Does The Shape Of A Dog Affect Its Performance?

[mushroom 12,390]

 

 

 

 

Trev had a head like a fridge-freezer, was pretty quick, good at turning etc but boy could he bite down if he wanted.

 

 

Yer inbox is full .... had is past tense? What happened to Trev?!

 

He dead love.. PM incoming

Edited January 5, 2014 by mushroom

[Ideation 8,216]

I think you will find the old dear was describing a greyhound not a lurcher.

[Davro 108]

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

[squab 2,875]

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

rather than narrow fronted what about shorter in the front leg,would that enable a dog to turn sharper than say a longer one?

[squab 2,875]

 

balance is half the battle, a dog without it will struggle against one with it

Agreed. If the dog is powered correctly both front and back it will not only be able to work better, but also stand a better chance of going through life without the muscle and tendon injuries so often seen in dogs without the correct proportions and balance. Obviously it goes to say that the dog should be fit for purpose: running an unfit dog, no matter how well made it is, will result in injury.

 

have you got a pic of a lurcher that you consider does not have the correct proportions and balance,im trying to explain all this to a third party which is difficult thanks

Edited January 5, 2014 by hunter1372

[Davro 108]

 

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

rather than narrow fronted what about shorter in the front leg,would that enable a dog to turn sharper than say a longer one?

 

 

 

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

rather than narrow fronted what about shorter in the front leg,would that enable a dog to turn sharper than say a longer one?

 

never seen one with legs shorter at the front unless it was a growing pup. but saluki types an bedlington bred dogs mostly hav front legs close together an there all good at turning

[Sirius 1,358]

Seen and owned dogs which were not great conformation wise but had not probs filling the freezer. Bad shoulders, too narrow, crab on the move, toeing out ( which is never as bad as toeing in) had all of those. But one things for sure good conformation and balance will help longevity.

 

But some points of good conformation are way more important than others.

 

The whole subject is about balance and no gross exaggeration.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Sirius

[baw 4,360]

"Good looks don't kill"....

I'd rather have an ugly dog with a big heart than anything else. It can have the best confirmation but without heart, it's nothing more than a show pony.

[Astanley 11,465]

You only have to look at human athletes to see , shape/build matters , distance runners are invariably similar in shape /conformation the same applies to sprinters , middle distance runners , shot putters , long jump , high jump etc , even the all rounders , ( the lurchers of the athletic world ) the decathletes have a distinctive build , a mix of speed ,power and balance , so yes build matters , there are other attributes a good dog must have , and build/shape is only one link in the chain , but it does matter .

[baw 4,360]

You only have to look at human athletes to see , shape/build matters , distance runners are invariably similar in shape /conformation the same applies to sprinters , middle distance runners , shot putters , long jump , high jump etc , even the all rounders , ( the lurchers of the athletic world ) the decathletes have a distinctive build , a mix of speed ,power and balance , so yes build matters , there are other attributes a good dog must have , and build/shape is only one link in the chain , but it does matter .

Ofcourse it matters or we would all be just using collies always exceptions to the rule, look at the horse sea biscuit. I know plenty of dogs you wouldn't give a second glance but do the business. Cos something looks like its good isnt always the case. You could dress 10 fit looking guys in football strips, line them up with a professional and be hard pushed to pick out the player, until a ball gets kicked what has that to do with confirmation you might ask, f**k knows

[Astanley 11,465]

As ,.I said , Jocky fekin Wilson , its only One link in the chain

[baw 4,360]

[skycat 6,172]

 

 

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

rather than narrow fronted what about shorter in the front leg,would that enable a dog to turn sharper than say a longer one?

 

 

 

Narrow fronted dogs turn a lot sharper than the broader types

rather than narrow fronted what about shorter in the front leg,would that enable a dog to turn sharper than say a longer one?

 

never seen one with legs shorter at the front unless it was a growing pup. but saluki types an bedlington bred dogs mostly hav front legs close together an there all good at turning

 

It's not about having a narrow front end: dogs whose front legs are too close together can't turn properly, as their shoulder blades lack the correct angles to allow the right movement, and I've had several wide chested dogs of Collie breeding who could turn on a sixpence. It's actually the whole package, put together correctly, that makes a dog a total athlete. Saluki types have flatter ribs and deeper chests than bull or collie types, so their ability to turn is based not just on the width of their chest, but the way the whole skeleton is put together. That, and the long, fine muscles and very supple joints which allow great turning ability.

 

Dogs with a lot of heavy, bulging muscles are hampered when they try to turn, no matter what their conformation. There's a lot more to ability than basic shape.

[boyo 1,398]

"Good looks don't kill"....

right on the button with that statement seen some real beautys that wernt worth a light, and some real ugly brutes proportioned all wrong that were the real deal in the feild . and before some bright spark says but think how much better they would be if they were smarter put together ,above statement says it all looks never killed a thing or put anything in the freezer .

[paulus 26]

 

You only have to look at human athletes to see , shape/build matters , distance runners are invariably similar in shape /conformation the same applies to sprinters , middle distance runners , shot putters , long jump , high jump etc , even the all rounders , ( the lurchers of the athletic world ) the decathletes have a distinctive build , a mix of speed ,power and balance , so yes build matters , there are other attributes a good dog must have , and build/shape is only one link in the chain , but it does matter .

Ofcourse it matters or we would all be just using collies always exceptions to the rule, look at the horse sea biscuit. I know plenty of dogs you wouldn't give a second glance but do the business. Cos something looks like its good isnt always the case. You could dress 10 fit looking guys in football strips, line them up with a professional and be hard pushed to pick out the player, until a ball gets kicked what has that to do with confirmation you might ask, f**k knows

 

never seen a fat Ethiopian marathon runner or a skinny Russian lady shot-putter