Showsight - June 2018

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

BY DAN SAYERS continued

The Golden Retriever at the trot represents the footfall cycle of this efficient, endurance gait. Illustration courtesy Encyclopedia of K-9 Terminology by Edward M. Gilbert, Jr. and Patricia H. Gilbert.

video to better understand gait in the dog. “If you look at artists’ drawings of fast galloping horses made prior to the perfection of the camera, you will see many erroneous concepts of leg posi- tions. Only with slow-motion pictures can you truly see exceptionally fast leg movement,” the authors explain. By the end of the 20th century, the video camera had become commonplace and every exhibitor was studying their dogs’ movement on television. K–9 Structure & Terminology was the perfect com- panion book to onscreen study. In the chapter titled, “Principles for Evaluat- ing Dog Gaits,” recognized breeds are acknowledged for having a particular style of trotting. “Using the gait of a Col- lie as the basis for judging the gait of a long-legged Terrier can be a disaster,” they warn. Mr. Gilbert followed-up K–9 Struc- ture & Terminology with the Encyclo- pedia of K-9 Terminology , published in 2014 and co-authored with his wife, Patricia H. Gilbert. At 815 pages, this book provides the most comprehensive collection of breed-specific terms used to define gait. It also includes words and phrases that didn’t exist before the invention of video recording. Tremen- dous reach and drive (TRAD) is defined in the Gilberts’ book as an incorrect action for most breeds. “The term TRAD is generally applied to the move- ment of the generic show dog—the All- American Show Dog or Great American

Show Dog,” note the authors. The term TRAD didn’t exist before video cassette recorders allowed us to “see” trotting dogs at a reduced speed. Unfortunately, image quality was also reduced mak- ing the technology a poor substitute for Elliott’s cineradiography. In the new millennium, new tech- nologies quickly made the VCR as anti- quated as the library card. Thanks to the invention of the smartphone, fan- ciers can now capture images of mov- ing dogs and upload them instantly to social media platforms where they may be viewed in real time from anywhere in the world. Wi–Fi has made it possible to capture a single moment of a dog’s gait and send it whirling around the world without careful scrutiny from a photo editor. As a result, a dog’s every step—and misstep—may be scrutinized as never before. The rhythm of the foot- fall cycle, defined by Gilbert and Gil- bert as “one completed action of all four feet,” is now popularly described with the phrase “foot timing.” The “timing” of the feet has taken precedence over the “cadence” of overall movement. At risk is our ability to see breed–spe- cific movement and have it rewarded in the ring. Although new technologies can reveal nuances ofmovement that expand our vocabulary, they should never allow our understanding of what is “typical” for a breed to be replaced with what is currently trending.

“THE TERM TRAD DIDN’T EXIST BEFORE VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDERS ALLOWED TROTTING DOGS AT A REDUCED SPEED.” US TO “SEE”

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

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