Critique Zefra @ 21 months

[Capone22]

I can't critique but she is STUNNING!

[Wild Wolf]

Zefra did her SV show in the middle of her young, awkward phase. If she shows again with an experienced handler/stacker, I'm sure she would get an SG.

[wildo]

I haven't critiqued in a while, and honestly I feel a bit rusty. However I REALLY love your Zefra and figured I could at least tell you my opinion. The usual disclaimer: I'm still new at this and may not be accurate.

Lovely feminine head with awesome pigmentation. Actually, her pigmentation throughout is absolutely stunning. She's a gorgeous dog! I really like how her neck is set on her shoulders. It flows well and looks substantial.

I think that her withers are slightly behind her elbow, but it certainly doesn't appear to throw off her balance. She looks very balanced and very athletic! Shoulder angle is very good, but humerus is short. You can see the pasterns in the lower stack pic, and they look nice. I can't really tell if the wither is flat or not, to be honest. This is not an area I feel super comfortable. I think the wither is flat since I think the top of the scapula is behind the elbow. Sometimes though I see critique threads where I think the dog has flat withers, and then more seasoned critiquers note of the "excellent" withers... so, who knows.

I also like the topline much better in the first (slightly stretched) stack. I like the slight slope of the back and this also shows her croup better. The croup is a nice angle, but I think it's slightly short. The stretched stack allows it to appear a bit longer. Her back end screams balance, in my opinion. Femur and fibula/tibia appear to be the same length- both slightly longer than the croup, and the fibula/tibia angle mirrors the croup angle in the lower stacked photo. In other words, the rear forms a nice parallelogram that structural diagrams like that of Linda Shaw typically highlight.

Overall, I like her size, her weight, her gorgeous coat, and her expression. She looks athletic and balanced. I admit that I have looked up Wild Wings before on account of your pup! Nice dog!!

[elisabeth_00117]

Thanks all - yes, the show was a bit of a mess and I think her performance was more of the "G" rating than her structure.... lmao! Also, I took her in the ring with only one lap around as practice.... never again! We will TRAIN for this venue next time!

Wildo - Wild Winds, not Wings.

Thanks for your critique. She was definitely built for speed and is one of the most athletic, agile, FAST dogs I have ever seen - not kidding, she is FAST and can turn on a dime.

She is not true to her parent's breeding as her size is the smallest they have produced in 3 litters. I happened to really like it! Her heart and intenseness makes up for it!

Here is the critique that Johannes gave her at a year old:

dark female
short hair
large
very good pigment
dark face/dark eyes
strong mask
normal withers with slight indintation
firm back
croup short/steep
upper arm more slanted
restricted in rear ang
underline more longer
more substance/bone

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by elisabeth_00117

dark female
short hair
large
very good pigment
dark face/dark eyes
strong mask
normal withers with slight indentation
firm back
croup short/steep
upper arm more slanted
restricted in rear ang
underline more longer
more substance/bone

I agree with this. She's very nice, feminine but not too refined. Great color and pigment. I personally like more coat but I don't think it's faulty.

[elisabeth_00117]

Lies, I agree with the critique for sure - except for the "large" part... that made me laugh. Zefra is JUST 23" and only about 60lbs when at her max. To me, that is a small GSD, or at least medium sized.. not sure where the "large" came from.... lol.

[Liesje]

The show line female ring is trending smaller (not *small* but smaller than what people seem to normally think of). I transported a dog for Johannes recently and she was in the 6-9 month class but couldn't have weighed more than 40/45lbs. When I saw Nikon's littermate show the SV judge said she was absolutely the correct size and she is smaller than Nikon (24", 70lbs) and was much leaner at the time.

[elisabeth_00117]

Wow.. that IS small... yeah, I never thought I would like a smaller dog but I really do prefer Zefra's size, especially in a female. She is easy to tote around.