub-specialties, such as Foxhounds bred to specifically hunt only foxes.  Some functions, such as dog fighting, are now illegal, so today some of these functions are no longer practical or possible.  Breeders want to maintain both the physical and mental character which defines their breed and we are fortunate as Doberman fanciers that we have a breed that was meant to serve man as a guardian and companion.

The original purpose of the Doberman was to serve as a loyal companion, personal protector and guard dog.  In today’s society, many people will not tolerate biting dogs.  In a situation where a human being is in danger and the companion dog bites the assailant, and even in instances where the Doberman has exhibited heroic character in defending his master, the expense of mounting a defence in court is very costly.  Many home insurance companies will not write insurance if one has a Doberman.

Two children were killed so far this summer by Rottweilers; others were injured in a number of other dog attacks.  In all cases these were untrained, untested dogs, owned by the unknowledgeable.  All dogs should have the basic instinct to bite because they are carnivores.  In an ideal world all dogs would be character evaluated and owners would have to be educated in minimal training.  A well-trained Doberman with a courteous responsible owner is a delightful companion and a responsible member of the society he shares with mankind.

Schutzhund is a sport whose purpose is to evaluate the character of the dogs under stress and in controlled situations.  It is a team sport wherein a handler, working with the dog, who must perform at a far distance from the handler, still has his dog under his control  The character of the dog participating in the sport can easily be observed and evaluated.  With experience, one can determine a large number of genetic character traits and the impact of these traits on the behavior and performance capability of any dog.  One can actually anticipate certain behaviors from certain dogs — positively and negatively.  We will call this activity dog sport.  As in other sports the aim is not to hurt but instead to test the limits of performance and refinements of the competence under predetermined rules.  Sport dog activity is not protection training.

The performance of an animal in the sport provides the breeder with feedback which can indicate soundness of character.  It reveals as well, unstable dogs and dogs which will not respond to good training — those dogs which turn out to be dangerous dogs.  Low energy dogs, those dogs which lack focus and drive, nervous dogs, dogs which are regarded as overly sensitive, fearful dogs, or animals which are insecure or soft canines can be classified. Dogs that bite indiscriminately never make good sport dogs or any other kind of companion.  In this sport they are not tolerated and are dismissed early for improper character.  All these character flaws lead to problem dogs which haunt the breed like cancer or other well known genetic disorders.

Many people who are breeding do not know what character flaws their dogs possess, nor do they have the knowledge base or information to correctly evaluate temperament.  This void of evaluation more often than not leads to poor breeding decisions.  The lack of stability leads to problems that are sometimes breed related.  Gareth Jones states from a 1994 Canine Chronicle article “the preservation of breed integrity and type is one of those human endeavors that requires understanding, commitment, and above all knowledge. Knowledge of a breed’s history, its function it’s past and present.”

Many of us started out as conformation enthusiasts and in order to be winners we began to examine how the function of dogs should determine the conformation of our breed.  “What is the dog supposed to do?” One might prudently ask.  This is a basic problem of engineering.  What are the expectations of this particular entity?  The dog must jump over a one meter wall carrying a dumbbell.  He must also climb over a 1.8 meter inclined wall with the dumbbell.  In order to perform well he must be agile and strong.  Medium size with muscle mass is most desirable.  A taller dog needs more bone and muscle mass to go along with his height, and becomes less agile or he becomes more refined.  If the dog is too small or refined he doesn’t have the strength to grip and hold the man firmly.  How the dog is structured in the forequarters, or as breeders say, “the front assembly” becomes critical since the forequarters have to absorb the impact of striking the ground. Straight forequarters is somewhat like a car without springs.  The shock of landing takes its toll after a period of time causing avoidance due to pain or injury.  The pasterns that are too straight also are a problem since straight pasterns do not absorb enough energy when the dog strikes the ground.  A dog with better angles, strong bones, good muscles and strong ligaments in the pasterns and elbows can more easily absorb the impact.  The toes should be a cat-like foot of good size to spread the pressure of the landing impact over a larger area.  Tiny, little ball feet, or flat, hare-like feet are not functional and could lead to injury over time. A proper layback of the upper arm can mean smooth action, greater ability to cover ground with less effort and less wear and tear on the animal.  It can most definitely prolong the working life of the dog.

In the first exercise of SCHIII or man-work, the dog must search an area the size of a football field with energy and speed to find the hidden bad man.  Thus a dog must have good angles – relationship of bone to bone, in both the front and rear in order to have maximum drive in the rear quarters and reach (extension) in the front quarters. This means he must have a strong top line  or back for the task at hand, as the energy is transmitted from the rear to the front by way of a solid top line.  The top line that bounces up and down is an energy waster.  A back which is too stiff or roached restricts full  extension and rear drive while in the gallop.  The croup should be slightly rounded, for too high a tail set flattens the croup, changes the angle of the pelvis and causes the rear legs to waste energy by lifting too high in it’s rear motion.  The upper and lower thigh bone should be of equal lengths.  Too long a lower thigh especially if weakly muscled causes instability in the rear.  The point of the toe should be under the hip.  The rear end should be as wide as the front to maintain balance and power in rear drive.  The front elbows and pasterns should not flip in or out as this can be a big energy waster, and cause instability.

For endurance, he must have a deep chest with ample room for heart and lungs.  The dog must not waste a lot of energy by running inefficiently in the search to get ready for his confrontation with the bad man. When he finds the man in a hidden blind he must hold him in position by sitting close to the bad man and barking to alert his handler.  He must epitomize what those in football refer to as the “iles”.  Agile, hostile and mobile.  This is a position of not biting but controlling while the handler is about fifty yards away.  In the next situation the dog is in a down position and the helper/bad man tries to escape with a fast run.  Our hero must have great acceleration, catch the man, grip an
d hold him. Medium size is important;  too big and clumsy, he may not catch him.  Too small and he can’t hold him.  This requires substantial strength and a strong powerful neck that is not too refined or long.  The dog must have a broad wedge head with a full jaw which brings strength for a full hard grip, because dogs with narrow heads and/or lack of under jaw cannot hold the man or he can be shaken and lose his hold.

In the next exercise, the man is walking about 5 paces in front when he suddenly turns to attack the dog and handler, and man and dog have close hand to hand combat.  This is where a strong neck flowing into powerful shoulders becomes critical.  The man charges into the dog and the neck and shoulders of the dog must absorb the collision with the man.  Dogs can get their necks jammed in this exercise.  The long elegant neck going into straight shoulders could lead to cervical injury problems due to the man-dog impact. When the neck flows into a well laid back shoulder there is less chance of vertebral injury, because the impact is spread over a larger area rather than being concentrated in one small area.  Heavy bone is necessary to withstand the contact of the charge between man and dog.  If we use a football game as an analogy our dog would be a linebacker, and the man would be a fullback charging through the line to be tackled by the forward moving linebacker and bring him down.  The Rottweiler, who is slower and stronger, in this analogy would be equivalent to our lineman.  We certainly don’t want our Doberman to be built like an elegant and refined long distance runner, as he would be easily struck down by the charging fullback running into him.

In the final part of the test, the dog must pursue the helper/bad man who is running away.  He turns and charges the dog.  The dog continues the pursuit and makes contact with the helper; like two moving trains coming head on.  The dog must grip the sleeve with his powerful jaws and hang on while he is spun around.  This is the most difficult problem for the dog, because it tests his courage, hardness, fighting drive and will.  A Doberman with good strong character and correct temperament will always take the fight to the man.  A strong powerful neck, head and shoulders are required for this physical challenge.  Good bone and substance, and powerful musculature area must to prevent injury.

As the Doberman standard states “The appearance is that of a dog of medium size, and a body that is square.  Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed.  Elegant in appearance, of proud carriage, reflecting great nobility and temperament.  Energetic, > watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal and obedient. Conformation breeders select a stud dog by looking at two dimensional pictures or watching the dog trotting at a show or looking at a video.

The character of our breed has already evolved into a low energy, sensitive and somewhat insecure canine.  We need more knowledgeable breeder/fanciers to gain knowledge of character and change this degenerating spiral.  Conformation fads that are not held in check by functional requirements lead to a slow erosion of breed type.  If we go too far in the evolution of breeds from their original purpose, both conformation and character, we will have created (although gradually) a different breed; perhaps a generic show dog.

Educate Yourself

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

by R. L. Vandiver, Mistel Dobermans, USA

Many exhibitors bemoan the fact that they can´t attend the National and can´t avail themselves of the educational resources offered there.  I think it’s important that we not think of the National as the only way to be educated on our breed. Yes, the National is a great opportunity for more reasons than just having the seminars, but everyone can’t go.  If you’re really interested in becoming educated about Dobermans and dogs in general, here are some ideas:

