Page 98 - ShowSight - November 2019

Form Follows
FUNCTION
PART 12
Vertical Movement in Toplines, Underlines, Croups and Tails BY STEPHANIE HEDGEPATH
Before we leave the topline, I would like to quote a passage from an excellent article on Doberman movement, “Doberman on the Move” by Robert Vandiver. After reading Bob’s explanation as to why a dog’s topline should remain level and firm, I think everyone will
understand why a dog that moves with the least amount of wasted motion is so highly prized.
“A Doberman that bounces over the withers has a serious handicap. Let’s try to quantify the effects of a bouncing front due to a combination of structural deviations. If a male Doberman has a stride of 28 inches at the trot (2263 steps per mile), and the withers move up and down 1⁄2 inch with each step, then the dog’s front will expend the energy equivalent of lifting it 94 feet while travel- ing that mile. Since the dog’s front is about 60% of the dog’s total weight, then the dog would have expended 60% of the energy to raise his entire body the 94 feet. In other words, after trotting for a mile, the dog will have also expended the energy equivalent to climbing a 6 story building (60% of the 94 feet). The extra work expended in an hour of trotting (typically at 5 miles per hour) would be the equivalent of climbing 30 stories. After a day’s work, this dog will be far more exhausted than one that moves without bounce over the withers.” Read the article in its entirety at: http://misteldobermans.com/articles/Doberman%20 on%20the%20Move%20101507.pdf >
After reading Bob’s explanation as to why
a dog’s topline should remain level and firm,
I think everyone will understand why a dog that moves with the least amount of wasted motion
IS SO HIGHLY PRIZED.
96 • ShowSight Magazine, noveMber 2019