Showsight - June 2018

Foot-Timing in the Age of Wi-Fi: New...

BY DAN SAYERS continued

Maximum forward reach at a trot with a 50-degree layback angle. Illustration courtesy K-9 Structure & Terminology by Edward M. Gilbert, Jr. & Thelma R. Brown.

unseen since the dawn of civilization. These and other terms were initially used to describe the movement of the horse but were eventually adopted by breeders and exhibitors of dogs as well. In 1950, McDowell Lyon produced the first comprehensive book to define, analyze and illustrate “the working parts beneath the surface together with the mechanical laws governing them.” The Dog in Action: A Study of Anatomy and Locomotion Applying to All Breeds, includes 18 chapters that provided a useful vocabulary for dog fanciers. The book’s extensive glossary of terms is still widely used by today’s senior fanciers. Terms such as clipping and crabbing are defined as peculiar (if faulty) forms of canine locomotion. Rachel Page Elliott’s Dog Steps , pub- lished in 1973, provided generations of dog breeders and exhibitors with a vocabulary that recognized and defined “normal and faulty ways in which the dog moves.” Elliott studied canine bone and joint motion at Harvard University’s

Museum of Comparative Zoology where her work included simultaneously pho- tographing and fluoroscoping animals as they moved on a treadmill at con- trolled speeds. This process, known as cineradiography, was initially undertak- en by the author to study hip dysplasia. However, her work ultimately expand- ed to include other aspects of canine mobility. Her findings offered a greater understanding of locomotion even as it challenged long–standing views about canine anatomy. In the chapter titled, “The Language of Dog Anatomy and Comparative Skeletons,” Elliott advo- cates that terms must be understood if they are to be meaningful. Dog Steps redefined the dog’s natural gaits and maintained that performance is the true test of structure. Elliott’s work encour- aged the use of words and phrases such as “angulation,” “balance,” “topline” and “center line of travel” which are commonly used among fanciers today. Harold R. Spira’s Canine Terminolo- gy , published in 1982, further expanded

the canine lexicon by including more breed–specific terms and a glossary that defined specific forms of movement. By the mid-20th century, words such as hackney, rolling and shuffling were in use by the fancy–at–large. Dogs were expected to move in a manner pecu- liar to their breed, with locomotion as a hallmark to be cherished. Spira’s work categorized the diversity found among purebreds, but it also placed greater emphasis on faulty locomotion through terms such as weaving, toeing-out and goose-stepping. The widespread use of these terms contributed to the trend of penalizing faults at the expense of In 1995, Edward M. Gilbert, Jr. & Thelma R. Brown published K–9 Struc- ture & Terminology , based on the original work by Curtis M. & Thelma R. Brown. In this exploration of con- formation and locomotion, the authors acknowledge the value of studying rewarding correct breed type. SLOW-MO ON THE GO

138 • S how S ight M agazine , J une 2018

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