1. Read a book entitled K9 Structure and Terminology by Edward Gilbert, Jr. and Thelma R. Brown. This is based on work done by Curtis Brown. It is an in-depth discussion of structure and musculature of all breeds. It covers gait, overall structure, fronts, rears, and how the parts work to make the dog move.  It’s not specific to Dobermans, but all the discussions apply to Dobermans.  An interesting aspect is that after reading it, you will understand why some dog standards call for 30-degree pelvis, and some ask for a much steeper angle. You’ll know why hock length is important. Some breeds call for moderate angulation … not for aesthetics, but for function and what the dog was used for.  It’s very good book.  Somewhat technical, but still readable for most dog people. I’ve read it cover to cover twice, and will probably do so again in the future.
2. Read The New Dog Steps by Rachel Page Elliott. It will give you a good understanding of gait in the   dog.  This book has lots of illustrations.  Her work was based on studies of live dogs in controlled gaits using a combination of photography and fluoroscopy … a process called cineradiography. It will further your understanding of structure as well as gait.
3. Buy the video from AKC entitled The New Dog Steps by Rachel Page Elliott.  This is a great visualization of the book mentioned above.  It´s about an hour in length and is well worth the viewing.  Maybe your chapter club could buy this video and use it as a meeting program once a year.  It certainly bears watching more than once.
4. Subscribe to the Doberman Breed Magazines.  Both of the major magazines (Doberman Quarterly and Doberman Digest) have good articles.  The articles cover a range of topics.  The photographs of the dogs give you a good opportunity to “train your eye” by evaluating every dog in the magazine.  Measure the dogs in the photos.  Are they square?  Is leg length equal to body depth?  Does the head fit the body?  Is there adequate substance?  What are the angles in the front and in the rear? Is the dog balanced?  Etc. etc.  Study, study, study.
5. Go to local Doberman judges seminars.  The DPCA provides approved seminars from time to time in  different sections of the country.  You can find out where these seminars are by visiting the judge´s education web site at the DPCA.  The seminars listed are given by DPCA approved presenters and will help you learn about structure, heads, movement, temperament, and history.
6. Speaking of web sites, study the information on the judge´s education web site and the breeder´s education web site.
7. Hang out with dog people. Talk with breeders, handlers, and judges to further your education. Learn from others, but make sure the ones you´re learning from have credentials in the sport.  They don´t have to be Doberman people, but they should have a good amount of experience and success in their own breed.
8. Go to other rings.  Watch Boxers, Great Danes, and other breeds that are similar to ours and are competitive in numbers. You will find that much of what you learn about Doberman structure and movement can be directly transferred to other breeds. There you will also watch more and different handlers. See different techniques.
9. Get a mentor. Learn from their years of experience. Better yet, get several mentors. No one has all the answers and one person’s opinion is the absolute end.  Seek opinions of many. There will be a common thread that they all agree on. You can probably accept this.  There will be opinions in conflict, but that’s where you have the opportunity to choose what YOU think is right.  Form your own opinions.
10. Join a chapter club of DPCA.  If you are already in one, ask the program chairman if the club could host a series of programs to discuss and study the standard using live dogs and expert presenters from within the club.  It can be a collaborative learning experience.
11. Join an all-breed club.  Exposure to other people with other breeds can be enlightening and enriching.   It also gives you the opportunity to volunteer, so that you can contribute something back to the sport.   The sport depends on volunteers.   Be a giver and a taker, not just a taker from our sport.
12. Take every opportunity to learn about dogs (Animal Planet, AKC Gazette, all breed magazines, etc.).  Some of it will enhance your knowledge of Dobermans, even if it comes from other breeds.
13. Go to the National.  Although I started this out by stating that the National isn´t the only place to learn, I must admit that it is probably the best.  It´s your chance to take advantage of educational offerings such as the breeder´s seminar, exhibitor´s seminar, health seminars and training seminars.  You will see a huge representation of the breed.  Most of our best dogs are exhibited at the National.  The ringside is ripe with experienced and knowledgeable people to help you.  What a great opportunity.

I hope this helps some of you find more resources to educate yourself.  You can only learn through hard work and dedication.  It´s all their for the taking.

submitted by Michelle Santana
Foxfire Dobermans

Dry Shampoo

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

by Judy Bohnert, Equinox Kennels, Canada

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 part Listerine Mouthwash (kills bacteria)
• 1/3 part water (dilutes the mixture)
• 1/3 part glycerine (adds keratin back into the skin)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the three ingredients together in a spray bottle.
2. Spritz dog with the mixture daily or weekly or what-have-you.

Doberman On The Move

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

written by Robert L. Vandiver

The Doberman was originally bred, for protection and accompaniment during his rounds of Herr Dobermann, a tax collector. Through the history, the Doberman has been used for many tasks including delivering messages during war, patrolling military objectives, police work, search and rescue, guide dogs for disabled, and in ring sports including conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, and schutzhund. These varied tasks require that the Doberman use many gaits, depending on the task at hand.

Some breeds have natural gaits that are specific to them. Examples include the hackney gait of the Minpin, the flying trot of the German Shepherd, or the amble of the Old English Sheepdog. These gaits are characteristic of the breed.

The Doberman has been said to be a galloping breed, and it is most comfortable at that gait. However, upon observation of many Dobermans in a natural environment, you will find that the breed is comfortable in several gaits, including the walk, trot, canter, and double suspended gallop. The breed uses any and all of these gaits depending on the need.

For practical purposes, the Doberman is evaluated at the trot in the show ring (as are most other breeds). For this reason, this discussion will be limited to that gait.

Overview

The most efficient working dogs are those that can work the longest at their appointed duties with the least amount of effort. The efficiently moving dog travels in a straight line with the minimum amount of energy. It requires that there be no bouncing, rolling, or yaw (twisting on the vertical axis).

Length of stride of the dog is an important consideration. For a given dog, the fewer steps required to cover a given distance, the less energy is required.

As in most dogs, the rear provides the major propulsive force for moving. The back and loin provide the rigidity to transmit the force from the rear to the front. The front carries about 60% of the weight and provides some additional propulsion.

The Doberman Standard describes the gait as “Free, balanced and vigorous with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting, there is strong rear action drive. Each rear leg moves in line with the foreleg on the same side. Rear and front legs are thrown neither in nor out. Back remains strong and firm. When moving at the fast trot, a properly built dog will single track.”

Evaluating the side gait

Pictured below is a side view of the Doberman at a trot. The graphic was taken from The Doberman Pinscher Illustrated¹ 1987 a booklet prepared by the Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA).

We will begin the discussion with the first line of the movement description “Free, balanced and vigorous with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters.” Note the front reach and the rear extension in Figure 1 below

Figure 1

Using the same graphic we can draw a triangle over the dog as seen in Figure 2 below to visualize proper leg position.

Figure 2

The front reach of the dog should result in a front footfall approximately below the nose. The rear extension should balance the front with an equal kickback. As you can see, the triangle´s apex is just above the point at which the front foot and rear foot exchange positions (about the center of the dog´s topline). The angle that forms the front reach is about equal to the angle that forms the rear extension. This is balanced movement and illustrates correct Doberman side gait.

When evaluating gait, it is important to consider the elevation of the feet. If a dog lifts front or rear feet excessively above the ground, he is wasting energy. The closer the feet remain to the ground, the less energy is required. There is an old dog term called “daisy cutting” that describes an efficiently moving dog as one whose feet are raised just enough to cover the rough ground, just cutting the tops of the daisies as he moves.

To study the side gait, follow the footsteps as the dog moves.

At the trot, the dog is continuously moving over the legs. The front foot strikes the ground under the nose and immediately moves rearward. As it moves it passes under the front assembly to the point at which it lifts from the ground to move forward again. The leg in the rear on the opposite side is simultaneously following the reverse path. It is leaving its extended position and moving forward under the rear assembly, and extending to about the midpoint of the dog´s body.

Just under the center of the topline, the front foot lifts to move forward for the next step. The rear foot steps into nearly the same track that the front foot vacates. There is a very slight forward motion of the entire dog´s body when both front and rear feet are off the ground simultaneously. This allows the rear foot to assume the same position as the vacating front foot. (Otherwise the rear foot would interfere with the front foot.) This slight forward motion is what Rachel Page Elliot² describes as the “spring” in the gait. It contributes to the look of “free and balanced” motion as described in the standard. Some characterize it as gliding or floating. This slight time “in flight” is not visible to the naked eye, but it has been demonstrated in Elliot´s scientific studies² and it can be seen in the smoothness of the gait.

Since the rear provides for most of the propelling motion, it is important to note its action. The rear leg motion can be thought of as a 3-phase action. In the first phase the leg reaches under the dog to strike the ground at about the same point that the front foot is vacating. The upper leg and hip muscles are doing most of the work. In the second phase, the leg swings backward under the dog´s hip assembly and uses mostly the upper leg assembly for its power. In the third phase, the rear leg continues from under the hip assembly rearward. A combination of the upper leg and the extension of the rear pastern provide the propelling force. Near the end of this phase, the rear pastern kicks back to provide most of the final propulsion.

The end of the last phase tells us an important element about why the rear pastern (a seemingly small part of the leg) is so important in the overall movement of the dog. Comparing a dog´s anatomy to a human´s is hardly exact, but the human´s upper and lower thigh is analogous to the dog´s upper and lower thigh. The ankle is analogous to the dog´s hock, and the human foot is used similarly to the dog´s rear pastern. Toward the end of the step, the human pushes off with the foot. The same is true for the dog with the rear pastern. You can imagine the importance of this power at a trot or faster gait … human or canine.

The standard states “Back remains strong and firm.” This simply requires that the dog´s back be reasonably rigid and strong, and not bounce due to looseness, length, or incorrect proportions or angulation.

The topline of the Doberman should remain level and straight.

A Doberman that bounces over the withers has a serious handicap. Let´s try to quantify the affects of a bouncing front due to a combination of structural deviations.

If a male Doberman has a stride of 28 inches at the trot (2263 steps per mile), and the withers move up and down 1/2 inch with each step, then the dog´s front will expend the energy equivalent of lifting it 94 feet while traveling that mile. Since the dog´s front is about 60 % of the dog´s total weight, then the dog would have expended 60 % of the energy to raise his entire body the 94 feet. In other words, after trotting for a mile, the dog will have also expended the energy equivalent to climbing a 6-story building (60% of the 94 feet). The extra work expended in an hour of trotting (typically at 5 miles per hour) would be the equivalent of climbing 30 stories. After a days work, this dog will be far more exhausted than one that moves without bounce over the withers.

Moving on with side gait, the head carriage should be extended somewhat above the horizontal as shown in figure 1. This is a natural head carriage for the Doberman at the trot. The Doberman should not move with it´s head extended straight ahead as if it were a draft animal, nor with the head up and back as is typical in a Poodle.

Evaluating the down-and-back gait

The down-and-back gait is described in the standard as “Each rear leg moves in line with the foreleg on the same side. Rear and front legs are thrown neither in nor out. … When moving at the fast trot, a properly built dog will single track.”

