Body

[Jenni]

I can start this with Willy of course

h

Important proportions :
The Belgian Shepherd dog can be fitted into a square. The chest is let down to the level of the elbows.

Body:
Powerful without being heavy; length from point of shoulder to point of buttock approximately equal to height at withers.
Topline : upper line of back and loins is straight.

Withers : Pronounced.

Back : firm, short and well-muscled.

Loins : Solid, short, sufficiently broad, well-muscled.

Croup : well-muscled ; only very slightly sloping ; sufficiently broad but not excessively so.

Chest : little broad, but well let down; upper part of ribs arched; seen from the front forechest little broad, but without being narrow.

In my eye Willy gets pretty much of things mentioned above.

malndobe gave permission, I hope



This dog has multiple faults in front, back is too long and looks very weak.


I have no idea, from where this pic ended up in my computer, so sorry unauthorized use... :p

But this is old lined terv, eventhough longer we've used to see, but still in good balance, good angulations, good structure, healthy.


Chateaubriand (photo courtesy kennel Eubar) This is also, what I'd consider a terv. This dog won almost everything in his time, and now he'd be casted away from ring with 3rd prize.

I really need Saskia in here to put the same list of changings in standard as she put in heads.

In head and teeth-thread I'd add here the pic I sent there to show where we are going. I just don't know why...?

J

[ultramal]

Chateaubriand is a very lovely dog IMO...very balanced, square, and not extreme in coat or type...lovely head and stop, moderate ear set...very nice shoulder angulation, stifle, and croup and tail set....But I cannot come to a conclusion to his height/size due to the picture....AND I cannot come to a conclusion without assessing the hallmark of the breed...and that is the workability, movement, and drives of this dog--and this would take priority...although on the exterior he looks? nice enough....HOWEVER,?since 'form follows function'...I would like to see the 'function' photos. Afterall, the exterior/conformation is 'for nothing' if it cannot work?? No ??

Brigita

PS...Personally, I don't care for 'Willy' at all...I don't find his appearance powerful at all and his shoulder layback not great...His body 'type' is not anything that would remind me of workability... What working titles does he possess? Has he produced any working Champions?

[Jenni]

I have no clue about Willy's working ch offspring, but I doubt there is any. But that type producec dogs that can work using their angulations to jump and run and pull and work:


Willy


His greatgreatgreatgreat etc grandson Hassunketun Joie de Vie


His son Dujoiedevie Boris four legs on the ground...


... and airborn?

J

[malndobe]

Hassunketun - this dog looks like his body length is shorter than his height.  IMO he's an example of "square" taken to the extreme.

The standing Malinois photo is a good one to use for pointing out issues the picture shows (she's got a bunch of them).  I don't mind. 

[malndobe]

It's a bad photos, but I like the structure on this female.? Balanced, excellent angulation, and good breed type.? She's heavier boned than what the "show ring" likes, but then again I don't like how fine a lot of the dogs I see in the show ring are.

Here's an "action shot", not much of one but the only one I could find.

[Carmen]

a nice square (to short now, on the pic she is only around 10 months old) female with a strong back, who also has her mistakes like to much falling croupe and a short tail and big ears (but that is an other part on this board
and here a functional photo of her at 12 months (Brigita ?)

and this is her mom

also a short female with a strong back

[ultramal]

For me this is what I consider to be a lovely Belgian and easily within the standard criteria.?

7-8 months (female):

[Jenni]

Hassunketun - this dog looks like his body length is shorter than his height.? IMO he's an example of "square" taken to the extreme.

Yep. "Juppe" was measured officially in breeding evaluation. He was 61 cm tall and 59,5/60 long (two measurerers) So too short. All the other measurements were ok, except head was too short and wide, too. He produced normal lenght dogs. That pic was just showing the quite similar silhouette with Willy and kinda answer to ultramal of working capabilities with that conformation, nothing else.

And in my own opinion, if the body is too short, movements suffer, because legs don't have room to work straight underneath body. With short bodies also angulations get too open, so dogs start to move with short, spitzlike steps. Too straight shoulders seem to be one (and I mean only one) reason for elbows to be grade 1, because the forces come too staright aginst in ligaments of the joint. But just guessing of this one.

J