Form Follows FUNCTION BY STEPHANIE SEABROOK HEDGEPATH
MEASURING PROPORTIONS AND FINDING LANDMARKS PART THREE: TOPLINE, UNDERLINE & REAR ASSEMBLY
T he last article pointed out the landmarks of the dog’s neck, prosternum, chest, and shoulder assembly. We will now look at how to determine landmarks of the topline, underline, and rear assembly. Please note that the dogs used as our models are not “show” dogs but beloved pets. Getting them to stand for exam was rather amusing at times. Immediately after you check the layback of the scapula and the angle of the front assembly, it is a simple thing to check the breadth of the dog’s rib cage and spring of rib. To do this, stand beside the dog with both hands’ palms down and thumbs close together at the tips. Place a hand on either side of the spine with the fingers laid along the rib cage, pointing down. (See Figures 1 and 2.) From this position, you have the hands placed on either side of the dog and can quickly feel how the ribs “spring” out from the spinal column, and then curve down and inward to attach to the sternum (breastbone) underneath the dog. (See Figures 3 and 4.) In most breeds, the ribs flatten out somewhat behind the elbows so that the shoulder blade can rotate smoothly, back and forth, across the dog’s rib cage. A dog with too rounded ribs or with muscles that
Figure 1. Checking the rib spring from above.
bulge and push the shoulder blade out (loaded shoulders) will cause a displacement of the elbow and a break in the column of support from the top of the shoulder to the foot. The shape of the chest varies according to the function of the breed. Some breeds, such as the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, call for a more rounded ribcage. ( “Rib cage barrel round and deep.” )
Figure 3. Feeling the curve to the ribcage.
Figure 4. Following the ribs down toward the sternum.
Figure 2. Checking rib spring from the side.
98 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2022
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