Figure 3 below shows the correct movement down and back for a Doberman. Figure 4 has lines added to emphasize that the leg forms a straight-line column and moves in the same plane as the opposite leg on the same side and converge toward a centerline under the dog.

Figure 3                                        Figure 4

The legs should be straight throughout their travel, not just at the beginning and end of the step. The standard calls for the legs to ” not be thrown in or out.” This precludes certain deviations of structure that are discussed in the next section.

Notice in Figures 3 and 4 that the rear legs cannot be seen when the dog is approaching, because the front legs are moving in line with the rear and covering them. Similarly, when viewed from the rear, the rear legs cover the front legs.

The importance of moving with straight legs can be appreciated if we compare the dog´s legs with human legs. It is truly a rare human endurance athlete that does not have nearly perfectly straight legs. Knock-knees or bowed legs do not allow the forces to travel directly though the joints. Rather they cause a lateral force in the joints that will damage the joints over a period of time, and cause the athlete to move inefficiently. The same reasoning applies to dogs that do not maintain straight legs throughout the travel.

The standard calls for the dog to single track at a fast trot. The purpose of the single track is for conservation of energy. Consider a dog that doesn´t single track at the trot. Such a dog would have a tendency to have a body roll. This can be illustrated by Figure 5 below:

Figure 5

The legs are on the corners of the dog. If the dog moves without converging, there will be a tendency to have a body roll. This occurs because only one leg of a pair (front or rear) is on the ground at the same time. When one rear foot is on the ground, the other rear foot is moving for the next step. The same is true of the front pair. When only the left leg is supporting the dog, there will be a tendency for the dog´s rear to roll to the right. When only the right leg is supporting the dog, there will be a tendency to roll to the left. The dog´s front and rear legs move opposite of each other. This would cause a rolling of one direction in the front and a rolling in the other direction in the rear. This rolling gait is well illustrated on wide set dogs, such as the Bulldog.

Although some Dobermans fail to converge properly, they do not have an exaggerated rolling or twisting of the body that is seen on the wide set dogs. However, the tendency is still there for the dog to move similar to the Bulldog. It is not an efficient gait for a working dog. When judging the Doberman, convergence is an important point.

The dog must also move in a straight line with a straight body to be an efficient mover. Some structural faults will cause a dog to move with a yaw or in a “side-winding” or “crabbing” gait. This takes away from our desire to have the dog move in a straight line, with minimum bounce, roll, or yaw. Although the dog will appear to move in a straight line, it will not move with its body (spine) in line with the direction of motion.

How structure affects movement

At a show, the judge does a static evaluation to consider head, color, coat, condition, temperament, structure, etc.. The structural considerations in this evaluation can often predict how a dog will move, but there are reasons why the conclusions reached from the static structural evaluation do not match how the dog really moves.

The structure and the musculature of the dog control the movement of the dog. If the dog is in proper physical condition (weight, muscle tone, and ligament and tendon strength), then its musculature is not a consideration. The dog will then move as well as the structure will allow.

However, lack of proper musculature and conditioning can make an otherwise correctly structured dog move poorly. This is particularly noticeable in front movement. The shoulders are not connected to the rest of the structure through joints, but rather they are connected through soft tissue (muscles, tendons, etc.). It is entirely possible for a dog to move incorrectly through lack of conditioning rather than through fault of structure.

Most judges agree that observing the movement of the dog is ultimately the best way to determine if the static evaluation is correct.

To move correctly the dog must be structured correctly. The correct Doberman structure taken from The Doberman Pinscher Illustrated¹ is illustrated in Figure 6 below :

Figure 6

This structure exhibits the proportions and angles that define a correct Doberman Pinscher. Deviations from this structure will cause deviations from the ideal movement.

The following highlights how certain structural deviations affect movement of the Doberman.

The first structural issue is the very important requisite that the Doberman is square. Two variations can occur. The dog is too long in body, or the dog is too short in body.

Unlike breeds whose bodies are longer than tall, a square dog must really be built to the correct proportions and angles if it is to move correctly.

Consider a square dog with an over-angulated rear relative to the front. The excess rear angulation causes an over-reach in the rear and his rear feet interfere with the front feet. A square dog must find a way to compensate for the imbalance so that his legs do not interfere under his body. He can compensate by moving with his rear feet to one side of the front feet, or he can move wide in the rear so his rear feet don´t strike the front feet.

A longer bodied dog offers more room under his body, so his feet will not interfere. The extra room forgives faults that would be readily apparent in a square dog. The longer bodied dog may appear to move correctly, but he has two faults, imbalance from front to rear and too long in body.

A Doberman with leg length longer than body depth will have the same problem with interference under the body. There will not be enough room under the dog to place his feet without interference, because the long legs “overstep” what his body length can accommodate. His back feet strike the front feet before the front foot can get out of the way. His compensation is similar to the dog that is over-angulated in rear relative to front.

Typical movement for both of these deviations in structure is a dog that “side-winds” or “crabs” when he moves. He moves with his rear to one side of his front, so that his rear feet strike the ground to one side of his front feet. This gives him the appearance of moving sideways or moving like a crab.

Another means to compensate for this structural deviation is the dog that moves wider in the rear than in the front. This occurs in Dobermans occasionally, but the breed is much more likely to side-wind than to move wide in rear.

Continuing with the subject of front structural deviations, consider shoulder angulation. The standard calls for the shoulder to be at 45 degrees from the vertical. There is an old saying that a dog can´t reach past his shoulders. This means that when the dog extends his leg for the step forward, the angle of the leg will be controlled by the angle of the shoulder.

A dog with a steeper shoulder than in Figure 6, say 35 degrees from the vertical rather than 45 degrees, cannot reach as far forward. One result is a dog that takes shorter steps both front and rear. Think about a person whose normal stride is shortened by 10%. That person suddenly has to take 10% more steps to cover the same distance … an uncomfortable gait. The same applies to the dog. For a given dog, the longer the natural stride, the more efficient the gait.

Although the front and rear move at the same speed with the same number of steps, it´s possible that the stride lengths are not equal. This can happen if the dog is unbalanced with more rear angulation than front angulation (a common occurrence in Dobermans).

In this case his front stride is shorter than his rear stride. To compensate, he must lift his front higher than normal to keep it in the air longer, while his rear takes longer strides. The front is taking shorter strides, but is airborne for a short time. This structure causes the dog´s front to bounce up and down and is a very inefficient gait as was quantified earlier.

The correct Doberman front as viewed from the front is shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7

In the correct front, the legs are in a straight line from the shoulder through the elbow, pastern and feet. They are parallel to each other and stand under the dog´s shoulder.

Typical deviations of front are shown in Figure 8 and include, elbow out, pinched front, toeing-out, and toeing-in.

Figure 8

We will not speak to each one of these faults individually, because they all share a common trait. Plainly, none of these front structures will allow the dog to move with the legs in a straight column simply because the legs are not structured in a columnar manner in the standing position. The forces of movement will transmit through the joints, but because the joints are not straight, they will flex laterally and absorb some of the energy. This stresses the joints and tires the dog.

In addition, the pinched-front deviation will cause the dog to throw the front legs from side-to-side, wasting even more energy. The dog that elbows out will typically throw the front legs outwards as he moves … another inefficient gait.

Before leaving the front, it is important to consider the feet and pasterns. The standard describes them as “Pasterns firm and almost perpendicular to the ground. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet well arched, compact, and catlike, turning neither in nor out.”

Figure 9                     Figure 10

Figure 9 illustrates the correct pastern and foot. The slight slope in the pastern provides a spring in the front to absorb shock, while the tight feet provide a firm base to support the dog.

Figure 10 shows a weak pastern and a foot that is not “cat-like”. The weak pastern flexes excessively each time the foot strikes the ground, absorbing energy that should be used to propel the dog. Similarly, the weak foot absorbs too much energy and it is an area prone to injury. Both of these can lead to inefficient movement and early injury.

Having completed the front structural deviations, now consider the rear. Rear movement is easier to judge than front movement because the legs are joined to the rest of the structure through joints, not through soft tissue. Rear movement is more influenced by structure, and not as greatly influenced by conditioning. Also the movement of the rear is less complex than that of the front, because the shoulder moves up and down and rotates through its normal movement. The rear does not have this complexity.

The standard describes the rear as follows:

“The angulation of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. Hip Bone- falls away from spinal column at an angle of about 30 degrees, producing a slightly rounded, well filled-out croup. Upper Shanks- at right angles to the hip bones, are long, wide, and well muscled on both sides of thigh, with clearly defined stifles. Upper and lower shanks are of equal length. While the dog is at rest, hock to heel is perpendicular to the ground.”

Figure 11

The standard describes the rear structure well when viewed with the illustration in figure 11. The only aspect needing clarity is the hock (rear pastern) length, since it is so vital to the correct movement of the dog.

The illustrated standard establishes the correct length of hock, even though the standard does not describe it in words.

Since the Doberman is described in the standard under General Characteristics as “Compactly built, muscular and powerful, for great endurance and speed.” one would expect to see a hock that is moderate in length to achieve the desired balance of endurance and speed. A long rear pastern is normally associated with sprint type animals such as rabbits or antelopes … good for short bursts of high speed, but not endurance. A short pastern is normally associated with a draft animal … slow but powerful and enduring, but not capable of great speed. Since the Doberman is neither of these we must reach a balance, so a moderate length of hock is desired.

One good way to understand correct rear structure is to think about typical deviations. Some deviations are shown in Figure 12 and represent from left to right an over-angulated rear, a straight rear with a flat croup, and an over-angulated rear with sickle hocks and a steep croup.

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Figure 12

The over-angulated rear seldom matches an over-angulated front. Therefore, most dogs with this fault are also unbalanced. The over-angulation causes the rear to over reach the front as explained previously. The dog typically compensates by moving wide in the rear or moving the rear to one side of the front (crabbing).

