Opinions on Ava

[breyer08]

Hello, everyone! I am just learning about stacking and conformation, and I thought I'd upload a couple of photos here for your opinions. She will be 8 months old tomorrow.

In this photo, she had actually naturally stacked herself, but just as I took the photo she brought her right back leg forward a bit :


And here is a shot of her other side:


And a closeup:

[lorihd@comcast.net]

i dont critique, but that 3rd picture is really nice, such a pretty face.

[msvette2u]

Well, she's not really stacked well enough to critique...stacking shows off their best features.
That said, her head is very gorgeous and feminine, her eyes are dark and she has a "kind" expression which is very good and desirable

[breyer08]

Thanks for your comments so far! Yes, I do need to try to get her into a better pose. I snapped these photos right after a quick agility practice in the back yard, so she was too hyper to stand still long enough! hahaha!

Is there a lot of variation in eye color in GSDs?

[robk]

Eye color is suppose to be very dark. Your girl has a lovely face. She should have a mask though. Try taking some photos with out the collar on. I think a bare neck makes them look more filled out. her pigment looks very nice.

[julie87]

She is so pretty! She looks elegant.

[breyer08]

Thanks for these tips and comments! I will remember to take her collar off next time, and I'm going to have to work at getting her in a better pose, too. Since I've never done this before, it's a bit difficult to get her to do it AND get a decent shot! hehehe

[lhczth]

Very nice dark eyes. She seems to have dark pigment (eyes, lips, nose), but then her ears are very light. Almost some color paling. I, of course, would like to see a black mask.

High withers, but a very definite dip behind the withers. The way she is standing is not totally representing her structure well, but it can still be seen. She is a bit stretched. OK topline with good position of a croup that should be longer. Good angulation in front though her upper arm should be longer. Good to very good (?) angulation behind. Nice length of leg. Good pasterns and good feet. I assume she is spayed?

[breyer08]

Originally Posted by lhczth

Very nice dark eyes. She seems to have dark pigment (eyes, lips, nose), but then her ears are very light. Almost some color paling. I, of course, would like to see a black mask.

High withers, but a very definite dip behind the withers. The way she is standing is not totally representing her structure well, but it can still be seen. She is a bit stretched. OK topline with good position of a croup that should be longer. Good angulation in front though her upper arm should be longer. Good to very good (?) angulation behind. Nice length of leg. Good pasterns and good feet. I assume she is spayed?

Wow, thank you so much for all this information!!! This is very helpful as I learn more about conformation. And yes, she is spayed. (Is that something that you can tell by looking at her body type?) I know I can't show her since she is spayed, but I just want to learn about conformation and critiques for future reference. I think she and I will have fun practicing this together.

[lhczth]

Spayed or neutered animals tend to be leggier and have a look. It is usually easier to see in the males than the females.