stacking

[CASH]

So i need some advice from yall ( i know shocker). I would like to start teaching Cash to "stack" so that I can show him in confromation at the next fun show. How do I go about getting him to stand right and hold it?
Thank you.

[Leon]

Ill be happy if Czar could just stand in one spot lol

[George Bailey]

Great question, Cash! Leon's too.

You need to study the breed standard of the registry you are showing in and then compare your dog to it. There's no such thing as a perfect dog, they all have faults, and it's your job to maximize their good points and not draw attention to their faults. It's subjective because even though you are compared to the standard, you are paying for a judge's opinion and interpretation. Know the rules of the registry you are showing in before you show.

Body part targeting is helpful for breed ring examinations, as are cycles of bridging for extending the time the dog can hold a stack. Naming body parts before you touch them is helpful in making the dog aware of what is happening and fostering a participatory attitude on their part.

I'm helping to prep five young dogs for conformation right now, the owner is inexperienced in this venue. I used the terminal bridge 'X' when she had them in the best position for each dog. She's not a SATS person, but got that both she and the dogs were being bridged when they were right. Unless you really know what you are doing, it's helpful to stack your dog in front of a mirror, where you can see the results and be able to reinforce the dog for being in the right position.

You have to work with what you've got; one of the pups is more bully in type, and he has very little rear angulation. When his back feet were stacked too far out behind him, he looked like his stifles were totally straight, and, because it was uncomfortable for him, he would/could not maintain this position. This also caused him to dip in the middle of his back, not a pretty picture. Hobby-horsing the dog as above is a pretty common beginner mistake in conformation.

Another tip, this one from the art world, is to look at the negative space, rather than the dog itself; for instance, look at the area between the dogs legs rather than the dog itself. Seeing the dog as a silhouette is good practice, too.

Keep us updated on your progress,

George Bailey

[CASH]

Thank you for the info. Im going to start working with him asap. His front toes point out a bit, how cant I help to correct this or is it not that big of a fualt?

[George Bailey]

How old is he, Cash? It could change (or not).

Yes, it's a fault, but from what you are describing, probably not major. It's just a small part of the whole standard, which is the big picture the judge should be looking for.

You can teach him to hold a stack that you put him into by hand. Move his front feet by moving the leg at the elbow, then placing the foot. If they are ever pointing forward naturally, point this out to him, name it, and reinforce it.
You can also minimize this fault in the ring by presenting the dog at an angle instead of head on (where it looks the worst).

Keeping the nails short helps feet and pasterns be the best they can be.

George Bailey

[George Bailey]

Another thing you can train for would be having him move with dogs in front and behind him. I showed my friend's bitch and she was in front with her male, I never got the dog moving right as we hadn't trained for that. She just sorta plowed in and ran for her mama.:p

George Bailey

[pitbullgirl]

Good advice George Bailey!

[norcalreds]

So does anyone have pics of a dog that is stacked correctly? I would love to see cause I was wondering the same thing. Thanks!

[NATE]

So does anyone have pics of a dog that is stacked correctly? I would love to see cause I was wondering the same thing. Thanks!

you will have to ask my wife for that i realy dont care much for the show ring thats my wifes thing
if i want poltics and thats all the ring is i would watch msnbc or cnn atleast there i know there full of SH** before i pay 20 bucks

[Dansgrizz]

Heres this picture of a young dog stacked. Looks very square to me, nice pasterns, good angles on the stifles. Can someone break this down for me? Is this a good stack?

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww39/danlee123456/1255830825.jpg

[George Bailey]

Look at the angles of the bones, Dan.

There's a very good book called Dogsteps by Rachel Page Elliot, and maybe a video/dvd on structure.

George Bailey

[Dansgrizz]

He hind leg bones George?

[George Bailey]

And shoulders, topline, angle of croup, tailset, length of loin... lots to look at

George Bailey

[Hallil]

I'd imagine it might be similar to horses too, where you want different conformation for different 'jobs'. A halter horse (conformation) will have slightly different angles and muscle groups that are noticed, where as a reining horse looks different. Where a fault may be a fault in conformation, it may be a plus in the way a horse is built that is working. For example, a reining horse wants the back legs built slightly under them, where that would be a fault in the halter class. However it's an advantage for a reining horse because in alot of the manuvers that they do, they require their hind end to be tucked underneith them for stops, spins, and quick rollbacks.

Every horse that is at a high level of competition has to be structurally sound, but that soundness varies slightly depending on what you are doing. I'm guessing it's the same with dogs, a big weight puller might be built a little differently than a top agility dog, or obedience dog, or dock diving dog....just to name a couple events. This isnt to say that your dog couldnt do all of them if he was built well and sound, it's just going to be built a little better suited to one thing.

[norcalreds]

For ADBA Confirmation... how would you grade my dog Angel? Which pic would be a more proper stack? What would be her faults? Please be blunt. I dont mind the truth. Here are a couple shots! Thanks!

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq355/norcalreds/Angel-%202009/Angel-Oct2009059.jpg

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq355/norcalreds/Angel-%202009/Angel-Oct2009017.jpg

[Dansgrizz]

I don't know much but I think the first pic looks better because of the angles she's presenting. The second pic has nice muscle tone but she has straight back legs in it and isn't facing straight.

[IronChef]

Angel lacks angulation in her rear, which is incredibly high (Not as noticeable when her legs are stretched out behind her). She is lacking a bit of shoulder layback too and appears to be out at the elbows.

It will sound silly, but she has nice feet. Her toes are short and compact. I hate nothing more than dogs with duck feet lol

[CASH]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/tonka916/group-1-1.jpg

I need to get a camera but here is Cash from a few days ago

[versatile]

i really don't show my dog. i took a video and he stood like this. he's a year and nine months old.




i took the video down.

[Dansgrizz]

you dont show that "real champagne fawn"?

[versatile]

you dont show that "real champagne fawn"?

showing/pulling is not for me. the reason it says "real champagne" is because people mistakenly call their dog champagne all the time. he's much more than pretty.