The middle graphic is straight in rear with a flat croup. The expected result is a restricted rear motion. The dog can´t reach under far enough. His straight stifle and flat croup won´t allow the rear to extend (similar to a straight front not allowing correct reach). The straight hock joint doesn´t provide enough power to follow through with the rear pastern “push-off”

The over-angulated rear and sickle hocks Is particularly troubling. The same problems occur as the over-angulated dog above, but with the sickle hocks the rear pastern can´t straighten. A dog with these faults will normally move with his rear under him, never extending with power. The steep croup will also limit rear extension.

A combination of faults that are seen from time to time in Dobermans is an over-angulated rear with a flat croup. This dog will appear to move correctly because the flat croup compensates for the over-angulated rear and allows it to reach back. It appears to be correct, when in fact there are two deviations in the dog, rather than none.

The standard also states “Viewed from the rear, the legs are straight, parallel to each other, and wide enough apart to fit in with a properly built body. Dewclaws, if any, are generally removed. Cat feet- as on front legs, turning neither in nor out.”

Again, the standard and the Illustrated Standard graphics do an excellent job of describing the desired structure of the rear when viewed from behind..

Figure 13

The standard emphasizes the need for the legs to be straight. This will allow the dog to move with straight legs as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Typical deviations are shown in Figure 14 below and have the same common problem that we saw in the front deviations. These legs are not straight as required even when standing in the normal position (the left being cow-hocked and the right being open hocked).

Figure 14

When the dog moves the forces of movement will cause the joints to flex laterally, absorbing energy and causing undue stress on the joints. This will wear the joints and tire the dog.

Summary

In the beginning, this article explained the correct side gait and the correct out-and-back movement for the Doberman Pinscher. The intent was to instil a vision of the correct movement of the Doberman in the reader´s mind.

Later, the article describes the mechanics of gait and discussed how certain structural traits affect it. Structural faults were used to describe incorrect movement. Using faults helps to understand how the dog should not move.

Although it is important to understand faults and how they affect gait, the reader must be careful not to fall into “fault judging” as the primary means of evaluating movement. Good judges first recognize merits, and then evaluate the dog´s movement based on balancing the virtues against faults.

To emphasize the importance of positive judging, below you will find a repeat of the illustrations of correct movement along with a repeat of a description of correct gait as described in the standard. Hopefully the reader will focus on these as the most important element of this paper.

From the Doberman Pinscher Standard
Approved February 6, 1982
Reformatted November 6, 1990

“Free, balanced, and vigorous, with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting, there is strong rear-action drive. Each rear leg moves in line with the foreleg on the same side. Rear and front legs are thrown neither in nor out. Back remains strong and firm. When moving at a fast trot, a properly built dog will single-track.”

Bibliography

¹ The Doberman Pinscher Illustrated Standard, An Illustrated Discussion of the Doberman Pinscher Breed Standard, 1987, Doberman Pinscher Club of America.

² The New Dogsteps, by Rachel Page Elliot, 1983. Howell Book House

Conformation Training Tips

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire Dobermans

In the beginning you must practice at home a lot, not just at the show or while in the ring.

The training period should be short (15-20) minutes, concise (decide in advance what exercise you want to train for each period of time) and fun. I have to say the biggest error I see in training is people don’t make it fun/happy and the results are methodical, ho-hum, bored-to-tears show dogs. If you are in a bad mood DON’T train!

1. You must be consistent with the terminology for the given command and desired response. Take great care that you are making it clear to your dog what exercise they are being rewarded for.
2. Break the whole show thing into Tiny, Understandable segments. Every exercise has a word (just like sit, stay, come) and a reward. If you get frustrated that your dog isn´t “getting it”, Play!! It is so Important that your dog think that “Training” is FUN. The most enjoyable dog to show is a dog Having a Good Time!!
3. You MUST have a mirror in your training area. They can be found at Home Depot type hardware stores. The 36 x 36 inch size works best. I tack this onto a piece of plywood that I can move around easily.

I usually start training pups when they are about three to four months old. Before this age I just enjoy developing happy go lucky out going personalities (the naughtier the better, for me). I focus on playing & walking both on leash and off. Perhaps a little `informal´ stacking (mostly learning to have their legs manipulated without resisting). I, personally, don´t train small pups on a grooming table because, well, we aren´t showing Dobermans on grooming tables! I sit on the floor or kneel with them.

These training techniques work for all ages. The more ingrained a “problem” is the harder it is to unteach it. But I firmly believe with Lots of Training/practice most dogs can learn anything you want to teach them. The key is to make it Understandable to them. Find what motivates them. Find out how long the dog will stay motivated, and work WITH the dog, Note the natural tendencies of said dog & try to work In Their parameters as well as your own.

The STAND

The first thing I teach is the stand. When placing the front legs under the body I say ‘place’. Then cradling the muzzle/under jaw in my hand I say ‘foot back’ when I place the back feet back. Foot back becomes useful in the future so don’t forget it. The feet don’t have to be a long way back at first, just comfortably so. Then I tell the dog to ‘stay’ or ‘stand stay’. I increase the time to stand/stay as time goes on. Then I say ‘okay’, release the dog, jump around, give it food, act crazy and generally have fun. Eventually you can stop verbalizing the ‘place’ and ‘foot back’. Your dog will know from the word stand what you expect. After placing the back feet back go to the tail and say ‘tail up’ as you stroke the tail and even any time you stroke the tail. When I say tail up I stroke the tail gently in a tickling manner with my finger tips. If you meet resistance, in most cases it is best not to push.

Sometimes you have to do the ‘tail up’ in a variety of soothing settings, like while they’re on your lap watching TV and relaxing, in the park while playing ball, while on a walk in the neighborhood or while watching something that interests them. It has to be equated to Pleasure in your dogs mind.

It’s okay to still say “Tail up” as you stroke it even if the tail is already up, it’s good practice.

If you have a dog that resists ‘tail up’ you need to re-represent the exercise with good feelings!  Try these techniques;

BAITING OVER THE FRONT (so as not to rack back)

For this exercise I use the command ‘Reach’.

This exercise is good to train a dog that has the habit of leaning back or has a shorter neck and likes to `suck´ it into their shoulder area. This teaches a dog to “use all the neck they´ve got”. With this method you aren´t `forcing´ them to lean forward, but Rewarding them for Leaning Forward.

One problem I see that people do with the `reach´ is they create a `lean´, in which the dog Leans forward with their Body instead of Reaching with their necks. BIG difference. It is not good to Lean the Body (or if you do lean the body you want to make sure it´s the appropriate amount), as Leaning the body can slope the top line and straighten out the stifle in some Dobes. You want to create a happy medium. This is one of the places the mirror comes in handy.                                        

To teach the `reach´, I place my left hand on the Dobe´s chest, about where the tan marking on my side is (opposite side of judge/mirror).                                                                                                 

Apply pressure to keep them from leaning. (You gently push them back/keep them in place, you can even say “Don´t lean, `reeeach´, GOOD `reach´, Yea!! When they do that specific action.) Only reward them when they reach with their Neck without leaning. (they may lean a little at first till they separate the two)

Continue to say `reach´, holding the dog´s chest/body with my left hand , while with your right hand, holding the bait Slightly in front of the nose/straight away from the body to entice them to `reach´ for the bait. When they Reach with their NECK reward them with a bite of bait. This should cause their neck to `elongate´ from their body Without them Leaning with their body.

Make sure you don´t start a habit of continually feeding the dog to get them to `reach´. They should learn to crane their neck out for a length of time (after they understand the exercise) before getting rewarded. Then reward sporadically during the given exercise.

Repeat this in multiple training sessions until you can say `Reach´, without holding the chest, and the dog cranes it neck forward for the bait. You can literally see their neck come away from their shoulder area. Eventually you should be able to say `Reach´ and the Dobe will `crane´ its neck from its body and your left hand (instead of holding the chest) will be able to hold the collar.  With minimal pressure on the collar, you will be able to learn to ask your Dobe to `reach´ and then manipulate/tweak the amount of arch and lean you wish to put in the finished stacked picture.  When releasing from this exercise always go to the front/side of the head and release with an `okay’!

Dance around, give bait, and make it FUN!!!

MOVEMENT

From the stack we go on to movement. Let me preface this with the biggest error I see people make. They are always walking their pups on wide, buckle type collars, often attached to Flexi leads. Doing this sometimes is okay but by and large this teaches the puppies to lean into the collars, pulling you along thus throwing off their balance and creating situational bulldog (wide, unbalanced) movement. I suggest starting wee little pups on appropriate ring wear such as thin/thick nylon collars.  I think it is important to start young pups off learning to walk in all situations with the thin collar high around the neck just below the cheeks/behind the ears like when showing. This way they don’t suddenly
rebel when one day you say ,”Oh, you’re six months old, wear the collar this way”. Next I teach the heel position with the word ‘easy’  (just in case you want to do the real heel in obedience in the future). When you are beginning to teach ‘easy/heel’ you start out at a walk then proceed to faster speeds. I teach the word ‘trot’ to differentiate speed (walk, trot, pace, gallop). I say ‘easy, trot’. The dog is not pulling at  my side while trotting. The proper down and back position is the dog’s shoulder or ribs should be at your leg with the head straight. Sometimes, with pups six months and older to adult, if they have a really bad habit of leaning/pulling  into the collar I use a mini-size pinch collar placed mid-neck to upper neck. With the pinch I am able to teach them to walk easy without pulling/gagging on the show collar. This way you don’t have to teach the dog that the show collar means an unpleasant experience because you don’t strangle them to death trying to teach the proper easy position.

I will spend as many days as necessary to teach the easy/heel position with the pinch collar. Then I will put the show lead on along with the pinch collar, something like a double reign. Then I work the pinch while the show collar is in place around the upper neck. I will gradually lower and raise, as needed, the pinch collar until eventually all that is being used to easy the dog is the show collar. While you will find the mini-pinch collar indispensable in training certain concepts in conformation, do NOT abuse this valuable tool. Use it properly.  Meanwhile remember, break with FUN, FUN, FUN!

