DDR German Shepherds

altostland · Site Admin Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 788 Location: Texas

The actual stack is a natural position for a normal German Shepherd, and is not as complicated and scientific as it may seem.
Again, most of you have seen pics of the well-posed dogs on the database. Understand that our DDR dogs will NOT have the same curve to the topline that you see in many pics of WGR show dogs, nor the extreme bend of the stifle that you see in American Specialty dogs. Before a recent show, I had sat back and wondered how some of the breeders trained their dogs to "crouch" for their show stances and pictures. Only after seeing these dogs in person did I realize they don't TEACH them this... they BREED them this way. The dogs are simply not capable of standing upright like our DDR dogs! The "crouch" is permanent!
ANYWAY -
When I stack my dogs, I start with a thin show collar, positioned pretty high on the neck, behind the dog's jaw and ears. I set the front end first, and I intentionally set the front feet a little further underneath the body than they should be. There's a reason for this! When you "set" the hind end next, you'll be pulling the dog back, and therefore bringing the front end into the proper alignment (straight up and down under the dog).
Step two of the stack is to set the right rear leg, which should be the one closest to you. DO NOT set this leg too far forward! The tip of the toes should be under the forward point of the hip I'm told. (It's much easier for me to do it and teach it this way, however - if it's a male, the tip of the toes go pretty much under the tip of the penis, and for a female, you just have to use your imagination as to where this would be if she were male.) The left hind leg should be extended back far enough that the bottom portion of the leg (from the hock to the lower pastern) is pretty much straight up nd down. If the dog has a straight back, with little height to the withers and very little slope, some handlers will set the right rear leg further forward, and over-extend the left hind leg to create the illusion of more slope and angulation.
You may have to practice quite a bit to find the exact point to set the front and rear legs to have the best view. Once you have all the feet set, if you bring the dog's head up and back a bit, it should bring the chest forwards, and help to set their weight back on the extended left hind leg a bit, and lessen the chances of them moving that leg before you get the pic snapped. It also serves to show length of neck, and how the neck sets into the withers.
When you set the dog in a stack position that is way off, the dog will usually be very uncomfortable and will not want to hold the stack. In a more natural position, which the stack is actually based on, the dog will be much moer likely to accept and hold the stack.
I'll try to get some pictures to better illustrate some of these points.
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Judy Malone
www.altostland.com
HOME of CHAMPIONS!
3 UKC GRAND CH, 6 UKC CH, 17 INT CH
"Don't make me get my flyin' monkeys!"

Julie Marlow · Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 1334 Location: Washington

Great post Judy!! Wink

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"Wag more, Bark less"
Vom Banach K9
Working German Shepherd Dogs
East German/DDR, Czech, & West