Gudi Molinari designed a collar with a wonder clip that makes the fit to order pinch collar easy on/off. Bob Letsinger of SunnyHill Dobermans (Sunny Hill Designs) has now taken over the business. You don’t have to fit the prongs together. It also comes with an interlaced leather covering so the prongs won’t inadvertently undo themselves. The leather conceals that it is a pinch collar while in public.

GETTING THE EAR UP/NECK ARCHED

In  preparation for teaching my pups to move like  show dogs with ears up and neck arched, once I’ve got the pup lead trained, I occasionally say ‘watch it’ and toss bait  to the ground in front of the pup. Sometimes, at first, you have to literally point it out to them, touching the ground and repeating watch it as you ‘discover’ the bait. You can even pick it up, keeping it close to the ground and re-toss it in front of them so they  see it land. At first it helps to throw it at pup level  so the pup sees it pass his face/head and fall to the ground. I allow them to pick it up and eat it but you DON’T want the pup to get into the habit of following your hand throwing the bait as this creates the dog moving with it’s head wrapped around your leg watching for your hand movement tossing the bait.

HEAD STRAIGHT

Make a long, imaginary down and back line for yourself.  Usually with the mini pinch mid-neck to low neck to reinforce the `easy´ position if need be, and the show collar up high under the cheeks/behind the ears and held Together in your left hand like a double rein (it takes practice).

Walk the imaginary line very slowly.  When the dog turns its head to look at you say firmly ‘head straight’ ,while  Reaching over in a pivot and with your right hand, palm open, (this is the signal) guide/push the side of the dog’s cheek/muzzle area to look straight ahead.  The dog focuses straight ahead and stops resisting say ‘Good!’ yeah!!.  And then continue with another firm command.. “Easy, Head straight” AND signal then continue down the line. Repeat this over and over in each training session.

Occasionally say, “good, head straight” when the dog is looking straight. Remember, be happy and positive but give the command in a firm voice. Every time the dog turns it’s head towards you, stop and repeat the above step.  It’s usually slow going at first but be patient. It may take many different sessions. Each time you get to the end of the line release the dog from the exercise. I say “okay, yeah”, jump around, be happy and act proud. The dog will be overjoyed with itself. Remember they only want to please you.

Eventually when the dog understands you want him to look straight you will be able to speed up the pace until eventually you can trot. Even at the trot you may have to stop occasionally and reinforce the command. Signal when the dog focuses forward and start at the trot again.   

With very stubborn dogs I will actually do the same hand signal but I will also use my thumb to push/bend gently the right side of the nose towards the left/off center. This will guide the head straight with more force. Guide the dog farther than just looking straight … over correct to the left of center. The dog really needs to understand that you want him to look away from you when you say “head straight”. This will eventually normalize to just looking straight. Once the dog understands the exercise you will be able to stop pivoting your body and making contact with the dog’s head. You will be able to just show the open palm from a normal  standing/moving position and say “head straight”. Remember, when you are in the ring ( i.e.-when making the about turn to come back to the judge on the down and back) show your open hand and say “head straight” to reinforce the command on the second journey of the down and back .

FREE BAITING

This is difficult to write about because it can be confusing to differentiate what side of the dog I’m talking about but I’ll try.  By now I think you all understand the importance of making this fun for your dog. So … all your dogs are just dancing around when you get that show lead out to train … RIGHT?

For the purposes of this post lets differentiate sides. When you are looking in the same direction as your dog you have the same left/right side. For free baiting you are looking at your dog. So lets say the dog’s left side becomes the judges side (also the side your mirror is on). You all have your mirrors don’t you? The right side of the dog will be your side (the side you stand on when stacking the dog).

We are going to teach the ‘step’ exercise. (This is when the dog steps forward with it’s front feet and eventually strikes a four square free pose) Point to remember. The show collar and lead are not, for the most part, tools to correct with. They are tools to steer and guide with like the reins on a horse. Your dog learns this exercise by three signals … your voice, your hand/body gestures and your collar/lead pressure/guidance. You are in front of your mirror.

1. Walk in a little circle to position the judge’s side of the dog towards the mirror  Say ‘stand’.  Ignore what the rear is doing for now. You step about a foot in front of your dog, allowing enough room for the dog to step towards you. This next part is the hard part to explain…
2. You will have the collar and lead in your left hand . The lead can be wadded up in your palm or dangling at this point. The collar is around the neck and pulled semi-taut with the one portion/strand of collar that connects to the lead running across your palm or fingers.
3. Then, having taken the strand of collar in your left hand, you reach for and cradle the muzzle/under jaw portion in your left hand. You can fit your finger tips into the crevice or V that the two bones on the under jaw create. Simultaneously say ‘step’ and gently pull/guide the dog towards you, but slightly towards your left. This will create an imbalance and the dog will usually be forced to take a step forward with the judge’s side front paw. If it steps with both front paws, great … Say  ‘Yea, good, step!’ Feed the dog bait BEFORE releasing from this exercise. (**see below) IF it didn’t step with both feet but did with one paw keep your hand in the crevice and still say ‘good, step, yea’.  Rewar
   d IMMEDIATELY with bait from the right hand.
4. If the dog didn’t step with both paws you can usually move/guide your left hand with the muzzle in it towards the judge’s side and create another imbalance, thus forcing the dog to step forward with the paw that is on your side. If the dog still hasn’t stepped with the paw on your side you can move closer and actually use your left foot to gently come around to the back of the dogs pastern area and apply a little pressure to force the dog to move it’s paw forward. Repeat saying ‘step’. When you get it to step, feed bait immediately and praise!   **It is important that you reward with bait immediately after it steps with either paw so it understands clearly that it is being rewarded specifically for this maneuver. Then release the dog from the entire exercise and jump around, be happy. Repeat # 1-4 several times at each training session and then move on to something else. You don’t want to over practice.
5. At this point both front paws don’t have to be even or straight for that matter. You just want the dog to grasp the concept of what ‘step’ means. Again, be patient! If your dog isn’t understanding something try to figure out what part of the exercise it doesn’t get. Think of a way to communicate your desire.   
6. Generally, with practice, a dog catches on very quickly to what step means. Eventually you will be able to wean the dog from your having to take it’s muzzle  in your hand. You will be able to say step and use your other signals such as your voice, collar/lead and/or body gestures to get your dog to step while you stand at a distance free baiting.

   In teaching the  free baiting exercise I ask that you use your foot (attached to your leg) as a pointing stick and GENTLY nudge. This is your signal to the dog. DO NOT step on your dogs paws with intent to injure them! Once again, let me say there are 100’s of training techniques, not every one of which works with every dog although having trained many dogs I haven’t found one yet that doesn’t learn from my techniques. Be patient. It takes time and reward to train anything. As I said so many times before, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MIRROR so you can see when your dog is striking a good free bait stance.

   Remember to always reward quickly so the dog understands he is being rewarded for the action of stepping forward with his front feet even if the step isn’t perfect. They usually catch on very quickly that if they step with their front feet they will be rewarded. The trick then is teaching them just how far to step forward, that you want them to step in the first place and just how wide plus getting them to keep or put their back feet back to strike a beautiful natural stand.

7. Once the dog steps with it’s front paws, if the back legs are not parallel (in other words, if they are standing like a German Shepherd) move to your side of the dog’s shoulder area while holding the cheek/crevice with your left hand. With your left foot/leg extend your leg under your dog to reach whichever back paw is unequal. It’s a tricky maneuver, one in which you must be careful NOT to have your thigh/knee rub against their rib/body area. The idea is to point and nudge/signal the foot you want moved and then use the voice command ‘foot back’. Nudge the paw GENTLY with your foot while saying ‘foot back’. It might even be both legs you want to go back; if so touch both paws.
8. At first  they don’t have to go back as far or as perfect as you would like. It’s just the action of the dog understanding you want the back legs to go back. (eventually to a given position) Usually your dog will move the paw back at least some distance. Praise, reward, release, dance around! As the dog catches on you can repeat ‘foot back, foot back, foot back’ as many times as it takes to get the back feet to the position you want. Watch yourself and the dog’s stance in the mirror. When the dog has extended the foot to the perfect position say ‘PERFECT’. and reward with lots of praise. For puppies around 3-4 months it is easier to reach down from over the top of them, grasp the hock or thigh and say ‘foot back’, moving the leg back with your hand. I also use this technique with stubborn adults although I reach under their bellies to grasp the thigh and still say ‘foot back’. Remember, in the beginning I said teach foot back when teaching the stack, it would come in handy later? The dogs are smart and  they understand the concept.
9. During this exercise you should be holding the bait in your right hand just  a little in front  of your dog’s nose, poised to give the reward when the back paw moves backwards. If you keep repeating this whole free baiting technique your dog will learn to anticipate what it needs to do in order to get the reward. Eventually I find the  dog catches on that leaving the back feet behind while stepping forward will earn them the bait FAST!
10. One error I see occurring is that owners let the dog get away with anticipating too many steps as if the dog were thinking “well, if a step is good, a lot of steps must be better”. Your dog will step as many times as it thinks it will get rewarded.  That is what the mirror is for. Watch that your dog only steps as many times as appropriate for it to look natural in a beautiful free bait stance. You don’t want  to allow or teach your dog to step so far out in front of it’s body that you create a rocking horse/racking back stance.
11. After your dog has ‘step’ understood you can begin to indicate perfection. I use my right foot for the judge’s side of the dog and my left foot for my side of the dog. If either front paw is not in it’s proper place I use my foot as indicated above to nudge the front paw back into an even stance. Or, if I have to, I do #5 where I come around the back of the pastern area to move the foot forward. At this point you reward ONLY when the dog has the front feet even. If the dog is standing too narrow I put my right foot between their front legs and say ‘wider’. I then reward ONLY  when the front feet are even and wide enough. If they are too wide I nudge the paw and say ‘fix it’ until the dog gets it right where I want it. Reward immediately when the dog puts its paws where you want them and say ‘PERFECT’. Eventually the dog will learn to anticipate what the correct stance is in order to get the reward faster. Always reward the dog  QUICKLY for getting it right while saying ‘perfect’! Sometimes during this period you will still have to be go back to nudging the back feet back but I find that dogs just eventually catch on to what you’re asking of them.

Be careful that you teach the dog to get it right in the area you designate for your free bait area. I often see handlers/owners continually back up while trying to get their dog to strike the perfect stance. In the ring you are limited to the area in front of the judge. Don’t let yourself get in the habit of backing up right out of the ring!

REINDOBE GAMES

I think keeping showing interesting to our furry friends is of the UTMOST importance!!  After all, our pooches are really showing for us!!  All too often I see handlers, owners and professionals alike, standing in the lineup waiting for their turn with the Judge. They stand around in a military line, stone cold with a dog just hanging out at the end of the lead.  I think this creates real boredom and a dislike for or a ho-hum attitude on the dog´s part about showing. I try to jazz the situation up with little games and training. Every dog has its own idea of what a fun game is.

If the class is of any size I try to break away from the line-up of handlers and I seek the  more roomy end corner of the  ring, behind the lineup, until it’s my dogs turn to be examined  or  after my individual pattern and it’s time to re-lineup for the Judge’s class placements . If I can’t break away from the lineup I try to carve out a space around me to give me enough room to do some games a
nd training. Some judges are nice enough in a big class to designate an area for the handlers to relax in until it’s their turn. Don’t take this time to relax. Take it as an opportunity to super charge and train your show dog!

I intermix training with games and often combine the two. One game I play with the dogs is ‘watch it’. This comes in handy as well when you want to teach a dog to move with its ears up or to put its ears up. In a small area around me I’ll say ‘watch it’ and throw a little piece of bait on the floor. I throw it in all different directions. Be playful! Say happily, “Watch it, Get it, Yea!!!” Make it a big deal for the dog to watch for the bait landing. Almost always the dogs ears will be up or they’ll soon learn to put them up, albeit while looking down at the floor of attentively watching for the bait. You can modify this game by reaching for the bait yourself … allow yourself to win and to lose sometimes. Your dog will like to be faster than you. You can pick up the bait and wave it around, act excited. Say, “I got it” and then, “Watch it, watch it” while it’s in your hand. If the ears are up and the dog is looking at your hand, reward the dog from your hand. Keep them on their paws! Mix this with throwing and retrieving from the floor. Eventually you will be able to get the most stubborn of dogs to put their ears up! It’s like a cat and mouse game. IMPROVISE!!! See what interests your pooch and gets the reaction YOU desire!

You have to find what game peaks your dogs interest. I found that Jazz was real fond of ‘jumping back’ then ‘jumping up’ for the bait, sometimes with all four feet off the ground. I’d say “Back, Back, Back”, quick and happy while I walked into her front.  She’d get that sparkle in her eyes and leap backwards, and then up into the air for the bait. Then I would have her free bait in the regular manner and she maintained that sparkle in anticipation of repeating the game! This game came in handy when the judge was walking down the line-up looking for expression or if the judge had a free bait stand off with another competitor. I’d act like we were going to play the game and I’d stand far in front of her. The sparkle/expression would just emanate from her. If you have an extremely angulated dog you’ll have to beware that this game doesn’t create a crouchy/hocky rear in normal free baiting in anticipation of the game.

Another of my specials really liked to play ‘catch’. If he missed it I’d hold him back and race for the bait myself. I’d make a big deal saying “I got it, I got it, ha, ha” He hated losing so he was very attentive to get it… Sometimes he´d be so quick he would beat me to it on the floor! This game came in handy when we would come back to the judge on our individual because I’d say ‘catch’ and he, thinking  we were going to play the game, would give a great free bait stack.

Another game I play is the ‘airplane’ game. This is very good for teaching the exercise ‘here’ which I will go into later. I take a piece of  bait in my hand and pretend it’s an airplane by doing circular movements, up and down, all around, finally ending up with the bait ‘falling’ (handed) into the dog’s  mouth. You know, like when the dogs follow something — with this game their heads are following the movement of the hand. I even play ‘tug of war’ or fetch with a little pig’s ear that I can fit into my pocket. So, think of anything that brings a sparkle to your dogs eye. Improvise it to play in a small area in the ring.

Please remember, Pick Up any bait you throw or put on the ground.  Be discreet when playing these games in the ring as you don’t want to be disruptive but you do want your dog to have a good time.

Teaching Tail & Ears Up

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire Dobermans

TRAINING TO GET THE TAIL UP

The best trick I have found for this is “tail up, good, tail up!” repeated over and over. With real clampers it takes time and patience to gain their trust and re-represent tail massaging as pleasurable. I then take this further to whenever (at the park, on a walk) the opportunity presents itself, like when the dog or pup comes up to be petted. (You know how dogs come up alongside of you and leans for loving or attention) I start the full massage to relax them working down to the tail saying ‘tail up’ all the while as I stroke it with my finger tips. Eventually you will be able to do just the tail. I have been able to get the most stubborn tail clampers to relax with this process.

Another technique is while stacking, after you have placed the feet, give the dog something to nibble on. (Something soft that is easily nibbled on, like rollover, hotdogs, cheese.) You may have to teach the ‘nibble’ so the dog/pup doesn’t bite your fingers/hand off !  You don’t want to use something where the dog has to start a tug-of-war habit to break off nibble-size pieces. As the dog is nibbling you start the tail up massage and tickling routine. Usually they will be so focused on nibbling that they forget to be uptight and will relax and let you get the tail up. This is a process like the first technique above, don´t expect dramatic results immediately. It takes time to teach the dog/pup to relax and enjoy the experience of tail up.

TRAINING TO GET THE EARS UP

Well, first of all, as with all behaviors, you need to match the desired ‘response’ to a ‘command/word’. So use WHATEVER works to get your dog’s ears up…you will need to find a special word or noise to make WHILE she has her ears UP.

Secondly, you need to reward your girl with food during this “word/association” mentioned.  First you need to use the food quickly, while her ears are up and stop the rewards when they are down.

Repeat this word or noise throughout the duration that her ears are up; make a Big Deal about it too. At first she will not realize you are giving her a treat just for the ears but they do catch on pretty quick.

So, ideally she learns when your noise or word occurs and she puts her ears up that she gets a treat! This means you ALWAYS have to have treats readily available!

‘Good Girl’  as a command/reward (for example) probably won’t do as you probably say good girl to her for a variety of reasons Therefore she won’t know whether you are saying good girl for standing in the kitchen, for being In your way in the kitchen or for holding her tail up/down in the kitchen. The command/noise  HAS TO BE SPECIFIC for/to the ACTION you DESIRE.  You have to be SPECIFIC, so devise a word/noise you will only use when you want her ears up.

For instance (you can start this now), I start training my pups very young to ‘watch’ on a loose lead. This means I want them to watch the ground in front of us, with their ears up, as I throw a piece of bait on the ground in front of us.

At first I have to start out saying watch and then point the treat/reward out to them as it lies in front of them on the ground. Pretty soon I say watch and they immediately look at the ground because they know that is where the ‘reward’ is waiting for them.

I progress to disguising the reward as coming from an ‘undisclosed’ location by obscuring my hand motion as I toss it to the ground or by projecting a small piece of bait from my mouth. This discourages them from watching my hand and ending up /wrapping their head around my leg while watching for the reward to hit the ground. I say ‘watch it’ and the bait magically appears in front of them on the ground from my undisclosed projectile location.

Usually because of the inquisitive nature of the Doberman and partly because of gravity when looking at the ground, they put their ears up. Because the bait is already on the ground or appears there shortly after the word association, they put their ears up and dive for the treat which is
okay! Dogs almost ALWAYS will put their ears up to look at the ground.

Don’t hold the  collar/leash tight as that can inhibit them putting their ears up and take away from the ‘game’ aspect. This is supposed to be a ‘loose/fun’ game…

After they are readily putting there ears up and looking at the ground you can then change the dynamics of this game to Looking at YOU for this special treat to appear.

For this I  progress to an ‘attention game’. First I start with the dynamic ‘watch’ (the ground for a treat to appear). AFTER the above is Understood,  I  say ‘watch’ and wait for the expected response. However, I add a new dynamic into the game as soon as that response occurs. I Quickly grab the bait from the ground (this requires a fast and fun response from you,) saying ‘attention’ as I  scoop the treat up from the ground and repeat ‘attention, watch it’ as they see it in my hand. I then put my hand up towards my face to my eye level so that they have to give me eye contact. To recap – as you scoop up the bait immediately say ‘attention/watch it’.

As the dog turns to look at you say ‘good watch it/ good attention’.  Hand the dog the bait QUICKLY. As with all new training, you may not see an immediate response. IT TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE. Jump around and act happy after each exercise even if the dog only did it half-assedly. Remember, they are learning this new game/exercise too. Pretty soon you can say ‘attention” for eye contact, ears up, looking at you as in the Free bait. And ‘watch it’ for them looking at the ground ‘watching it’ as you move with the dog.

The only other thing you can do is watch your dog to see what they ‘key into’ and put their ears up for. (Kittys ? Squirrels? Keys? What in the kitchen? Anything you can put a noise or word to and reward for immediately will do).

Conformation Q&A

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire Dobermans

Question:
At what age do you start stacking your puppies?

Answer:
I really don’t start stacking ’till they’re probably around 3- 4 months old, after the ears are healed and put in ‘rolls’. Before this age, I’ll do an occasional stack for photos but really nothing that could be construed as ‘training’. I do other ‘things’ like hold them all the time, kiss and baby talk to them. I take them on big Nature walks around the property where they explore rock piles, walk on tarps, jump over logs, wade in the creek. I use this time to teach them to ‘come’ and ‘follow’ when I clap my hands and whistle. I love to sit and just be with them. I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “God help me be the person that my dog thinks I am….well, my puppies think I’m their everything and I try to be!!

Question:
Do you think four weeks is too early for them to start learning stacking?

Answer:
YES! I’m sure there are many different theories on raising/training pups … I view little pups as like human toddlers so I do the above with them. Preschool training as described in the initial training above starts at 3-4 months.

Question:
When I go around with my dog and get back into place with him he swings his butt into the center of the ring. I’ve started correcting him by saying “no, you’re in the wrong place”, moving him around to come in again and doing whatever I can to keep him standing straight. I’ve tried moving with bait. I’ve tried backing him up and stepping him forward. If I really work at it I can get him straightened out without physically picking up his rear end but, of course, I want this to be natural. It seems to me that repetitious correcting as above, and practice, practice, practice will eventually make an impression on his little red brain (11 months old). I suppose I could use a clicker and click/treat when he’s standing properly.

Answer:
I can’t speak for clicker training as I’ve never used that method but the method I would use would be to have a command such as ‘stack’ and a signal for what you expect him to do. I think you should keep the command to one or two words, not a sentence such as “You’re in the wrong place” When you come around to the end of the line use your word of choice and signal. Use them any time you are wanting him to assume the position to be stacked. Practice the following and then use it in the ring:

In practice I would start saying ‘stack’ when you are going to begin stacking him so that he becomes used to the position you are requiring of him when you say stack. That position would be stacking/posing next to you NOT with his butt swung towards the center of the ring. I do this with a verbal command and I also lay my hand flat with the palm up as a signal of what I am expecting which is to to have him (the dog) come alongside me and lay his cheek/under jaw in my palm so I can lean over him and stack him.

As I cradle the cheek/lower jaw in my palm I say (refer to Conformation Training # I) ‘place’ for the front feet and ‘foot back’ for the hind legs and don’t forget ‘tail up’. Follow this as usual with the praise, ‘good, stack’. This way the dog gets a clear signal and a verbal command. On dogs I show regularly I can just put my hand out with the palm up and they will actually walk into it and lay their lower jaw/cheek in my hand to wait for me to stack them. To encourage this behavior I also rub this area in a soothing manner so the dogs enjoy this position. (like when they love you to rub their ears) Another point I might bring up is after your individual pattern, when you gait to the end of the line, (unless the judge’s procedure is to watch each dog as it stops at the back of the line and very few do this) there isn’t any particular reason at this time that your dog can’t swing his rear to the middle of the ring. As long as once you are trying to assume your stacked position in line you are able to straighten him out in order to stack him. (In which case I think the above training procedure would work) Often when I approach the end of the line on my individual gaiting I throw a piece of bait that I let the dog run/dive for and get. I will explain why’ I do this when I explain about getting your dog to move with it’s ears up. This example is to show you that I’m not immediately expecting the dog to assume the stack position when we come around to the end of the line. As a matter of fact, if I’m not the last dog or there is no pressing reason to assume a stack I use this time in line to play doggie games (Refer to the ‘Reindobe Games).

Question:
My dog pulls back against the collar when he starts to get bored. I guess that’s my job? To keep him interested?

Answer:
YES!!! I think my ‘Reindobe Games’ would prove useful to keep him entertained. Also, in the beginning I explain how to teach a dog to ‘reach’. You could use this technique when you want to stop him from pulling back against his collar.

Question:
I was wondering if you can give me information on a bitch of mine who likes to collapse her shoulder. When I hand stack her I put my finger under her chin do her left foot and then her right. Then I put the collar up high on her neck and hold it tightly. As soon as I go to her rear and set up her back feet she sinks down. I quickly return to the front and bait her and she will pull herself forward. I am also thinking she is just playing games with me. Any ideas on how to get her to stop doing this would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
Don’t you hate it when they rack back? It seems if they aren’t racking back they are leaning so far forward they could fall on their faces! The key here is probably that you are leaving the area under her jaw/cheek to go and set up her rear thus losing control. A tight’ collar around neck is usually a BIG mistake! You need to have a mirror.

Practice various ways to stack her that offer the least resistance/racking back when you stack her. Use WHAT WORKS!! I think the true sign of a talented handler is the ability to use and/or create different styles of handling each individual dog, especially the problematic ones. I am showing a bitch right now that likes to rack back as I set her hind legs. See it even happens to the Pros! I have used two method’s to circumvent this problem. First, when I line her up along side me to stack her I hold a piece of bait about where I want her head to be. I have her reach for it, this way I’m beginning the stack at a positive leaning forward position. After feeding her some bait in this forward reach, I gently slip my right palm and fingers under her jaw and affix my fingers into the “V” crevice created by the under jaw bones. You may also hold excess collar and lead in your right hand. Then by watching in the mirror and with practice I get a feel for exactly were I have to firmly hold her head, thus, in effect, keeping her front in this forward thrust/position while I reach back with my left hand and extend the back legs into a position proper for her stack. Say “Stay, Good, Stay” Then I resume my stance at her head and take the collar back into the left hand while I offer her bait with the right hand. Check the stack you created to make sure you got it right. If not, repeat, or do what little improvements are necessary to get the dog stacked correctly.

Basically I’m saying you hold her by her crevice in the muzzle in the forward position while you adjust her hind legs. You have to KNOW your dog by feel in order for you to keep the head/front assembly in the correct position while you turn your attention to setting up the rear. Beware by watching in the mirror that you don’t co
ntort her head skyward or too far forward or back as you are busy adjusting the rear legs. It is important to get a feel for keeping the head steady in the position that you originally wanted to create.

Another method is to run the excess collar strand which attaches to the lead through your right hand, while holding the bait, so she can’t decide to leave. Then you simultaneously let her nibble on the bait in the right hand but keep the bait at a constant level and place. By ‘reaching’ for the bait she will be thrusting her front forward. Again, by watching in the mirror you can get a feel for were to keep the bait so that her head/front assembly is kept in the correct position. Then you adjust the back legs with your left hand/arm. It takes a lot of practice for either technique.

If all else fails, sometimes you have to take into account that your dog will rack back to some degree while you stack it’s rear legs. By using your mirror and knowing your dog you can learn just where you have to place it’s back legs to compensate for this racking back so that when you come back up to it’s front and bait it forward it is in the perfect stance in spite of its racking back! Just be sure you learn to do this FAST before the judge is looking because it isn’t a pretty sight!

Lesson #5-Improve Your Timing

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire Dobermans

Here is a way to practice getting your Stack/Timing down to TEN SECONDS or less.

Play this game:
Have someone count to ten (or do it in your head) while you stack your dog. Then Move around (down and back, or around in a circle, or just out of a stack).  Then STOP, count to ten rather quickly and stack your dog perfectly (or semi perfectly) in that ten seconds. Then move around again. Practice this till you can get a Ten second stack with your dog!

This proves to be an invaluable tool.

Include this game when you train. (Better yet, engage another person to be your counter & have them evaluate your stack)

Also, I would do this in such a manner that you end up in front of your training mirror .

Don’t look in the mirror until your ten seconds are up and then take a look at what you created (you might be pleased or you may even be shocked!).

In fact, if you have a video camera, you can practice this game at multiple venues and have someone tape you. You learn A lot from watching yourself on video (I did!)

You don’t want to  just get good at home in front of the mirror. LOL (you know the saying “my dog always does it at home!”)

Be creative.

Don’t cheat!

Play and replay this video for yourself ( in fact,  video yourself  at different speeds of moving, and free baiting as well.) Watching oneself is an invaluable lesson IF you can do it objectively.
Thus you will get a real look at just what “Picture” you are presenting when you are in the ring.

Remember, quickness without roughness is essential if you want your dog to respond too.

Practice, practice, practice makes ‘perfect’…..

Lesson #4-Courtesy In The Ring

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire

Each professional handler may have their own “wishes” of others, and then there are the “rules”, whether documented or just courtesy-implied.

My beliefs are  based on based on what I would expect to be done unto me.

Question:
How much room should you place between you and the Handler & Dog in front of you?

Answer:
This is real hard to gauge sometimes. I prefer to err on the side of leaving to much room. That way you will have plenty of room to work Your dog. I’d guesstimate leaving about two maybe-three feet IF the ring allows it.

Important point to remember is you have to leave enough room for each person to ‘show’ their dog to its best advantage. That is the single most important reason you are there.  To show your dog.  If you don’t leave enough room in front of you, and the judge wants to see expression, you want the ability to bait your dog while standing in front of it (I like to do this). You are going to compromise the judge’s impression if you’ve left no room for this manoeuvre!  You have to have enough room between you and the dog in front of you so that your legs or clothing don’t hinder the dog in front of you if you have to bait your dog from the front. You need “manoeuvring” room…

If you feel like a handler is crowding you from behind you need to assess and address this BEFORE they get all set up.  Politely ask, “Could you please give me a little more room?  My dog gets a little nervous if we’re crowded”.  Most Handlers would be happy to oblige. IF you wait until the handler’s dog is all set up, and likely those behind him are as well,), you’re apt to be met with a glare and the handler may or may not move, depending on if it will jeopardize the ‘area’ they scoped out for themselves. It’s not that the handler wants to be a grinch but they have to calculate if they will have enough room and time to show their dog off to its best advantage if they oblige you.  If you make an error in calculating how much room you need and then have to back up into the handler behind your space, you aren’t going to like the look you will get if it ends up messing up their dog.  You need to be cognizant of preventing another handler from presenting their dog properly!

You need to be aware of when it’s your turn and as well as when all the dogs are done and it’s time for the final line-up. I see a lot of handlers not paying attention and mess up in this area.  Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, with getting too close/crowding/disrupting another handlers dog. It just happens even in the best of situations. If you feel you’ve possibly caused someone else’s dog to mess up because of a miscalculation just apologize sincerely. Usually, if it doesn’t become habitual, all will be forgotten very quickly.

Question:
When is it okay to speak to another handler?

You mean in the ring, at ringside or when?

During judging if a handler is real busy it may be impossible to carry on a conversation with them.  There are some handlers that are quite chatty in the ring and seem to keep up on all the gossip for the week.

Personally, I carry on very few conversations while in the ring. I might carry on a short something or other but it is usually kept real short. I know I like it best if someone approaches me right before/during or after judging and asks when it would be a good time to talk. That way I can say yes/no or suggest a better time. This is probably the most polite way.  Ask. Question: Baiting issues; talking and making sounds to your dog?

Answer:
There is a lot of grey area here. I am a real ‘talker’ to the dogs I show. I almost never shut up and it irritates some and not others. Of course I try to keep my voice down but to some handlers anything you do is an irritant. When I’m in the ring I like to hang out at the end of the line, behind everyone.  That way I can talk and play with my dog as much as I want without disturbing anybody. When it’s close to my turn or its time to line them all up I move up to my actual spot in the line.

So, I guess the key here, is, again, you’re there to show your dog to the best of it’s advantage — if it involves talking or toy noises then you utilize those ‘tools’.

Just be cognizant and respectful if it seems to be messing up another handler´s dog, curtail that which is upsetting to another dog. Handlers just have to learn to deal with it, IF it´s not disrupting their dog.

If you are behind a dog that is being gone over by the judge you should try to remain as quiet as possible.  This issue also speaks to ‘temperament’

It is your right to talk to your dog and possibly offer it a toy.  If another handler’s dog can’t ‘handle’ it that speaks to their dog’s temperament and you should not become a zombie in the ring just to appease a dogs ‘poor temperament’. That situation then infringes on you trying to show your dog to its best advantage.  Again, be respectful and behave as you would want if the situation was reversed.

Question:
Speaking to the judge? Answer: From my experience some judges are very gregarious in the ring and chat with everybody. Others are stone walls. I always try to smile and maybe give eye contact, just as a pleasantry. When a judge asks you to do something a polite yes Sir/ Madam is in order.
 

Answer:
Each judge pretty much sets their own ‘tone’ as to how much conversation they want to have during judging. You have to take your direction from what you sense from them. If you win and are having your photo taken with the judge it is perfectly okay to carry on a conversation.

Question:
How much time to take when readying for down and backs?

Answer:
Well, when the judge starts tapping his foot you know he’s ready and waiting!  Actually, take your time, within reason. Some Judges are more than a little rude and literally hurry you along. But generally, most really want to see you and your dog perform at your best.  You might just be their winner!

So, it behoves you to

1. BREATH, collect the collar up around your dog’s neck,
2. Collect the lead in your hand
3. Do a courtesy turn so you can get your dog in a smooth, rhythmic trot
4. Look down the ring to fixate on a mark to run straight to and make the darndest smooth, rhythmic straight down and back that any mentor would be proud of!
5. When you get to the end of the ring make your turn to come back, look up so you can see if you are still in alignment with the judge, look him in the eye so he sees that you’re confident that you have the best dog entered and make a bee line back to him
6. IMPORTANT: You should already have the ‘Game Plan’ in your mind as to where exactly you are going to stop for the free bait (about 3 feet from the judge).  Don’t get so caught up in watching your dog that you forget your ‘mark’ and crowd, or worse yet, run into the judge when you free bait!

GOOD LUCK!

Lesson #3-Moving The Dog

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire

Check List before Moving Your Dog  (Go through this check list EVERY time)

1. BREATH, TAKE YOUR TIME.
2. Collect the lead in your hand.
3. Reply to the judge´s command (yes sir/ma’am)
4. Make sure the skin of the dog’s neck is tucked in nicely, check lips/drooling.
5. Once you come back to the judge, everything is there for all to see. You want the picture to have ‘clean lines’.
6. Act Poised – YOUR carriage is very important. Have a friend video tape you moving in practice so you ‘see’ yourself and your dog. You should both be like dancers.
7. Do a courtesy turn so you can get your dog into a smooth, rhythmic trot. Having your dog do this turn in a pace or walk is not useful.
8. ALWAYS Look down the ring to fixate on an object to move towards.
9. A straight line is pertinent; practice this. When you get to the end of the ring make your turn to come back, LOOK UP so you can see if you are in alignment with the judge. Make any necessary adjustments. Look the  judge in the eye as if to say your dog is the soundest dog in the ring (this also helps for you to see if the judge is distracted or watching you)  

IMPORTANT:

You should already have a game plan in your mind, possibly from watching an experienced handler in the ring before you,  as to where exactly you are going to make your turns and upon returning to the judge where you are going to stop and free bait as well as where are you going to show a front-on view of your dog or a side view. You want to leave plenty of room so you are not crowding the judge while free baiting your dog.

Lesson #2-Stacking

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire

Okay, you enter the ring to show your dog.  You have the “Lay-out” of WHAT the Judge is going to expect from you by watching the previous classes and WHERE the Judge is going to expect these
exercises to be done.

It’s your turn for the Individual exam

Pay ATTENTION to DETAILS .

When  Stacking (you must practice at home with a mirror) what will be the judge’s first impression when he sees your dog stacked for the individual exam?

Know your dogs Faults and Virtues so you can best “present” the picture of the “Standard” to the judge. The judge will most likely have a picture of his ‘ideal’ Doberman in his minds eye. (hopefully according to the Breed Standard, but at the very least it will be a picture of the Dobermans he sees in the group at the shows he attends)  You need to match that Performance!

Have control of your dog & be ready with the ‘Picture’.  You should be able to put this picture together in TEN SECONDS or less.  This is where TIMING is important. (Refer to my Timing Article) If you aren’t ‘ready’ = points against for poor “performance”

You’ll be nervous but get a grip and say to yourself, “what is my checklist for this exercise” which  will bring you back into focus. Your main goal is to ‘keep the picture’ before and during the individual exam so that when the Judge steps back from the exam to view your dog, it hasn’t fallen apart before his eyes!

Check List for the individual exam:

1. Head: lips tucked in neatly, no flews or slobber hanging out.
2. Excess cheek and neck skin tucked neatly into collar.
3. Legs/feet straight, rear square not too stretched out or legs placed too far apart.
4. Top line firm (hopefully not sloping) and tail up.
5. Ears up with neck arched appropriately for your particular dog’s structure.
6. Accentuate the ‘picture’ with a smile on your nervous face <vbg>, keep your feet/legs together, wear appropriate apparel. Give eye contact but don’t be annoying.
7. Act confident and act as if you are enjoying yourself. (your dog will thank you for this! LOL)
8. Give ‘pleasantries”” (yes ma’am/sir) when the judge asks you to do something.  This builds ‘rapport’ and puts a voice to your face.

Lesson #1-Be Prepared

Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Conformation

Michelle Santana
Foxfire

“Composure” while In the ring is a major key to success and a key to your  dog enjoying itself.  How does one maintain “Composure” when they are nervous? It’s hard to do but it’s a must.   In Nervous Mode you are most likely to forget everything you know about showing your dog!  I feel one of the things that can bring a person out of the “I’m Nervous, I can’t breath, my knees are knocking together…..AGH, my dog isn’t performing like at class!” is:

BE PREPARED with a “Game Plan” and “Check lists”… these few things will bring you back to FOCUS on your task at hand. Present your dog to the best of your ability and make it an enjoyable experience for your dog. Winning will most likely follow If your dog is worthy.

What does a Game plan entail you might ask?  Unfortunately, if you have a 6-9 puppy dog, my first advise isn’t possible.  However, you can WATCH the breeds before Dobermans that your judge is judging, if there are any and still gain knowledge about that particular Judge.

In addition, if it is a two day show, if the judge who is judging the second day is doing any breeds the first day, try to watch his judging of other breeds for a bit. It will give you a ‘feel’ for that judge.

My First advice is Get THERE EARLY, so you’re all set up and ready to WATCH the classes before you.  In addition, pick your favorite handler and WATCH what they are doing in the classes before you.  By this I mean STOP TALKING, stop the “busy-ness” of your thoughts about how nervous you are and all your preoccupied thoughts about the Handling job you are about to do.  Stop DOING and WATCH.  Clear Your Thoughts and MAKE A PLAN.

Have a  CLEAR PLAN in your head of where the judge has had the classes set up before you:

1. First line up when you enter the ring (Are you first in line? If so, be a good leader)
2. Where does he/she want you to stack for the Individual exam? You should be prepared and already have your dog stacked ready for the exam when it is your turn. I see newbie handlers hesitate with this and lose valuable seconds that could have been utilized to perfect their dogs stack. Seconds that do make or break the “picture perfect” first impression)
3. Is the judge requiring the Handler to open the mouth or is the judge doing it himself?  Have a couple of experienced people (ring side) do a ‘mock exam’ so your performance, on that day, in opening the mouth is smooth.  Be prepared to be ‘helpful’ if the judge is doing the mouth exam, so you don’t fumble, particularly with a inexperienced puppy.  Keep your head/body out of the way!
4. What is his/her movement pattern?  WATCH the classes before you. (pay particular attention to where you are going to make your turns)  Smooth Turns = Smooth Movement = Smooth Performance.
5. Where are you going to Stop for the “free bait” and what are you going to “show-off” (straight-on – nice head and feet, great side profile)?  Which is the best feature of your dog?  Allow yourself enough room to show off your dog.  Have a designated spot pre-planned. Don’t run up on the judge and then decide where to stop.  Don’t interfere with the ‘space’ of the dog that is behind you, and currently stacking for their own individual exam.
6. How much Room is he giving you for the “free bait” AND does he prefer to see the dogs free bait “front on” or “side view” (some judges have a particular preference and if you don’t do it their way, they get ticked off)?   = Points against your Smooth Performance.
7. How much Time is he giving for the “free bait”?  Some judges allow you enough time to ‘get it right’ … others say ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ if you didn’t hit “the pose” in the time allowed.  = points against your Smooth Performance. Be prepared to hit it right quickly if judge is the latter.

This is what you do BEFORE you go into the ring. .